06-17-2003 12:32
A single line in the last Blotter about having a slow week, blotter-wise -- that’s all it took. One passing mention of the peace and quiet we were sharing in Second Life and everyone decides to fire things up again. Didn’t I mention that we like peace in quiet? Did I imply that I needed more fodder for the blotter?

Shootings were back in vogue during the past two weeks. One incident involved a would-be sniper taking pot-shots at the leader of a well-attended class. The culprit was asked politely to stop shooting everyone – yes, they actually politely asked him to stop shooting them – but he refused to take friendly advice. No matter, we have a special technique for dealing with people who can’t remember that guns and safe areas don’t mix: three days in the penalty box.

If this marksman really needed to discharge his weapons during resident gatherings, he might at least consider taking aim at those residents who feel the need to disrupt these events. The range of behaviors is vast, but all essentially boil down to the act of jumping up and down yelling “Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me!” I thought everyone learned about sitting and paying attention when they were small children, but I suppose it’s worth repeating the lesson: sit still and wait your turn. Some one will pay attention to you, I promise.

Out in the Wild West, during the Frontier Days, tough-as-nails cowboys settled property disputes with a six-shooter. Second Life isn’t the Wild West, and these aren’t the Frontier Days, so this option is not an option. What’s a resident to do? If you can’t use weapons to protect land, use land as a weapon! There have already been many variations on this latest fad – one resident awoke to find his home completely surrounded by a thin range of mountains, while several others were effectively unable to enter entire sims when banning scripts were placed on tiny plots of lands ingeniously positioned to surround a whole region. Smells like harassment to me – remember the part in the Community Standards about restricting movement? It’s a no-no, so don’t do it. Kickers and other tools are meant to help you control access to your land – please don’t abuse them.

And finally: the Naked News. Avatar nudity in PG areas may be at an all-time low, but porno textures seem to be quite popular at the moment. This strikes me as just a little bit lazy. Slapping a nudie texture on a big box lacks any sort of subtlety – there’s simply no art to it. The unexpected nature of public avatar nudity, on the other hand, lends it a least a little bit of style. Keep in mind that nudity on PG sims, stylish or otherwise, is a clear violation of the Community Standards and violators face suspension.

Statistics: Fifteen accounts of harassment, intimidation, or vandalism, seven instances of inappropriate content on a PG sim, eight reports of disruptive behavior, and five complaints of an undisclosed nature. As a result of these complaints and our subsequent investigations, six residents were suspended, ten warnings were issued, and two cases are pending.