Obviously today has been a real pisser for everyone. And for those who have been on since before the flood of unverified accounts, the reason for today's ills seems quite clear. I've put in two cents earlier. /111/10/141963/1.html Now here's two more.
I don't want to get rid of the free accounts, however, every other online game and persistant world I've tried, limits what the non-premium membership has access to. A limited amount of time, limited resources, limited leveling for games like WoW, limited amounts of things they can acquire and limited amounts of things they can trade. Many free accounts are contributing a lot to Second Life, I don't want to limit that. I just think every account, free or premium should be able to be verified in some form. Then, if false information is given you know immediately there is a potential for harm. A sincere, interested party wouldn't and shouldn't have a reason to lie.
My suggestion, and that of others, is that we limit what unverified accounts have access to. Scripts that may perform certain functions, weapons that damage or push, even so far as to suggest a way to limit the amount of time they have to try Second Life. Once they are verifed, in some form, and I am in no way suggesting it has to be monetary, if there are other options, then they can have access to everything. If they can't provide credit/debit card or Paypal info, go back to phone numbers or even a verifiable snail-mail or e-mail address. Something, ANYTHING, to help stem this tide. And think of this, at many sites, just to read something, I have to have a verifiable e-mail account to register with them. Second Life is so much more, but you are asking so much less.
Please Phillip, you have created something that shouldn't be allowed to be killed, or even injured, because of negligence. Second Life is for many a business, a home, and a life. Second Life has allowed me to meet many wonderful people I would never even know existed. But it's getting harder and harder to see those people. The grid is down too much.