RIP - Secondlife Forums

Rest In Peace - Secondlife Forums

Slated to be killed on February 9, 2010, by your makers, in spite of howls of protest by the customers that used them daily.

"Replaced" by a less capable substitute based on Blog software, not Forum software, incapable of many of the most basic Forum functions, and which in spite of the Lab having the basic software up and running for over a year, they have as yet been unable to address the vast majority of complaints about lacking functionality that customers pointed out since day One of the Blogs.

Speaking as someone who has literally used these forums every week, and almost every single day, since September 2005, I have found these forums to be a wealth of knowledge and information beyond compare on the topic of Second Life. In spite of neglect and failure to upgrade them adequately, they still, to the day if their demise, perform better as a forum and as an information repository than the Blogs that are slated to replace them.

It is a shame that Linden Lab pays more attention to salesmen and paid consultants who seem to know NOTHING of their product and this virtual world, than they do of the opinions and needs of the paying customers who breathe life into their virtual world. The lab is destroying a valuable resource, giving us something less capable in return, and makes claims it is for the sake of better maintainability, when in fact the new software is incapable of ever achieving the capabilities of the forums they are shutting down, no matter how much time, effort and paid consultant's money they throw at it.

Before they shut this down, I want to personally thank all the people who used these forums, and who shared their expertise, their knowledge, their troubles, and their joys here. I, and many other users of these forums, have certainly appreciated your contributions, and the capabilities of these forums. Thank you, for sharing information here.

As for a formal question: Why does Linden Lab insist on believing that a Blog application can ever replace a Forum application, when the makers of the blog software itself admit to many basic forum functions that their blog software is incapable of performing, and which are not on their roadmap to add to their blog software? Why do they insist on using the wrong tool for the job?

The missing page views feature? That could be used to get an estimation of how many residents are really on Second Life.

However, good bye everyone, in case forums are closed when I come back later.

Because they don't actually ever use the tool in question and someone made a very convincing case for it in a 5 minute powerpoint presentation?

One thing that struck me last week was that when Lindens talk about contacting another Linden you'll hear "ping them on IRC", "ping them on Skype", "some instant messenger", "internal mailing list", .... Every type of communication software except "that piece of software we made and that we're trying to convince the world makes a good business tool".

When they don't even use SL for basic things other than an occasional inworld appearance and office hour it's no surprise that "they don't get SL or its users".

/me hugs the forums and all they contain.

I will miss you. A lot.

Non fui, fui, non sum, curo.

The flogrum isn't the wrong tool for the job of quieting the older users of the SL platform. It is going to be a wonderful tool to disrupt the current forum culture in an effort to eliminate it's voice from being associated with Linden Lab. It's the correct tool to disconnect and disjoint the wider SL community. It's going to be the perfect tool for the Lab to "listen" to their customers with, specifically because it is nearly impossible to have an actual discussion using it.

Sounds like exactly what M ordered.

First there is a mountain then there is no mountain, then there is.

So long, and thanks for all the posts.

I think they are doing it to conserve effort in supporting the website. It appears to me that LL has decided that they do not have 2D web expertise and do not want to build it in-house; they would rather throw money at the problem. They are pursuing a strict outsourcing model for all web activities, including microtransactions on XStreet. They want to minimize salary dollars spent maintaining the website; they want to generate content for it, and that's it.

It looks to me like they are not even permitting their folks to learn how to configure the Jive software. They are encouraging residents who have specific suggestions to file Jiras about them, and the reason for that could be because they will hand those reports VERBATIM to Jive for prioritization and action. Unfortunately, since Jive is a small company, LL is also a small company, and Jive has Fortune 500 companies to look after, I suspect our Jiras will be prioritized pretty lowly, no matter how much money LL throws at the problem.

Why is LL minimizing 2D web expertise inhouse? Possibly because they want to spend all 2D efforts on expanding their product offering, for example by integrating/shaping up Avatars Unite. Blue seemed pretty focused on AU at his office hour last week.

Or possibly they are trying to remain slim (they are only 350 heads) to be ready for an acquisition.

all good things must come to an end.

Umm, can anyone explain to me what the big deal is about AU? As far as I can see, about the only thing I can do is set status updates from a screen name that may or may not be my avatar to other people whose screen name may or may not be their avatar?

I can do that on twitter. Or for that matter most social networking sites.

Proof Lindens suck at giving residents what we actually want

fuck that, go out kicking and screaming =)

/me wonders when the wiki, which runs open-source 3rd-party software on top of PHP, will be up for an 'upgrade' by LL.

My thanks to all as well.

I had to laugh when I found that...

Having lurked a lot and posted a little, I too mourn the demise of these truely excellent forums.

But do not fear I am absolutely certain the new blogrums will be an outstanding success...

with the integrated log in you will now be able to see your Linden Balance at the top of the page...

which will make it so much easier when the L$1 charge per forum post is introduced in the next improvement to user experience

"Susie on the Rocks"

/me sniffs......

Your fear is rational, grasshopper, but I bet it does not come to pass. I would not be surprised to see it quietly move to another website, so that all LL hosts is a redirect, though!
I'm not sure, but here's my guess:
Blue and his resident fanclub seemed excited about using AU to keep in touch with SL friends while outside of world, so I imagine they will find a way to gateway direct chat between AU and inworld. Eventually. If they get around to it.

One of LL's many missions this year seems to me to be to support every way on the planet to allow residents outside of SL to keep in touch with each other. Twitter inworld HUDs, AU gateways, smartphone text interfaces, IRC gateways, everything. They want to allow you to be your SL persona, to talk with SL friends, no matter where you are. AU can provide an SL-only way to do that, for those folks who don't DO twitter, facebook, lalalala.

Here's a little extra from the 'Wild Speculation' file: Because AU accommodates avatars from other virtual worlds, it could ultimately provide a toehold to market XStreet goods to multiple virtual worlds. If LL ever gets around to providing options for XStreet listings, merchants could tag their furniture or what-have-you with a list of versions for different VWs. I mentioned this speculation in Blue's meeting, and Blue basically responded with "Nika, what? Say that again!". But I didn't want to interrupt the terribly fascinating discussion by developer wannabes on how to extend Open ID to AU. *snerk*

I'll miss this place. I am all for new technology when it makes sense but the software at the "new" place is too sluggish and fractured to find information and conversation easily, at least currently.

Onwards into the brink...

My morning coffee won't be the same without RA, it was a Hell of a lot better than reading the newspapers. If the Blogorama stays as is, without a discussion area similar to RA, I won't be spending any time of consequence. In the extreme rare case that I might need a question answered I might use it, but it doesn't really fit my needs as it is currently configured. Let's see if The Providers will finally honor a promise to us, besides shutting this place down.

Nine.

I think you are right, Nika.

The people running Second Life todays have a completely different vision for where they are taking the company than those who founded it. The Tao of Linden lies crumpled in a ball in the recycling bin, a quaint relic of the dreamers who created this place.


Lest THEY forget, this is the Tao of Linden:



While this seems to be the current "rewrite", based on their actual behavior as a whole"

Wah!!!

Good one, Suezanne!

Linden Lab is so out of touch with its community.

Bummer.

All i can say it's a shame these forums are closing,i always come here before i log into SL.
I have learned so much from the forums and i am going to miss them.
It has become such a habit to come here every day and read the posts.