Less than a week before SL5B!
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 5:05 PM by: Everett LindenWe’ve noted the many threads of conversation on the forums, the blogosphere and other networks. It’s a mark of your passion and dedication, and it’s amazing to watch. Â We’d like to engage in the conversation across the board, but mostly we hope that we can engage you all to make sure this is a fantastic celebration.
Before we kick off the event though, we want to spend a little time clarifying in order to clear up some of the confusion around the submission process and policy.
All exhibits are PG, because we want to make the SL5B as inclusive as possible. Â All Residents, from all communities, and all countries are welcome to attend, exhibit, volunteer and build. We’re thrilled that 60% of our Residents hail from outside the United States, reflected in roundtables from Japan’s Keio University to your fellow Resident musicians around the world. Â
As a result, we are reviewing and approving content to make sure it matches our PG guidelines. This insures all exhibits are appropriate for a worldwide audience, and showcases your amazing talent, innovation and creativity. Please note that this in no way reflects a change in overall policy. Second Life will remain as open as it always has.Â
Dusty Linden and the SL5B team of Resident organizers are busily constructing the space to accommodate over 250 exhibitors, over 100 live musicians and DJs from around the world (so far!). They have a special note for all the Residents who are dedicating their time to their exhibits.
Special Note for Exhibitors
Since last year, the SL birthday event has grown from one week to two, and some exhibitors are confused about how long they will be allowed to exhibit. If you are part of the arts and culture sections, you should be ready to exhibit and start doing your fine tuning on the 20th. The gates open on the 23rd. You are welcome to exhibit for the whole two weeks of the event, and we hope you will!
Beginning on week 2, (June 30) we will begin to shift focus and add more events and exhibits in the Education, Business Solutions and Nonprofit categories. Â If you are part of these categories, you have an extra week to prepare, and you will be located on the regions called Edit, Linked, Rotate and Stretched. However, if you can complete their exhibits on time for the opening on the 23rd, we welcome it!
June 17th, 2008 at 5:17 PM
Happy Birthday.
May there be many many more.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:14 PM
I want cake!!!
June 17th, 2008 at 6:16 PM
@1
Thanks Ann!
@2
MarkByron….The cake is cool
June 17th, 2008 at 6:19 PM
Two words: Stephen Venkman.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:20 PM
I know the comment was already removed … but …. who is
Stephen Venkman
?
I really want to know
June 17th, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Wow, that surprised me.
I hope folks will stop by my own, small contribution to SL5B, as well as some of the other great builds created by and in support of SL’s child avatars. There’s some amazing builds there.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:37 PM
The spin machine is in full swing! “All residents…” is what they meant when they plainly said “submissions from child avatars are respectfully declined” etc. etc.
/me whistles cheerfully as he waits for Censor Linden to remove this comment and any that don’t shout the glowing praises of the “we never do anything wrong” Lindens and the Main Grid All Hail the Main Grid.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:38 PM
In the name of International Unity,
Happy Birthday, Second Life
June 17th, 2008 at 6:38 PM
What’s being planned for the Teen Grid residents? it would be nice to have an announcement for that.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:02 PM
Jayden no one is stopping you from lobbying. You don’t need to tear other down in order to promote yourself, dummy.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:08 PM
OK, I have to answer that Jayden, Mariannes show is of a child doing normal child things, so there will be at least one exhibit that shows children here are not all sex crazed perverts, but are people who remember the wonder of childhood and have fun recapturing that., would you rather that there were no child AVs in the show at all, that would send a great message to the world that we are ashamed of OUR children and must keep them hidden.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:28 PM
Jayden - sorry ya feel that way, but I am opting to try to reach out to those who attend SL5B and may well need to see us kids, Education always comes first in my eyes.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:30 PM
/me stands next to Mari in a show of support for her admirable attitude, actions, and attempt at spreading understanding.
The 3 A’s!
June 17th, 2008 at 7:34 PM
Jayden - I’ll talk to ya in world. Sounds like we should talk
June 17th, 2008 at 7:45 PM
I will visit the few kids builds to support them as far as the rest, no thank you I have lost ALL confidence in LL to take into consideration thier residents. This SL5B farce has convinced me that LL doesnt care. I will stay but be sure I wont visit anythingt related to LL, gets tiring seeing so many slapped in the face.
June 17th, 2008 at 8:11 PM
*sigh* come on guys play nice. i know there are alot of angry ppl out there and i don’t blame you for that. I for one will only be visiting a few of the displays(kids community + friends builds), but i really think ppl like marianne/loki/geoff are doing a great job in dark times.
June 17th, 2008 at 8:25 PM
I for one WILL be checking out the LL sponsored festivities. I have no child avatars so no worries there…but what about my Gary Coleman avie? You know…from Diff’rent Strokes? Gary is an adult who portrays a child , Arnold, in this classic 80s sitcom. Will it be okay ? Oh..what about my Webster avie…..? Can anyone tell me? anyone?……………Bueller?…
June 17th, 2008 at 9:12 PM
i snuck into the kids5b sims last night, what was ment to be a 5 minute look around turned into a fun filled 2 hours. Happy birthday Second life but i think you will have trouble getting even close to the sence of community that they have over at kids5b IMO.
-Crunch
June 17th, 2008 at 9:41 PM
“All exhibits are PG, because we want to make the SL5B as inclusive as possible.”
Um.
Do you KNOW a vast amount of your user base?
June 17th, 2008 at 10:18 PM
I don’t normally comment on the blog, but 2 things.
1st off happy birthday SL, heres to many more.
2nd, i’m in agreement with other posters on here about not letting somebpdy have an exhibit as they use a child avatar. NOT EVERYONE WHO USES SL IS HERE FOR THE SEX, OK?
Can’t some things just stay innocent? well if you’re that afraid of pissing people off then get rid of all the furries too.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:51 PM
@5 the guy with ghostbusters?
June 17th, 2008 at 11:11 PM
I would like to thank all those who have been helping on the SL5B infrastructure, the organizers .. and of course DUSTY LINDEN!
P.S. The Exhibits look great, loved watching and helping people on their exhibts! - hope you all enjoy them when its open.
Happy Birthday SL
June 17th, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Always nice to see LL comunicators avoiding saying something about the cencorship regarding child avatars at SL5B and call backtracking on some of the cencorship clarification as if there never was any blanket ban on builds of kid groups and later pictures of adults and kids in one shot.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:45 PM
While working on the exhibit for the Isle of Lesbos I asked two coordinators if the paintings of Cleopatra, Sappho, Aphrodite, and Pandora — all classics hanging in real-life museums — were PG enough. The reply “The ones with the nipples?” told me that I should airbrush in some extra modesty and re-upload the textures. L$30 later (Pandora seems to have been born without nipples) the sun was shining again and my prim allotment doubled.
Honestly, I don’t mind that much, though I suppose I should. Maybe folks will stand there and try to find the nipples then take the time to click the swirling hearts in one display to learn about discrimination, life-saving resources, and the culture of lesbians. We will be at hhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/SL5B%20Physical/243/32/24
June 17th, 2008 at 11:48 PM
I’m looking forward to the event, but would like a bit of clarification, for my own understanding.
Where can I find a copy of the official PG Guidelines, either for SL5B or for SL itself? I find numerous references on the SL website, but no definitions.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:48 PM
@25
Hi, Abigail, I guess you misunderstood. Allow me to clarify.
There never was any ban on a specific type or group of avatar.
There was a request to keep things PG.
Full stop.
– Katt
June 18th, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Lulz @ “full stop”
Saw the Kids5B sims too, they’re beautiful and fun and complex…and entirely G rated. Sacha and Sven and their friends did a wonderful job, I’m really looking forward to donning a kid avatar for a day or so and having some innocent fun on those sims.
Happy Birthday, SL.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Katt??? We seem to have *very* different definitions of a ban - and I think my grasp of the english language is at least good enough to understand that something like “no exhibitions showing the life of kid avatars” or “no pictures that show both adult and kid avatars together” is simply that: a blanket ban. So, please, don’t insult the intelligence of the MANY people who saw it as exactly that - the words by Dusty and Everett are still to find at MANY places!
Why the heck can’t you and some others at LL not admit that they made a mistake! That wouldn’t be something bad, Lindens are humans, too. But what you are trying here with your answer to Abigail is LYING. Or do you deny, that totally PG builds offered by kid avatars, showing the live of kid avatars, were turned down in the first by Dusty? Do you deny, that totally PG pictures, showing adult and kid avatars together, were turned down in the first by Everett? Do you deny, that LL reversed the policy AFTER LL got hit by massive protests from around the whole SL community?
Admitting a mistake and revising decisions is not a bad thing. But coming here and saying that there was no mistake at all, never was, when hundreds and thousands of resident SAW these mistakes with their own eyes, it’s just so totally out of line!
Kids5B - Celebrating 5 years of kid avatars in Second Life
June 18th, 2008 at 12:22 AM
I would simply like to add that, for what is worth, the event information has been translated in Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch (the only languages for which I had people willing to help) and has been kept as updated as possible (daily and hourly) here: wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/SL5B.
Coordinators, exhibitor greeters, gardeners and even Lindens who were not directly involved in this event have helped me make sure that information about this event should reach the widest possible audience. And in return, having had experience as a resident helper, I tried to be on group chat as long as possible to help exhibitors who needed a guide.
Last night, our general coordinator Meghan Dench had to introduce or reinstate stricter rules regarding building and behavior because latecomers and people who seem to be affected by Attention Deficit Disorder (except when you reply to them that they are being rude) were treating me abusively (I was called a spammer, a little chief, arrogant and talking down to people), simply because I spent 8 hours a day on group chat asking people if they wanted help because I am in Europe and most coordinators are across the pond. This is international collaboration for me. But no, latecomers (mostly Americans, as always) had to carry their weight around, be served immediately and be abusive in the face of difficulties. That is why I will continue my experience in SL5B as a linguist only until June 22 and then become an exhibitor only (which i have been doing at the same time).
I think that before we start talking about rules to follow and what is wrong and what is right, people should follow a tutorial on manners and self-ridicule, in simpler English, for Americans. Torley, can you do one?
Happy Birthday anyone! And learn to be decent to other people. I am off.
Sandor Balczo
SL5B Linguist
June 18th, 2008 at 12:36 AM
[...] This blog mentions the party is less than a week away and the comments clearly show that the Linden’s have exceeded the floor of PG and moved to G, no nipples for males and no pictures of Kids and Adults together. [...]
June 18th, 2008 at 12:40 AM
Katt says “There never was any ban on a specific type or group of avatar.”
You lie again Katt. Here are Robin’s very words:
“We believe a community sponsorship, however, is not in the best interest of the event or of Linden Lab, so we have to respectfully decline your participation at that level.”
How is that *not* a ban?
June 18th, 2008 at 12:46 AM
Happy birthday, virtual world of Second Life(TM).
If folks at LL are wondering what to wish while blowing out the prim candles, here are some ideas:
* grid stability
* a working asset server
* mainland zoning
* and no more stupidity in dealing with the community (can you say “Banks” or “TM”?)
We love SL; but, remember, an unrequited love can turn into hate..
IYan
SL, Second Life, Second Life Grid, SL Grid, TG, Teen Grid, Grid, and the letters “S” and “L” brought to you by Linden Lab.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:11 AM
Happy Birthday again SL, loved SL4B, met alot of amazing people, saw alot of great work & talent displayed, can’t wait to come again!
As for PG, where i come from it means “Parental Guidance” pretty silly on an adult grid from where i sit, but i didn’t classify the place.
Sugar
June 18th, 2008 at 1:34 AM
[...]Please note that this in no way reflects a change in overall policy. Second Life will remain as open as it always has.[...]
/me throws her sippy cup in the air and almost wets her pants
from laughing so hard!
Thanks Everret, you just made my day:)
/me picks up her crayons and gets back to work on the nice drawing she’s making for mummy, to bad it can be on display though, really would be nice……..
June 18th, 2008 at 1:38 AM
Are you saying it’s not true you’re disallowing images of young and old looking avatars in the same image?
These apologies and scowls from the event’s own art director?
http://shoshanaepsilon.blogspot.com/2008/06/second-life-5th-birthday-12-june-update.html
“Before we kick off the event though, we want to spend a little time clarifying in order to clear up some of the confusion around the submission process and policy.”
When?
June 18th, 2008 at 1:42 AM
woot 5 years sl and it growed so well happy BD and will bring the next 5 years much more
June 18th, 2008 at 2:10 AM
All i wanted to do was create an interactive story in SL5B with a theme or rekindling your innerchild. All Marri wanted to do was show her favourate moments in her secondlife. And all this that has resulted from that has been so disheartening. In the end i am greatful ive been allowed to build my exhibit at SL5B.
To not build at SL5B now, would render the hard work and sacrifices made by many behind the scenes pointless. I look forward to the new Fringe festival, Kids5B and Burning life. If anything this whole experience has changed how many of us see residents and Linden Lab in the future.
DreamLand Dome - Move sim SL5B
Kids5B - Celebrating 5 years of kid avatars in Second Life
June 18th, 2008 at 2:21 AM
LOL guys if you had unquestionable things to exhibit then you wouldn’t have a problem.
in australia they have banned all porn because the line between underage porn and young teen port was just too fine.
i commend ll for at least trying to stamp out this kind of thing.
Happy Birthday LL hope to see many of you at my exhibit and around the birthday sims.
I have been able to display my rl photography and my sl builds as well as my music endeavors with no problem at all in the pg area.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:40 AM
[...]LOL guys if you had unquestionable things to exhibit then you wouldn’t have a problem[...]
/me thinks thats rather a blunt statement but he prolly cant help it,walking upside down all day.
Pokes at Nathan and runs :)))
June 18th, 2008 at 2:50 AM
What about the Teen Grid? Will there be TSL5B this year?
June 18th, 2008 at 2:51 AM
(Open letter to Linden Lab)
In the interest of transparency and good will, I would like to inform you of a new Resident-run initiative. A Second Life fringe festival.
For several years, Linden Lab has graciously provided space for the Residents of Second Life to showcase their talents. For their part, the Residents receive recognition from their peers. (Due to my participation in SL3B, I was interviewed for Le Monde on-line magazine and asked to participate in the University of Texas at Dallas’ first display of Resident art. Later, I was asked to be the art director for SL4B and SL5B. My continued presence has given me additional exposure to be asked to be curator and board member for several galleries.)
I understand the need to provide a squeaky-clean image to the “outside” world. Honestly, I want Second Life to continue and succeed as much as you do. However, many artists and exhibitors find the “squeaky clean” image that you wish to portray as being too restrictive. In truth, there are MANY aspects of Second Life, and the G rated version is only part of it.
In the image of the International Arts Festival at Edinburgh with its associated Fringe Festival, several of us from within the community wish to have our own fringe festival. The intent is that Linden Lab’s Birthday event is to the Resident event as the Edinburgh International Arts Festival is to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival: the official, major event, and the supplementary smaller event. We would welcome your cooperation in coordinating these two separate events so that they can support each other and create a stronger whole.
We have yet to actually name our event, but I am rather fond of calling it the ‘fringe festival’ following a concept commonly used in Great Britain. (There are actually concurrent fringe festivals in many cities throughout northern England and Scotland.) The festival organizers will be meeting in the upcoming weeks and months to iron out these details, and we welcome input from all sources on how we can construct a truly wonderful festival to celebrate all the things we love about Second Life.
For 2009, we will be asking individuals and corporations, rather than Linden Lab, to donate the use of their sims to host a festival concurrent with Second Life’s 6th birthday. In subsequent years, if this is successful, we may include other non-birthday events, especially if we can arrange long term donor support.
The intention of this event is not to take attention away from your primary event(s). It is to allow additional participation by people who love this place and see it as “home”.
In thanks for your continued support,
Pyrii Akula
Shoshana Epsilon
SignpostMarv Martin
Will Webb
June 18th, 2008 at 2:52 AM
lol nathan are we living in the same australia? me thinks your just trying to stur things up… nice try mate, gota try harder next time though.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:03 AM
I see that the curtain has been torn. It will be very very hard to mend it.
Sandor
June 18th, 2008 at 3:11 AM
[...] Linden Blog Less than a week before SL5B!Mainland supply on hold until JulyResponding to Questions about the DMCA ProcessPlay your own radio [...]
June 18th, 2008 at 3:20 AM
Hey everettlinden, looking forward to the party.
Can you tell me how i can submit a request to have some of my items on exhibit.
Ami
June 18th, 2008 at 3:34 AM
“All exhibits are PG, because we want to make the SL5B as inclusive as possible
..we are reviewing and approving content to make sure it matches our PG guidelines”
Katt - it’s censorship. You make yourself look ridiculous by claiming it to be anything else, or by pretending that the effect is not to actually exclude goodly portions of the community, love ‘em or loath ‘em.
I, for one would have a lot more respect for LL’s integrity (and potentially yours too) if you made a statement like, “Yeah, it’s censorship. We don’t like the necessity but give the number of neo-con-fundamentalists and desperate politicians and the fact that the US contains roughly 40% of the world’s lawyers, we don’t feel we have an option.”
That might get you support and sympathy instead of brickbats.
— A citizen of a country without First Amendment protections, who is constantly amazed by the way US citizens rush to trample on theirs.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:44 AM
Happy Birthday indeed, although i could throw away some items from my store I created with bought scripts, because YOU ! dear Linden remove them out of the objects
(btw that blog is limited to 125 reactions ?)
Now I can buy the scripts again somewhere if they still exist and recreated my objects
Thank YOU !
But besides that , A happy birthday and maybe lots of birthdays to come. although do something about the PR & Communications department.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:09 AM
Vylixan, I believe blogs look limited to 125 posts only because 25 posts have been put on hold for verification (i.e. they will never be seen) or have just been deleted, so no censorship there, which ok is a bit unfair, some posts probably should be removed, just ironic at this time.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:11 AM
Happy birthday !!!!
I would first like to sincerely congratulate all the team for the great job done globally during these past 5 years. You have created something just amazing….
Then I would like to ask for our SL5B gift:
Please stabilize it.
Just pause adding new features, fix the databases, fix the responsiveness, fix the havoc4 physics and all the current Jira and let’s us enjoy it a little bit.
JUST DO IT, and you will be in the SL Hall of Fame !
Champagne, et santé !!!
June 18th, 2008 at 4:27 AM
Happy Birthday dear Linden ™ indeed.
I learnt what happened to an exhibit from a Caledonian, offer ‘declined’ because of the presence of what the Lab thought was a child AV. Every Caledonian knows otherwise, but… who are we mere AVs… etc, etc.
Today, I received a notecard from customers, who had paid for two items (no copy, item on display for sale) and took it, but the item never appeared in their inventory. Please, when will we have stable databases?
Keeping a business is becoming harder and harder in SL, with the constant problems. When it’s not unavailable regions, it’s blocked transactions, or other database problems. All sprinkled with too many crashes.
Happy Birthday, from someone who is a ball of light most of the time, entirely genderless, non-humanoid, non-animal, non-vegetal, nothing offending.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:45 AM
@40: Many of the items being discussed in the above postings were PG, even G, for that matter.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:53 AM
Happy Birthday… I wish the best for the next 5…
SL-FOREVER…
June 18th, 2008 at 5:10 AM
Happy Birthday SL! Yay!
I have been looking forward to the SL5B event and this year you may even spot some of my primwork on display if you look closely. ^_^
Party on!
June 18th, 2008 at 5:19 AM
@50 hear hear - freedom of expression is hard won and easily lost
— Another citizen of a country without First Amendment protections, etc., etc.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:19 AM
Happy Birthday Second Life!!!
June 18th, 2008 at 5:20 AM
@28 Katt:
“There never was any ban on a specific type or group of avatar.
There was a request to keep things PG.
Full stop.”
While factually true, I don’t think anyone is arguing that there was not a blanket ban on a specific type of avatar. I think what is being argued is the barring of (PG) content by certain types of avatars.
Is it not true that some child avatars were told, two weeks ago, that they’re presentations would not be allowed, with some follow-up from this blog entries author as well as Robin Linden that while child avatars would be allowed to attend, they would not be allowed to present anything regarding child avatars?
Is it also not true that many were told expressly by community volunteers for your birthday, as well as the author of this blog post, that images presenting an adult and child avatars together *regardless of content* and child avatars near or on beds *regardless of content* were to be disallowed?
I believe this is the elephant in the room here. This is what people seem to be concerned with, and is what isn’t being addressed. Could you clarify if either these fairly well documented items never happened, or if there was a policy shift?
June 18th, 2008 at 5:35 AM
[...] Originally Posted by Katt Linden June 17th, 2008 at 11:48 PM @25 Hi, Abigail, I guess you misunderstood. Allow me to clarify. There never was any ban on a specific type or group of avatar. There was a request to keep things PG. Full stop. – Katt Less than a week before SL5B! « Official Second Life Blog [...]
June 18th, 2008 at 5:36 AM
“All exhibits are PG, because we want to make the SL5B as inclusive as possible.”
Just voicing my opinion, but isnt the above statement contradictory? PG and All Inclusive? Im pretty sure there is a teen grid and 17 and younger arent allowed on the main grid.
Im not into any of the Gor or Sexual Adventures some people choose in SL…but that is part of SL. While in RL, I wouldn’t want a sex shop next to an elementary school…there are parts of town where they fit. I understand the concern, but where is the harm of putting in 2 or 3 mature sims for the mature CULTURE? While some people may come to peek at SL for its educational and commercial uses, some are coming to see the more wild side too.
I believe this is a poor decision and should be reconsidered very soon
June 18th, 2008 at 5:42 AM
@40 Nathan Organ:
there is no ban on prin in australia. are you american? you obviously dont live in australia.
perhaps you are confusing a porn ban for harradines success in outlawing the hosting of porn website on australian servers. of course, you can still visit those sites. you can even own them provided they are hosted overseas. in fact, you can film them in australia as well.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:43 AM
just wow…
you think my memory is really that short?
Originally Posted by Katt Linden
June 17th, 2008 at 11:48 PM
@25
Hi, Abigail, I guess you misunderstood. Allow me to clarify.
There never was any ban on a specific type or group of avatar.
There was a request to keep things PG.
Full stop.
– Katt
June 18th, 2008 at 5:49 AM
My exhibit at SL5B is dedicated to “Youthful Creativity and Roleplay”, and has from initial conception been a G-rated display showing some of the many pass times that one can do as a child or as a young adult in SL that have nothing at all to do with sex, and explaining something about those who for one reason or another play roles that are younger than their Player’s actual age.
And yet, when in response to rumors that any image with an adult and a child in it would be censored, I initially asked for a check on my G-rated display to ensure that there was no possibility of breaking any Linden rules, I was initially told by the volunteer staffer that I could not display a photo of my furry adult avatar and my SL daughter’s furry child avatar (age ten) in the same photo. This, in spite of the fact that it was a formal portrait, in which we were both clothed from toes to wrists and neck in full Japanese Kimonos, were not touching each other, and were not even gazing at each other! She stated this was explicitly because the Lindens in charge of the event had a “no exceptions” policy regarding any image that had a child and an adult in the same pic. Not “any such pics require review to make sure they are PG”, but “any such pics are not allowed at all”. In what universe would that image have been considered anything other than G-rated? So yes, there was initial censorship, and it was going way beyond “Making sure it is PG”.
To their credit, that same SL5B volunteer staffer contacted me several days later and said they had reviewed the image in question in a meeting with the Linden staff, and that they now agreed that there was nothing wrong with my G-rated image. I was encouraged to display it as I had originally done. They even allowed, with no further review, a second pic in which my daughter (in teen form this time) and I were gazing at one another as any loving child and adoring parent might, in a wholesome, non-sexual relationship. We’re both in Human form in that one, both dressed in jeans and T-shirts. So yes, there has been a policy reversal, or at the very least, a “policy clarification”, which has relaxed some of the overly-tight restrictions and censorship.
I am also supporting and displaying at Kids5B. There’s an info sign about that event at my SL5B site, and I have a photo display there that includes images that even now, the Linden Guidelines would not permit, such as a “baby photo” of my SL daughter, innocently standing in her crib in her room…
Yes, there’s tons of sex in SL. There’s tons of adult stuff going on in New York City, too. But we don’t ban children from setting foot in New York, just because they *might* walk into an adult business. So why should we assume that with all the wonderful possibilities in SL, any child avatar is up to no good? Over 95% of what I do in SL has nothing at all to do with sex, thank you. The other 5%? Well, that’s why my SL Partner and I now have a daughter in SL …
June 18th, 2008 at 5:53 AM
Katt, I’ll add my voice to others here. Robin, everett, and the ‘civilian’ organizers of the event stated, in public, on more than one occasion, that submissions from child avatars, regardless of content, would be declined.
Full stop.
That submissions from Gor and BDSM communities would be declined.
Full stop.
And now you are trying to spin things and saying there never was a blanket ban on certain avatars as participants, or certain types of content, PG or not?
Please.
Either you are (a) extraordinarily poor at communicating what you’re trying to say (ironic for the Communication Linden) or (b) you think we’re all a bunch of morons and don’t remember, or have access to, the original statements referenced above. Neither one of these shows ANY respect whatsoever for your residents.
I’m starting to wonder… were the jobs that you and everett held before at the Ministry of Truth? (ref. George Orwell’s “1984″)
You say there was no blanket ban. Well, allow me to quote Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride”:
“You keep using that word; I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
June 18th, 2008 at 6:52 AM
I’m Excited! I’ts been a great (4years) for me…5 years for all you Early Starters of the SL. OOO Remember the NOOB Days? We were like Perma Noobs!
HAPPY 5th B Day SECOND LIFE! I’m thrilled to have been asked to perform again, so see ya’s on the 24th, NOON performance and See ya all on the Big Bad Azz Grid! Much peace and love to everyone!!!!
CAKE!
June 18th, 2008 at 7:07 AM
Happy birthday indeed! SL has had a profound (and positive) effect on both my personal and professional life, and the lives of thousands an’ thousands of other folks; there’s a huge amount fo celebrate.
I also find it a little strange to say that the PG requirement (i.e. excluding certain things) is for the sake of being inclusive; excluding in order to be inclusive?
I hope the official birthday areas will at least have pointers to (or pointers to pointers to) some of the less sanitized celebrations that will be going on (unofficially) at the same time? Just a thought…
June 18th, 2008 at 7:33 AM
Man, I am the laziest avatar. I can’t believe I haven’t got anything together to be involved in this.
Happy Birthday LL.
If there are six sl days to one rl day that puts you folks at 30 years old and inline for a mid-life crisis.
I’ll have a Ferrari and one of the Gamer Girl avatars please.
Cheers and let’s have lots more birthdays.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:48 AM
This has to be recognized as one of the greatest publicity stunts of the modern SL era. Hats off to the Lindens because Second Life is one of the bigest hustles of the modern era RL or SL.
this discussion seems to be centered mainly around child avs and I would like to state that I do not have a child av, nor do I wish to have one so the following comments are not misconstrued as self-serving.
If SL is supposedly a reflection in part of RL, then why are certain segments of the SL experience being disallowed?
Perhaps I have misinterpreted SL to mean “Second Life” perhaps it means “Selective Life”?
The fix seems rather simple. Why not just offer a seperate area for adult content? Then, just as in RL, it will be up to the individual to decide if they are willing to run the risk of being offended.
I understand the Lindens must cover themselves legally or risk their business and their money (which is what it’s really all about…its not about the experience it’s about money at the heart of it all) so perhaps this is a simulation of RL after all…
June 18th, 2008 at 7:49 AM
Happy 5th Birthday SL !!
I’m almost ready for the big day, look forward to seeing everyone there!!
It’s sad that the event has been tainted, but that’s life….
June 18th, 2008 at 8:02 AM
from Katt Linden
There never was any ban on a specific type or group of avatar.
There was a request to keep things PG.
Full stop.
– Katt
Let me also just say we have always been at war with Eurasia we have always been allies with Eastasia.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
that will be all from our own little Big Sister
June 18th, 2008 at 8:18 AM
You Know, I have to say that the slb5 committee is not about inclusion, they are about exclusion based upon drama… I am still waiting on Dusty or Pathfinder to contact me in game to discuss the reasons why a certain radio station will NOT be participating… I did not want to drag this issue here.. but I had no choice.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:24 AM
Interesting comments….I am doing Through the Looking Glass - well trying we only got the plot Monday…
But regardless of the politics, underlying issues we all have to deal with on a dialy basis on the platform, and shall we say communication challenges it’s a birthday celebration and it’s great to focus on the talent of the residents and I can’t wait to explore the rest.
Thanks to all those volunteers too, Prad and Meghan I know personally and can’t even describe the effort/hours they and the teams around them have put into this.
x
June 18th, 2008 at 8:25 AM
ps somebody above commented on Fringe Festivals for 2009 - I would be happy to denote sim space for any focused on design mediums
June 18th, 2008 at 8:43 AM
The really stupid thing is how this has turned into a “LL vs Residents” battle, when it could so easily have rallied everybody. Nobody is here to sabotage SL. We would all like to hold it up and say “look what we have”, fully aware that baiting sensationalist journalists would not be in our best interest.
But instead of appealing to this community spirit, LL came down hard, with implied moral judgments and a set of rules so astonishingly restrictive that they would probably disallow every movie ever made. (Irrespective of Everett’s revisionist denial of his documented statements, and Katt’s continued verbal tap-dance over what constitutes a “ban”.)
It may have been blind panic over some recent political posturing; it may be some specific Lindens’ agenda to create the grid they personally consider morally or business-wise acceptable. I do not know, and LL’s refusal to address it only breeds mistrust and unease about the future. I strongly urge LL to display their vaunted transparency, and describe the reasoning, chain of command and changes which has happened during the lifespan of the SLB5 planning. Even if some may possibly lose face, I think it is necessary to rebuild some confidence.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:48 AM
As the owner of a RL business that provides web-dev services to the SMB community, I am thrilled that Linden Labs is trying to “clean up” SL’s image and promote a G/PG environment. Many of our clients are intrigued by the prospect of using 3D environments for training, team communication and virtual product prototyping/demonstration.
SL as a purely self-contained micro economy won’t survive the challenge of competitors like Google, Sony, etc. The vast majority of Real Life businesses are NOT interested in bringing their employees, clients, products or services into an SL “neighborhood” filled with content that would be offensive.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:49 AM
::happily splashing in the water at the Isle of Lesbos @ SLB5 exhbit::
I’d like to thank Taff Nouvelle, Meghan Dench, Marianne McCann, and all the others that have personally assisted me with our exhibit. Everyone I’ve talked to has been very positive and supportive.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/SL5B%20Physical/228/32/24 (Across from Hogwarts! Talk about child avies … :::giggle:::) Come for the free goodies and stay for the important information!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:57 AM
Hi there,
Happy birthday Linden and congrats to all residents that contributes to the grid becomes a multi cultural meeting point.
WooT waiting for countdown Yupieeee. Let’s party
June 18th, 2008 at 9:01 AM
I truly feel bad for the people volunteering their time to coordinate the SL5b project. They surely must be overwhelmed responding to concerned residents over Linden Labs flip flops on policy. Bless your hearts, I am sure you didn’t bargain for this when you signed up.
I am happy to hear there will be live performances at both sl5b AND kids5b. We are assembling a talented team of performers for our concert on the 28th! Can’t wait to show the world , we are united!
Kids5B - Celebrating 5 years of kid avatars in Second Life
June 18th, 2008 at 9:06 AM
Sorry. Couldn’t care less. My friends and I still make our own fun, the way SL is supposed to be run. As little care as you pay to grid performance, we pay to your PR push.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:13 AM
@44 Shoshana–as I commented on your blog, I think the Fringe Festival is a fantastic idea! It will highlight the range of creativity and expression on SL, and I’m sure you will have no lack of supporters of land, art, and exhibits.
Thanks again for all your continued work on this year’s Art Exhibition.
Now, about my invite….?
June 18th, 2008 at 9:25 AM
@60 and 65 - that’s how I recall things happening.
@81 - Me too. It has to be hard on the folks wearing the mantle. Phaylen, for one, has been putting in some very long hours. Katier too. I would have pulled out of the event a long time ago if not for them.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:31 AM
The Cake…it’s a lie!
Anyhow, congrats! ^^
June 18th, 2008 at 9:49 AM
everettlinden Says:
“I think the Fringe Festival is a fantastic idea! It will highlight the range of creativity and expression on SL, and I’m sure you will have no lack of supporters of land, art, and exhibits.”
everett, given what you tried to keep out of this year’s celebration, I am firmly of the opinion that you have no business expecting to visit anything that would violate your precious “PG-that-is-cleaner-than-G” definition of a celebration. As in, “you made your bed, now lie in it.”
everettlinden Says:
“Now, about my invite….?”
I tell you what. I’ll personally create a celebration for you, in exchange for your dropping your revisionist bull, quoting your exclusionary post where you said exhibits from child avatars would be declined (”full stop”, to borrow a Katt-ism) and just say why.
Oh.. and just for your information…
“Any non-straight answer will be respectfully declined.”
June 18th, 2008 at 10:25 AM
SL is turning 5. Like every five year old it wants it’s cake and wants to eat it too. There is nothing wrong with letting the toddler grow. As it does it will break a lot of valuable things and hurt a lot of people without intending to because it’s still in the me phase. In five more years it will start to become stable if raised properly or it will become uncontrollable and given up for adoption. This is how America works and this is an America born child. Spoiled by multi national fame. We should all be as supportive as are raw nerves allow for this growing giant. Second Life holds true to it’s name sake. It’s First Life only not in your real body.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:31 AM
I hope tp’s to the main and fringe events will be readily available and maybe even distributed as an IM (just once) to all residents (please do! I don’t know where these events are!).
Happy Birthday SL and all residents! This is our birthday too
A child in a big body (I suspect a local griefer is under-age) can be a much bigger nuisance than vice-versa!
… Hmmm… mind you, s’pose that would include me too as I’m just a big kid at heart. I mean, I play with building bricks and pretend friends, in an imaginary world!!! rofl
The irony hasn’t escaped me. But it sure is fun! hehehehehe
June 18th, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Hiya.
Id just like to say that Policies and Guidelines and lots of other info for SL5B can be found at;
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/SL5B
Id also like to say that in my opinion people are grabbing the while PG thing and the No Nipples issue and blowing it up into something that it really isn’t. Can’t we just accept these guidelines and enjoy the event? It will be enjoyable without nipples, and other ‘mature’ content that has been prohibited.
Let’s all enjoy the event!
Meg
SL5B Coordinator
June 18th, 2008 at 10:33 AM
@ 88.
Use; ‘Map’ > Search “SL5B” and the sims will show up, the events kick off on the 23rd, so the sims should be open to public access then : D
June 18th, 2008 at 10:34 AM
All exhibits are PG, because we want to make the SL5B as inclusive as possible.
Two contradictory thoughts in the same sentence. Impressive.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:43 AM
@ 89 Meg
The thing is the no nipple things makes no sense. Expesialy since it even apply s to classical artwork… And most expesialy since nipples aren’t even paticuraly … a big deal to many cultures in this even celebrating multiculturalism. We have already had kids baned once… and nipples are bad even on the classics as the exhibit for the island of lesbos shows. And don’t forget that children with parents are a no no or… babies in cribs. So well… in our world what exactly are we allowed to do? But well last year they tried to take down a nude state IN BURNING LIFE so well I guess we have our answer.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:56 AM
@ 92.
I understand your point, but that isn’t the case. Child Avatars ARE allowed to participate, with certain guidelines. Certain images are prohibited for obvious reasons. There’s been confusion over that issue but that’s resolved. No one has been ‘banned’ everyone is able to attend the event and applications for child avatars have been approved and in some cases if they do not meet with our guidelines we’ve working with the applicants to modify their exhibit so that it is acceptable to be displayed at the event, many applications didn’t get a plot this year due to the huge amount of people who applied. We haven’t discriminated anyone, some people got a place, some people didn’t.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:58 AM
@89: “It will be enjoyable”
I, personally, am not saying it won’t be enjoyable for some people. I simply object to the event being called “inclusive” when it quite explicitly isn’t.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:00 AM
No photos of Child Avatars with their parents
No photos of Children jumping on their beds
No Ropes, collars or suggestions of being bound
I don’t understand why people don’t get this. In the first place we AALL KNOWWW that the ‘child avatar’ is REALLLY an adult (or SHOULD be in the adult side of SL). ANYTHING they have built is built by an ADULT, right? Why pretend then, to be a ‘child’ avatar?
As for the children jumping on the bed and the ‘ropes, collars or suggestion of being bound’–PULEEEZEEE! NO one (I know) wants to even THINK of what this could lead to, much less promote that junk!
Bad enough that even in my PG area I’m surrounded by ‘Mature’ content and they even intrude with ads supporting that kind of lifestyle.
NO communications please about ‘rights’ and such…I get it! Some people just feel the need to get the crap kicked out of them for what ever reason, and come to SL to ‘get er done’! OR they want to peek up a little girl’s dress and see faux…stuff.
I just resent the heck out of this kind of stuff and would like to keep it on the back burner…or under the garbage can where it belongs.
It’s gratifying that SOME people at SL have the guts to show a little respect to the rest of us normal people. You all who subscribe to the ‘darker’ side of life should just go off and have your own freaky celebration somewhere else where you can beat each other up or feel each other up in solitude.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:12 AM
How on earth can PG only be as inclusive as possible? The mind boggles.
The fringe idea is a great idea, it’s a shame Linden Lab couldn’t be as forward thinking.
There are issues here whereby you’re undermining your own product by distancing yourself from certain innocent situations and you yourselves are taking the same, ludicrous attitude regarding kid av’s that leads to kid av’s being the victims of verbal abuse.
You should have shown some spine.
You also should have had a more adult area, adult doesn’t have to mean porn.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:13 AM
In the words of Joan Rivers, ‘Oh, grow up’! LOL…I would love to be a kid again, but…RL intrudes allll the time…*sigh*. I just CAN’T go back in time and be a child, life won’t let me…
June 18th, 2008 at 11:16 AM
@95 Schizm Neutra: Let’s not conflate “kids jumping on beds” with the issues of ropes or collars. We’re talking images like this: http://sluniverse.com/pics/pic.aspx?id=148786
As for being a child avatar — why not? Some people are furries, some are dragons, some are who knows what? Your world, your imagination and all that. For even more concise answers, I’d suggest http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Marianne_McCann/Child_Avatars
I hope this clarifies things for you.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:17 AM
@92
I’m afraid there was no “confusion”, as submissions from child AVs were rejected at first because they were from that community (as were Gorean and the bondage groups). Please re-read the original statements, by, I think, Everret Linden. Thankfully, that position was re-thought, and the submission date was extended and those from child AVs showing their community were accepted - I am looking forward to visiting and enjoying ALL the builds, wtg everyone!
I assume, though do not know, that the Gorean and bondage communities still don’t have builds, as they may not pass the pg test. For that I am sorry, as although I am not active or particularly interested in those areas of sl, they do make up quite a sizable community, and are a contributing and active part of our world.
The nipples thing? Not sure what that is about, but from what I have read, it sounds like the Victorian period when many classical statues suddenly acquired fig-leaves (which required in most cases the hammer to be applied in eye crossing ways!). I’m sorry, my reaction to this is just to laugh, it is sooooo funny!
Finally, one really positive effect of the early “confusion” (hehhe) has been to bring together the various kid AV groups in a truly magnificent way, with people working together to create Kids5B. There have been differences of opinion, and still are, as will occur in any group. But overall, it has been an incredible, co-operative venture, resulting in a real community celebration. I urge people to visit, and enjoy.
Have fun, everybody!
June 18th, 2008 at 11:24 AM
jayden , you are misunderstanding i think)) ,they want men to wear shirt because they are afraid thay catch a cold! ahahha don’t you agree Taff?
for sandor , just ignore what your other hand does , nobody asked you to volunteer so if you do it is just your choice , nobody cares about the show off you have been all along and i feel pity for you when you call yourself a l