Quote:
Originally Posted by Brenda Connolly  They thought it was sad that I could prefer a forum over the "metaverse" and I agreed. That the Metaverse could be a place so devoid of enjoyment that one would prefer a forum to it. |
It's only sad if you drink Philip Linden's kool-aid and belive that the metaverse should replace the web.
Just as there are some things a book still does far better than a web site, there are many things that web-based features will do much better than the metaverse. Forums provide a platform for in-depth discussion among a large community of members that can never be matched by a group of avatars standing around in real time typing into a Chat window. Similarly, web catalogs provide a faster and more efficient way to search for products than TPing in and out of stores and wandering down aisle after aisle after aisle (I went shopping in
SL last night, can you tell?).
Forums are a logical adjunct to community building in
SL. My social life didn't take off until after joined SC and was able to develop a history of interaction with other people, learn their background and philosophies, get a sense of their character. Now I can hang out with them inworld and enjoy somewhat frivolous chats or raids on Cristiano's house. This is the fun fluff that has meaning because of the deeper connections forged elsewhere.
Which is why LL's abandonment of the official forums is incredibly short-sighted. The forums are probably their most powerful tool for increasing the woefully low retention rates. An investment in a full-time professional forum moderator and the most current forum software would pay for itself many times over with a rise in premium memberships and a reduced load on Customer Support requests.