SimonLeo

I mean come on Rod:

Rod Humble talk SL on Australian radio about Second Life

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Lance Corrimal

because non-crazy people would not provide the "no-life loosers who spend all the day at the computer" approach that tabloids need to sell copies to beer-guzzling sports channel addicted rednecks

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Void

it's not that's all they can find, it's that's EASY to find =X

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Zaida Gearbox

The non-crazy SL users aren't usually that attention seeking.

SimonLeo

All good arguments.

Still, it doesn't help SL now does it.
When is LL going to do some serious good marketing?

I am at the point where I think: "If they don't do it I will. But it will not be in SL, it will be in another grid".

Adeon Writer

SL dosen't need marketing.

SL gets plenty of signups, they don't stay. The attraction and curiosity is already there. They need to work in fixing why they don't hang around long.

Casey Pelous

Ooooohhh... now we scared.

Best Regards,
The Lab

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Troy Vogel

Wait we're not all crazy??

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That's what the voices tell me

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If we were all crazy, being crazy would be normal, so we'd all be normal.

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Tizzers Foxchase

Back when I was a huge EverQuest nerd, ABC ran a special about the addictive new online video game epidemic that was causing young people to shoot themselves and become horrible soulless monsters that eat babies. These were obviously isolated cases, but the media ran with it and created this unfortunate stigma that imprinted itself into the minds of parents everywhere.

When the average Joe recollects what they have read about SL in the past, it's generally along the lines of "Oh ya, isn't that the game with virtual sex? That's still around?" To the every-man, even the name "Second Life" implies that the userbase is comprised of shut-ins and people looking to supplement their lack of a real life with a video game.

While many of us can see past this and understand the positive aspects of Second Life, it has undoubtedly been the laughing stock of MMO's / social media no thanks to the handful of scandalous stories that managed to seep into the mainstream.

It's true that there is a fairly high concentration of crazy people in-world, however it's a good type of crazy that is necessary to appreciate something as quirky as SL. It's the type of niche that will keep the virtual worlds genre moving forward in the future.

tl;dr The media loves a scandal and SL is an easy target.

Casey Pelous

Soooo..... sex DOESN'T sell?

SimonLeo

Heheh, I did not say that to scare LL or to persuade them to do anything.
I just expressed a need for some good press and if you want something done good you have to do it yourself.

And I'll damn sure do it somewhere where I can measure the effect and have a little control of the situation.

Free Xue

Look at it this way: If they only talked to the normal, sane people using Second Life, they'd quickly run out of them.

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Tizzers Foxchase

Sex-related content and sims account for a significant amount of LL's revenue stream. Of course sex sells.

You'll never find Linden Lab blatantly advertising the X-rated content. Sometimes I think that they actually like the negative media attention because it attracts that element without having to directly advertise to them. The side effect is that it drives away legitimate business and educational institutions.

I've created a visual aid:



You can't tout your game as a sex simulator and then expect reputable RL companies and ivy-leagues to set up shop. The scandalous media attention does that while allowing them to continue painting a rosy picture of suburban fantasy utopia.

Just my theory. I don't even know what's going on anymore. Here's a bunny with a pancake on its head.

Casey Pelous

I'm pretty sure any legit biz packed up and left long ago. If not yet, they will the first time they try to do business with The Lab.

Friend of mine tried. He has solid cred, too. He came away shaking his head/laughing at the truly spectacular combination of arrogance and incompetence. His summation was, "I've known Deadheads selling macrame who were more professional."

eta: Holy crap. Are you THAT Tizzers? *starstruck*

Aribeth Zelin

If not for sex, we'd likely have had betamax instead of VHS [at least until dvds]

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SimonLeo

I have no problem with sex. Without sex no (new)life.

But suggesting SL is full of addicted people that don't have a RL and that SL is a totally non social thing to do is another thing.
I don't like that image one bit.

Menchor Barbosa

Part of the problem is there is no POINT to SL. Sign up for WOW, you have some idea what its about (World of Warcraft). Sign up for SL, log in, and do...............what? The people who do well on SL either have some purpose logging in (in my case I could build in 3D) or they have friends they want to hang out with. Other than that, the process of discovering what you can do is too slow for people who are expecting some kind of canned or programmed experience.

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DanielRavenNest

Before that, it was Dungeons and Dragons that was said to be the spawn of Satan. I'm referring to the pre-computer paper and funny dice version. In reality, fraternity initiations and heavy metal music fans were using more pentagrams and candles than roleplayers.

Aribeth Zelin

And usually using them wrong! Point of the cross goes -up- people, not down.... >.>

Of course, there was usually some overlap - most the gamers I knew in college were into metal, and some were even in frats...

Myf

Something to keep in mind, Kyle and Jackie O run a breakfast show that trades firmly in the shock/humour category. Kyle Sandilands himself is a somewhat crass and self-opinionated bully. He's not interested in having "normal" people on his show. He wants people he can laugh at and make jokes at the expense of.

Gabriell Anatra

Yep, this.

They did the same thing to D&D when those nuts were up in arms about it back in the early 80's.

Jerry Springer stuff sells because people love to see people who they can comfortably think are worse than they are.

ED: Ahh, Daniel beat me to it.

Hitomi Tiponi

I'm disappointed that Rod got involved with this show (I am guessing he was badly advised) - as Myf says Kyle Sandilands is the sort of guy you would go interstate to avoid. The popular Herald-Sun newspaper described him as '...the living, sagging embodiment of misogyny'.

Not only that but his popularity is waning - much better to have aimed for a 30 second segment on 'Good Game' or an ABC Arts programme.

Jupiter Firelyte

Going on this show was a bad move to start with. Kyle Sandilands is a jackass.

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