A scarce species: the uberexplorer

Posted on: July 2, 2008

meditation in space

As I was thinking about how we discover kewl stuff, I self-admitted that Second Life uberexplorers are so rare: I specifically refer to those who don’t just “go places”, but chronicle where they’ve been, too.

Often, it’s a blog, but an accompanying photo stream (like on Flickr) is also key. Originating and continuing as one of this kind, I have strong feelings about benefiting others by exposing them to amazing inworld adventures, and showing off some of the awesomest which Second Life must offer.

(Verily, it’s a Gladwellian Maven-Connector hybrid archetype.)

I’ve seen a number of promising SL exploration journals that started off with a lot of steam, but froze months, or even weeks, later. In my earlier days, it was possible to run out of kewl locations, but I’m no longer convinced that’s probable for a span of days. Y’see…

uberexploration isn’t just about places, but the things and people within them; and I’m duly joyed to see so many Second Life blogs including casual ones that get updated intermittently, period.

Still, even with an abundance of excellent SL fashion news, there’s gaps elsewhere for the desires of topic-otaku to be filled: a dedicated SL gadgets blog (like Gizmodo for inworld toys) and romantic hotspots compiler are but two important niches which need MORE FOCUS. And it’s entirely possible I’m ignorant to something out there — enlighten me!
 

Naming names (in the best of ways)

Along the way, I’ve kept my eye to appreciate the remarkable. The terse, raw gems chosen by Liqueur Felix. The cutesome, friends-tangents (e.g., pointers to Happy Mood and Achamo Paine) of Miyaoka Hitchcock. The category-mangling weird pshyte of “Absolutely amazing SecondLife discoveries”. These are among my morning RSS reader joys, and I dip into diverse streams — like all my wonderful Flickr contacts — to catch the waves…

anti alias wave front ;)

Some examples I consider clear uberexplorers are: Aleister Kronos, Bettina Tizzy, and Natalia Zelmanov. Each has their own distinct personality and style, yet they have enriched my Second Life via their persistent knowledge-sharing and discoveries.
 

Blogging is easy…

and so’s momentarily sharing snippets of text & visual snatches: but sustaining it for the long run and dealing with the various pressures that come up — including priorities in your first life — is very hard indeed!

Also, the best sharing comes from the heart, not from your pocketbook/wallet/purse/murse/etc. Fake enthusiasm blows evil goats and it can be sniffed out for the stench it is. Skeptics might go,

“But Torley! You have a job at Linden Lab! You’re being paid to write this!”

Holy guacamole guano batcrap, NO. This blog and my Flickr stream are related — because hey, it’s all me — but I do them in my personal time. So whether it’s snapping giant crayons or being a doggirl, I do it because:

  1. I love Second Life,
  2. I love humanity,
  3. I’m obsessive-compulsive about amplifying awesome, and
  4. it’s in my nature to add big + to your life.

64 Completely Different Ocular Confections
 

All that being said…

who’s your favorite Second Life uberexplorers? Not counting me, and you can self-nominate. I like to know what you like. And if you still don’t get what one is, here’s a simple question:

Ask yourself, "Who keeps telling me about stuff I end up exceptionally enjoying?"'

The answer to that is likely… an uberexplorer!

10 Responses to “A scarce species: the uberexplorer”

  1. Pandora Wrigglesworth Says:
    July 3rd, 2008 at 1:14 AM PDT

    I definitely agree with you about the blogs. Just recently, I was thinking that there are so very many SL fashion blogs and magazines but very little for other topics such as gadgets, vehicles, or events. There are all kinds of topics that would be great for a magazine.

    For example: Learning. The magazine could cover new SL tutorials, new classes being offered, interviews with SL teachers and mentors.

    And, of course, as a maker of gadgets, I'd love a good gadget/toys blog.

  2. Noelyci Ingmann Says:
    July 3rd, 2008 at 4:10 AM PDT

    I don't consider myself an über anything but I do blog about building and how I learned to do what I do in SL. I focus on my builds and scripting but lately I've been talking about toys and gadgets. I'd love to know what you think. Http://ingmanndesign.com is the site.

  3. Marianne McCann Says:
    July 3rd, 2008 at 6:56 AM PDT

    I do a lot of exploring, and tend to jes throw the piccies on Snapzilla. Maybe I should write more about my travels on the grid. I'm never sure anyone would even want to read it all.

  4. Stargazer Blazer Says:
    July 3rd, 2008 at 9:16 AM PDT

    Cheyenne Palisades is an uber explorer and uber creator. I love her blog and her sim, Whimsy. She definitely lives her SL to it's fullest!

  5. Aleister Kronos Says:
    July 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 PM PDT

    Thanks, Torley. I really appreciate the namecheck. And without wishing to get into a round of mutual back-slapping, I've picked up lots of cool sites from your own vastly extensive travels, relayed to the world via Flickr and Twitter!

    So you're the uberexplorer's uberexplorer! :-)

  6. Cynthia Barley Says:
    July 4th, 2008 at 2:05 AM PDT

    Thank you so much for mentioning our blog!
    "Weird" is the best compliment we ever got, teehee. :D

  7. Bennett Smythe Says:
    July 4th, 2008 at 11:44 AM PDT

    Great post. Exploring is something I love to do in Second Life and I like reading about other people's experiences. I'm no uberexplorer. I'm more of a casual explorer which means I explore and share as first life gives me time and space to do so. Keep up the great work. You definitely help me stretch my creative muscles.

  8. Torley Says:
    July 6th, 2008 at 7:19 AM PDT

    @Pandora: Agree with you on all counts… I also wish some magazines weren't just PDF, because while that can have beautiful presentation, it's certainly not easy to refer to and outright read like a webpage. It doesn't help that Adobe Reader is bloated (altho alternatives like FoxIt exist).

    @Noelyci: I'll check it out soon, thx for the heads-up!

    @Marianne: I need to THANK YOU SOUNDLY for the many cool landmarks you've shared with me. I do think more people would enjoy reading stories of your travels alongside your snapz.

    @Stargazer: Going to check her out.

    @Aleister: Mutual Admiration Society… for the win!

    @Cynthia: Hahaha yes, I dig the wacky stuff that comes up on your shores. Keep at it.

    @Bennett: Thanks for taking the time to comment and share, I'm thrilled you like to explore Second Life — I'll visit your blog.

  9. Irene Muni Says:
    July 12th, 2008 at 1:51 AM PDT

    It's true: the uberexplorer is a scarce species. But perhaps there is a species even more scarce: uberexplorer… ¡in Spanish language! :)

    I have a web-forum in Spanish about explorers in SL. Each month will add 10 "official" trips of the group (group in-world: Aventura y Viajes): for example,
    But many explorers travel constantly added:     ;)

    Many of us have principally engaged in exploration and travel. But we are little known. And maybe we are little valued ;)

    Greetings from Spain (and sorru my bad english).

  10. Torley Says:
    July 13th, 2008 at 10:21 AM PDT

    @Irene: OHHH thanks for the links and for enlightening me to this! *goes to check it out*

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