Delightful topical contributions! Katt Linden volunteered us to participate in Second Life Bloggers Mix'n Match #1 as explained on Vint Falken's blog, which is already opening me up to some names and subjects I previously wasn't acquainted with. ArminasX Saiman has an update on the posts, and I've the glorious cheer of posting the posts we received by Uccello Poultry and Luna Jubilee!
- I scribed a post titled "GENDERBENDER OMG!" which is on Alphonsus Peck's blog, a topic — "Gender Identity in SL: Living your SL as the opposite gender" — which was suggested by his wife, Princess Ivory of Her Royal Highness
- I'll post a link to Katt's post, on "The power of llHttpRequest" suggested by Tiyuk Quellmalz's Second Life Adventures when that's up!
Enjoy!
Uccello Poultry – The Poultry Report
Thanx to Brandy Ramuson of Writing the Sonnet for suggesting this topic, "the ways the SL experience is affected by avatars connecting outside SL with sites like plurk and flickr"
Extending Your Virtual Life
For nearly two weeks I lived in a void, bereft of my trusty iMac, cut off from those I love in Second Life® (SL). Twice in that time I was able to access e-mail via the local library, but daily I cursed my mobile as it cannot access the 'net for e-mail, Twitter, or even text to e-mail. The experience made me think that if it weren't for those two visits to the library, i had no way to stay in contact with anyone I know in-world.
Clearly a second computer would be a solution, though the budget disagrees. An iPod Touch with Wi-Fi access to the 'net would work, but again the budget rears it's ugly head. With a nasty glare it also reminds me that I can't upgrade my mobile, either.
But let's say I did have another device, probably with too little "power" to access SL directly. Likely I could use an instant messaging service like Yahoo Messenger or MSN Messenger, both Instant Messaging programs you may have heard about. But everyone you want to communicate with needs to use the same service. Linden Labs® is devising it's own version called SLim, making it easy for residents to use IMs without an external service or the need to log into the virtual space to communicate with those in-world.
Whether it be SLim or another service, though, interaction still takes a step outside our virtual world and, like with in-world Voice, this makes me uncomfortable. Here's why: When residents use Voice, non-users such as my self are left out. Actually, I'm a limited user. In Real Life (iRL) I'm a mute. In-world Voice lets me hear others that use the feature but not respond except through chat. In my experience, Voice users gradually ignore chat and I eventually fall out of any conversation. I find much the same thing happens when I'm with a group of friends that all use MSN Messenger. We could be at a party or just hanging out and eventually the conversation drifts entirely into the other service. I wonder if SLim use will have the same results.
Maybe you can tell I don't find these external services terribly useful. I have a Twitter account but no one else that I know does. Makes me wonder about these stalkers people that 'follow' me. The people I follow on Plurk (account started 4 November) are at least familiar names, and I've actually spoken to one in-world. Not sure I know them well enough to actually want to 'follow' them in Plurk, but I'll try it for a while. Clearly I need to convince friends to use a service other than SL but so far I've had no luck.
Except for Flickr, but that's a bird from a different flock. The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is proven via Flickr, seemingly the only (but not really the only) image sharing service. It is easy, fun, and free and is full of Second Life® users. I find it an easy way to keep track of friends I don't get to see often and for them to do the same, but it does require a bit of discipline. I'd have to look for when I last posted a picture to Flickr. I'm more likely to post a picture to my blog. EIther method is a cost effective means to share images (or video, with a service like YouTube). No need to spend L$10 for an upload then find a way to send it to several people. Just post it somewhere on the Interweb and send the URL to everyone that you think should see it.
Looking back it is clear to me that services such as Plurk or Flickr that work outside SL are both useful and useless, depending on who is using them. Of deeper meaning is that the actual use points to perceived limitations of SL
Luna Jubilee – My Slife on the D List
Thanx to Teagan Blackthorne of SL Fashion Avengers for suggesting this topic, "A history of the birth and emergence of prim hair into Second Life as a thriving business and culture".
Just a few short months ago, I would nearly hold my breath upon logging into Secondlife (SL) waiting to see where my avatar's attached prims would be surprising not where I attached them last on avatar's body. For some of the newer residences who don't know, there was a time period in SL, when you logged in or even teleported, all your prims would end up, well, in your rear-end. Guess where your prim hair landed?! Yeah that was fun. I guess it gave it new meaning to "trunk".
Being only 2 years old in SL, I call myself a veteran noob. I find SL is a continual learning process and growth opportunity. I have not yet, taken to creating, owning or operating a business on the grid. I won't hide that fact that I was leery of this blog mix and match assignment for a couple of reasons. One being that my assigned blog was this one, a widely read primary source of information for SL residents. Then upon seeing the assigned topic I think I may have blacked out. Okay so it wasn't that bad but pretty close. I knew nothing, at the time, about the history of neither prim hair nor running a business that sells hair. I put my own twist on this challenge.
Taking the idea of SL being a great learning tool and social network, I reached out to the one who is noted to creating this influential product, Washu Zebrastripe, owner of Mirada and Hairspray. She walked me through this creation's birth, "The creation of hair started from a somewhat simple idea. While playing with the sliders one day, I got a bit tired of the simple hair styles we had. short, long, or square ponytails. I loved cartoons and wanted more options. SL lets you build to your imagination, so why should the hair be limited? I made a huge ponytail and I just loved it! I passed it to my friends and they also loved the idea." With some encouragement, today we share in this "simple" invention. As time went on for Washu, soon there was a consumable need for this product and other designers emerged.
In the early days, it was difficult to find all the designers. This helped launch the idea of Hair Fair, an annual gathering of many SL hair content creators. Each year residents are welcomed to explore the multiple sims to find their favorite designers and introduce themselves to new ones. A good portion of the proceeds are donated to Locks of Love. This year's donation was nearly $9,500USD.
I don't limit myself to a few wigs or a dozen but a few dozen many times over, as the picture proves. There is amazing talent on the grid in many forms, one of them being hair designers. It is an alive and forever advancing. If it's created, there is a consumer. I am just one of the many who shop in the various stores on a mission for the next popular hair style.
I would like to think the use of prim hair is one those fundamentals in most residences' inventory. Thinking back on my first days roaming the grid, I want to say that quite possibly buying this item was my first "major purchase". " Just like everyone else, we all were rezzed with system hair or "noob hair". Of course, since my rezz day, the system hair has evolved to a very basic level, perhaps closely mirroring Washu's initial hair.
Why do I call it a fundamental, you may ask. I believe prim hair is what shapes your avatar's overall look and defines your own personality. Regardless of what you wear, hair is what makes the difference. An ill-fitting wig can be detrimental. Oh the despair! If I can offer some simple advice, please look carefully at the fit and style. Pay attention to the size of your avatar's melon, aka head. Review how your melon's size appears in the hairstyle. If it appears to be zapped by a voodoo head shrinking doctor, please increase the size. On the flip, if your melon is massive, please deflate. The average head size for fitting most hairstyles is about 55. Then go ahead and tweak any prim, which can happen with various styles, to achieve the best fit. If you have friends that walk the grid with hair issues, please do help them. Please do you part to help keep the grid beautiful. Friends don't let friends use noob hair.
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the SL blogger mix'n match was a great idea. unfortunately many of us wrote and sent out our blog posts but never got posts from those who were assigned to our web sites. kind of dampened my enthusiasm a little. they need to read your blog post about learning how to say "no" to things.
however, it's an original and fun concept that i hope is followed through on more successfully next time!
Thanks for sharing this Torley! … what a great idea
Great idea! The first article is so true. Plurk and Twitter are great ways to 'keep SL alive' as well as other virtual worlds while you are disconnected! I am quite active on both and it helps while you are not able to get online for SL. That sounds pretty lame, I know! Good thing my phone can access both.
The second article is lacking. It's almost as if the author is trying to show off how many $L she's wasted on hair. Paragraphs would do her well, as it seems to be one long run-on sentence. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as she's a fashion blogger. I just want more substance.
Great idea, Torley. Maybe next year you can stick with the good topic!
@radar: I wonder if there exists tools that could make the whole process easier, too. This was a lot to keep track of and I salute Vint, ArminasX, and everyone who participated for staying on top of things! In the first iteration of my post above, I forgot to credit who suggested topics, so I had to look that up and make sure they were included.
@Sahoni:
@Charlee: I think Second Life becomes far more useful as it becomes more interoperable to/from other networks. Having some sort of "bridges" in places eases the transition and adoption. I know virtual worlds are already a heady concept for many — and like seeing where Residents have amassed on Twitter, Plurk, etc.
I get messages in Second Life from a friend that uses some kind of simple messaging service that IMs me from (I think) their sell phone.. If that's true.. would be worth hunting around for..
@ Charlee: Hey
..She's got paragraphs…perhaps not the best paragraphs, but still paragraphs. And as a woman, all I see with that picture is that she's showing how hair has become a basic staple. I dont feel that it exudes superficiality necessarily.
I still have my first folder of non-noob hair (I still have the ability to recreate my noob self! *shudder*)
Love the post swapping idea and hope there's another round of it soon.. Individual bloggers each have different capabilities and its always a good thing to stretch ourselves.. For example, I wouldn't want to write a serious post every day/week.. I much prefer to keep things light.. but every once in a while it's a good thing for me to see if i can maintain my tone while expanding my topic set.
I recommend any blogger that missed this round get in line for the next one!