Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Flat Ebbe Linden Meme

Last July, Strawberry Singh proposed a "Flat Rod Visits ..." meme where in bloggers would take a "cardboard cutout" of then Linden Lab CEO Rodvik Linden around to see the sights in Second Life. I rather enjoyed my time with Rod (see here). And I've gotten over the fact that Rod still owes me a bear because I gave I'm my bear and he wore it in public. With a new CEO, Ebbe Linden, comes a new chance at showing Our World to him and getting his bear (I've met him and offered my services in teaching him how to make a classic Linden Bear). Now Strawberry has given bloggers a chance to take take Flat Ebbe out for a spin with a new challenge.

Meme instructions: Pick up a copy of Flat Ebbe Linden from my marketplace store for free and take him to one of your favorite places on the grid. Also, share at least three things that you’d like to tell Ebbe. Please remember to leave a link to your post in the comments and share your Flat Ebbe picture in the Blog memes flickr group.


There are more places in Second Life that I'd like to recommend that the Real Ebbe Linden visit than I can fit on this blog, but I took the 2D "Monoculous Rift" version to the Garden Mole's greenhouse in Dokkaebi (SLurl). Readers may remember that this blog's pixy correspondent Zyx Flux visits there often and most recently posted about it last February (see here). I thought of this location first because one item I'd have to bring up with Ebbe is the quality work, dedication, and sense of whimsey that the Linden Department of Public Works brings to Our World. Numerous roadside builds like this greenhouse bring some extra joy to Second Life. The LDPW keeps giving these little gifts to the Residents yet how often do most of us really notice?

Many other items I'd mention (and have talked to him about) are already being addressed, particularly the new Resident experience and the selection of default avatars. Having Ebbe visit Bay City, Linden support for the arts, and the return of Lindens to The Grid socially have all been brought up and mostly implemented. Looks like there isn't much else to cover.

I would like to throw my support behind the numerous calls to improve community communications. The official blog is a joke. Public office hours for important staffers are nonexistent. The JIRA is open again but I firmly believe that they will still be ignored like in days gone by. We've seen some improvements in this area but let's keep up the changes.

Perhaps the biggest item that I would like to point out is Second Life's reputation. Outside a core community, SL is often seen as a porn-filled, low-quality joke. Advertising SL as just beaches and nightclubs is appealing to the lowest common denominator. Look at the pictures on MySL and Flickr to find a vibrant community of serious users – artists, creators, social crusaders, and more – use Our World as important parts of their Real Life. Promote that and you'll see Second Life flourish.

3 comments:

Strawberry Singh said...

I think one of the first things I saw him mention and talk about on Twitter was the new resident experience and how he wants to improve that. I have a feeling that's going to get a major overhaul, long overdue! Can't wait to see all that he does. Thanks for playing again! <3

Mireille said...

Thank you, Uccello! I definitely agree with your thoughts about SL and how Ebbe can make a positive impact. Thank you for mentioning the vibrant, creative world we have; that's the SL I want people to see. I agree that if they did see that, they'd come join us!
I also very much appreciated your mention of all the things that LL does in-world to maintain the place - including creating those special spots like the greenhouse you mention. That was sweet and wise of you to mention that. Thank you!

Unknown said...

gawd you are so right about the use of beaches and nightclubs in ads. little things like that make a big difference!