Nothing creates activity quite like the question of inclusion vs. exclusion... and Attention, which is so vital to our virtual world it deserves capitalization (and probably doctrine and dogma).
Did you know the Second Life official product forum has subforums for two of its communities? Adults (XXX) and Vampires. Will Educators, Faeries (and their diminutive brethren), Furries, Gors, Texters and Voicers have subforums of their own soon? Are subforums offered or applied for? How does a group qualify? Is it based on demographics or should we follow the money? Are the Adult and Vampire communities the largest of the Second Life communities, and if so, by how much? Do they spend more money or draw more money? Do they have to maintain certain standards in order to keep their subforums? If they lose them, where will they go? Will they be archived? Why does the Adult community have a separate subforum of its own while the Vampires have a subforum within the People section? Are Adults not people too? Is there discrimination in the segregation? What's the message? Are the Adults finding it difficult to be Adult in a PG world? Adults and Vampires come with controversy, so what are the current debates? Who are the vocal minority? Did the separate subforums soothe the savage drama beast or fire its loins? Was it a clever maneuver, a thoughtless slip or a non-starter? Who's got the scoop on the rationale behind these decisions and the crystal ball that will tell us what happens next? Confidentially inquiring minds want to know.
I put together a little list of the "tribes" I had observed in my virtual travels and posted it on RLetc.com and gotVirtual.net a while back. I thought I'd give it a quick review to see if I noticed more opportunities for SLF subforums. Who have I missed? Check it out. Here's a copy:
I gave it some thought and began building a list of what I perceived to be the "tribes" of virtual worlds:
The Tribes
✣ Bloodlines (vampires, werewolves, etc.) vs. non-bloodlines (live humans)
✣ Faeries and tiny people vs. standard or tall avatars
✣ Furries vs. humans
✣ BDSM & Gor vs. non.
✣ Texters vs. voicers.
✣ Child avis vs. adult avis.
✣ Fantasy-based players vs. reality-based players.
✣ Players vs. residents
✣ Extroverts vs. introverts
✣ Gesture users vs. gesture haters
✣ Rude and careless vs. considerate and thoughtful
✣ Beggars and spammers vs. everyone else
✣ Griefers vs. non-griefers
Under construction.
Links:
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Vampire-Events-Discussion/bd-p/Vampires
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Adult-Content-Forum/ct-p/forums_adultcontent
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Welcome/Community-Guidelines/td-p/1176323
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/thats-what-she-said.772/page-6#post-24480
Hey! What about old dears into bondage, bdsm and inverted crucifixion?????? This is just typical discrimination! Just because there's only me in the category doesn't mean I don't deserve a forum heading! I'm perfectly capable of talking to myself, you know. I do it all the time!
ReplyDeleteAnd at great length, God love ya.
ReplyDeleteHey! There's another county heard from without a subforum. WoTters!
(Wall of Texters, for the uninitiated.)
That reminds me. I've noticed that the Welsh are not represented in the International Forum.
ReplyDeleteLiterate v semi-literate
ReplyDeleteEFLers v ESLers
English speakers v Non-English speakers
Intelligentsia v Ignorati
Realists/cynics/miserable bastards v optimists/lwl
Pep (The list goes on and on)
PS This would make a really good SFL thread, may I borrow the idea?
PPS Having revised it to make it less apparently provocative
PPPS But actually making it even more so
PPPPS Once Celestiall has been reinstated.
Go for it.
ReplyDeleteSee me in private for, um, royalties.
✣ Prokofy vs. everyone else
ReplyDeleteAh yes, but of course. Thank you.
ReplyDelete