Dear Mr. Linden Where are you?

Last Thursday at LnL, a group of discussers gathered to talk about Linden Lab's approach to SL. London, the moderator, introduced the topic: "Lindens are like an urban legend, everyone has heard of them but lots haven't even seen them. AR's are sent on a daily bases but only a few of them go through, copybotting is still a concern for many creators, lag is our daily companion and crashes are just around the corner. Do you think Lindens have abandoned us, or are they just up there playing their own "game" while we create their content and give them our money? Should they be more friendly? What would you ask a Linden if you had the chance to talk to them?" The floor was then open to all and the first question was what the group thought about the Lindens. Those who had actually met a Linden didn't have a positive opinion about them. They seem to give an impression of aloofness. The group thinks this could be due to the fact that LL is understaffed, causing lack of time to be in the grid, or the philosophy of the company, building the infrastructure and leaving the creation of content in the hand of residents thus promoting a strong diversity. The group was very vocal about the need for the Lindens to be more present in SL to facilitate the identification of the real problems residents face. Third party viewers are an interesting alternative to the offical LL viewer, some have interesting features and their usability is higher, yet they are overlooked by LL. To the question "Does the lack of assistance by LL open the doors to copybot, crime, laundering money, extorsion, highjacking accounts, etc etc etc? Or is this too exagerated?" the group agreed that it did potentiate dubious situations, some of which end up causing serious damage to many residents. One of the topics adressed as well was the fact that the Lindens seem to benefit a few "elite" residents by having them in the picks of their official Linden avies. As the discussion drew to an end, a wishlist was drafted just in case we met a Linden! ;) Less lag, fix existing problems and only then add new features, don't try to turn SL into Facebook, review the rules for posting Events in Search, shut down the grid with forewarning for proper maintenace of the system, stop capped IMs/notices and be a part of inworld activities. As a conclusion, London stated: "Reachable leaders have proven in history to be able to change the world, a little more of attention by the Lindens would certainly make a difference. They may have their reasons, but listening to us would help them make SL a better place, perhaps we need to give the first step so let's go find a Linden, and when we find them...let's give them a hug!". Join us next week for a new discussion, this time about the future of SL! Same time, same place - Thursday, 2pm SLT in LnL's Lounge. Looking forward to seeing you!