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As We See It

Missed Opportunities

In a time where Second Life has burst more energetically onto the so-called "mainstream media" than those facehuggers from Alien burst onto Sigourney Weaver, most of us are familiar with the usual news article topics. With all the talk about making a living in SL, it's not surprising the question "How do I get L$?" is so popular, with related articles ranking among our top Knowledge Base hits. Similarly, our passion for working on the scaling and stability challenges which affect us all is no secret.

As these things unfold, there are many more ongoing, important events in the saga of Second Life, which sadly tend to get drowned out, lost, or forgotten. Many of them are little things that make a big difference. For example, did you know we recently added help text for partnering in profiles? Previously (like, forevah!), there was absolutely no indication of how to add a partner. This ain't cosmetic fluff either, as evidenced by romantic pleas when partnerships were broken, people coming together and recognizing their love for one another is significant in Second Life, as it is in first life.

Or who remembers the ancient bug that made you jerkily jump up when you tried to change clothes while sitting? Another aggravating annoyance which we've heard about many times. It, too, was fixed at last. And yet... we haven't heard much feedback on either of these resolutions from Residents, and many more like them, despite how bothersome they've been through the ages. We certainly get heads-ups on bugs that you'd like to be fixed via our Public Issue Tracker, and as an extension, we want better ways to receive and understand "aftermath" stories of how your inworld experience improves after we've quashed longtime pains.

The "missed" extends to opportunities Residents can take advantage of. Second Life is a world ripe and rife with opportunity for the observant: Cid Vilas saw his tFinder texture search engine shoot to the top of the SL Exchange charts. Before him, Ante Flan's waves spread throughout the Grid like wildfire... only more watery. Both these Residents filled voids with their pioneering inventions, and with each beneficial creation, our community grows richer - not just in material profit, but in intangibles like knowledge and creativity, which aren't as easy to quantify, but are irrevocably important to the growth of a culture.

So if you're asking yourself, "How do I get L$?", go beyond the camping chair rat race... and look for what's missed. Opportunities are everywhere. Find them, nourish them, and prosper.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know - send us your Letter to the Editor - with your Second Life username - and we will publish a representative set in the next edition of The Second Opinion.