Socially|Mundane

The Second Life Resident Awards concluded recently. I find it interesting the number of comments I see all over the grid that basically repeat "awards? What awards? There was a vote or something?"

I thinks it's a great idea that Linden Lab is on to. It's their attempt to remain engaged with the residents. That's all a good thing. and I think it's a grand first-effort. The whole 'shoot from the hip', evaluate, debrief, adjust and correct, take better aim next time.

I agree with Prad Prathivi (Metaversally Speaking) and his comments that it might have been a bit better to have resident nominations first, then a list-vetting, and finally a finalists vote.

Like many, I have no idea who some of these winners are. Especially in certain categories such as "favorite creator" and the likes. Hmmm, let us take a look at this situation:

More than 6-million registered users. 5-million of which are inert "bots"; 500,000 are "alt account campers"; 75% of whom are barely active in-world at all, so that still leaves 125,000 residents, each and every single one with a different experience in SL, including their own favorite creators, among other things. </sarcasm off>



Some of the awards I know of, I totally agree with. So here's a short list of awards if I were to personally make the selections and pass those golden statues around:

• Most charismatic blogger a.k.a. SLebrity: Prad Prathivi .
  I concur with the Linden Award: funny, serious, thoughtful, well-versed in his writing and always (okay, almost always) interesting articles on his blog. I know how difficult it is to keep a blog fresh. Prad has invited other writers to help fill that out as first life pressure increase. Good for you. Metaversally Speaking is not you anymore. It has grown into it's own entity. And I congratulate you for that.


• Absolutely, definitively best "news" blogger: Tateru Nino of Massively.
  Problem: Tateru does not post as often as I want her to (at least daily) - so I am forced to dock 500 points for this. However, it still places her at about 350% over an above the next runner-up in terms are actual in-depth, clearly explained, damned-well-written actual news stories with regard to Linden Lab and out-of-world happenings regarding Second Life. I will fiercely grief anyone who dares disagree with this proclamation.


• Best Human SL News Aggregator: Hamlet Au (New World Notes.)
  Yes, this is how I would describe New World Notes: an aggregator of SL-related news. But not the sterile, mechanical headline+teaser kind of RSS feed. Hamlet scours for SL-related content and gives short, but insightful commentary on those things he finds and links to them. I do this myself periodically.


• Favoritestest Linden: A tie. Robin Linden and Torley Linden .
  Robin feels to me like the Matriarch of Second Life. Not a mom, but more like that wise aunt who was always there. The one who never noticed you (she's just too busy and there are too many siblings to count, much less notice). I respect Robin highly, because she really did pull-off a helluva balancing act when it came to managing communications between LL and the population at large. Unfortunately, there were a lot of vicious loudmouths who, thankfully, are (and really always were) 99% irrelevant now.I recognize the pressure and hard work she did. And I am impressed she still found the time to appreciate (yes, I think she did) the residents. Even you, Prok. Robin thanked me for a 'shout-out' earlier. I am happy she noticed me. :)
  
  Torley amazes me. No, not as a Linden, as a person. I try to keep-up with his personal blog. His insight into things and his seemingly random posts almost always are quite profound and leave a lot of food for thought - to the better. It should be required reading for all residents of any "anonymous" online social system, including Second Life.
  
  He feels the ups and downs and has feelings like everyone else. Whether he needed it or not, I always felt compelled to jump-in and block the vitriolic BS a lot of idiots would spew-out at his posts on the old SL blog. And I am still amazed at how he is able to maintain a bright, happy persona in all his public communication.
  
  Robin is the one Linden I wanted to meet in world. Unfortunately, day-time first life work obligations prevented me from ever being able to attend her office hours. The next is Torley. And I will make one of his office hours before he decides to move-on to something else, if it kills me.
  
  No, I am not a Linden "fanboi". I am speaking of these people as people whom I respect. You know, the human living, breathing kind? As in "real person" kind of people.


• Favorite conspiracy evangelist: Prokofy Neva.
  No, really! Prok: this is not a sarcastic thing I am doing. I actually like Prok. He can sure go on a tangent sometimes - and it can be good or it can be bad. But one thing it always is (or seems to be) is passionate. I also really like his writing style, albeit sometimes there is some irrelevant rambling in the mix, causing his articles to take a long time to read. However, they always are a good read. Prok provides a perspective many, if not most simply don't see or think of.Yes, a lot of it comes off as (and may actually be) 'whining' or complaining or bitching. But it always tends to give insight into things from an angle you may not have considered. And once you see that angle, you will tend to agree or disagree with Prok, but either way, your edification will be advanced.


• Favorite Creator: Ari Blackthorne (Me)
  Makes the absolute best thrones in Second Life, hands-down. Inexpensive compared others, with more features and the handsomest prim-work as thrones go, no-holds barred.Of course I'm going to choose myself. It's my blog.
  
  Seriously though, how can any one creator be selected as the favorite in SL? It's strictly whomever has the most people who know who that creator is and also happens to know there is such a popularity contest in play and who know to go vote because that creator asked them to do so. Thus, it's the creator with the biggest friends or customer list with the loudest voice in the asking for votes. I don't mean this in a sarcastic or mean way. it's simply the truth. There are just way too many great creators out there and way too many numbers of population for this to really be all that accurate as a whole on the grid.
  
  So it comes down to who are our favorite creators that we have purchased from or heard of? A few names come to mind for me:
  
  AM Radio. Whomever created the Rezzible Dinosaurs and many other sims. Spankme Pinkerton, an awesome scripter. April Heaney of "Omega Concern"; Sarah Showboat who makes awesome little trinkets and useful tools. Who has never heard of Outy Banjo's fire, light, water and fog scripts? Daryth Kennedy and the team of Seawolf Monsters (Verkin Raven & Stickman Ingmann) and all the others who have created stunning and amazing Dragon avatars? And a what I consider an icon in SL, among the original creators and boosters of "tiny" avatars and their wild popularity (especially in 2006-2007,), Wynx Whiplash? What about all the other creators of stunning avatars?
  
  Even a blog does not have enough room for the thousands upon thousands of people who deserve such an 'award'.

I could go on about other "awards", much less barely scratching the surface about creators, scripters, terraformers, educators, prim-builders, SLPhotographers, and so on and so on.

So, Linden Lab: it's a nice idea and a good one. Though there was more news about the bunny egg-hunt thing than about these resident choice awards (I even got spam email advertising the egg hunt thing - but not a peep about the awards thing.)

If it's going to be a resident choice kind of thing, how about this: Start nominations now. Right now. Here, in April. Broadcast that nominations are being taken for each (list all the categories).

Allow nominations to be accepted through September. Spend October vetting the lists, and create a resident 'council' (residents on this team be selected randomly for best diversity) of about say, 25 people. The nominations are vetted as being appropriate and accurate per category and the 'resident council' vote on the nominations to create short lists of five runners-up per category finalists.

Then, Allow Novemeber and December for the voting on these finalists and spread the word far and wide every single chance you get. Make the voting easy. Real easy, a way to vote at multiple locations in-world (or via a hud or something) - allow each person (based on agent UUID) only one single vote in each category and all votes final.

Then, to kick-off the new year: unveil the resident choice winners as the "creator; scripter; blogger; terraformer; whatever" of the year or something. make it a transparent, but secured process. Now it becomes a big event and ongoing.

Meh, just my two-cents. Which aren't really worth that, I suppose.

But hey, it's my blog so nanner, nanner, nanner. :P