This Facebook business is getting out of control, not content with a new widget on the homepage we now have the following rather breathtaking claim from Amanda Linden on the blog post about communication improvements, which can be read here:
“Facebook is the best place to find out about cool things going on in Second Life, share ideas, and get the inside scoop on inworld events, contests, machinima releases, PR activities, fun discussions, and more. Come join over 111,000 people who have “Liked” our Second Life Facebook page.”
You know what, it may have PR activities, fun discussions, machinima releases, contests etc. but there is no way in hell that it is the best place to find out about the cool things going on in Second Life, a cursory glance at the page shows one event listed and a few discussions going on. Twitter has far more chatter, Plurk (thanks Daniel Voyager for reminding me) has an active Second Life community and both of these places allow you to use your Second Life name, but the best place to find out about cool things going on in Second Life, is within Second Life.
Why would someone make a claim like this about Facebook? The Events calendar, inworld and on the website, gives a far better overview, as does the Destination Guide and they are only touching the sides of the cool things that are going on. There are events being organised by residents, advertised inworld, notices sent inworld, via inworld groups, day in, day out, night in, night out, and Linden Lab are trying to tell us that Facebook, is the place to be? This is getting absurd.
The blog post talks of improved blog structure, user groups, special forum sections, new lines of discussion and communication within their platform, and then they try and suggest that Facebook is the place to find out about the cool info and the PR scoops? Who is behind this initiative and why on earth do they think it’s a good idea? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Linden Lab have got this arse about face, advertising Second Life on Facebook, good, if that’s what people want to do if people want to promote the beauty of Second Life on Facebook fine. However it has to be pointed out again that Facebook is a place that does not welcome Second Life users whom use their Second Life names as accounts, Facebook’s TOS says you should use your real first and last name and they intend to keep it that way.
However, why Linden Lab think it’s a good idea to be promoting Facebook as if it’s the best thing since sliced bread, this side of the fence, remains a mystery. This is just plain wrong headed, it seriously is getting close to the time when a tinfoil hat will be required wear anywhere near the Facebook .. Second Life website.
In other news votes, are being taken away from the Jira, there was a rumour that they were going to be replaced by Facebook likes but the lab have finally admitted what we all knew anyway, the number of votes counts for diddly squat.
The User Group plans, we’ll have to see what comes from them, office hours can be a storm of shouting, but user groups can lead to cliques, so this needs to be handled with care, the bottom line being if it improves communication it will be good, but we’ll have to see what evolves.