There has been a demonstration going on in SL and I wonder, just like in real life, if the voice of the people will be listened to in respect of their concerns.  SL is a place where the majority of virtual areas are not permanent and things are always changing, either at the whim of a person who owns a piece of simulated land, or, as in the owners of Second Life, Linden Lab’s case, the updating and enhancement of the areas that they control themselves.   The tricky thing is, where people have made their home in SL, it is very similar to real life, you get attached to a particular place and a community of friends is formed who all feel the same way about it.  Not forgetting too, that these friendships have been formed by very real people behind the keyboards, these are solid friendships that make up part of our real lives too, we all care about the people we get to know so well in SL.

The demonstration is about a place called Murray, an open piece of virtual land by the sea.  It had an attractive number of trees and grassy areas where people could stand and chat, catch up with all their mates and have fun.  It was my first home too, so I am very fond of it as well.  My arrival in Murray was back in March 2007 and I still consider it as my first home and one that I could go back to at any time.  There have been many avatars arriving in Murray over the years, some move on, but a large number have stayed, joining our group and coming back time and time again to what they consider is their home too.  So it was with some shock that Linden Labs decided to make plans for Murray, turning it into an Info Hub (a place in SL where new people can learn all about virtual living).  This has upset many people who regularly use Murray as a main part of their second lives, and I wonder if our friends at the Linden Labs will at least have a meeting with them to dispel any worries they might have.

Murray had been used as a temporary Info Hub before, but without being built on.  So far some building has been started and the trees removed, already the regulars are worried that this will become just another group of ugly buildings on a deserted piece of virtual land where people will arrive and leave straight away and never return.  As SL is all about communities and making new friends, Murray had a little piece of magic that made us all feel at home, we explored but we always came back, even those who went off for some time always seemed to return to catch up with their friends.

One of the Murray regulars, Tah Rubble, has written to Michael Linden to express his concerns, Tah, like many in the Murray group, does not want to see the area spoiled and says that when new people did arrived in Murray a few months back, they tended to stay in SL far longer than those who landed in other places, many people join SL and then leave within a matter of days or a few weeks, but the Murray regulars always looked after new people, giving them a good start.

Maybe a good idea would be for Linden Labs to liaise with the regulars in Murray about how they would like the new Info Hub to look, talking would be a good thing and letting the people give their opinions about their SL neighbourhood must surely be a must if people are to remain in the virtual world.  Without its residents SL would not exist, so it is worth meeting them half way with any suggestions.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Murray/144/71/22