Dear SL Content Creators – A Request

I know the plight of the Second Life content creator is a challenging one. An insurmountable amount of time goes into crafting with great precision something that will bring you pennies. And while you toil away, you have the ever present threat of copybot hovering on the horizon like a dark cloud. Sometimes it’s hard to stay inspired. And then, to top things off, you’ve got innumerable Hunts happening on what has become a constant basis for every event imaginable and they’ve lost that ever-so-special feeling of truly being an event. The community is torn between the pros and cons of free items made readily available, and that debate continues – even by those who don’t even make content at all writing scathing blogs on the subject.

I have been a content creator in Second Life. I have been the recipient of free items, and I have been the one who gives. I have been copybotted (Although he only got my vendors – and then left them on my neighbors land along with all the Bare Rose demos he botted and disassembled… hello.. Wesleybottwo Dotson is STILL searchable in world.)

I appreciate the hours upon hours you invest in your efforts.

I have spent a good while thinking about what I’m about to propose. Six years ago when I began second Life, there was no currency exchange. The world itself was not driven by economy, but by the desire to create and to share. Help was readily available, and it was never undermining to ask for it when one needed assistance. We collaborated on a great many things and back then, there was never concern about IP theft or the fearsome copybot. A DMCA was probably a big haired rock band from the 70′s I’d never heard of. However, as with all things, our world has evolved. With the advancements in our tools and skills and the burgeoning economy with real world implications, the complexity of commerce has grown with leaps and bounds… but one thing remains the same. The world of Second Life was build on the backs of content creators, and it is today’s content creators that keep things moving in a forward motion, in essence, inspiring the world that will be here years and years from today. Regardless of the direction Second Life takes in the years to come, this era of creation will have an indelible influence on the virtual worlds of the future. No matter who you are or what you create, be it for entrepreneurial purposes, creative satisfaction, or both, you are not just creating a Second Life item, but instead paving the road that hundreds of thousands will follow in your wake.

With Second Life’s 6th Birthday upon us, we are moving into the second half of a decade. By comparison to the real world, it has evolved at warp speed and continues to do so. One year is Second Life equates to ten in real life. Everything happens much faster, technology is being revealed at a neck-breaking speed (Remember a time before Flexi’s and lighted object? Next will be dynamic shadows.) Socially, things seem to move even faster, we regard people born in 2006 as “oldbies.” Milestones met become the markers of the past, and those of you here even just a couple of years have enough root in SL to look back and remember the world before*insert change here*.

So, this year the theme of Second Life’s 6th Birthday is The Future Of Virtual Worlds. And as I thought long and hard about how to encompass that term and make it into something tangible rather than just doing the obvious, I decided to go backward in one instance. Back to a time when the world was just a mere echo of itself as it is today… when the terrain on which the future residents would create was still fresh with potential undiscovered. When we eagerly created things and enthusiastically shared them as we pushed the envelop of the capability of this new frontier.

I decided that I would approach Second Life content creators and ask them to make an item for or contribute a pre-made item that represented THEIR vision of the future of virtual worlds on behalf of the Birthday quest that has been organized. Because I know your work is valuable and so is your time, I didn’t want to ask any content creator to give us anything that would we would give away free, indefinitely, but instead just for the duration of the week long event, and in moderation. If a content creator said “Phay, I am only really comfortable giving away 7 copies of my futuristic prefab” I am able to ensure exactly that. With a program created by the talented Gypsy Paz, we have created a system that will allow tiers of items to be given away. Some finds will be common and then some will be rare. They will not remain static in one position, but disappear after being discovered… and reappear somewhere else with another gift inside. The quest will always be a new experience for each player.

And, as I’m a writer, I could allow it to happen without the one thing necessary to keep even me interested. A great storyline! Near an enormous Birthday Box harboring all of the goodies, an alien spaceship has crashed. The rodent sized creatures with gangly arms and spindly legs have stolen the gifts and run off around the 20 region Birthday grid… and to get the presents for the Birthday back, our hunters must find them. And they are snotty, sarcastic little beings – so small they barely reach an avatars ankle, but big on attitude. Should you find one, watch your text, they’ll hand over the gift but not without telling you off first.

There is so much to this game that makes it unique. I’ve also made sure that content creators who contribute to this event have a landmark to their store given out – and we will also place your name on a Birthday Quest plaque on the grid so that all residents know which merchants contributed. When I decided to approach you, the community content creators, I wanted to be able to say I was organizing more than another hunt, but instead crafting an interactive event with a new twist that was deserving of your participation. My goal is to do something genuinely in the spirit of this Birthday milestone and to celebrate the content creators who, through thick and thin, keep making our world what it is, and what it will be.

Now for the downside – Because everything with regard to this event is scripted and run from an external server that tells our critters where to rezz with what item it can be a bit taxing on the regions, especially when the Birthday Festivities are in full swing, so I am only able to accept a limited number of items for inclusion. I mean, really when you think about it, a hunt with 300 items/locations or more isn’t so much fun when the idea of completing it is less a challenge and more a full time job that is overwhelming. So, out of consideration to region performance, minimize potential for system errors, I have to be reasonable with the number of items in rotation.

Now, if you’re still with me and interested, this is what I’d love to see. We’re trying to get you, the world’s makers, to envision what the virtual worlds will be like in the future. What will architecture look like? What will the fashion trends be? What will our Avatars be sporting for nifty gadgets and fun toys. From hair to transportation/teleportation pods, what will we see? I’d like you to share that with me by crafting something you may not have ever thought to craft before… go to extremes, visit that place in your mind and have a look around, and then share it with all of us for one week in the birthday quest.

If you would like to participate, which I would consider a true blessing to have any of you involved, be you a fashion designer, car maker, do-dad creator, sculpty artist, builder, avatar maker, whatever – please leave your Second Life name in the comments section of this post and I’ll contact you in-world.

Here is a brief FAQ for your consideration.

Q. Do I have to make something new?

A. No, if you’ve already made something that represents your vision of the future, please feel free to submit it!

Q: How much time do I have if i want to make something new?

A: We will need your items by June 3rd. The birthday begins on June 23rd and lasts until June 29th. We have to be able to have time to load all the items into the server and troubleshoot settings for each item and time sequencing.

Q: I have something I’d like to donate but also sell it in my store so I don’t want just everyone to have it and nullify my own attempts to sell. Can you limit the number you distribute for free?

A: Absolutely, just let me know how many items you feel comfortable with distributing and we can make certain that the script is set to only “rezz” that many copies over the duration of the week long event.

Q: I made a futuristic skin, but it is nude and the event is only PG! Will I get smacked across the knuckles for that?

A: No. Skins are considered a part of our world, and without them we’d be worse than naked. The PG standard of the Birthday event applies to elements exposed in public that any particular visitor may otherwise find disturbing of offensive. The PG content stands as our attempt to make all visitors to birthday comfortable and have the event remain accessible to everyone regardless of their varying preferences. However, you know that Manbeater 3000 cat-o-nine tails whip that bleeds on the slash command… yeah that I’d probably have to pass on but I appreciate the thought!

Q: Can I include a landmark to my shop/mall despite it being in a mature region.

A: Yes! Only content exhibited or experienced on the Birthday Grind has an enforced PG protocol. We maintain no control or impose regulations on the rest of the grid – their rating is their own, and left to the discretion of the traveler.

Q: What do the permissions of my object have to be?

A: When you submit your object to me, it MUST be full permissions. I’m telling you this now so it is with full disclosure that you know I will be responsible for the handling of your content and I know that is incredibly important. However, it will not be distributed as full permissions. I will modify the objects permissions myself per your directions. Please include with your submission exactly what permissions you wish the item to have on distribution and I will make sure to comply with them.

Q: So, I’d like to participate, how does this work?

A: Here’s how this works.

1: Leave your name/store name in the comments section below.

2: In the coming days I will be contacting you with a “Creator Package” that will include clear directions for submitting and a notecard for you to fill in and send back to me upon submission of your item. The notecard will ask you what permissions you’d like your item to have on distribution, how many copies of your item you are permitting us to distribute via the quest, and exactly how you would like yourself or your store credited on the contributor plaque. I will ask that you pack it all into a single package – be it a gift box or a plain prim cube. Try not to hand me folders, please! When the object you created is distributed, it must be boxed. Our aliens have small inventories.

3: Before June 3rd, you return the object for distribution and notecard to me for entry into the database.

Q: How will I know if you still have a slot for me to donate an item or if you’ve already met your limit.

A: I will update this post when we have received the number of objects permitted to ensure a smooth and diverse event without crippling the complex system in place. I will be accepting people on a first come/first serve basis in an effort to be fair. I will work with respondents to this article in descending order until we have filled our slate.

Q: I have something ready, can I send it to you now?

A: No, I can’t accept anything yet. It wouldn’t do anything but sit in my own dirty inventory until the system is ready to be used. Hang on to your item. Submissions will begin at the end of this month to give others time who wish to make something new, and allow the scripter time to perfect his system. We will have a four day window of submissions beginning Sunday, May 31st until June 3rd. After that we cannot accept anything else. If this seems hyper-restrictive with time and limitations, I urge you to remember that I am handling this with only one other person and at the same time coordinating the entire birthday event. It helps keep me organized when I know what to expect when.

Q: Can I contact you in world if I have questions?

A: You can! But I spend a great majority of my time in Second Life working and in meetings or in an external program like a skype conference. I cannot promise you that I will see your message or that it won’t get swallowed in the dozens that I receive when I return to my window or from busy mode. Sometimes I crash before I can grab any of them if I am AFK. However, I encourage you to ask any questions you may have below in the comments section. This way, I can respond directly and promptly, and others who may have similar questions will be able to reference the exchange. If you need to contact me in Second Life, please drop me a notecard rather than an instant message – lately (I never thought I’d be one say this!) my im’s are capped and I have missed quite a few things!

At this point I am only gathering a list of names of kind people who are giving me their trust and despite the current hostility toward freebies and overabundant hunts, interested in participating in something unique for the 6th Birthday of Second Life.

Whether you wish to participate or not, I hope that each of you will attend the Birthday Festivities this year. I know around this time it always appears a bit of a ruckus is kicked up due to policy or, well, anything else somebody can find to be exceedingly dissatisfied with Linden Lab over – but I hope you will remember that it is a group of volunteer residents, like yourselves, who have given so much of their time and talents to create a forum and event that others can be immersed in and enjoy. It is a love of this world, and this community that invokes the desire for us to undertake such a massive task. The best reward we can ask for is that you attend and enjoy the experience we’ve tried to create.

Thanks for enduring this long post! And I genuinely hope to see each of you at the Birthday Party!