I'd been a reader of Second Life Insider for quite some time when I heard that Akela Talamasca was looking for me. I couldn't quite understand why he'd want ME to write for this blog. I'm still not sure what he saw in me, but now I feel like I'm part of the family.

These last nine months have been so enriching for me, but like Akela, it's time to move on. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry, but I'm just so sad to go. I wish I could tell you more, but that's for another post. For now, just know that I'll be taking this massive opportunity to provide you with even better coverage of the things that you love. I'm pouring some liquor out for you, SLI.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter have heard me refer to this announcement: I will no longer be writing for SLI. As Lead Blogger, and one of the remaining founding members (along with Aimee), I've found writing for you all to be one of the most rewarding experiences I could have asked for. I've seen amazing things, met wonderful people, and generally had the time of my virtual life! Now I'm moving on.

This is not to say you've heard the last of me, though some of you will be sorry to hear that! No, in fact, I'll be jumping right aboard a brand-new blog, which will be announced tomorrow right here on SLI! So, shed no tears for wolfie; I'll be in good hands. Good, warm, massive hands.

Because I'm always on the lookout for positive mentions of SL in the media, I almost hate to co-opt this article's being bullish on the platform, because I had to talk about the mention of Twitter. I'm sure many people are excited to Tweet from within SL, but it's funny for the author to talk about the immersive experience of SL, and then choose to step backward (or upward, depending on how you look at such things), and add another layer of distance from the immersion by using Twitter.

I know that SL's a currently closed platform in the sense that like Vegas, what's in SL stays in SL, and you can't have a real-time conversation with anyone not currently in SL. But given its sporadic nature, is SL-to-Twitter really a good solution? I suppose there's something to be said for "I'm heading to the Shelter for dancing -- meet me there!", but for anything more conversant, you're missing the point of being in SL in the first place. When in-world, you want to converse with your in-world friends, else why be there? Maybe I'm just getting tired of Twitter and this is me being grumpy. Thoughts, anyone?

(Via blogs.zdnet.com)

I'm excited to read Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human by Tom Boellstorff, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California at Irvine, perhaps better known as his SL avatar Tom Bukowski.

One mode of thought has it that humans stopped evolving once they began to manipulate their environment to make their lives easier; there's nothing like the threat of extinction to force evolution. However, while our physical evolution might have slowed or even halted, our social evolution continues, as witness the rise of the online social networking phenomenon exemplified by MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and of course SL.

If I hadn't been such a poor student, I'd have gone into anthropology myself, so I'm eager to read Mr. Boellstorff's upcoming book, in which he relates his experiences being in-world for over two and a half years.

(Via chronicle.com)

With over 500 contacts on Flickr and some 3,000 photos, CodeBastard Redgrave has created her own following and social network on the 2D web. She meets most people based on common interests through flickr, twitter or her blog, and then uses SL as a means to share experiences/connect further with her on-line friends. This is an amazing new approach that has gained her more popularity than she ever imagined.

CodeBastard, or Codie to her friends, has a vibrant personality that is reflected in her redheaded avatars and her artsy SL photos. Looking up to other artists, such as Vint Falken, Hiro Eldeman, SalemNyx Lisle, and Stephen Venkman, Codie is now in a league of her own. She has also recently expanded her reach into SL with a virtual gallery and DJ music events. Her words of wisdom for newbie artists: use all the mediums at your disposal, in particular flickr and blogging, in order to make yourselves known in the community, and do NOT get discouraged! :)

There have been oodles of reports about voice issues today. The talk session with Biz Stone (of Twitter) at Dr Dobbs Island had to revert from voice to text today when the voice system simply failed to perform.

Linden Lab are announcing a short-notice maintenance downtime for the voice system in a few hours, from 2AM SLT (US Pacific) to 3AM SLT. Sunday's voice performance after the last maintenance downtime was reportedly much improved, but reports are that it has significantly degraded since then.

You know what? I don't need a social networking tool. Actually, I don't think I even want one. Communications tools, now that's different. I'm using twitter and pownce (hey, Akela, aren't you supposed to pownce on things that twitter?), and about the only thing that would improve them for me (aside from them actually being, you know, reliable) is to hide away the lists of who is connected to who. That's information that I personally find to be both unnecessary and often actively misleading - your mileage may vary. I don't like misleading, personally.

I can't say as I've looked at a myspace page more than six times. I've never even seen facebook. I'm on LinkedIn, but is it actually useful to me? Not yet, no. Mostly they feel like a sort of webified way of wearing gang-colors. To associate yourself with brands, whether those are ideas, interests, hobbies or people. There are assorted third-party sites that add social-networking tools to Second Life, too. I can't say as they interest me either.

My friends list in Second Life, and my (kind of inadequate) groups list are tools that allow me to act or to communicate more effectively with than without. That's why I've got a blog, not a homepage. Social networking tools don't appear to afford me the benefits that I'm looking for, in exchange for the time spent.

Does the whole social-networks scene leave you a bit cold, or is there some sort of warm and fuzzy thing that I'm just plain missing here?

When I first heard about Twitter, I blew it off as a time-wasting site lacking functionality. Then I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to stay in contact with my many friends going to SXSW. For the first two days, Twitter could do no wrong. If I needed Redbull, I'd put out the SOS and receive a timely response as to where to get it. If I wanted to know where the hottest SXSW parties were, I'd consult with my Twitter.

By the following Monday, however, it had tapered off quite a bit, with many attendees going back to their day jobs. In the end, I really believe that it's only effective in large group settings, such as conferences. It enables people to let their friends know where they are without having to call in a noisy bar or restaurant. Otherwise, it's just another flashy website that we're forced to refresh throughout the day. If I want to read about your life, I'm going to want a summary, not a blow by blow.

Sometimes Twitter can take you by surprise, though ...

As brilliant plans don't always have a way of working out, I left for Austin quite late on the 9th. Not much was happening yet in the world of SXSW. Check-in took place from Noon to 8pm, but I was on a mission that could not be stopped. I was after the Nokia N800 tablet.

I arrived at 8:30pm after a two hour drive into Austin. I met up with BuhBuhCuh Fairchild and we immediately headed over to CompUSA to get the glorious device, which would later turn out to be downright awful. When we returned, it was time to party.

Word on the street was that the place to go was The Blind Pig...