SL-Newspaper.com Folds – Slams Lab – Shuts Doors
by Pixeleen Mistral on 06/06/10 at 1:28 am
SL-Newspaper today announced the end of their 4 year run covering Second Life, as editor Dana Vanmoer pointed out that real life might be more important than Second Life.
This news may come as a surprise to some Linden fanboys and certain comment section sock puppets – but is a common enough reason to depart from the virtual realm. Before closing the door and turning out the lights, Vanmoer thanked the newspaper’s staff, then sucker punched Linden Lab by saying,
"One thing I would hope for the future of SL is that the Lindens go back and realise what they are destroying with their policies. The sheer creativity, communication and international impact somewhere like Secondlife can be is being eaten away by the Lindens stupidly ignoring the content creators with their ill thought out policies which help no-one except their own pockets."
Indeed.
foxm
Jun 6th, 2010
Holy smokes…I used to write for them. Sign of the times…
IntLibber Brautigan
Jun 6th, 2010
Quite so. I enjoyed having SL-Newspaper as a significant landholder in my estates for quite a long time, and count Dana as a good friend. Dana was quite aware of issues we had to deal with over the years with the Lab, and she shared our frustration with their corruption and seeming focus on destroying what they and we created.
Best of luck to you Dana…
Wayfinder
Jun 6th, 2010
Gotta love a paper that tells it like it is on their way out. Kudos.
And like the rest of us… seems it wasn’t so much a slam at LL as it was a last-ditch attempted wake-up call.
Not that LL will pay attention.
LittleLostLinden
Jun 6th, 2010
Speaking of Linden stuff, how are those Linden lawsuits going? Are they losing or winning? I haven’t heard any updates in a while.
Senban Babii
Jun 6th, 2010
@Wayfinder
“Not that LL will pay attention.”
I doubt most of LL even read the SL papers or perhaps even know they exist.
They have no investment in their world at all beyond remembering occasionally to turn up for work, refill the coffee pot and check that all the pretty lights are still showing in the big room where the computer things are. One day, they hope to find out what all those magic boxes actually do. But as they’re a leftover from a previous civilisation and the secret knowledge has been lost, most of them assume the boxes form a giant pagan calendar for predicting phases of the moon and dance round the room on the winter solstice wearing twigs and berries instead to appease the pagan gods.
Persephone Bolero
Jun 6th, 2010
How does a company help “their own pockets” by pissing off so many of its most important customers? I commend Dana for taking matters into his own hands, and leaving SL and/or reducing the level of business he’s doing in world. That’s what you should do if you’re unhappy with Linden Labs.
Just like if you’re unhappy with McDonald’s, you just don’t eat there. You don’t act like you’re the oppressed citizen of a totalitarian government because the company made it really, really fun for your kids with that exciting playground, and the little ones will scream bloody murder if you don’t take them anymore.
I assure you, Linden Labs will be hurt by people leaving, especially those that communicate their dissatisfaction in reasonable and clear terms free of conspiracy theories and other nonsense. And Linden Labs will be left with two choices. 1) Change their policies to reinvigorate the in-world creativity and keep customers happy. 2) Go bankrupt when they run out of money from lawsuits, loss of revenues, or a competitor does what LL refuses to do.
Either way, sooner or later, customers regain power and control over the situation and ultimately get what they want. That’s capitalism. That’s how it works.
Imnotgoing Sideways
Jun 6th, 2010
Never heard of ‘em.
marilyn murphy
Jun 6th, 2010
@persephone : i agree.
what matters who is doing it , why it happens, or where it leads. if you don’t enjoy it anymore, leave.
all the endless talk about who is doing what to whom and how and where is just talk. if you are truly interested in sl surviving, find out where the money is. now lets suppose you find out where the money is and who is controlling it is just being an idiot. not to worry. there are others standing in line to do what sl was trying to do at the start. shame to see it mis-managed into ruin, but change is inevitable. heh, i think most of us in sl surely learn that lesson.
Stickittotheman!
Jun 6th, 2010
We should start having rock concerts in Second Life to stick it to the Lindens for what they’re doing. Because rock n roll is about sticking it to the man.
Mary Elizabeth
Jun 6th, 2010
Dana and IntLIbber are good friends? I wonder why she keeps that connection so quiet these days….
Baloo Uriza
Jun 6th, 2010
Am I the only person who was previously unaware of SLN prior to this?
Slick Munro
Jun 6th, 2010
I’ve been out of the loop with Linden policies of late. Did they pass something to shut this sl-newspaper.com down? I use SL for my own publications occasionally. Are they going after SL-related material now?
pefton
Jun 7th, 2010
BAWWWWWWWWWWW LL Haters
All Seeing Eye
Jun 7th, 2010
The bleed is developing into an arterial flow as people head to inworldz. And there is probably yet another class action lawsuit shaping up over the search thing. LL can always use the stupidity defense though. Shooting all their resumes in the foot in the process lmao.
Hey look here comes Class Action Kingdon looking for a CEO job! HAHAAHHAH! shhh let’s play along and then laugh him out of the room!
Vanadis Falconer
Jun 7th, 2010
Its always a tragedy when a newspaper shuts down.
But I see you got good reasons.
Best of luck in your “new” future
It's Unfixable
Jun 7th, 2010
There went one of the last actual newspapers for SL. :/
Jayd3n
Jun 7th, 2010
Yeah I never really checked them out until today when it closed down, but they are right, with the Viewer wars, Linden Lab new policys, and CDS/Skills Hak and the war, Second Life is slowly comming down to an end one resident at a time, which is probabily why they left because they realised Real Life was way more important.
http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/general-sl-discussion/40930-copybot-ban-link-system-clear-39.html#post942728
Interwebs!
Jun 7th, 2010
I think it’s the internet that’s destroying SL newspapers.
Darien Caldwell
Jun 7th, 2010
“Am I the only person who was previously unaware of SLN prior to this?”
Nope, never heard of them either.
Emperor Norton hears a who?
Jun 7th, 2010
“This news may come as a surprise to some Linden fanboys and certain comment section sock puppets ”
Only a group of luzers with no social life would waste their time running a virtual newspaper about the social trivia of some online computer game. Right Alphaville Herald?
JustMe
Jun 7th, 2010
All Seeing Eye said “The bleed is developing into an arterial flow as people head to inworldz:”
I just looked InWorldz has 3513 users … 40 people on line at the moment. That seems more like a barely visible seep, rather than an “arterial flow”
James Larken Smith
Jun 7th, 2010
Never heard of it. Never read it….
Ari Blackthorne
Jun 8th, 2010
Never heard of them. Might explain why business is down?
I suppose it’s a good riddance, then. I mean, I can see the Herald sucker-punching everyone around including LL. But that other rag looks like they we actually trying to be legitimate.
That must be why it was fail?
I really don’t know. I myself follow three so-called “news” blogs about SL in order of legitimacy versus entertainment value. That would be Massively at the legitimate side, the Herald at the opposite and New World Notes in the middle with the tag of “meh”.
Just my own personal too-sense. Your own mileage will likely vary.
Suella Ember
Jun 9th, 2010
Now … if only the other SL tabloid rags would follow suit so we don’t have to deal with people actually believing most of their drama filled, FUD spreading articles!
/me coughs and looks innocent!
hobo kelly
Jun 10th, 2010
Wellsum, I dun herd that ther was about 100 less of them thar Lindens a flyin about today than ther was yesterday fer sum reason
Danziel Lane
Jun 10th, 2010
Yep, big boss M announced he wants to get rid of 30% of the Lindens.
Looks like times will become very interesting and articles in the Herald even more.
MarkByron
Jun 10th, 2010
For the first couple of years, SL is a fantastical fantasy world that you can’t pull yourself away from, but at some point you eventually swallow the blue pill and it dawns on you that it’s just a chat room with pixels.
Danziel Lane
Jun 10th, 2010
For the first couple of years, RL is a fantastical world that you can’t pull yourself away from, but at some point you eventually swallow the blue pill and it dawns on you that it’s just some biological and chemical functions, no matter if you call them love or fantasy or creativity.
SL and RL: it’s not what it is, it’s what we make of it.