Chic at Ebbe's Place

Or better yet, the world that is perfect FOR US.

New Years is my favorite holiday. It marks new beginnings and for me is a time of reflection.

I have been out and about in the metaverse this last six months (well, a year really but in overdrive since summer) trying on grids and seeing what was out there.

I have no plans to abandon Second Life. Too many friends, too much invented, too well ingrained in the culture for a departure -- I still like to know I have choices.

There are plenty of other grids out there. Largish and tiny, each with their own owner and siren's call. I visited maybe fifty and joined maybe a dozen. As the calendar turned I was sifting through my picture postcards to decide which grids were "keepers" -- just for me, you understand.

My list is not your list. We each make our choices based on our needs and sometimes on our links within a community.

I have decided to divide my time between Second Life (SL 2.0 should a beta come along and accept my candidacy) and the Great Canadian Grid.   Parkville is feeling a lot like home these days. It is peaceful and restful and I can both play and explore. SL with my seven year history and ties to MOSP-LEA7 is pretty much a no-brainer. Honestly I can't imagine life without it. I would cope as I DO that, but it would not be a pleasant experience.

I will be leaving my "stuff" in Inworldz but not be taking part in the community. I sell very little there these days (the first two quarters of 2014 were very good, the last dire) and the toxic nature of the forums is off-putting for me. I have a very good friend there and will visit her often and likely upload  new creations for HER (I have been doing that) as gifts, but commerce is no longer part of my scenario there; neither is the art world. Of course there are stories and details, but they really don't matter.

I will likely be abandoning Avination and wishing them well. Nothing much for me there.

Hanging in with Virtual Life as I actually sell more there than most grids if you factor in the population, I will not be making or porting anew. My stores are reaching prim limits. No personal ties there; the folks I knew have mostly left.

Other grids fall into the same pattern, not many sales -- no personal ties.

And that pretty much tells the story.

What keeps people coming back?

Low cost is good. You can have a sim (or several) in OpenSim communities that let you host on your own computer and hook up to their address (sort of like free webhosting). There are $5 per sim grids and $8 per sim grids and $10 per sim grids -- the list goes on.

But there needs to be something else to tie folks together. If people simply wanted to make a sim and create their world, there would be no need to become part of the metaverse.

I am not the most social person. When I am in the midst of a project I tend to get annoyed if someone wants to chat. What can I say? The creative muse is a harsh mistress. But I do like knowing other folks are out there. I like contributing to the community. I like having visitors see what I have created.  I think that is true for many people.

I want to watch the metaverse grow in all its forms. I want to be able to say "I remember when the hypergrid didn't work all that well and landmarks to other grids would not get you where you wanted to go".

Things will change radically in the next decade. I have no vision where we are headed, but I suspect it will be grand. Our personal jobs right now are to find a spot to call home.

Go forth. Explore. Set down roots.