Google+ Adventures of a Southern Gentleman: Second Life®

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Second Life®

I'm angry at Second Life® and Linden Labs® about this whole branding thing.

Does this company specifically set out to alienate the very people that have helped to make it popular and who go out of their way to promote Second Life®?

Here I am, a blogger, sharing my experiences with Second Life®, promoting Second Life® and now I have to start walking on eggshells for fear of getting a letter from lawyer about not having a ® in the title of my blog?

That's the impression I get from the legalize on the Branding Page for Second Life®.

Bad enough that the service is laggy as crap and has constant problems with transactions failing, assets not saving, and so forth, now we have this. No offense to the individuals doing the job, but what kind of PR is that? Can't you people manage to analyze your audience and communicate with them appropriately? You post this classic corporate crapola out of the blue, and expect people to take it in the right way and not create a firestorm of controversy?

I realize that you're putting yourself into position to either go with a public IPO or perhaps be purchased by some other company, with the move of Rosedale™® out of the CEO's position and the eventual hiring of a more business oriented CEO, it's fairly obvious that you're trying to be more of a business and less of a start up and that's fine, but keep in mind that the people that make Second Life® what it is aren't business types for the most part, you need to speak to the audience so that they understand that this announcement is just crossing the T's and dotting the i's and you're not planning on going on a witch hunt to shut down every blogger and fansite that doesn't comply to the letter with the branding instructions (and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt on this, I'm probably wrong).

Yes, I understand that there are folks who do business in Second Life® and using your trademarks and copyrights inappropriately. But golly, couldn't you have approached this a little more gently and with a lot more communication beforehand?

Anyway, before my 90 days is up, I suppose I'll put a little blurb at the bottom of this site, comments are my own, not affiliated, all copyrights and trademarks belong to Linden Labs®, etc, etc. But apart from this post, I'm not going to be anal retentive about the ® and if that's not acceptable, then I'm sorry but I'll close down the blog and quite probably leave Second Life, have enough bullshit in my life as it is. Maybe I'll just wait for Google® (ok, that was anal retentive, don't think Google is going to come after me for referring to them without the ®) or someone to create a kick ass alternative.

It's Your World, Your Imagination Linden Labs, not mine. Too bad, I kinda liked it when it was a partnership between the company and the users.

3 comments:

radarmasukami said...

I'm not going to change the name or URL of my podcast. But I am changing the subtitle on the podcast art from "a second life podcast" to "a second rate podcast." It's a little inside joke aimed their way.

Otherwise, head on over to SL Under the Radar at slundertheradar.com for your rambling, babbling podcast needs on topics related to a second rate metaverse. KMA, LL®™©

Sougent Harrop said...

You know, I really can't see them going after blogs and podcasts that quite obviously promote their product, it would be idiocy. I don't see Microsoft going after blogs that don't put a ® in after the first reference to Microsoft, same for Google or most other companies. I think this is more of a case of bad communication on their part, as per usual.

chug said...

It'd be a shame to see you go. We all have plenty of BS in our real lives, and use this venue to relax a bit. Please just wait until this "blows over", which I'm sure it will.

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