Dr. Love writes...

The Many Faces of SL

Greetings people, surfers, beach babes, and sundry others:

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer. This column is going to be a little different than what you have all become familiar with from the doctor! I am going to discuss a few different topics, and I'd like to get you involved in deciding which topic you would like to see discussed in more depth.

Here we go...let's see how many of you can add to the subject matter!

1. The Seedier Side of SL:

We are all aware that some of the most bizarre places, sexual practices, and general weirdness exists here in SL. All of this exists in RL, of course, but there is a major difference. We all live in towns and cities across this planet, and we all know there is a seedier part in all of the places we live. For the most part, we don't hang out in these areas because of the criminal element and because it is full of people who would probably physically hurt us. However, these same areas in SL offer the identical crazy and sometimes perverted elements as RL, but without the possibility of being physically harmed. So this allows us to actually explore and see what these places are all about. Because we can do all this exploring in SL, I think it makes us all numb to what would otherwise be socially unacceptable to the masses. Anyone who has been a "member" in SL for more than 2 years has seen the incredible changes. I know I have. SL grows by incredible numbers consistently. I know that the number of members worldwide stands well over 10 million as of this writing. Just think about that for a second. I think this alone helps us realize the enormity of SL.

2. Choosing your Friends in SL:

You all know my opinion as to how fast everything in SL moves, especially relationships. No matter what your sexual preferences, the subject matter pertains to everyone. Making friends in SL seems easy enough at first. You meet someone, you both exchange niceties, and before you know it, you are both open to the idea of accepting this person as your new SL friend. My advice is to proceed with EXTREME caution. Because everything is moving at blinding speed, this "new friend" is getting as close to you as friends you have had in RL for years. It happens all the time, and it's completely nuts in my opinion. I, for one, can discuss this with some sense of authority because I have been thru this in SL. We have this wonderful new friend. We think about this person even when we're not logged in, and before we know it - WHAM - this person is actually Sybil - multiple personalities and all! Saying things to you that make you go - WTH just happened!!! LOL. Now you have this dilemma where you're thinking, "Well, I don't want to be another moron and maybe we can talk this thru." My answer to this is, the upper management of SL, the Lindens, have added an option for us all to use. You can "delete" anyone you want at any time. In the more extreme cases, this may not work. So they have also give us all the ability to "mute" specific individuals. I'm sure we all agree that the Lindens have their shortcomings, but they have also had the foresight to help us all out of difficult SL situations. Delete and mute work, folks, and they are in place for a reason.

Now how about you write in some comments, observations, and let us know which subject you would like to go into in more depth. I am betting there are many of you out there in pixelville who can elaborate with first-hand knowledge and I look forward to hearing from you!

Be good humans!

Peace & love,
Dr. Love

Dr. Love writes a common sense advice column for SurfWatch. Please feel free to leave comments for the love doctor, anonymously or otherwise.

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