Dear Blondin and the Citizens of Zindra,
I've sent you several notecards with no response. The purpose of those cards is to point out the flaws of Zindra in its cultural growth as well. As point out the obvious issues mainland has concerning an individuals understanding of building, and not over using the resources to promote their space at the cost of effecting others from having a pleasant experience in Secondlife on their own personally owned parcels.
(The notecard called Sustainble Zindra ??) Posted here in the letter. However I will cut and paste the notecard at the end of this letter on the blog.
Secondly, I do honestly not believe everyone in Zindra is being recognized at the OH Meetings for their concerns or even needs as citizens of Zindra. For one, the meeting times for Zindra OH meetings and Zindra Alliance meetings are often during the week hours and early hours of the day. Where people like me concerned about the culture of Zindra are left to be unheard or mis represented at the meetings by people who can not represent concerns by the citizens like me. Secondly, the citizens of Zindra Expo going through all of the drama due to cultural differences without any process of eliminatng the drama to move forward and focus on the goal of making people choose to make their personal spaces in Zindra places of interest and attraction. Thirdly, the method of transcripts provided to the general population as a means of notes or Meeting Minutes is very long winded. These transcripts are full of anger, agression and attacks to the personal character of the citizens actively attending your meetings. This is a poor example of people aspiring to be mentors and creating their own mentor groups in Secondlife to represent my culture in Zindra.
I am writing you this letter in concern. I admittedly feel that Lias and Ginette have wonderful ideas and not always do they represent the general attendance let alone the 300 plus (ADULT) rated sims. If you had feedback from the ownership of those 300 sims directly as to their needs and goals as citizens that would be one thing. To have two schizm'ed groups the "ZA and ZE" at constant angst and manipulative agression only causes the community citizens to be exposed to abuse.
I ask that you create a guideline for your meetings. To be clearly stated how the meetings can be proactive, non discriminatory and focus on the agenda alone. The extra dribble in the commentaries of the community do one thing only, they water down the issues at large.
Zindra is a culture that is being manipulated by the actions of a few people. Maybe they own sims in (Adult) regions. I would suggest a survey for sim owners to respond to whomever is the secretary and scribe of both groups. I strongly suggest creating a 3rd group that represents the mentor group that Ginette aspires to create. I support Lias in her aspirations in being proactive as a "Mainland Mentor," as much as I would support Ginettes aspirations to create a "Zindra Mentor" group. Both want to create their own communties. Yet they are not willing to work together through their cultural differences to redirect the agressiveness that has been in existance since the schism from ZE that has motivated the Zindra Alliance.
I do believe if we are to work together to make a better existance in Zindra. We are to do just that. Put aside the cultural differences. Set examples by modelling them and focus on the needs of the people vs the petty warfare of the issues between the leadership of the groups by their example of taking sides vs working side by side.
If we as citizens are to be successful in Zindra. We would network and lead our personal groups by example. There are plenty of (ADULT) sims that are focused on that very thing. Working as adults for adults to help the enrichment of the citizens who support those specific causes.
I honestly feel that the meetings are forgetting about the culture and focusing on eventeering versus the redirection of the decline of Zindra civilization. There are businesses, families, homes, cultural arts, and the seven wonders of Zindra yet to be untapped.
If you are to support our community by being a voice between us and the Linden Labs. Please take these words as a suggestion to change the meeting style of the OH Meetings, have a group of mediators that can effectively bridge the gaps between the schizm'ed groups and create more sub group meetings to focus on the incline of Zindra population.
As a citizen of Zindra, a mentor of severl groups in this avatar and another, a coordinator of network. I know for a fact that people can work together and still take care of their personal business without drama or effulgence. Be so kind to take these words as an Agenda Item for the future Zindra OH meetings and please choose well who is to represent our culture.
The Ego of Zindra is being misrepresented by its leadership and community. The transcripts are a poor example of effective meeting management.
I personally do not want to read logs. I would prefer to read notes that say "So and so has proposed this agenda item." Open the item to the community and create a mediator position that would in fact help that community meeting membership focus on clear information and decision making processes to benefit our culture.
Thank you for your time,
JeZeBeLe Dagger, Adult Community Education Society
(PASTE)
The information below is credited to Reverand Matthias of IVC & JeZeBeLe Dagger upon surveying the land Zindra for a pannel discussion planned for the Expo that did not happen. The idea of this dicussion will be branched out into Zindra & Adult Educational events in relationship to the issues that effect mainland parcels & privately owned parcels that are wanting to try methods of implementation that result in successful sustainability long term. The decline of Secondlife Civilization as we see 1/3 of the mass of Zindra being up for sale. Shows there is a need for change.
My understanding of the ultimate goal of Zindra Expo
The ultimate goal of this festival was to focus on getting people from the neighboring areas out of Adult & Non Zindra related SecondLife areas to come check out the event and absorb the culture that we have. People know Zindra is about sex & adult living and the issues with Zindra go farther than an issue of being adult verified in order to enter the Sim. (That's the worst excuse known to mankind to be perfectly honest) Linden labs should have a knowledge base of exactly how many individuals have adult verified. The issues with Zindra is that the land itself is messy. All mainland is known as the "Projects" of SecondLife an lower end lower economy space with less rights for individuals who own the land. Technically no one owns the land because they are paying taxes known as tiers and if they do not pay they lose their land. Technically leasing is what the owners of land are doing. Let's break this information down further shall we:
In conducting a survey of mainland in general several individuals have found these subjects to be true and obvious:
Mainland Sims & parcels:
Over use resources that draw the experiences of others to have harder times enjoying their owned spaces.
The idea of sustainable community is practically non existent
There are no living examples or models of sustainable communities that span beyond 2 Sims owned by multiple individuals of separate groups. Sustainable Terra-culture is not happening in The grid people are out for their own interests and own agendas.
The complaints from users & businesses is that when they moved to Zindra there is a decline in sales. There were no members who said they were successful at sales in Zindra except for the land barons who know the processes of ebb and flow, marketing and sales.
In an aerial view of Zindra you will notice that the space is centered on sex, Rooftops have words like Free Sex painted on the roofs. This is a method of getting people to not come to those spaces. The general buyer knows what they want and knows how to search to find what they are needing in their inventories. People are using the SL Google maps as a billboard Ad. (not quite like the adfarms (Advertising Farming Practices, highly discouraged and distasteful) of yesterday still in the same flavor)
Distasteful advertising destroys community sustainability. Technically we are killing ourselves by not marketing effectively and creating a visual aesthetic that says, adult living is tasteful and also includes sex.
Private adult Sims have figured this out ages ago and have developed their terraforming and land to really reflect a quality of the space. For some reason linden labs does not want to give this benefit to mainland parcels. Which results in ugly parcel management.
Technically when Zindra had been created the land was instantly stigmatized as Gutter, not only because its a mainland parcel, but because people were being discriminated against Similar to concentration camps and thrown into a separate space denoting that they are doing is wrong or bad. Theres an online survey that for every non sexual web-page in the internet there are 5 sexual or adult webpages.
The whole of Zindra, the members, the owners, the clubs the community are not being respected. Upper hierarchy has a problem with sharing fame or glory or giving credit to where it is due.
The process
In charting data for the Zindra Expo in relationship to the conditions of Zindra at large the data exhibits that there is plenty population of real life users in SecondLife including alternative avatars that have generated enough incomes to survive on their own. Those who bring their SecondLife into real life as a real generated income have been using certain systems that work for them to create a general flow of income stimulating their personal economy.
The need for education on the issues of Mainland and marketing is crucial beyond this subject the concept of community support is detrimental due to the decline of civilization in mainland as we know it.
At least 1/3 of the continent is up for sale.
No great population of people are in consensus neighboring each other creating a "country." of established individuals keeping each other in sustainable living and cross promoting each other to keep each one alive.
The concept of sustainable living in culture is like Agriculture farming....
Agriculture farming for example feeds a major percentage of the world in real life. There is an existing competitive force, however it takes several vegetables and fruits to make a salad.
Now, saying this think about it. How many of these vegetables & fruits compliment each other and how many of these farmers cross promote each other? This is the underlying issue of Zindra success in business establishments. Its also an issue in Mature & PG mainland as well.
Zindra circumstance and economy is no different than what is happening in the Real Life. If the continent becomes successful, the community does and the businesses and people are. People want attractive vibrant communities to be involved in. Yet 1/3 of the continent for sale results in it being empty, ugly and devoid.
Residents are fractionating themselves by being internally fractionating (This is evident in the coordination and implementation of the Zindra Expo & Unzipped Expo). Creating opposing yet Similar goals without operational savvy. Which is a prime model and example of a salad not having more than one fruit or vegetable in its ingredients.
Organic growth is necessary for any group to survive or even any series of groups to survive. Residents who treat the environment as a group co operational continent will prove themselves more effectively successful. Working together creating substantial growth in a sim and grow outward. Get land equally and proportional and agree to be on the same page as each other. Make it happen and be an example to the rest of Zindra. Its this kind of community support that is noticed. Role models of success substantially impact the influence of how others work in their sub cultures and environments.
If the continent becomes successful in the community would in fact people be intersted in participation?
If 1 percent of the 350 sims are the model and example of organic sustainability, would this idea in turn be a model and example to the rest of the Grid?
Since the beginning of ownership in sims PG, Mainland, Private, Mature, & Adult. A relatively new area has not been operational to the point of not needing help from Linden Labs to clean up technical interface issues as well as determine ongoing issues in those areas. The need for a association between Linden Labs & the Customer base is also essential to the preservation of the Society of SecondLife.
It takes energy to create a large corporation for successful results. A multiple sim, cultural corporate residential community becomes a public face by organic growth and expansion. It takes education to prove this can work, with a model, example and ongoing educational events promoting the idea beyond its barriers. If people cant stand together and cultivate and deal with the issues by the means they are operating in consensual and co-operational process. Then they are fibbing to themselves pretending they are helping society as they are milking the wealth of others.
A noticeable presences in a sector of the prominent community in fact proves societal:
Co operation Trust and Unity
In closing, there is more to even touch the surface of the underlying issues of why mainland Sims are not successful in SecondLife. Be it, marketing practices, how people treat others, and how the economy is in its current circumstance. It seems using the ideas of real society to promote operational growth would work in SecondLife if people have the wits and openness to be willing to try.
JeZeBeLe Dagger, Adult Community Educational Soceity (ACES) & Gatherings and Zindra Events (GAZE)
