This year, there will be two or even three very different (though not mutally exclusive) real world Second Life conventions in the US, and if you were so inclined, you could read this as a milestone in SL's history. One convention's being held in the city that's generally considered the best place for Internet corporations to do business, and the home of Linden Lab, one of its main sponsors. Another convention's being held in the city that's generally considered the most decadent, consumer-friendly place in the country. After San Francisco was named the 2009 site of the Second Life Community Convention, a general community fracas followed, perhaps best expressed (if you have the patience to read it) in this long thread in the SL Universe discussion forum. Many Residents were angry at the travel and accomodation costs required for a visit to one of the world's most expensive cities. Still more were outraged that the owners of the designated convention site of SLCC, the Marriott, have associations with the Mormon Church, which strongly campaigned to pass California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. (The metaverse is on the whole adamantly gay/transgender friendly, and well they should be.)
One of the ultimate upshots to all this controversy:
Disgruntled Residents are launching the Second Tea Party, an SL "unconvention" set for Las Vegas a week before SLCC. And while the San Francisco convention will likely have tracks on business and development uses of the metaverse, the Vegas event will focus, let us say, a bit more on the entertainment side of a virtual world. And though the specific reasons for this split don't directly reflect a change in Second Life community or culture, it seems inevitable that it'll come to be seen that way.
Especially with recent news of an unrelated move: Citing "the need for scholars to have a conference that can be supported by their institution (by supporting academic outcomes) has seriously conflicted with others' perception of SLCC as active fun and debauchery," the head organizer of SLEDcc, in 2008 the SLCC-affiliated track for SL-based educators, has also announced that they plan to split from SLCC to form their own Second Life education conference. However you want to interpret this, we're a long way from the days of a single community convention, as it was between 2005 to 2007.
Just a quick correction, it was a single convention until 2008 - one city, one location. Here's hoping the three groups can enjoy a year apart, and then figure out a way to make it work - at least in the same city, if not the same hotel - in 2010.
Be sure to thank anyone organizing any of these three if you enjoy yourself at one - it is one of the most thankless jobs ever!
Posted by: FlipperPA Peregrine | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Oh, how can I resist poking this hornet's nest? I missed the debate on the SLED list but went back today to skim the brou-ha-ha.
As for your post, Hamlet:
1) Spot-on about the scholarly debate.
2) Most scholars could use more debauchery.
3) You can be quite debauched in SF without leaving for Vegas. Be sure to visit the Vesuvio, next to City Lights Books, for Absinthe (though I preferred multiple Sambucas), card-trick artists, fire-breathers, and every Beat wanna-be in the city, including occasional tourists like me. See http://www.vesuvio.com/
4) If y'all start getting too picky about hotel venues, you'll end up like the poor MLA and CCCC conventions in Lit. and Comp/Rhetoric. There's hardly a city or state left in the US that meets the ideological litmus tests!
5) I cannot afford to go to any of the three conferences IRL. I'll send my avatar...and get drunk at home.
Posted by: Iggy O | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 12:10 PM
"Many Residents"
How many?
Less than 10 who were vocal on the thread.
Once again, you fail as a fact-checker.
Posted by: anon | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Actually, there will be 47 "SLCC-derivative" conferences (at last count). Several will be held in... wait for it... Second Life!
Posted by: Troy McLuhan | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 02:52 PM
There is also this SL based conference in Amsterdam too ! :
http://www.metameets.com/
Posted by: Dizzy Banjo | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 03:05 PM
Marriott have an excellent record on equal rights and diversity. If we get down to protesting about how an individual legally spends their money we're opening a right can of worms.
Jade Lily has stepped down as community manager for SLCC2009: http://blog.herdpress.com/?p=125
This is disappointing as Jade at least seemed to be taking a thoughtful approach to the whole business.
SLEDcc really need to think again about what they're doing, they should be there. If anyone should be leading by example it's the educators, extremely disappointed with their move.
Posted by: Ciaran Laval | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 05:47 PM
Additional fact left out:
Some of the people upset with the city choice felt that given the economic climate, more 'bang for the buck' was an important consideration.
The Future United, which hosts SLCC, put up a poll asking "where would you like this?". The location decision did not reflect the poll results, and when questioned, TFU gave a cryptic "we have a lot of criteria" without further explanation.
I think a lot of the wtf-factor comes from "why ask us to vote if the votes don't matter?"
TFU has been unavailable for comment on this subject.
Posted by: Taco Rubio | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 05:57 PM
When is the convention going to be held in Second Life as it should be?
The irony of political splits over a convention for a product being pushed as an alternative to real world conventions is rather interesting.
As for the problem of the convention organizer running on an agenda that seems to ignore the people they serve well anyone can and now obviously will offer alternatives. The last one cost too much anyway. They need competition to bring them back to reality.
Posted by: Ann Otoole | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 10:27 PM
The convention(s) isn't for the product Ann, it's for the community.
Posted by: Gigs Taggart | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 10:51 PM
anon, there are 54 members in our facebook group for Second Tea Party, and 35 members of the Ning. There were far more than 10 unhappy people.
Posted by: Gigs Taggart | Monday, March 02, 2009 at 10:52 PM