Linden Beta-Launches Social Network Features (Timeline, Comments, Friending) to SL Users' Web-Based Dashboard

Linden Lab recently Beta-launched web-based Social Profiles for Second Life users, as the eagle-eyed OpenSource Obscure noticed early on, and so far, it's pretty impressive: It comes with a Facebook-ish style timeline and comment thread, so you can have web-based conversations with your SL friends -- click the screencap at left, to see what it looks like. Instead of just putting a "Like" on a Comment, as you would with Facebook, however, you can actually Love a Comment. (Carry-over from Linden's Love Machine?) You can also get in-world and e-mail updates any time other Residents comment or post on your Profile. Another feature I appreciate -- with this new social profile, you can send a friend request to an avatar from the web. Overall, this looks like a sleeker, more integrated version of Avatars United, the avatar-based social network Linden Lab acquired in 2009, but discontinued. (Though as I understand it, many of the AU staff moved over to Linden.)

Will be interesting to see how this improves and becomes more integrated with the full 3D Second Life experience. Be sure to read more astute commentary from Marianne McCann and Osprey Therian in the screencap of my profile at left.

To try it out for yourself, go here and log in with your SL account info.

Comments

[Wizard Gynoid]

As I discovered yesterday in the production dashboard, be especially careful of what you put in your Interests:
https://my-demo.secondlife.com/interests/Alcohol
(Callum Linden seems like he might have a problem.)
On the production side it looks like this:
https://my.secondlife.com/interests/hacking
Unless you limit your Interests permissions, anyone in the world can see what a perv you are in Secondlife.
https://my.secondlife.com/interests/porn
Has Linden Lab taken enough precautions to protect your privacy?

[Vax Sirnah]

Hmmm... could be cool, once it is working (all my data - picks, friends, etc. - is old). I'd like to see a sort of blog system as well. People use their picks for that already

[Arcadia Codesmith]

Wow!

It... it's just like chat... but it doesn't SCROLL!

aMAZing!

[Uccello]

Still looking, but so far I don't see a way to limit who can post what on my profile. Unless I totally misunderstand "Comments on my posts" in the Notifications section.

[Ciaran Laval]

I wasn't sure if this was a new project or an old abandoned project, there has been no word from Linden Lab about it, do you have any more info?

[Silverfox Rainbow]

Neat little Feature, but apparently Sl thinks i am still using the info that i used back in 2007 - which made me laugh :)it might just be an update of an older idea.

[Mona]

Nice. It needs a way to share locations and to put them on the world map for friends to see.

[Darkfoxx]

And LL thoughtfully provides people with yet another way of griefing.

[Adeon Writer]

Now that Google+ is banning SL accounts just like Facebook, this is a great and welcome addition.