New World Notes Turns 9 This Weekend - Thanks for Reading, Standby for Some Announcements Soon!

On April 22, 2003, I wrote my first post for New World Notes, which means come this weekend, this blog will be nine years old. (Here's some of my favorite posts from 2003.) NWN started as the "embedded reporter" chronicles I wrote as a contractor for Linden Lab, then migrated off the official site when I left the company to write The Making of Second Life, and continued on through the highs and lows of what was and still largely is the most audacious, successful, and inspiring experiment in user-generated content and world building ever attempted on the Internet. That's the main reason why I keep writing about it, no matter what setbacks it may suffer, why I keep advocating ideas I think are necessary for its survival that many may think crazy, and why I'll keep on covering it as much as I can. (And as long as you keep reading.)

In any case, whatever the fate of Second Life the Linden Lab-owned product, the influence of SL has reached far beyond this iteration, as seen in the rise of virtual goods, avatar identity and virtual community, user-generated content, immersive technology, and innovative gaming, all topics I'll also keep covering in their many forms.

Speaking of which, I have one or two (or maybe even three) cool new projects related to all that, which I'll announce here in next few months. Meantime, if you're reading this, thanks for reading, and being part of this ongoing story. And please join me in thanking the brilliant and lovely Iris Ophelia and my past NWN contributors for making this blog far more interesting than I alone ever could.

Pictured: Me conducting interviews for "Falling for Eddie" (actually from 2004), a story of creativity and virtual romance turned real, one of my very favorites.

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Comments

[Ezra]

Congratulations! Let's hope Second Life is around to blog about another 9 years.

[rikomatic]

Mazeltov, man! Wow, you are old!

[Hon Hin]

I have been reading your blog since 2006, even since before my rez day.
Congratulations! Keep going!

[Pathfinder]

Congratulations, my friend. Here's to 9 more years.

[Breen Whitman]

I purchased, and read the book The Making of Second Life.

It certainly is required reading for an insight into the progression of one.

pp222 prophesizes:

- A "Googlized" Metaverse, where webpages can stream into Second Life(on a prim)
- An Open Metaverse. IE Opensimulator.

Plus some other predictions. Its great stuff

[Kara Trapdoor]

Huge Congrats and thanks for always keeping us posted!

[Paisley Beebe]

wow 9 years...congrats Ham, how many years is that in Avatar years....about 100?

[Chestnut Rau]

Congratulations Hamlet!

[Leondra]

Thanks Wagner! and Congratulations!

I have been reading since 2006, and actually joined SL as a result of several of your posts that year. Through your posts I learned of the vast diversity in SL. That year, education and businesses were making spaces in SL and your articles opened up SL to me as more than a role-playing fantasy game I first believed it was.

I hope you long continue. I really enjoy the wide variety of topics that you bring to New World Notes.

[Flipper Peregrine]

Congrats amig0. It has been a fun ride!

[Bixyl Shuftan]

Congrats

[Kim Anubis]

Congrats, Hamlet, from a constant, engaged reader. Sometimes your blog drives me batshit crazy, but it's been a go-to news source and part of my routine since 2004. I don't always agree with your views, but I always want to know what you have to say. Looking forward to your new projects.

[Uccello]

Congratulations, Hamlet! Time sure flies when I'm reading about you having fun :) I remember meeting you in-world once after getting your book when it was published and it seems just like yesterday. Keep up the good work!!

[Bevan]

Congrats Hamlet and New World Notes !

[sunglasses hut]

I have been reading your blog since 2006, even since before my rez day.
Congratulations! Keep going!

[elizabeth (16)]

happy birthday (:

[Stone Semyorka]

YAY!!! Way to go man. Been reading since ought-six, myself, and couldn't have done a lot in SL without the info you dug out and shared. Keep it up :-)

[Dizzy Banjo]

Congrats man. Im looking forward to the big decade of NWN celebration :)

[val kendal]

Congratulations Hamlet! I've been reading since 2007, and you're still my GoTo source for news, destinations and commentary. Thank you so much for everything

[Stacia Villota]

Wow, big congratulations!!!! What Stone said... you're always my go-to place to learn and explore. Thanks for sharing it all with us!!!

[Iggy]

To nine more years, and nine more lives!

Keep up the good work, Hamlet!

[sirhc desantis]

Nine years...yep since late 06 from time to time driven me totally nutbar but keep up the good work =^^= Nine more and nine after that - felicitations

[foneco zuzu]

Congrats, despite being so negative about some of your posts for sure none of them was useless and despite the different ideas any can or wish to have about Second Life and Virtual Worlds in no other blog i saw so many different opinions being expressed and allowed!

[Adeon Writer]

Cheers! I don't think it needs to be said that your blog is part of my daily reading. :) Thank you.

[Hamlet Au]

Thanks much, all. I totally welcome people disagreeing with me -- I sometimes even disagree with myself, a year or two after writing something -- I just hope readers know any negativity about SL is coming from a desire to see it realize the potential I know it has.

[Graham Mills]

Belated best wishes and many thanks for branching out latterly. Even though I'm not a gamer, I learn a lot about an important facet of modern life from your blog.

[Connie Arida]

Congrats and may there be many more years.Life isn't perfect..and neither is Second Life. So criticism is better than unalloyed gushing.

[Daniel Voyager]

Thanks for keeping everyone updated on the latest SL news and cool stuff. I have been reading NWN since late 2006 and loved all of your blog posts.

Happy 9th NWN birthday! :)

[keylogger Mac]

Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright....lol.