Does Second Life need newspapers?

[kateamdahl]

So today the always-perceptive but often-acerbic Prokofy Neva posted a request on his blog to be taken off the Second Life Herald masthead, perhaps because of an article that strikes me as being, um ... I'll have to say "wildly offensive" about a Second Life abortion clinic (I'll save you the trouble of reading it: it basically says "Look, neat!

Comments

[kedawendarrow]

(Pssst, you said "Meetaverse" Messenger.. not "Metaverse"...) ;) Hehe

[sophrosyne_sl]

SLang Life tried the atomic-magazine approach. I don't think they had an actual business plan, and since it seems that the most valuable asset of a magazine like that would be its mailing list (and SLang Life's registration system required you to link your avatar identity to atomic-world mailing info, though they denied plans to sell the data), I don't see myself subscribing any time soon :P

[kateamdahl]

All good points. I'm wondering if maybe the concern isn't so much that there's news that isn't getting out as that it isn't being reported on by people who dig into all the important questions about it, or that it's not easy to find it all to read it in one place without sifting through a lot that isn't important news, or that the form in which it's written or delivered isn't appropriate. But I'm just guessing at all this. I'll be interested to hear about what people might need that they're not finding out there already.

^^^\ Kate /^^^

[marxdudek]

SL'ang Life was an interesting print project ... that failed. The problem with creating a printed periodical is that there are so many niches in such a small active userbase.

I have an idea for an in-world periodical and am working toward making it a reality, but it's really a matter of having the time and resources (and talent) to make it possible.

[ext_117034]

Well, I miss one, albeit now mainly defunct publication, SL Insider, which then moved to Massively. Not a brilliant move IMNSHO, but that is beside the point.
What I think we need are more journalists that have an eye and a mind to go with it. Sure, I'm partial to Tateru Nino, but I find her asking the interesting questions. Same with Eloise Pasteur, whom I haven't seen active lately, unfortunately.

Anyway, I think the peoploids of SL mainly need more Tats. Yup, definitely more Tats.

[kateamdahl]

I take you to mean "more Tats" as in "more Taterus", because surely we have enough tattoos! :)

I feel the same sort of disappointment at the move to Massively, and maybe that supports the idea that there's a meaningful difference between a blog and a publication. I'm not sure what it is...maybe the layout of one story at a time, or all the ads and non-Second Life content around it...any thoughts?

^^^\ Kate /^^^

[grizzygriswold]

I enjoy reading Prok's blog. I usually agree with what he has to say, I would just phrase it in a little less volatile manner than he does. I used to read the Herald but stopped a very long time ago, because I began to find their articles to be offensive or celebrations of activities in SL that I didn't think were constructive or healthy. I went back there yesterday after reading Prok's blog and couldn't believe what I saw. Its a million times worse than when I stopped reading it. I am embarrassed to be in the same species as someone who would write something like that abortion article.