What community means

Crossposted to SL Buzz from My Metaverse in the Making

In SL and also in other interactive communities, metaverse-versed or web-based, the word community itself seems to have such different and sometimes discording semantics that I cannot just let it float out there without trying to make sense of it. Usually it means at least a given community, and sometimes, if not often, subculture. I have seen the pejorative usage a bit too often in SL. Someone who is “into community” sometimes gets translated the ava-person is only into sex. Sorry, but I think there are several meanings. Community can mean the community at large and also, what strategy one has to make it one’s own and good for everyone. Tolerant, not criminal. There are rules and there’s freedom within the rules, like in any World out there, Meta or not.

In the word community, there also is what is good community action and behavior and what is not. Within our little sim-community where neighbors mostly work in something in SL (small businesses, bigger business, two tarot readers, two people making jewelry and mostly all builders, music biz people) something made me think twice about tolerance and rules. -At Tree of Life, someone came to ask for money at my non-profit to found an adoption agency to “free the kids”. Hmm, let me think a little bit here. The resident I was talking to and trying very hard to understand certainly meant, but was not able to express, the fact that kid avatars should be given equal treatment. This may be all right. BUT he also wanted to make this a for-profit business and it all almost sounded like a trade of kids. This must be the first time I have said “I have to think, come to my office tomorrow to talk about your plan” because I am still trying to understand before judging. But I think this one is a Nope. I have never done this when someone asks for money to start a business. Hey people, protest if treatment is not equal! Ask for rights and explain yourselves! Make a case, if there is one. I think family RP is ok. Just that, OK. But I am not endorsing something that would probably be banned from the start. Ever heard of major adoption trade with big bucks first? I do not think this is different in SL. (One article here about crime and wagering by the way in SL that came on my radar…)

I have also been trying to think about a board of residents within my structure and have been acting as a yet-to-be nominated ombudsman at the sims. I think that’s good community if everyone has a vote and a say regarding important things, events, creative matters and may help to pool talent. Trying to establish democracy at the sims where it is already pretty democratic, but within a given structure :)

Any thoughts on metaverse and democracy, community management and all of the above? What are you doing to keep your place nice and friendly for everyone and good for the World at large? And what about that adoption agency? Any thoughts?