Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Happy Birthday!

What more can I say then, "Happy Birthday InWorldz!"

If you turned out to see the Celebration, then I don't have to tell you just how amazing everything was.  If you didn't turn out for the Celebration, I'm sorry you missed it.  Either way, let's all take a moment and think what things would be like for us Residents if InWorldz wasn't here.  I'm sure each of you cringe at that thought, as do I.  So, even though they don't want this, I want to again say "Thanks" to the Founders of InWorldz, not just for the success of InWorldz, but also for the amount of customization they have put into InWorldz.  Many of you may not understand just how difficult of a process this is, you should get the OpenSim server code and install it, then log into it.  You will find a blank SIM, where you can do a lot of things, but not the important things.  Such as a working Economy, a robust Script Engine, Physics, Search, and the list goes on. It hasn't been easy, as we didn't get the full Economy side of things until this past July or August, where we can now BUY and SELL our InWorldz Dollars.  There are many other examples of this, but instead of typing each out and how it was improved upon from the base code, to what we have now, let's just give thanks to the Founders and Testers, for the unrelenting work to make InWorldz one of the most robust Grids in the world.

Happy Birthday InWorldz, from the Founders to the Mentors, to those testers and bug reporters, without all of your unrelenting work, InWorldz wouldn't be here.

Happy Birthday InWorldz and very many more!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Let's turn over a new leaf!

Before I say anything at all, I first need to apologize to my good friend, Elenia.  This brave woman, along with Legion and Tranquility, took some very bold steps when they decided to create InWorldz. Elenia invited me to join InWorldz early on, and while I did login once or twice, I was absent for the most part. For that, I sincerely apologize for not supporting her endeavor. I was afraid that if I left Second Life none of my friends would have followed and I had just taken control of my first.  These reasons were selfish, and while many will say they understand them, I myself cannot escape the fact that I let my friend walk alone during those first moments in a new world; for that, I apologize to you Elenia and all others that took those first steps bravely.

Now I apologize to you, the reader, the follower of this Blog.  Since I made the jump to InWorldz, I've been swamped with projects, SIM development and Mentoring.  The most enjoyment of those three is Mentoring. I was a Mentor in Second Life when Mentoring wasn't cool.  We were required to hold a "Mentor Event" once a week and there was a Linden there to be certain you held the Event. I tell you that, so you understand that I've seen the Good, the Bad and the Ugly sides of Mentoring.  What I hope everyone understands that at one time in Second Life, Mentoring meant something.  Not as a Social Status, but as a proud example of a New World to all who dared to enter.  For the very first time in the History of Man, a Virtual World popped up into existence. This world was so different from what "gamers" were used to being a part of, many turned up their nose to this new world and said it would never last.  Here we are, 8+ years later, and while Second Life may not last much longer, InWorldz certainly will.  A small part of that is because of the Mentors in InWorldz. The InWorldz Mentors are a joy to be around and, even more so, a joy to be a part of.  These people we call Mentors are much like the Mentors were in Second Life when it popped into existence. I won't dwell on what went wrong over there, because something has gone amazingly right in our own backyard.  Mentors in InWorldz are a devoted bunch of people.  One of the biggest reasons people try out InWorldz is because everyone speaks so highly of the way they are treated when they first logged in.  There are many Grids on the Internet today, and most wish they were in InWorldz shoes.  I know I'll be punished for what I'm about to say, giving away a Grid Secret like this is frowned upon, but the Secret to InWorldz success is the way WE, Mentors and Non-Mentors alike, treat those New Residents when they log into the world.  The Mentors in InWorldz understands that they might be the only face of InWorldz the New Resident see's.  With that in mind, the Mentors are passionate about what they are doing, passionate about their world and passionate about the future.

I might have missed the first year of InWorldz, but I won't be missing anymore.  If you haven't yet wandered into InWorldz, looking for an alternative Grid to call Home, I invite you to give InWorldz a try.  Not just our Mentors will tell you, but darn near every Resident will, "Welcome to InWorldz, how can I help you?"