How many are on strike?

[Harper Ganesvoort]

Out of curiosity, how many of us are participating in the strike Gwyn called for over the trademark question? If a lot of you are, I apologize for seeming a strike-breaker, but I feel some one of us should cover the news.

I'll publish on this based on replies tonight around 7:30 SLT.

Peace, Harper

[Harper Ganesvoort]

If your platform allows you to (I'm not sure about Blogger, but both forms of WordPress should), write posts with advance publication dates. They won't show up until the time you set.

[Harper Ganesvoort]

(Laughing)

I guess it comes, perhaps, from my old habit of writing some posts in longhand before I actually type them up. Barnes and Noble likes me, 'cause when I can't find my Moleskine I'm using at that time, I sally forth and buy another package of cahiers to do my scribbling in. Old college habit (all hail the Seven Liberal Arts!).

Peace, Harper

[Gidge Uriza]

Yeah See I would have had to know there was a strike.........
I so don't pay attention. Am I still a scab if my posting was because I didn't know it?

Alas.......

[Harper Ganesvoort]

(Laughing)

Nobody's going off the deep end, AFAIK; this isn't the Teamsters or the United Auto Workers. Lord knows I'm still writing; since Hamlet hasn't touched this yet, I appear to be the semi-official news outlet, aside from Gwyn and Rheta -- who are in the strike. And, when I dropped into my house in Hrosskell a little bit ago, nobody was trying to burn me down.

Peace, Harper

[Harper Ganesvoort]

(Shrugging) Some accuse him of being a fanboy because of his connections with Linden Lab, but I think he simply chooses to write what he wants to write about, like the rest of us. He certainly isn't a fanboy, I'd say, because he has tackled the question several times, including going to the source essentially on our behalf. In the crunch for news, you can't beat a past insider with contacts still on the inside.

Peace, Harper

[CodeBastard Redgrave]

Harper, people wont die if they dont have news from bloggers for 3 days. It's a matter of principle to joining that blogger's strike. It's just a symbolic protest, probably won't change much, but thing is, people are speaking about it. And that was the whole point.

Like you, i wont change anything on my blog until I receive a cease and desist letter from LL. Won't happen. But where I am concerned, and where i can show some solidarity, is with all those fan bloggers that needs to change their domain name and do a tremendous amount of work on their blog to be compliant to a very confused and badly communicated decision. LL have been diluting their own trademark for years and suddenly decide to enforce it, citing account banning and other possible drastic measures. I have nothing against LL enforcing it, of course. It's not only their right, it's their duty. My problem is, damn they are so bad at PR, each time they get into communications with residents, it's an utter fiasco.

My 2 cents

[Vint Falken]

I'm sorry for those are, but I'm not on strike. Two reasons:

1) I heard about this to late.
2) We would only hurt ourselves, not LL. Although it might be fine for some to take a break off blogging, sort of like a holiday, I don't think LL will even notice. That is, as long as Hamlet Au is not participating... . ;) In the mean time, we don't report on issues that might we worth mentioning: lot's of problems with RC 1.20, some good stuff with RC 1.20, their notice about DMCA, ongoing events in-world etc. This bullets would only go in our own feet, not LL. They won't even notice. Maybe all posting the exact same 'protest' message on the same day, with a link to the blogpost on their site might help. Dunno.

My 0.02 L$

[CodeBastard Redgrave]

alleluja Kit

[CodeBastard Redgrave]

I agree Forelle. and I throughly respect their decision/opinion. Point is, they DO talk about it, which was, again, most of the point of doing this. Take a pause. Think of our future. And talk about it. We succeeded quite well, don't you think? ;)

[Botgirl Questi]

Yes. I agree that LL has an ethical obligation to soften the impact of the new policy on those who invested time and money under prior policies.

That said, I think that labeling this a strike is a tactic that that uses an extremely charged word to fire up people's emotions by associating the dramatic narrative of the historic worker struggle with what is basically a dispute between a vendor and its customers and business partners.

[Vint Falken]

Did anybody already receive a cease and desist letter?

And if those are send out, the only way to stop it, is not to raise awareness with fellow bloggers, but with Lindens. And how many of the striking blogs have Lindens amongst their daily readers? Please raise your hands!

[Alesia Markstein]

Sophrosyne Stenvaag has posted a lengthy but worthwhile commentary on this matter, and has given me permission to copy it here (and you'll need to go over there to discuss it with her):

Many dear friends have chosen not to blog this week, striking in protest against Linden Lab's foolish and overreaching brand-protection policies. I've given quite a bit of thought to the issue over the past few days: it would be easy enough to join them by default: I don't have the time to blog this week anyway. Friendship and laziness could reinforce each other; easy enough to stay away.

But I can't do that. I'm taking the time to post, to cross the virtual picket line, for a principle that I think is of overwhelming importance.

Silence is *always* complicity in oppression. The one obligation of the dissident, the sole moral response in the face of oppression, is to SPEAK OUT. To never relent, to never be silent, to never allow the oppressor a single moment's peace, to make the case for freedom and justice to anyone who can listen, at any time, anywhere Passivity enables oppression.

Seeing a wrong and refusing to speak out is not a tactic, it's a moral failing - and one I've been guilty of, in focusing on building something positive in Extropia to the complete exclusion of criticizing Linden Lab's increasing demonstrations of contempt for its Residents.

A generation of AIDS activists pioneered the slogan, SILENCE = DEATH. Imagine if their response to official discrimination, to neglect by researchers and pharmaceutical companies, had been to *remain silent* until the world changed around them!

The rationale behind the blog strike seems to be that blogging about Second Life (no, I'm not conforming to Linden Lab's demands that I forgo nominative fair use. Let them come after me if they want) legitimizes or promotes Linden Lab's actions in some way.

Let's have a little realism about the nature of power, please? The commercial blogs - New World Notes, Massively and their ilk - aren't striking. The rest of them - fashionistas, SLebrities, microbusiness promotional blogs and personal journals - don't contribute any measurable amount to Linden Lab's revenues or to its ever more tattered reputation.

Linden Lab has been overreaching, deaf to its customers at best and actively hostile to them (Robin Linden and identity "trust," anyone?). They deserve to be called out, to be pressed to change. Second Life Residents and users should be informed of Linden Lab's actions and encouraged to take action. Our grievances are legitimate, and we should do something about them.

Like what?

* Education and outreach. The bloggers who've chosen to remain silent this week have done a wonderful job until now. I've learned a tremendous amount from Gwyneth Llewellyn and Kit Meredith about my rights, and how Linden Lab's actions have threatened them. Those of us without the knowledge base and skills to analyze the situation in the first instance can spread the word - speak out, link, post a supportive comment.

* Collective action, not collective incation. Organize and join in mass attendance at Linden's office hours. Organize educational events, speakers, and mass protests inworld, where they can be seen, and where our numbers can be counted.

* Escalation. The frontline Lindens are deaf, inept, destructive? Write and petition the Board of Directors individually. Write to Linden Lab's investors, explaining how Linden Lab's actions are damaging the value of their investment. Call out Mitch Kapor inworld and at atomic world events. Hold him accountable for corporate actions.

* Cashing out. If you're upset enough - and I confess I'm not - cash out. Dump your Premium account, the three or four of you who still have one. Dump your landholdings. Stay out of the world. Make an impact that shows up on the concurrency and economic statistics. Linden Lab is using economic and legal tools against you? Use them back.

Okay, big talk for someone who hasn't stood up against Linden Lab's actions in months. It's easy to complain from the cheap seats, something I've seriously not appreciated when it's been directed at me. Do I have money to put where my mouth is (and if that isn't one of the more disgusting images in English figures of speech, I don't know what is)?

Here's what I've got.

* Once a week, here, or where this blog may end up moving to, I'm going to post a "for dummies" analysis of Linden Lab's problematic policies - and give them credit for whatever they may get right. I'll link to all the first-line smart commentary and analysis I'll be drawing from - and hopefully our intellectual leaders will come off strike and supply me with some material to work from!

* I'm going to offer Extropia's facilities: an expanded set of conference rooms, lecture halls, media displays and our mighty marketing engine, for an Anti Silence Day.

o You striking bloggers: I'll give you a stage and an audience.

o You Lindens: I'll issue you an invitation to show up and explain yourselves - or *you* can stand silent and ineffectual while *we* take control of the message.

o You concerned Residents: I'll give you a chance to show up, be counted, get informed, and get inspired.

o You veteran activists: I'll call on you to teach us, lead us, politicize and empower us. Show us how to be effective agents for change. Give us the tools that have been proven to work in worlds like ours.

I'm not an intellectual analyst, not a veteran activist, not an influential heavyweight. I'm a pretty good marketer and events organizer with a blog. Those of you who *are* leaders - there's my contribution.

(Sorry about the formatting problems. - A. M.)