Dear GOD

A while ago, my attention was directed to some posts that went viral on facebook, by none other than a comedian that calls himself GOD, not just God by name but the almighty creator, Alpha and Omega, superior being all seeing and all present and so on.

He by doing so has of course not only stirred some controversy and caused the hatred among the various religious self proclaimed spokes people (which he has always dealt with both knowledge and a smile), but along the way has inadvertently become a source for inspiration and support for many in need out there.

Suicide hot line links and support, always a kind word and a shoulder to cry on for many if needed, God is indeed working in strange ways and comes to prove that despite the many detractors social platforms may have, it is not the source of info perse the one to blame, but the use given by its many users, and proof of that is the fact that in so very little time, GOD has touched so many lives in such a strong positive way and that real change can be done with so very little.

With over 1.2 million followers and counting, he needs little if any introduction, but if you have not heard of him, I strongly suggest you to check out his facebook page and peruse through the varied posts by either him or his very large following, which he is always happy to share with the group; he has also recently released some merchandise (a Tee for now) which I am almost half tempted to buy, but leaves me wondering if he would like some Second Life support and some inworld tees being distributed as well.

Time will tell where things head for him and his amazing page, but all in all it seems to be headed in the right direction.

Remember what little or big we do, it always affects other people and GOD here is proof of that. Keep up the good work!

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

T.O.S

Has it really been 3 months since I last posted? I guess when I do say I am taking a hiatus, I happen to be serious; a few things in life got complicated and that as always, demanded my attention first and foremost, hopefully I will be back -this time for good- to keep you all informed of my comings and goings in SL, or at least as seen from my perspective.

Of the many things that managed to catch my attention while I was away, the SL facebook community played an important role, largely due to the fact that it was the only mean to keep in touch with my loved ones while I dutifully stayed away from all distractions, so I could get my RL end sorted.

The avatar profiles and entire SL community presence in social platforms, was shunned and considered outcasts at first, -Facebook got smart- but it is safe to say that as things stand now we not only have found our niche and space outside SL, we are surely here to stay. It is not all rosy and blissful though, since SL is known -specially the gay community- for the heavy loaded drama, produced by those either scorned, seeking attention, bored, psychotic or -in worst cases- all of the above.

My interaction with Facebook is very straightforward, I see it and use it as a tool, not as an extension of SL, since it clearly isn't and that is where most people stumble and fall; Second Life and Facebook are two very separate companies, with very different Terms Of Service and regulations concerning their usage, all of them -yes even the small print- we all agree to abide by when we first sign in, and as long as you actively use their services and keep your accounts active you are still on a tacit agreement with them.

That is why I was more than surprised when a number of my facebook contacts -people I haven't even met in SL not even once by the way-, started a witch hunt looking for someone who apparently was going around reporting pictures -which either contained some form of nudity or adult content-, this of course got viral within a few days and people immersed themselves in something that I could only define as a "salem's paranoia", amusing to witness at first but after quickly losing its shine, it became annoying; so I proceeded to remove those I either didn't know, or hadn't spoken to in a big long while.

Since I do not generally get into the habit of writing about things I have no idea about, here is a quick link about Facebook's terms of service, so you can better inform yourself on how to use the service without becoming a target -pay special attention to number 3-

It is time to stop the whinning, the tantrums and the pouting around the corners as if we were 5 year olds because someone reported content we thought we would get away with; you don't like it? start your own page and post your adult content or whatever you so please there, THEN link it to facebook so people who so choose can access it, no one is above the terms of service, just because you are ignorant of them, does not excuse you from failing to follow them, these rules and regulations allow these companies to provide a service that is equal and fair to all users, and if you do not like it, take your business elsewhere.

I haven't had content reported in over 2 years -and I do try and push the limits on what is allowed, I admit it- and the reason behind it is because I do follow the rules that I agreed upon, but then again that's me. By the way the picture has NOTHING to do with the theme, is just me and my friend Cyrus partying; a touch of random for you.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Resistance is Futile...

Decided to wake up from my writing slumber today, reflecting on what has been going around me recently as a semi-active internet user of several social platforms. We've all faced changes and "improvements" that are supposed to enhance our experience as a whole and to which we oppose quite strongly at first, to later forget we did once we get used to it or find purpose on these updates.

Much like the Borg, I see big company conglomerates on the internet as a rare species that offer something we need (no, these type of Borg are not openly hostile) or at least we live under the illusion that we need what they offer; my son for one has never opened a twitter or a Facebook account and he doesn't seem to be planning on opening one in the distant future and yes, he seems quite contempt with not being up to date with technologies or social platforms.

One of the things that have always disturbed me about using Facebook for example, is the fact that our information is handed out freely and without a fight by us, the users to later be used by third party applications and advertisers working within Facebook -and God knows what else-. Don't get me wrong, I happen to be a very avid Facebook user, but my use of it is limited to promoting my image, my writings and venues on the internet, since we live in the era of social platforms and blogs, whatever it's posted on the internet gets more exposure -if done right- than through any other type of media in the past or present.

Timeline, Poke suggestions, Click the ad, join the farm or whatever it is that you do on the social platform of your choosing, keep in mind what your goal is as the average user and what information you wish to make public for ever and ever -i.e content can't be removed, just temporarily deleted-, but in the end resistance is futile and we all end up being assimilated, and much like the Borg, happy that we were.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Let them Have Cake...

Marie Antoinette was always in my opinion, the victim of really bad marketing and PR, she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, victim -like all public figures suffer at some point- of vicious rumors and half truths that were most likely taken out of context.

When you start being mildly popular or successful in your job field, whether this is on a virtual platform or not, you will always be the subject to people talking about you without your knowledge and most of the time, information being spread, that might or might not be entirely true.

The key here is though, to be able to use all of that talk and unwanted exposure to your advantage, something that poor Marie there failed to do. Many of my in-world friends or Facebook acquaintances -even myself- are victims of talk and not so well meant oriented comments on their activities quite often; so what do you do when this happens? do you let it take its natural course and inevitably fade or do you run and hide for cover, fearing that people might actually believe what's being said.

In Marie's immortal -and never uttered words, according to some experts- "Let them have cake"


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Maria Antonieta fué siempre en mi opinion, la víctima de un marketing pésimo y de unas PR bastante penosas, ella simplemente se encontró siempre en el lugar y momento equivocado, víctima de lo que considero -como le pasa a todas las figuras públicas en algún momento- rumores viciosos y perversos ó de medias verdades sacadas de contexto.

Cuando empiezas a ser medianamente popular en tu campo laboral, ya sea este el de una plataforma virtual ó no, siempre te verás sometido a que la gente hable sobre tí, ya sea esto a sabiendas tuyas ó no y la mayoría de las veces, que la información divulgada no sea del todo verídica.

La clave está en usar toda esa información y habladurías en tu propio beneficio, algo a lo que la pobre María le falló. Muchos de mis amigos en second life ó conocidos del Facebook -incluyendome a veces- son víctimas de habladurías y de comentarios no bien intencionados, sobre sus prácticas en varios campos; ¿qué hacer entonces en estos casos? ¿dejas que corra su curso natural y se desvanesca inevitablemente? ¿o permites que te afecte y corres a esconderte por temor a lo que se esté diciendo se te pegue como un estigma?

En las inmortales palabras -y nunca dichas de acuerdo con algunos expertos- de María Antonieta "Dejadlos que coman tarta"


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls