Joe Essid directs the Writing Center at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in writing and literature. He is a Richmond native who attended the University of Virginia and earned a Master's and PhD at Indiana University. His research interests include technology in the classroom and Southern literary humor. His academic writing has appeared in Computers and Humanities, The Writing Lab Newsletter, and anthologies about technology and writing. He is a contributor to Style Weekly and has appeared in Eighty One and RVA. Ignatius Onomatopoeia is the "avatar" who represents Joe in the game-world Second Life. Ignatius will be wandering the virtual terrain of Second Life while his creator writes here about what may be either "the next big thing" for the Internet or the latest darling of the cyber-hip... the reader can decide.
E-mail contact: jessid@mac.com | Web address: writing2.richmond.edu/jessid

by Dianna Defiant, Guest Writer
Location: Our Virtual Advice Desk

Dear Di,

I’m thinking of leaving Second Life. Even if I do not delete my account, I may rarely log on for a LONG time.

I’ve a large friends list.  Some are good SL™ friends, and they’re going to be hurt by my departure.  What is the etiquette here?  Send a “goodbye” note?  Throw a going-away party, like I’m going on a long trip or relocating in real life?

What would you do?

Vanishing Act

Dear Vanishing Act:

People in SL come & go - it is common to see friends either leave SL completely or cut way back on the in-world time. Being here for almost 2 years now I have seen both - and seen both handled differently. If you are only friends with these people inside of SL and do not communicate with them any other way than in-world, and probably won’t talk to them much again, then I think you should tell them of your plans to cut back or possibly leave. I hate to have to wonder what happened to someone who suddenly disappears. If you just want to leave SL but don’t want to leave your friends, there are several things you can do. If you know them well enough, exchange email addresses to keep in touch. If that is too personal for either of you, set up your preferences so you receive your IM’s to your email address - you can reply that way also. Or, there are a couple of programs out there that allow you to see & chat with online friends without actually being on SL. Not quite sure how they work but do know someone who used to use it. I can’t recommend them, but here are 2 I found in my search…

http://slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=231265

http://sl-pop3-im.bashora.com/

P.S. Don’t delete your account right away. Put you avvie in cryogenic stasis and wait. You might want to come back later and you’ll already be fixed up and have inventory. If you delete and decide to come back, you’ll have to go through that WHOLE fixing-up/getting clothes/hair/etc. AGAIN!!

XXOO
Di

Questions for Di?  Iggy will forward them to her! E-mail iggyo -at- mac -dot- com

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