When Worlds Collide! (or why we slow down on the highway to look at a car wreck)

Apparently when the virtual and the real worlds collide, interesting things happen.
I had the honor of representing the Live Music community of Second Life at this years SLCC in San Francisco.
That role proved to be both challenging and rewarding for me personally and the feedback I have seen about both the SLCC and the Music track has been fantastic.
I have heard more than once that this year was the best SLCC ever.
The Music track leadership was headed up by a really dedicated group that consisted of:

• Myself (Apple MacKay), Track Leader
• Katydid Something, Music Panels Chair
• Nasus Dumart, Music Track Marketing Chair
• Cylindrian Rutabaga, Performance Co-Chair
• Lyndon Heart, Performance Co-Chair
• Edward Lowell, Technology Co-Chair
• Sean McPhearson, Technology Co-Chair

 

Music was able to be integrated into every aspect of this years SLCC and could be heard almost 24 hours a day from impromtu hotel lobby jam sessions to open mic's at a couple of local venue's to a full blown "Musicians Ball" that took place on Saturday night with over a dozen musicians playing for 6 hours. They streamed into SL where the live video feed was available at numerous venues. For the first time ever Live Music was truly embraced and included at the SLCC.

A prime example was the invitation we recieved from Woodbury University to provide musical entertainment on their promotional event. Late Thursday night Cylindrian was asked if we would be interested. She reponded with a resounding "yes!", and that left us in the lobby at 3:30 am that night planning the schedule for performers to ride the numerous trips between Linden Lab on Battery Street and the Hotel on Union Square.

Friday rolled around and we were crazed with panel discussions and logistics for what we had already planned. On top of all that we had to finalize the Bus Tour we agreed to participate in. Through-out the day times and details about the "bus" changed but we just adapted to whatever needed to get done. Finally the time to inform everyone about the "bus" was upon us.

Cylindrian and myself went throughout the hotel letting people know when and where to meet the "bus" and coordinated all the musicians. The ride itself was a one hour trip to LL and back, with a brief stop to get off the bus and use sidewalk chalk to write your name on the sidewalk in front of Linden Lab.
During the first 3 trips Cylindrian and myself would meet the bus with the caravan of people we could round up and the musicians who were to play on that trip.
I would help people on and off the bus and made sure it kept on schedule so we could get everyone scheduled to play a chance to do so. The last trip was the one Cylindrian was going to play on. It was also the one Nasus and myself would ride. Loki was very informative about Woodbury and gave away numerous sweatshirts and teddybears and other swag, (the little magnetic lights were awesome). He must have had a ton of shirts because the next day it seemed like everyone was wearing something with Woodbury emblazoned on it!

Now this is where my story goes awry...
There has been some discontent among a few people that didn't attend SLCC.
Maybe they were jealous of how much fun we were having, maybe they are just unhappy people that hate to see others enjoy themselves so much. Quite possibly they just like to stir up trouble as has been proven so often on the independent SL related blogs, and on the official LL blogs, etc. I think human nature drives us to slow down and look at the car wreck on the highway. Bad news is way more popular than good news. example - 1 person that didn't attend SLCC was upset about sidewalk chalk and said the "bus tour" was a griefer party and at the same time 100 or so people raved about how good SLCC was, including the "bus tour" but the 1 negative voice seems to overpower all of the positive voices. ( one bad apple spoils the whole damn bunch mentality).

Do me a favor, Do Loki a favor.
Let people know how much fun you had and how enriching SLCC was for you!
Blog it! Post your Pictures! Post your Videos! Make your voice heard to stop the negativity surrounding the Woodbury Bus Tour!
Personally I would like to publically thank Loki and Woodbury for their amazing support of SLCC, I sincerely hope you don't take the 1% negative view over the 99% positive view of your amazingly creative and fun event and I hope to see everyone again next year!

Apple MacKay

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