No, this won’t be a TorleyTute Video blog… he has one of those already! :)
However, the first problem with the Second Life Tutorials is access. Okay, not access, but rather exposure. They are easy enough to find (http://secondlife.com/videos) – but only the blog readers know about them.
Attention Torley or any other Linden: suggestion to put a box advertisement link on the SL home page and include a quip with link in the “thank you for signing up” email sent to new residents.
Unfortunately, there are typical snide – no, not simple frustrated venting – but snide comments in reaction to Torley’s post:
“…people will just drop their annoyances here, because they cannot elsewhere. though i’m kinda tired of happy videos while the true issues are ignored…”
[Name withheld because it's frivolous to embarrass people]
Okay, come-on. Are you serious?
Do you really think Linden Lab are ignoring the resident’s plight with regard to grid issues and I.P. theft issues and all the other issues we all love to whine about? Do you really think they are ignoring us and putting that work aside just so we can actually have a positive, happy posting once in awhile? Do you really think they aren’t already working on these issues?
Do you really, really?
Honestly.
Comments like this only serve to dilute the happy, mood and attitude that is brought to everyone who views the Second Life blog every day. Not only Torley’s posts, but from other Lindens as well. I’m amazed how some of these Lindens work so hard to keep their reactions in check. No wonder so many rarely ever respond to any feedback posts. It’s the best way to not react in a human nature and keep the lid on their powder keg, as it were.
Please, no need for such comments.
Fortunately, Torley’s whacked-out charm and hugely entertaining style make comments like these a lot less impacting than they usually are. In fact, the good humor and fun-loving whatever-he’s-taking-I-want-some happiness just makes the negative comments seem so laughable.
As for this weeks tutorial – very nice indeed.
There are many who are excellent builders and even more just starting out. They have very creative ideas and the difficult thing with SL (and 3D applications of days gone by) is the difficulty in creating wonderful models using only primitive base objects and still create what you see in your head. It certainly teaches you to look around yourself differently.
“Hmmm… that chair at my kitchen table… yeah… I could do that… I’m thinking five boxes, two toruses and a couple cylinders.” ;)
Most would agree it’s a lot easier to learn something visually. And now that Torley actually shows how to create sculptie models, more people will be able to jump off that fence, handle that initial apprehension and at least get started.
Getting started is half the battle and once started, the ball is rolling and they will learn. Thank you, Torley, for pushing a lot of people off that fence to at least experiment and get started!
Torley from the Second Life blog:
“With your newfound sculptie skills, you’ll be able to astound, amuse, and amaze avatars of the opposite and/or same gender. Watch the video, follow along, and feel good about yourself”
Sculpted prims made simple – Video Tip of the Week #32 « Official Second Life Blog
Tags: SecondLife, Torly, Tutorials, Sulpties
Filed under: Socially Awesome! | 1 Comment
Tags: Edification, Second Life, Torley
Ari, I’ve got continued gratitude for your being — well, so sensible! And particularly for your continued posts and thoughts about my Second Life video tutorials!
About specific points you bring up:
* Re: “box advertisement link”, did you see the current badge that’s up? It has a picture of many avatars in a red-ish movie theatre. Sometimes it *doesn’t* show up because the homepage gets rotated through several possible designs, and we’ve recently been testing a simplified aesthetic which focuses on a big “JOIN” button. Ongoing tricky thing is to make the vidtuts accessible but not confuse newcomers who’re already inundated in info… it’s like “Hey, we’re here if you need us at anytime!”
* I definitely care a lot about making the video tutorials TONS more visible to to-be and existing Residents. Part of the problem right now is the “chasm” (I’ve referred to on several occasions) between what I’m doing on the wiki and broader Support efforts in the Knowledge Base; some of it’s coming together and the Documentation Team has been embedding videos alongside appropriate KB articles. Nevertheless, it’s tough, when there’s too many links asking for your attention, that can dull any and all of them out from really shining.
* The snide-ness, of course, is useless. Doesn’t help Linden Lab, Residents, or me in making Second Life better. I’d say of all the criticism I’ve seen, less than 1% has been useful and actionable… that’s a lot of noise and waste! Not a SL problem but a human problem. I certainly sympathize with frustrations (as I’ve *shown* in my videos), but focus is foremost here so I can continue to help others.
* HAHA WHAT AM I ON!?!? Well seriously, I don’t drink or do illicit drugs… it’s just Second Life and the warmth I’ve felt here ever since joining. And it does get tough at times like all the recent service rocky-ness, but being depressed certainly is not going to make things any better. Rather, having a positive attitude and continuing to press forth is what keeps me going.
* There continues to be a huge mental disconnect between “rezzing a prim” and “OMG prims can make that wonderful house/car/furniture/etc.!?” As you mention, I like to bridge that, and sculpties are a great way. I’ve gotten some really awesome inventory drops of super-detailed stuff that’s like, 30 prims, and things keep getting better as knowledge is circulated.
Rock on! =o)