There are still many ingredients to include in the Second Life’s “secret sauce” recipe, but I believe there is a secret ingredient, an ingredient that is more important than all the others.
I think the secret ingredient is something mutable as the weather, without singular shape or form. Its something that would not exist without Linden Lab’s platform, but something the Lab can’t create by itself. It’s not something that will go away if the Lab doesn’t implement the latest, newest feature, but it is diminished by each defect that the Lab ignores.
Sometimes the secret ingredient experience
begins with a massive, awesome symbol
of a new and wonderous world.
I believe the secret ingredient is experienced.
The secret ingredient is experienced differently by everyone who comes to Second Life. Unfortunately, apparently many people never experience it. Others won’t or can’t recognize or acknowledge it. But for those who experience the secret ingredient, I believe it brings them back to Second Life again and again. The secret ingredient causes people to pump money into SL in hopes of keeping that experience alive.
Some people get lost in the forest
looking for what Second Life is.
There’s one more thing, something very important. The secret ingredient is spoiled each time a component of the formula is lost, damaged or destroyed. And seeing as it is different for every single person, that makes the ingredient very fragile, despite how strong any person or group’s desire is to keep it alive.
The Paris sim group was over 20 sims.
It was an amazing Second Life experience
Sadly, all but two of the sims are gone now.
Ok? Are you thinking, will you please just get to it? /me giggles.
You didn’t really think I’d reveal it today, did you? /me blushes.
I have thought about this a long time. I’ve tried out many words like “magic” and other such things. I decided it can’t be a single word, that’s way too easy and too vague. To describe the secret ingredient in the “secret sauce” you need a single sentence: not a 500 word essay, not a paragraph, not an elevator speech, just a sentence.
I know I don’t have a lot of readers of this blog but I want to ask any Second Life resident who has an interest to complete the following sentence:
“When Second Life is at its best…”
I already have my sentence constructed. I promise not to change it. In my search for a way to describe this experience I recalled something I heard from an old movie, The Day of the Dolphin. It was so perfect I had to borrow it; know what that line is? I’ll make a simple post with my idea of the secret ingredient when I feel everyone who wants to express their idea has taken a shot, or by the end of this weekend. And btw, this is all just my humble opinion…
…as opposed to a Humble opinion (sorry Rodvik, couldn’t resist).
Being Yordie Sands 
Each time we log onto Second Life is a threshold event. We wait for “loading textures”, connecting to region etc and then our avatar appears.
We may have plans and expectations but the “secret sauce” is when something happens that we did not expect.
I plan to log on around 7AM SL time and attend “Sinner Sunday Blues” with people I have known for years and most of the morning will probably be as expected and thats fine with me.
At some point maybe tomorrow or next week I will do or learn something unexpected and that becomes the “wow” moment. That moment may involve something bad or it may be something wonderful. I can not predict what may take place but that event will catch me by surprise as it has the past 4 years of my Second Life and introduce me to a new experience that is the Secret Sauce of Second Life.
Those unexpected events are what keep me wanting to come back for more.
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Thanks Larry and yes, I find that wow too. Talk about unexpected events, tonight my pilot friend discovered a manginicent replica of the Titanic on the Blake Sea.
The post is in my other blog – http://bit.ly/ISELtm
I have no idea yet, where it came from but now its gone. It seems to have been an event staged by the pirates of that region. UNEXPECTED, yeah! Totally!
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Here’s a comment Purdie made on Facebook. Purdie wrote: “….when you are in beautiful surroundings, surrounded by friends and laughing so much that you cry!” And yes, I’m certain it’s all that!
But I think there’s one thing where it all starts and creates the interest that brings you to that state. I could be wrong, but I’ll post in shortly.
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My secret ingredient is the warm happy feeling when I rez in 🙂
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Hi Skate, I love that feeling too. It’s not always that easy to feel that way but I sure love it when it does. Thanks!
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happy rez day to you! i’m coming up on five years too (5/30). so there must be something there to hold me for five whole years. dunno what it is but i still love it like a bad husband.
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Thanks Wiz! Yeah 5 years is a milestone but I’m just not comfortable celebrating this one. If I wordsmith your comment about SL, I come up with “When Second Life is at its best I still love it like a bad husband.” hahhahaha. Com’on, give me a little more than that. But hey, I know exactly what you mean.
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“When Second Life is at its best …when it’s shared.” I know, it’s not all that profound – but that’s what it is for me. At the end of the day, that most important things in my life, first or second, is the quality of my relationships.
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I think it is too, Becky. Without people and especially people you like, Second Life is just software. I totally agree.
So far, I agree with almost everything everyone has said but I think you’ll like the idea I’ve taken from that movie. I’m almost tempted to just reveal it right now, but I’ll wait till Saturday or Sunday if comments are still coming in.
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Yordie!! 5 years today!! Congrats!!
Otherwise I agree with Ahvi – wonderful! xxx
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Thanks Mera… I really appreciate your sentiment. Hugs & love
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For me, SL was always at it’s best when we could live our dreams. When it was all about the people around me, when I forgot that Lindens existed, and forgot that it was managed in any way except by what the other residents felt was needed. We did things together, we built things together, we lived our dreams. SL was best when it *enabled* me.
The reason I’m not in SL much anymore is because, for me at least, that changed to constant oversight and hands-on (i.e. interference) by the Lab. I couldn’t run my business anymore because if their constant changes and intrusions into the SL economy. In effect, I felt like SL was *disabling* my dreams.
When I think back to a time when that wasn’t true, I think of how WE had problems and sorted them out ourselves. Sure there was drama and other problems, but WE were the ones empowered to live our dreams. And that feeling of empowerment and unlimited ability to build and live a virtual life was what kept me in that world for years.
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Hi Jim… I agree with your idea, “SL was always at it’s best when we could live our dreams” and much of what you are saying. I know the Lab has made a lot of really bad decision (i have to keep myself from ranting about them), but from my point of view the decisions are a lot better. Thanks for the input.
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Nearly 5 years (15th April, wow!) and several times I have been at a point when I’ve thought ‘blah, what now?’ but each time, something has made me remember, a friend’s chat, or a piece of music, discovering a new place or learning a new something, and my enthusiasm and sense of fun is renewed.
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Yeah, it’s interesting how so many of the Dreamgirls are all clustered around the five year mark (Mine is tommorrow). hehe. I’m like you, I’ve had ups and downs, fought off, but friendships and the vastness of SL gets always seems to present something new.
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One more from Facebook. Siani wrote: “When I’m having fun :)” And oh yes, if there isn’t any fun they why bother going. And having fun is a lot harder than it should be time. hugs girlfriend
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When Second Life is at its best, a well-spring of hope bubbles up out of your soul, gently healing the hurts of Real Life, refueling the deep seated dreams of what could, and can be.
Avhi Milena
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That’s a beautiful sentiment, Avhi. And yes, it’s all that too. I’m starting to feeling my definition will come up a little short when I finally get it posted. It’s great to hear from you, haven’t seen you in so long. hugs & love
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btw, Avhi… I re-read your comment, “…refueling the deep seated dreams of what could, and can be.” And that is so right I just have to say, Yo, what she said! /me smiles
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Thanks Salazar Jack! Oh yes, it it very much that but I think there’s something one step beyond that. /me smiles (I could be totally wrong tho /me giggles)
Gala Caproni posted this on Facebook: “When Second Life is at its best i’m productive and I enjoy my time there.” And oh yeah, it its very much that too, that also reminds me on a coment a boss of mine used to make, “When the work is going well, you’re not there.”
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When Second Life is at its best, you forget there is a computer between you and the rest of the world.
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Opps… miss-posted this:
Thanks Salazar Jack! Oh yes, it it very much that but I think there’s something one step beyond that. /me smiles (I could be totally wrong tho /me giggles)
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