Aeon and I were very pleased to attend the annual Virtual World Best Practices in Education Conference in SL this past week and weekend. The offerings by some of the best educators and administrators working today were outstanding and very timely, given advances in technology including SecondLife. We took much away from the conference and promise to share much more next time around. We’re both educators and do work in the non-profit arena, but we’ve not shared that much until now. The wonderful group in SL has opened us to new vistas and we look forward to using SL more in our work. Aeon has already brought students in for plays, and that has been extremely successful, so look for us to do more in future.

We attended two keynotes that were of great interest to us – and to everyone who gathered, both in-world and out. The first was Philip Rosedale, who – as you know – founded Linden Lab and SecondLife^©. His work is completely phenomenal and truly put virtual worlds on the map. If virtual worlds are on the radar today, we have him to thank. Of course, many worked with him and others worked independently on similar ideas. However, no one can refute the fact that SecondLife is seminal work. Thank you, Philip!

His talk was very interesting and was filled with historical notes about SL and other virtual worlds. He knows the score about so much – the technology, the business, the experience. Indeed he knows this history, has the lay of the current land, and has his eye on the future. His work with High Fidelity is going to take us places; I could feel that energy, and I’m looking forward to it!

The second keynote was even more exciting, as new LL CEO Ebbe Linden (Ebbe Altberg) spoke. He shared much about all he is learning – but please understand that he has quite a history with SL and loads of other technologically-involved companies. His leadership is unquestionable, and we think he’s just the right choice for CEO now. He took on the ToS debacle in his talk – and his comments put my already steady heart completely at ease. He has it in hand and my legal eagles were right: it’s mostly a wording (and communication) issue. Our content is ours – and communication seems to be one of Ebbe‘s strong suits. He’s a Twitter guy and I’ve seen him out there, sharing information and responding to questions – and doing so with ease and warmth. And there’s so much more!

We’ll be exploring as the future unfolds, so…let’s just say we’re happy and go on. This Challenge from Strawberry Singh is just perfect for the times. Thank you, Berry! Pop over to her magnificent blog and participate! I have a feeling Ebbe will be reading…

Meme instructions: Pick up a copy of Flat Ebbe Linden from my marketplace store for free and take him to one of your favorite places on the grid. Also, share at least three things that you’d like to tell Ebbe. Please remember to leave a link to your post in the comments and share your Flat Ebbe picture in the Blog memes flickr group.

We welcomed Flat Ebbe Linden to The Conservatory at Ce Soir to enjoy the beautiful exhibit by Ranadeep: Fractal Fantasy.

Our (Aeon and Mireille’s) comments for Ebbe:

1. Please keep interacting with residents as you have been. THANK YOU for being willing to do that, for understanding how important it is – and for allowing other Lindens to pop in-world too! We have missed them! The communication is so important and we really appreciate it. Keep it up, even after things settle out for you and some group or another gets upset with you. We have the feeling you’re prepared for that, and are very glad. Assign some other Lindens to deal with specific issues and keep your positive message going. We can tell you really care and that means so much! If you’re ever at loose ends, come on over to Ce Soir Arts sometime – you’ll be welcome to enjoy the art, music, poetry, theatre, etc. It’s quiet often, so come relax. We promise not to bother you if you do come, but if we’re around, we’ll say hello and leave the rest up to you. (We can always talk, but we know how much peaceful moments can mean.) Ce Soir Arts is about INSPIRATION…always a wonderful thing…
2. Do take care of that ToS issue as soon as you feel you can. Take your time and learn all you need to; we’ll back you up. Our personal “legal eagles” told us it was a wording and communication issue, primarily, and we thank you for that clarification. We knew it was OK, but it does need rewording – or something that will settle the upset; some people actually left over it and there are artists and other creators still concerned – and some are limiting their work. We at Ce Soir Arts are about inspiration, and we hope this will be alleviated in due time. Thank you!
3. Keep supporting and encouraging education, health care, and other non-profit organisations. Thank you very much for participating in the VWBPE conference; your involvement is deeply appreciated. We look forward to all the good work that will continue to be accomplished here. Education, health care, and other non-profits are important and we appreciate your attention to them as well as your focus on bringing business back into SL. Those things are compatible and we think the future looks bright indeed. You clearly are knowledgeable and skilled, and we are very, very glad you are here!

There you have it – our three things for Ebbe. Just one more thing: THANK YOU!

Come…be inspired tonight!