A number of prominent blogs are "going on strike" against the new policies Linden Labs has made about use of their trademarked material. This is the post I made to the blogger's community. Edit: Woo Hoo! Someone else thinks the same as I do about not being silent.
I won't stop posting, depriving the world of me for three days would be a crime worse than anything Linden Labs has done.
But seriously, I plan to continue to post - the more we rabble rouse and actually post using terms, names, and icons that Linden Labs has stated they will not tolerate - the faster we will force them to take action. The faster they take action, the better - it will cause *something* to happen, which is better than a silent stalemate.
If both sides are silent, Linden and us, that isn't helpful. People don't notice voids, they notice activity. In real world strikes, the strikers picket and make noise. They stand around and force the world to take notice of the inequities of the situation. In the virtual world, silence is the *opposite* of what picketing and participating in a strike in the real world is like - it's like all of the workers went home and stayed in bed, it's more like a "sick out" than a strike. No one would notice because no attention was being drawn to the situation. The only ones hurt are those who actually go out and picket and have no support.
We should raise our voices in a cacophony of violations against their new terms, forcing them to speak up or risk losing their ability to enforce their new terms. Imagine if they started to send out Cease and Desist letters - and we ignored them. Then they would be forced to act on their own policies and suspend people.
Imagine the press that suspending well known and popular avatars would bring to this. It would bring more attention to this than being silent ever could. However, being silent incurs no risk.
If we don't force them to act and act decisively, they can be quiet about it and enforce it whenever they feel like it or hold it over our heads. This situation does not call for inaction, it calls for *more* action.
I plan to continue to stick my virtual neck out and continue to post. If the rest of you want to do what LL wants, which is to obey their new terms and not use "infringing" material, go ahead and don't post.
But then, I'm a rabble rouser who tends to be mouthy towards authorities.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
I Will Not Have My Voice Stilled
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4 comments:
Tiessa, thank you for pointing me to your blog! What a terrific find you are!
You're the only person I've heard talk about non-compliance. Everyone else, it seems, has fallen all over themselves to learn the TM and R ASCII even as they decry LL's actions.
You think their policies are wrong? Violate them. Work to change them. *Do something*!
Even passive resistance needs *resistance.*
Thank you for speaking out.
Yes, I typed in my disagreement over on the bloggers group at the same time yours was posted. I was glad I wasn't the only one thinking that all of the rolling over and being truculent by removing Second Life, Linden Labs, etc from their blogs was a pretty ineffectual way of protesting.
My original post on it and my "brand" post both deal with the situation in my usual off-hand and snide way.
I think the more violations the better - force them to act. The bigger the violations the better, make them have to act.
*looks at Sophrosyne saying 'everybody else'* *coughs* *coughs again* ;)
(but I do admit, when Miss Tiessa says 'make noise' that can work inspiring! ;))
Yes, I order you all to make noise and protest this - otherwise there will be whips, chains, and more dastardly things inflicted on you in the near future.
Of course, since that's probably what you want, that may not be that big of an incentive to cause action :)
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