The divorce heard round the world
by Tateru Nino 
Nov 17th 2008 at 8:00PM
Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds
The torrent of new users coming into Second Life is slowing, with today's signup rates now merely double the typical rates, and expected to close in the vicinity of 22,000 new signups for the day. This is all in the wake of the widespread run of a reprinted and regurgitated piece about the divorce of a UK couple.
The original piece has run in hundreds of print and online outlets since the story broke last week. Even tiny local tabloids in small rural towns with little or no Internet access have pushed the story, and by and large readers responded with enthusiasm.
In Scotland On Sunday, Teresa Hunter writes, "Last week's story about the divorce of a couple who met on Second Life must have been the kiss of death for the online virtual world."
Ms Hunter apparently doesn't get out much, we suppose. The story caused something of a stampede to sign up to Linden Lab's virtual world that is only just now starting to abate somewhat.
The people who are signing up seem to be a little more hardened to frustration than is the norm, and more communicative earlier in proceedings. The usual new Second Life user (though there are notable exceptions) is easily frustrated, and tends to avoid contact with others early on.
This new group, however, gives signs that they may do fairly well if only they can establish a peer group early on. These are, without question, the mainstream, mass-market users that Linden Lab has long courted. Now that they have finally heard of Second Life in a fashion that generates interest, it only remains to be seen if the Lab can hold on to them.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TigroSpottystripes Katsu said on 9:22PM 11-17-2008
the timing is quite suspicious, though it could be just a coincidence
but still interesting how after a bunch of people started threateneing ot leave (And some already leaving) due to the void sim fiasco, a somthing comes out in a shady news source that stimulates tons of people to join..
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Pavig Lok said on 11:50PM 11-17-2008
It seems reasonable for such a widespread news article to prompt new registrations. Last years flurry of news activity kept a steady stream of folk coming in for some time. Since then the general stream of SL news that has filtered down to the mainstream media has slowed to a trickle... as registrations have slowed.
In that year however word has got out in other ways, via word of mouth, the occasional mention in other articles without an SL focus, etc. I imagine that many people are now vaguely aware of Second Life on some level but haven't been reminded of it's existance for a while - or if they have may have dismissed it as a dying phenomenon soon to be replaced by a more compelling competitor (as much of the media had painted it at some time.)
A simple reminder that SL exists at this time when consumer confidence is low and the cold bite of the winter months has started to hit north of the equator where a majority of prospective residents live.... well that may be enough.
Sex and drama certainly sell papers, but we know sex can sell any product regardless of how unrelated that product may be to sex, simply by drawing ones attention in a "compelling" way so that we notice it. Certainly some literal minded newbies may be thinking "I'd like an online affair too" and being drawn to SL, but we can't assume that is the majority of new residents. It may be just that their attention has been drawn, and what they hope to find here is something different.
Just my two cents as usual... I have nothing to back it up bar my intuition that 22,000 signups a day has a more varied reason than divorce seeking :)
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Tateru Nino said on 11:55PM 11-17-2008
22,000 is a post-decline figure. Registrations held above 44,000 per day in the window started by the coverage.
Bettina Tizzy said on 12:27AM 11-18-2008
Note to self: Avoid newbies this week. Odds are we aren't going to have a lot of common interests.
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skribe said on 3:08AM 11-18-2008
Announcing skribe Forti Private Investigation Detective Agency. For all your smutty virtual video divorce proceedings =)
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Dekka Raymaker said on 2:56PM 11-18-2008
Someone once asked me to design them a Marriage Certificate and every now and again I get another L$100 for new order, (ten minutes in PS), Wonders if Divorce Papers would command a couple hundred?
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