April 2, 2007 10 Comments

Women Get Harrassed in Second Life Too

Aliza Sherman, a new friend via Twitter, just posted about her first time in Second Life, and it wasn’t good.

It’s a total shame to think that people once freed of the connection between who they really are and who they “could” be choose to be harassing and otherwise annoying. But I think Aliza’s experience is probably not unheard of in that realm.

Read her story here.

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Whether you're a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides you with the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

With automatic theme updates and world-class support included, Genesis is the smart choice for your WordPress website or blog.

Find out more about the framework features
Check out the Genesis demo and the wide variety of child themes
See example designs in the Genesis design showcase

Become a StudioPress Affiliate

Anonymous

Not unheard of? Not even close!
http://www.smallbizsurvival.com Becky McCray

Not unheard of? Not even close!
http://trafcomnews.com Donna Papacosta

Chris, I’ve only been in SL a few times, but I have been approached by “male” avatars (who knows what they really are?). I was certainly not harrassed as Aliza was, but it did feel creepy. When I add this “ick” factor to the difficult navigation, SL is not a fun place for me. Hence my hesitation to go back.
http://trafcomnews.com Donna Papacosta

Chris, I’ve only been in SL a few times, but I have been approached by “male” avatars (who knows what they really are?). I was certainly not harrassed as Aliza was, but it did feel creepy. When I add this “ick” factor to the difficult navigation, SL is not a fun place for me. Hence my hesitation to go back.
Anonymous

I noticed that the harassers hang around newbie areas. They are looking for people who haven’t yet learned how to obviate them. Two harassers targeted me before I made it out of the welcome area.

The two easiest tools for dealing with aggressive harassers are to teleport to a new location, or just quit the game, wait a couple of minutes, and re-log on.

But outside of the welcome, mostly my experiences have been positive. The guys who have approached me have been more polite, usually less creepy. I found it easy to politely let them know I was not interested.

The best situation is to be in a group of people you already know from other activities. “Chris’s people” who gather at Pulveria are not likely to hit you up with “Hey, Sexy!”

I recommend Natalia’s Second Life Diary Blog for a terrific welcome guide http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/2006/11/natalias-newbie-getting-started-guide.html and a nifty list of sightseeing locations http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/2006/11/siteseeing-and-exploring.html

There really is lots to enjoy in Second Life.
http://www.smallbizsurvival.com Becky McCray

I noticed that the harassers hang around newbie areas. They are looking for people who haven’t yet learned how to obviate them. Two harassers targeted me before I made it out of the welcome area.

The two easiest tools for dealing with aggressive harassers are to teleport to a new location, or just quit the game, wait a couple of minutes, and re-log on.

But outside of the welcome, mostly my experiences have been positive. The guys who have approached me have been more polite, usually less creepy. I found it easy to politely let them know I was not interested.

The best situation is to be in a group of people you already know from other activities. “Chris’s people” who gather at Pulveria are not likely to hit you up with “Hey, Sexy!”

I recommend Natalia’s Second Life Diary Blog for a terrific welcome guide http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/2006/11/natalias-newbie-getting-started-guide.html and a nifty list of sightseeing locations http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/2006/11/siteseeing-and-exploring.html

There really is lots to enjoy in Second Life.
http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

That’s funny, Becky. I was thinking about the Pulveria experience being so very different from the general newbie thing. Maybe that’s it. If you rush off newbie island to somewhere, you’ll have less chance to be annoyed.

For anyone looking for a quiet, safe, nice-looking, place to check out Second Life, swing by Jeff Pulver’s Pulveria sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pulveria/120/91/23/
http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

That’s funny, Becky. I was thinking about the Pulveria experience being so very different from the general newbie thing. Maybe that’s it. If you rush off newbie island to somewhere, you’ll have less chance to be annoyed.

For anyone looking for a quiet, safe, nice-looking, place to check out Second Life, swing by Jeff Pulver’s Pulveria sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pulveria/120/91/23/
http://www.smallbizsurvival.com Becky McCray

If we hang out in Pulveria, are we now Pulverians?
http://www.smallbizsurvival.com Becky McCray

If we hang out in Pulveria, are we now Pulverians?

Women Get Harrassed in Second Life Too

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

Supporters

About

Subscribe