[teen/sl/dmi] Random thoughts about philanthropy and Second Life
As you have read in this blog already, Global Kids streamed into GK Island the audio of the conversation between Philip Rosedale (a.k.a. Philip Linden, CEO of Linden Lab, the developers of Second Life) and Jonathan Fanton (the president of MacArthur Foundation). You can find the audio file here (mp3), among other materials.
There are a lot of impressions about this event already, so I will try to be brief here.
A lot has been said about the actual content of this conversation. All I can say is that most parts of it can be subject to discussion as they were mainly the impressions of the participants. Personally, I (and other teens that were present, too, in GK for the streaming) disagreed with some of the political viewpoints presented in it, but also agreed in the possibilities that both Linden Lab and other institutions have to hold successful programs in Second Life.
In my opinion, the value of this talk, beyond what Philip Rosedale or Jonathan Fanton could have said, relies mainly on the fact that it was the first formal opportunity for a dialogue between Linden Lab and a foundation. Even though many projects have been running in recent months in Second Life, I think that this specific talk will give more opportunities to those who are looking for funding to launch or go on with their own projects.
I am very glad to see that the discussion of the position of philanthropy in Second Life (or, for that matter, virtual worlds) was not limited to the event itself, but is still going on in different sources. Even if some discussions seem to have brought a bit of conflict, I think that these efforts are the only ones that will bring all activists (philanthropists?) together to find the best means to get their messages across.
I am not sure if this is a debate that would successfully happen in the Teen Grid, but I do hope that adults, beyond their need of doing what is necessary to remain funded, do take advantage of the enormous opportunity they are being given of promoting a change.
Kk, this is too long now x.X Keep it up, everyone, and I hope that one day we will all work together towards a new, fair and efficient form of philanthropy.
