Newbie Unplugged

Doesn't it feel like forever since I posted? It does to me! My excuse is that I was out of town attending a writers' conference in Dallas, then I was back in the office trying desperately to get caught up, and then I was trying to get ahead because I'm going away for 10 days starting this Thursday. Yes, that's right, it's time for The Newbie's Annual Unplugging! We are heading back to the The Farm (ie: the commune) where there are no phones, no TV, no Internet, not a single luxury... Like Robinson Crusoe, it's primitive as can be. *wink*

So naturally I'm ODing on all things digital before I go. My iPod is freshly loaded, my DVR is set, and I just dashed into Second Life for a quick shopping trip and snatched up some lovely ballet flats from Shiny Things! Here's Chloe hovering in mid-air modelling her pinkety-pink outfit:



And here she is contemplating the abyss while showing off the cutey-cute bow on the back of her dress:



Clearly I'm still learning how to use Katicus' modelling stand to its full effectiveness. And I haven't mastered the fine art of lighting, either. But hey, I wouldn't be much of a newbie if I had, would I?

New Second Life Skin and Swimsuit!

If only shopping IRL (in real life) were as easy...

Not happy with your skin tone? Buy a new skin! (Or, if you're an impulsive shopper like me, buy a 4-pack for a volume discount!)

Swimsuit shopping is a breeze when you don't have to use a fitting room, and you can change the size and shape of your *ahem* assets to suit the suit. ;)

Here's a pic of Chloe in her new swimsuit, with platform straw wedges and platinum hair to match:

And here's a pic of Chloe chillin' on the beach at Playboy Island:


As always, thanks to the After a Fashion gang for a fabulously fun shopping excursion!

Redefining Friendship

Last post for today. I promise! I haven't had much time to post lately, so I guess I'm making up for it today.

I'm stoked to be going shopping in Second Life twice in the next few days -- tonight for skins, and Monday with the After a Fashion gang for bikinis. Not just because I've been hankering for a new skin, and a bikini to properly show it off, but because it gives me a chance to socialize with my dear friends Eden and Kate.

This got me thinking some more about how social media and web 2.0 are redefining friendship for a large proportion of the online world. To me, shopping in SL with my After a Fashion friends is the same as shopping in real life (except that I'm much less likely to do it in real life because I hate trying on clothes). To me, the fact that Mitch Joel posted a link to an article in his del.icio.us is the same thing as if he'd emailed me the link or the article directly. To me, my sister posting on her MySpace blog about her house purchase is the same as if she'd IM'd or emailed or phoned me personally to share the news.

My offline friends don't feel the same way, however, and much as I try to explain it to them, they don't get it. To them, my telling them that I have plans tonight to shop online is akin to my telling them that I'm going to move to a small cabin in the woods like Ted Koszinski.

Is it just me? Has anyone else had trouble trying to define, or redefine, the new boundaries of friendship for their loved ones who aren't as plugged in?

Virtual Bargains just as good as Real

A flurry of posts today!

Just wanted to encourage those who are interested to check out the After a Fashion blog -- I just posted with news about a clearance sale at one of my favorite Second Life clothing stores.

Here's a photo of Chloe sporting some of her new duds:


As always, pose and backdrop are courtesy of Katicus!

It's the end of privacy as we know it...and I feel fine

I've been thinking a lot about privacy lately, and the ways in which Web 2.0 is redefining it and its limits in the public space. Not just the public debate and controversy over Google and DoubleClick, or the relative safety of posting personal photos on FaceBook, MySpace, or Flickr, but the broader question of what defines privacy for the individual.

The other day I came across an upcoming conference on marketing in Second Life and decided to download the brochure. To do so I was asked to fill in some fields and give contact info -- not too unusual. About an hour afterwards a kind young man from the organization telephoned me to follow up, make sure I was able to complete the download successfully, and let me know about some group and hotel discounts they had available.

When I relayed this information to a colleague she was shocked at this invasion of my privacy, and indignant on my behalf. I had trouble explaining to her that in my view, I had opted in to get this call by filling in the optional telephone number field, and that this call was not only helpful, but was much preferable to the type of spam calls that I get all the time at home and work from telemarketers.

To my colleague, this call was on par with an unwanted telemarketing call. To me, this call was on par with someone giving me information that I had actually requested directly. Two different ways of viewing the issue, I guess.

Getting My Girl Geek On

This past Wednesday night was the inaugural Toronto Girl Geek Dinner. I've already written about it on the TGGD blog -- check it out!

As a more personal aside, I'm throwing off my carefully constructed mantle of jaded cynicism for a moment to note that I really found the evening very inspiring. Hearing Sandy Kemsley speak about the challenges she's faced and surmounted as a woman working in the male-dominated tech sector made me feel very lucky to have the position that I do, working in an industry (publishing) and at a company (Harlequin) that is populated with strong, smart females, from the front lines all the way up to the executive ranks. I'm also very lucky to work with a small, passionate team of extremely smart women who also happen to enjoy dishing about LiLo, TomKat, and reality TV, and admiring each other's shoes. :)

I'm really very psyched about the future Girl Geek Dinners and am excited about the opportunity to meet and network with more cool chicks!

Getting my Geek On

Spent all day yesterday immersed in learning at the IAB Intensive, One-Day Course in Social Media, listening to the awesomely smart Mitch Joel inaugurate the uninitiated into the world of online social media and Web 2.0. Learned a few new things but mostly just enjoyed being entertained by Mitch (he is an amazing public speaker) and basked in the feeling of being among others who either Get It, or are willing to find out what It Is.

Contrast that with the frustrating conversation I had this morning with my mom and stepfather as they struggle to understand the new online space. My mom discovered one of my four blogs last week (ok, I know that four sounds excessive, but each has its purpose, I swear) and is both mystified by the amount of "private" information I've shared there and concerned about my privacy and my mental health. My stepfather is fond of snorting derisively and loudly dismissing bloggers as "freaks" and "lunatics", yet from what I can tell, he does nothing but read blogs all day. Go figure.

I've blogged in this very space before about my parents' Luddite tendencies, so I guess their reaction to my choices regarding embracing the new online social media is no surprise. This article tagged by Mitch Joel in his del.icio.us (thanks Mitch!) encapsulates the divide pretty well.

I could do without my stepfather's hypocritical pedantism though.