Bullying… Stalking… Griefing… UNACCEPTABLE
ABC – Awesome Breed Creations has been putting their managers out there to the community… tasked with creating an article about topics that will assist the community with tips and tricks, informational resources and how to’s in relation to their departments, products, and/or areas of expertise.
These articles usually look at the upbeat side of ABC and Second Life (SL), but recently we have been tackling some issues that not only affect our online presence but our real lives. Specifically… bullying, stalking and / or griefing. This is the dark side of an online presences, virtual world environment and is growing in popularity. It is almost becoming acceptable and a game…the thing is… it is NOT acceptable and should NOT be looked at as fun or a game. Which is a very harsh reality and when faced with it, many do not know where to turn or what to do.
ABC has had to deal with these topics more and more lately and we find we are giving out information and links as to where to go and what to do… along with trying to follow Linden Labs (LL) TOS. The Linden Lab TOS outlines what options are available to you and it is not always fast moving or has a resolution that the person being bullied, stalked or griefed is expecting. In most cases this is due to the fact that they do not have enough information (evidence) to have action taken by Linden Lab. Linden Lab is doing the best that they can, the same as “we” ABC are when faced with these situations.
Bullying, Stalking, and Griefing usually falls under the Linden Lab jurisdiction as it is in their virtual world and as a Company operating in Second Life, ABC follows their lead and direction of how these actions are handled. However ABC will investigate and take action where appropriate if the actions are breaking our EULA, Terms and Guidelines/Rules for any of our products, services, events, etc. that is provided by ABC. We look at each individual case as it is presented and determines if it is with in the scope of ABC’s domain.
If you, a member of the ABC Community feel that we should be involved due to it being in relation to our “company business” then we ask that you put in a support ticket. We will assess the information provided and determine if ABC has grounds to get involved.
One thing we all agree on… is that Bullying, Stalking, and/or Griefing is unacceptable in any form and should not be tolerated by the person receiving it and we need to stand up as a community (on line, virtual world, cyber in any form) and make it unacceptable.
We know as a company we will not be able to solve all issues or be able to take care of all cases as some do not fall with us but stay within the Linden Labs TOS. But we can provide you the ABC Community with some tools and resources to help.
Here are some things that you can do if you are being Bullied, Stalked, and/or Griefed
BE FAMILIAR WITH THE FOLLOWING:
SECOND LIFE KNOWLEDGE BASE (BULLYING / GRIEFING / STALKING):
- http://community.secondlife.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?q=bullying
- http://community.secondlife.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?filter=labels&q=griefing
FILING AN ABUSE REPORT WITH SECOND LIFE:
Here are some articles/tools online that are a “good” read (granted some of this information most of you will be familiar with by just being “on line”):
Warning Cyber Bullying in Second life (Mail Online)
SL Enquirer Articles on Bullying
- Bullying in the virtual world of Second Life Part 1 – by Nomad Aries Reporting
- Bullying in Second Life Part 2 – by Nomad Aries Reporting
Adult Bullying
- http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/bullying/adult-bullying
- http://www.bandbacktogether.com/adult-bullying-resources/
There are also many Facebook pages dedicated to this topic for support and education (too many to list).
Lets set an example… Lets stop the bullying/stalking/griefing… Make it known that it is not “acceptable” behavior… Stand up for the person being attacked…
Stop the Bullying/Stalking/Griefing
