I am realizing how getting involved in projects in Second Life can eat away your virtual social life at times.
I remember reading criticism from the Wired magazine about SL and its "empty" grid. Which made me think the writer was just a tourist. In fact, he was. He was exactly like tourists who visit a country and wish they knew the "real" people. This is the way it works: local people have goals, a life and things to do. They don't spend that much time in public places where tourists hang out. And those tourists don't really see the life that goes on.
The same applies to SL when new people visit the grid. They wonder why many places they visit are empty. But many of us started businesses and are working in quiet corners. Or got involved in other kinds of projects such as art galleries. All of this takes most of our in-world time, perhaps at the expense of the the "meet and greet" aspect that made SL at the beginning.
As nice as we want to be, we slowly start to forget about the friends who are online, greeting them only when they take time to IM us. We always say "let's spend more time together soon" or "let's go shopping sometime soon" but never really do it.
As nice as business is, especially if it is successful, it makes us forget things. For instance, we tend to get irritated when a newbie drops in and starts asking questions. "Noobs" are even met with a sigh. Some "tolerate" them only because they help to keep traffic numbers up. Yet that is what we were when we first rezzed, and many of us needed tips and help from veterans to get our second lives going.
Strangely enough, all of the above makes me think that a Second Life is exactly like a first life. We may need to accomplish something, but if we don't take the time to hang out, balance is missing.
So, the next time you want to hit that script, that prim or that other design and "finally" make it available for sale, take a second and look at your friends list. Some of the names there might bring more balance to your virtual existence than the isolation of work!
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