http://www.thestandard.com/node/110039/comments comments feed. en http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively <!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/sites/thestandard.com/files/u158/livelyavatars.jpg" alt="Google Lively avatars" align="left" border="0" height="290" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="235" />Google's biggest mistake with <a href="http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html">Lively</a> may not be the Windows-only release, nor the sketchy functionality. Instead, it's in forgetting (or ignoring) the driving force of the Internet, which, as the Broadway musical <a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html">Avenue Q explains</a>, is porn.<a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html"> </a></p> <p>Google introduced Lively as an all-ages 3D chat application. But, as <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/09/google_lively/">The Guardian noted</a> a mere day after Lively launched, users quickly figured out how to take things as far as they could with adult content. Google tries to police the adult content as much as possible, but a search will quickly yield scores of rooms designed for cybersex of all kinds.</p> <p>As Wagner James Au <a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/07/will-googles-li.html">notes on his blog New World Notes</a>, however, Lively is really more of a &quot;foyer&quot; for Second Life; an introductory course in virtual worlds. Linden Lab has not only allowed, but embraced, the idea of an adults-only world, and areas full of adult content, from clothing to animations, to &quot;entertainment&quot; abound in-world. While some of the adult-themed rooms in Lively may shock those new to virtual worlds, I'm willing to bet they have nothing on activities in Second Life.</p> <p>Bonnie Ruberg, cybersex advice columnist for The Village Voice, <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/07/making-an-envir.html">reports via Terra Nova</a> that Lively's limitations make cybersex kludgy at best. The freedom to build animations and objects in Second Life leads to an environment much more conducive to sexual interactions, which naturally leads to the question of why anyone would bother trying in Lively to begin with.</p> <p>Still, Google is bound to face an uphill battle trying to keep Lively a family-friendly environment. Like the cliché about why should someone climb a mountain (&quot;because it's there!&quot;), virtual world users will always try to recreate every part of the real world in the new medium -- including sex.</p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/predictions/apple-opens-store-second-life">Apple opens a store in Second Life</a></b></li> <li>Analysis: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/how-get-started-virtual-world-operations">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/linden-lab-ceo-responds-lively-and-vivaty">Virtual worlds: Linden Lab CEO responds to Lively (and Vivaty)</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/09/google-adds-third-dimension-online-social-relationships">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> </ul> http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively#comments co:google co:linden lab product:Lively product:Second Life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54:09 -0400 Cyndy Aleo-Carreira 110039 at http://www.thestandard.com http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively <!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/sites/thestandard.com/files/u158/livelyavatars.jpg" alt="Google Lively avatars" align="left" border="0" height="290" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="235" />Google's biggest mistake with <a href="http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html">Lively</a> may not be the Windows-only release, nor the sketchy functionality. Instead, it's in forgetting (or ignoring) the driving force of the Internet, which, as the Broadway musical <a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html">Avenue Q explains</a>, is porn.<a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html"> </a></p> <p>Google introduced Lively as an all-ages 3D chat application. But, as <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/09/google_lively/">The Guardian noted</a> a mere day after Lively launched, users quickly figured out how to take things as far as they could with adult content. Google tries to police the adult content as much as possible, but a search will quickly yield scores of rooms designed for cybersex of all kinds.</p> <p>As Wagner James Au <a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/07/will-googles-li.html">notes on his blog New World Notes</a>, however, Lively is really more of a &quot;foyer&quot; for Second Life; an introductory course in virtual worlds. Linden Lab has not only allowed, but embraced, the idea of an adults-only world, and areas full of adult content, from clothing to animations, to &quot;entertainment&quot; abound in-world. While some of the adult-themed rooms in Lively may shock those new to virtual worlds, I'm willing to bet they have nothing on activities in Second Life.</p> <p>Bonnie Ruberg, cybersex advice columnist for The Village Voice, <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/07/making-an-envir.html">reports via Terra Nova</a> that Lively's limitations make cybersex kludgy at best. The freedom to build animations and objects in Second Life leads to an environment much more conducive to sexual interactions, which naturally leads to the question of why anyone would bother trying in Lively to begin with.</p> <p>Still, Google is bound to face an uphill battle trying to keep Lively a family-friendly environment. Like the cliché about why should someone climb a mountain (&quot;because it's there!&quot;), virtual world users will always try to recreate every part of the real world in the new medium -- including sex.</p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/predictions/apple-opens-store-second-life">Apple opens a store in Second Life</a></b></li> <li>Analysis: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/how-get-started-virtual-world-operations">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/linden-lab-ceo-responds-lively-and-vivaty">Virtual worlds: Linden Lab CEO responds to Lively (and Vivaty)</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/09/google-adds-third-dimension-online-social-relationships">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> </ul> http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively#comments co:google co:linden lab product:Lively product:Second Life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54:09 -0400 Cyndy Aleo-Carreira 110039 at http://www.thestandard.com http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively <!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/sites/thestandard.com/files/u158/livelyavatars.jpg" alt="Google Lively avatars" align="left" border="0" height="290" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="235" />Google's biggest mistake with <a href="http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html">Lively</a> may not be the Windows-only release, nor the sketchy functionality. Instead, it's in forgetting (or ignoring) the driving force of the Internet, which, as the Broadway musical <a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html">Avenue Q explains</a>, is porn.<a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html"> </a></p> <p>Google introduced Lively as an all-ages 3D chat application. But, as <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/09/google_lively/">The Guardian noted</a> a mere day after Lively launched, users quickly figured out how to take things as far as they could with adult content. Google tries to police the adult content as much as possible, but a search will quickly yield scores of rooms designed for cybersex of all kinds.</p> <p>As Wagner James Au <a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/07/will-googles-li.html">notes on his blog New World Notes</a>, however, Lively is really more of a &quot;foyer&quot; for Second Life; an introductory course in virtual worlds. Linden Lab has not only allowed, but embraced, the idea of an adults-only world, and areas full of adult content, from clothing to animations, to &quot;entertainment&quot; abound in-world. While some of the adult-themed rooms in Lively may shock those new to virtual worlds, I'm willing to bet they have nothing on activities in Second Life.</p> <p>Bonnie Ruberg, cybersex advice columnist for The Village Voice, <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/07/making-an-envir.html">reports via Terra Nova</a> that Lively's limitations make cybersex kludgy at best. The freedom to build animations and objects in Second Life leads to an environment much more conducive to sexual interactions, which naturally leads to the question of why anyone would bother trying in Lively to begin with.</p> <p>Still, Google is bound to face an uphill battle trying to keep Lively a family-friendly environment. Like the cliché about why should someone climb a mountain (&quot;because it's there!&quot;), virtual world users will always try to recreate every part of the real world in the new medium -- including sex.</p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/predictions/apple-opens-store-second-life">Apple opens a store in Second Life</a></b></li> <li>Analysis: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/how-get-started-virtual-world-operations">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/linden-lab-ceo-responds-lively-and-vivaty">Virtual worlds: Linden Lab CEO responds to Lively (and Vivaty)</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/09/google-adds-third-dimension-online-social-relationships">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> </ul> http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively#comments co:google co:linden lab product:Lively product:Second Life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54:09 -0400 Cyndy Aleo-Carreira 110039 at http://www.thestandard.com http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively <!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/sites/thestandard.com/files/u158/livelyavatars.jpg" alt="Google Lively avatars" align="left" border="0" height="290" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="235" />Google's biggest mistake with <a href="http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html">Lively</a> may not be the Windows-only release, nor the sketchy functionality. Instead, it's in forgetting (or ignoring) the driving force of the Internet, which, as the Broadway musical <a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html">Avenue Q explains</a>, is porn.<a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html"> </a></p> <p>Google introduced Lively as an all-ages 3D chat application. But, as <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/09/google_lively/">The Guardian noted</a> a mere day after Lively launched, users quickly figured out how to take things as far as they could with adult content. Google tries to police the adult content as much as possible, but a search will quickly yield scores of rooms designed for cybersex of all kinds.</p> <p>As Wagner James Au <a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/07/will-googles-li.html">notes on his blog New World Notes</a>, however, Lively is really more of a &quot;foyer&quot; for Second Life; an introductory course in virtual worlds. Linden Lab has not only allowed, but embraced, the idea of an adults-only world, and areas full of adult content, from clothing to animations, to &quot;entertainment&quot; abound in-world. While some of the adult-themed rooms in Lively may shock those new to virtual worlds, I'm willing to bet they have nothing on activities in Second Life.</p> <p>Bonnie Ruberg, cybersex advice columnist for The Village Voice, <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/07/making-an-envir.html">reports via Terra Nova</a> that Lively's limitations make cybersex kludgy at best. The freedom to build animations and objects in Second Life leads to an environment much more conducive to sexual interactions, which naturally leads to the question of why anyone would bother trying in Lively to begin with.</p> <p>Still, Google is bound to face an uphill battle trying to keep Lively a family-friendly environment. Like the cliché about why should someone climb a mountain (&quot;because it's there!&quot;), virtual world users will always try to recreate every part of the real world in the new medium -- including sex.</p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/predictions/apple-opens-store-second-life">Apple opens a store in Second Life</a></b></li> <li>Analysis: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/how-get-started-virtual-world-operations">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/linden-lab-ceo-responds-lively-and-vivaty">Virtual worlds: Linden Lab CEO responds to Lively (and Vivaty)</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/09/google-adds-third-dimension-online-social-relationships">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> </ul> http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively#comments co:google co:linden lab product:Lively product:Second Life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54:09 -0400 Cyndy Aleo-Carreira 110039 at http://www.thestandard.com http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively <!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/sites/thestandard.com/files/u158/livelyavatars.jpg" alt="Google Lively avatars" align="left" border="0" height="290" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="235" />Google's biggest mistake with <a href="http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html">Lively</a> may not be the Windows-only release, nor the sketchy functionality. Instead, it's in forgetting (or ignoring) the driving force of the Internet, which, as the Broadway musical <a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html">Avenue Q explains</a>, is porn.<a href="http://www.avenueq.com/videoclips.html"> </a></p> <p>Google introduced Lively as an all-ages 3D chat application. But, as <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/09/google_lively/">The Guardian noted</a> a mere day after Lively launched, users quickly figured out how to take things as far as they could with adult content. Google tries to police the adult content as much as possible, but a search will quickly yield scores of rooms designed for cybersex of all kinds.</p> <p>As Wagner James Au <a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/07/will-googles-li.html">notes on his blog New World Notes</a>, however, Lively is really more of a &quot;foyer&quot; for Second Life; an introductory course in virtual worlds. Linden Lab has not only allowed, but embraced, the idea of an adults-only world, and areas full of adult content, from clothing to animations, to &quot;entertainment&quot; abound in-world. While some of the adult-themed rooms in Lively may shock those new to virtual worlds, I'm willing to bet they have nothing on activities in Second Life.</p> <p>Bonnie Ruberg, cybersex advice columnist for The Village Voice, <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/07/making-an-envir.html">reports via Terra Nova</a> that Lively's limitations make cybersex kludgy at best. The freedom to build animations and objects in Second Life leads to an environment much more conducive to sexual interactions, which naturally leads to the question of why anyone would bother trying in Lively to begin with.</p> <p>Still, Google is bound to face an uphill battle trying to keep Lively a family-friendly environment. Like the cliché about why should someone climb a mountain (&quot;because it's there!&quot;), virtual world users will always try to recreate every part of the real world in the new medium -- including sex.</p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/predictions/apple-opens-store-second-life">Apple opens a store in Second Life</a></b></li> <li>Analysis: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/how-get-started-virtual-world-operations">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/10/linden-lab-ceo-responds-lively-and-vivaty">Virtual worlds: Linden Lab CEO responds to Lively (and Vivaty)</a></b></li> <li>News: <b><a href="http://thestandard.com/news/2008/07/09/google-adds-third-dimension-online-social-relationships">How to get started in virtual-world operations</a></b></li> </ul> http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/18/google-trying-stop-inevitable-cyber-sex-lively#comments co:google co:linden lab product:Lively product:Second Life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54:09 -0400 Cyndy Aleo-Carreira 110039 at http://www.thestandard.com