Practicum - Dean - 7

Last night, I demonstrated Telnet and LambdaMOO to a friend because they were having trouble grasping the concept when I explained it. That's understandable, as a "text-based fantasy world" is kind of abstract. When showing how you can page users from across the MOO, I ran into a rather bitter member. I asked "Miz" how she was and got a response of "Do I know you?" I replied that I was showing a friend the MOO and that I liked it here so far (a little PR work, okay?). Miz then chuckled and "wonder what there is for a newbie to like about Lambda these days". She must have been a long time member, and witnessed an apparent demise in LambdaMOO's culture. I don't doubt this. When I log on now, there are usually 20-40 players connected at any one time, maybe half of which have not been idle for a long time. This presents real obstacles to meaningful interaction on the MOO, and in turn, the ability to consider it a true community.

In our reading from early in the year, Nessim Watson in his examination of Phish.net, claimed that real communities needed shared interests, commitment to the fortune's of the group as a whole, and continued interaction. The size of the world and number of players on Lambda make frequent communication difficult, and the nature of the world is to incorporate users of all types and interests, not just one group. So I don't think it classifies as a real community, at least under that definition. It could however, constitute an online "third place", as defined in the Steinkuehler and Williams article. These, in the real world, are places like pubs and coffee shops meant for playful, informal socializing where people's real world distinctions are of little import. This is an essential part of LambdaMOO; leaving behind the differences of the real world. And the mood is certainly playful. Perhaps if LambaMOO had more users and more activity, community interests could arise, but for now that is not the case. It is a fun third place to explore, and I think I may use it for some procrastination in the future (but not this week). Do work on Sunday, everyone! Let's rock it.