Second Life Interview: Ida Keen

An Interview with Ida Keen

It's early morning when Ida and I agree to meet at her "Knit This" shop in Second Life. My wife enjoys knitting, and I recognize the usual knit-shop accessories and find myself a comfortable spot on the shop's sofa. Instant Messages begin to precede Ida's arrival.

I contemplated waiting in my gorilla suit, a tip of the hat to Ida's inspiring this madcap idea, but instead I decide to play it straight. This may be a virtual world, but some of the social niceties of real life should apply when first meeting someone. Ape-suits, then, are right out. . .

IM: Ida Keen: lol I am the other green dot on the screen. Drinking coffee and answering IMs.

[Ignatius produces cup of coffee from his inventory and waits for Ida.]

Cup of fresh ground coffee whispers: Now THAT I needed!

IM: Ida Keen: haha I'll be right there (I am finding SL shoes)

[Ignatius begins taking snapshots of the shop when Ida appears.]

Ida Keen: morning - sorry if I walked into your picture!

Ignatius: Good morning!

Ignatius: No worries. I'll be taking lots!

Ida Keen: Like a good reporter :D

Ignatius: You bet. I will also talk too much, like a good academic.

Ida Keen: Stellar! And correct my spelling I hope!

Ignatius: No worries. It's like the weather in SL. . .

Ida Keen: I can't seem to make spell chack work in here!

Ignatius: You don't have to worry about rain and can have an open-air shop like this one.

Ida Keen: It is very convenient that the weather here is like RL LA!

Ida Keen: I heard that it used to rain, but particles have a tendency to go through everything...

Ida Keen: ...so it would rain inside peoples houses.

Ignatius: One of my students found a storm in one sim. . .

Ida Keen: Oh yeah - the storm makers are incredible!

Ida Keen: I love the ones with the thunder and lightning.

Ignatius: I've yet to see that. So, tell me a bit about your shop.

Ida Keen: I knit in real life - like a fiend!

Ida Keen: have a seat.Don't let me keep you standing!

Ida Keen: Am I sitting way above the chair for you? I am going to continue like there is no weirdness.

Ignatius: You are floating but that's okay.

Ignatius: Beeble Baxter kept falling into the ocean when I interviewed him :)

Ida Keen: When I came to SL I searched high and low for knitting and yarn and things like that to decorate my house with.

Ida Keen: But other than a couple baskets of fiber, there wasn't a whole lot. So I just figured I would solve the problem for myself.

Ignatius: My wife chills at the knit-shop IRL. Do you have circles of knitters meet here?

Ida Keen: We have a show and tell each month (there is a Knitters! group of around 100 people at this point).

Ignatius: 100! How many show for a meeting?

Ignatius: I mean in SL, not at your RL shop?

Ida Keen: One of us will "host" and make a little presentation of his/her RL knitting and we all ooh and aww and ask questions.

Ida Keen: lol yes, about half a dozen at the last one - we've been doing them on Sunday Afternoons but I am starting to think we need a repeat in the evenings to accommodate all the time zones.

Ida Keen: We are also gearing up for a Knitter's Swap of some kind.

Ignatius: How would you do that?

Ida Keen: Well, the way it works in the real world is to have a group of people all working on a similar project for another person in the group (it's usually secret) and then on a specified date you pop the project in the mail and surprise people!

Ida Keen: We will mimic that as closely as we can, but with some added things (still in the works) to make it SL compatible.

Ignatius: I see. . .so in SL you could share easily. But can you knit IRL and type?

Ida Keen: About 20 people have expressed interest, which is more than enough for a really great swap.

Ignatius: I can barely drink coffee and type :)

Ida Keen: hahaha no! That is my one real disappointment. :D

Ida Keen: But, if you have a chatty friend, or you are waiting for an event, then the socks come out.

Ignatius: One of my other interviewees noted how crashes really mess up social events. Happened here often?

Ida Keen: Not at the knitters meetings, but I have been to a number of sim crashing events in SL! It's very exciting and kind of adds to the experince for me.

Ida Keen: It's all about the shared experience.

Ida Keen: I guess I need to add a pose to this chair...

Ida Keen: I'll try to remember to do it later. :P

Ignatius: This issue came up with Beeble and HoJo. . . doing things that come naturally to us IRL are harder here!

Ida Keen: That is true - there are certain "complications" - but you know, certain things come more easily too. I think.

Ignatius: Such as?

Ida Keen: I am MUCH more willing to meet new people! I am a total hermit in RL, but here...

Ignatius: True.

Ida Keen: I love talking to people and meeting newbies. I heart newbies.

Ignatius: Newbies need it. Why do people take advantage of them ?

Ida Keen: *sighs*

Ignatius: And I say that as a relative newb. . .

Ida Keen: There are jerks in every community.

Ida Keen: Some do it for "fun" some because they want to make a buck (which makes no sense because newbies have no cash)

Ignatius: It seems that changing one's appearance is a good way to avoid jerks. Bone-stock avs really get picked on, don't they?

Ida Keen: My biggest disappointment has been the end of the first land program.

Ignatius: What was that?

Ida Keen: They really are! If you look new, people assume you don't know what you are doing!

Ida Keen: But if you have taken time with your av, even if you are only a couple hours old, you get a completely different reaction.

Ida Keen: If nothing else, people assume you are an alt.

Ignatius: I learned this, day one on O Island. An alt? I am new. What's an alt?

Ida Keen: Also, for nay newbies reading: please wear clothing! Oldbies associate naked avatars with griefing - people will be much nicer if you have on pants!

Ida Keen: ooooh Alts are "Alternative Accounts!"

Ignatius: Good advice. I even put a tux on my ape.

Ida Keen: A second life isn't enough so you may need a third or a fourth!

Ida Keen: haha Monkey Suit. . . . Why do they call them monkey suits I wonder?

Ignatius: Yep. Monkey-Boy. And I have not a clue as to the origin of the term but I LOVE it

Ida Keen: But I am sure there are a fair amout of Males out there running around as females.

Ignatius: This brings me to gender issues, Ida. I have a sense that RL women are a majority or close to it here.

Ida Keen: You know, i don't know. If you look at the clothing and skin stores, that certainly appears to be true. . . . You DO have to watch your AV walk around all day...

Ignatius: I wonder if we'll see fewer men playing women if voice becomes common here?

Ida Keen: I think we'll see a lot of characters abandoned until there is some sort of modulation available.

Ida Keen: I also know that there area LOT of people who are resistant to voice. I am concerned about how it will affect the role-players.

Ida Keen: It's hard to be an elven prince when you SOUND like a Louisiana Trucker.

Ignatius: I imagine that could happen. I also worry about bandwidth if, say, we get 100K concurrence with mostly talkers online.

Ida Keen: oh golly I am so worried that it is just another thing that will break!

Ignatius: I want a Redneck av who sounds like one! What to do?

Ida Keen: hahaha

Ida Keen: I've seen john deer t-shirts, and there are trailers, I'd feel right at home with your redneck self.

Ignatius: Yeah. Grid crashes make me wonder sometimes if SL will be the "killer ap" for player-built worlds.

Ida Keen: The biggest trouble is that the community grew faster than the hardware did.

Ignatius: Thanks. I'll need that Deere cap and a 2155 tractor to match the family's RL one :)

Ignatius: Yes. . . In my 3 months ol here I've seen concurrence double, even triple. You?

Ida Keen: When I rezzed last April, 6,000 people on line was an enormous amount of people.

Ignatius: I was about to ask that.

Ida Keen: The concurrency was usually around 4,500 ish.

Ida Keen: And no 38,000 isn't unusual at all.

Ignatius: Yet it can seem empty. Where ARE all those avs? Clubbing?

Ida Keen: haha with around 6,000 sims there is no telling!

Ignatius: How did you find out about SL?

Ida Keen: My darling husband came in world when he got his new laptop...September of last year? Something like that.

Ida Keen: I would sit on the couch and be talking and not get a response.

Ida Keen: And say, "you are in second life aren't you?"

Ida Keen: And roll my eyes.

Ida Keen: I had NO IDEA.

Ignatius: My wife is thankful that we only have dial-up at home :)

Ida Keen: But when I got the new mac, I was instantly in love.

Ida Keen: I bet! It is easy to lose track of time. :D

Ignatius: You quickly found a "niche" for yourself.

Ignatius: The virtual tourist. . .

Ida Keen: Oh yes!

Ignatius: Why that one?

Ida Keen: Pathfinder had his picks when I came in-world, but the SL blog scene hadn't really taken off yet (the death of the forums helped that along).

Ida Keen: So there wasn't really any sort of guide to cool places that ws kept up to date.

Ida Keen: And of course, you can't just make a notecard for people, everything can change at the drop of a hat!

Ignatius: I see. . .and your blog is getting well known, isn 't it?

Ida Keen: I am in the World of SL feed now, so I think that it is attracting more readers. But I have always felt that if you aren't blogging for yourself and becuase you enjoy it, there isn't a whole lot of point to it.

Ida Keen: Blogs can be a lot of work.

Ignatius: I am finding out. . .but I love it.

Ida Keen: SO I do it for me, but I love that other people get enjoyment out of it!

Ida Keen: SLers don't leave comments like other bloggers do, so you may feel like no one is reading but lots of folks are.

Ignatius: Au ran your April Fool's piece. Do you consider yourself a SL celeb?

Ida Keen: He did? I had no idea! hahahaha

Ida Keen: I haven't checked my feeds in a couple days.

Ignatius: Yeah. . .I'm getting some comments by e-mail. Some are just come-ons that I ignore :)

Ida Keen: SL is so "friendly."

Ida Keen: I went ahead and stuck a lemme alone message in my profile, that seemed to help!

Ignatius: It helped mine, too. I copied you, to be honest!

Ida Keen: haha that is too funny.

Ignatius: Also helped b/c HoJo runs an adult club and I wanted her staff to know that I was there as a journalist, not a playah :)

Ida Keen: right! I am much more brave about things when I have my "Intrepid Reporter" group tag on.

Ignatius: Still, I was impressed by how well thought out that type of business was and how it was run, seriously, like a biz.

Ida Keen: absolutely! I am interested to see how voice plays into their business too.

Ignatius: My students remark on how fearless you are (their term). How long did that take? Must have been scary at first.

Ida Keen: That could go either way I think.

Ida Keen: Good golly YES.

Ida Keen: The Welcome areas were still patrolled by Lindens at that point but they were still dens of iniquity.

Ida Keen: I was so happy to already have a friend in here with land and a place to hide and experiment!

Ida Keen: And get used to things before venturing out into the wider world.

Ignatius: Really? Beeble met a Linden recently. Advised him to ditch his "furry" av b/c students wouldn't take him seriously

Ignatius: I walked into the ocean to experiment and avoid grief.

Ida Keen: I know a tiny cat who teaches when she has time, she has never had any trouble with respect.

Ida Keen: Excellent idea (don't you love how we can breath underwater?)

Ignatius: The gorilla suit really got some attention (in a good way). It's fun to make people laugh, isn't it?

Ida Keen: Yes, i really am all about the funny!

Ida Keen: We have had more fun with the gorilla suits!

Ignatius: Me, too. Life on this side of the screen can be sad. . . or scary.

Ignatius: Tell me, what is the most fun you've had so far in SL?

Ida Keen: I do try to leave my RL baggage behind when I come in here, it is escapism I guess. But it seems to me with a world created by residents, it should be interesting and kind.

Ida Keen: The most fun I've had in SL. hmmmmm. . . . Well I love to build. Really love it. But that is probably work.

Ignatius: That bit you just said about how WE make the world. . .is that what makes SL different from other virtual worlds like WoW or Everquest?

Ida Keen: Vaudeville has been an insane amount of fun so far!

Ida Keen: Yes, I think the resident creation is the dividing line between SL and the others.

Ignatius: I saw your Vaudeville entry. I need to try that ! Tap-dancing ape. . .

Ida Keen: ooooh I like it!

Ida Keen: I think that is the biggest draw, biggest blessing and the biggest challenge all in one.

Ignatius: Do you have a prediction for the future of SL?

Ida Keen: I think that since SL is so resident driven, it would be difficult to predict anything!

Ignatius: Very politic answer, Ida :)

Ida Keen: It's like hurricane season "15 storms, 5 major" but it's just speculation, no one really knows.

Ignatius: Would you speculate about what might be the next big thing, after voice? I've heard about face-mapping our RL heads onto Avs, for instance.

Ida Keen: I bet it's having non-Linden sims that can connect with the main grid.

Ida Keen: That is, sims hosted on non-Linden Lab servers.

Ignatius: And if you know a shop where I can buy baldness and gray hair, I'd love the ref. It's been in my blog lately.

Ida Keen: yes!

Ida Keen: heck let me think a second...

Ida Keen: There is a comb-over hair do and someone just released "old dude" skins...

Ignatius: That's a great idea. Imagine an SF RPG "above" this world with starships and other planets (geek in me loves that).

Ida Keen: but I can' think of who!

Ignatius: No comb-over. Gotta have chrome-dome :)

Ida Keen: haha you want prim though?

Ignatius: Yeah.

Ida Keen: hmmmmm

Ida Keen: the old dude skins have hair on the skins, but I wonder if she has different styles.

Ida Keen: Lila is the shop that carries those (I just found it)

Ignatius: I have one or two other Qs. .

Ida Keen: I'm ready! Hit me.

Ignatius: What is your favorite place in SL?

Ida Keen: oh golly.

Ida Keen: Not made by me?

Ignatius: Ha! I know that's a tough one for a veteran tourist.

Ignatius: How about both? Your place and another's creation?

Ida Keen: I am in love with the knit shop. Deeply in love. I'll probably never own one in RL (every knitter's dear you know) so this is as close as I'll come.

Ida Keen: As far as made by others... I could go on all day!

Ida Keen: But one of my all time favorites is Space Port Alpha.

Ida Keen: it is my default answer I guess, but it really is something special.

Ignatius: What makes the Space Port a fave?

Ida Keen: It is such a stellar example of SL for education! And the rockets are SCALE!

Ida Keen: AND there is a model of the solar system AND astronaut ice cream.

Ignatius: One of my students found that! I'm going to go.

Ida Keen: AND they show shuttle launches on the big screen so that everyone can share the experience. I love sharing experiences.

Ida Keen: It makes SL so real.

Ignatius: Yes. . . it's a great EDU site.

Ignatius: My last formal Q (though a tour is welcome for snaps). What other advice besides wearing clothes for newbies?

Ida Keen: Ok. Newbie advice: Stay away from the welcome areas. That isn't all SL has to offer. Explore, be polite, don't be afraid to ask questions.

Ida Keen: There are nice people out there, SL is not a game in the traditional sense and there is no shame in buying you lindens. There are only a handful of folks who actually make real incomes in SL.

Ignatius: Yes. . .I have the sense that lots of folks CLAIM to be rich from SL.

Ida Keen: That drives me crazy that all the magazines hype the half dozen people with rel incomes, so folks show up trying to get rich quick.

Ida Keen: Which is great and cool when it happens, but it doesn't happen often.

Ignatius: Could that hype ruin SL? I know that Howard Rheingold wrote about how older Internet culture could not cope with the hordes of new folks.

Ignatius: The old model in the BBS days was to have experienced users educate newcomers in a type of mentorship.

Ida Keen: I think that there are enough oldbies committed to SL as another world so that culture can be sustained. We had a mentoring program here for years! But with the insane immigration levels they just couldn't keep up.

Ida Keen: And SL is huge at this point. There is room for everyone I think. And the get- rich-quickers get discouraged and leave.

Ida Keen: Of course, all this is just my Opinion! But you DID ask. :D

Ignatius: That end of mentoring really does mirror what Rheingold said about post-browser Internet. Good point, though. Those w/o patience will just leave.

Ignatius: I like to ask Qs :) My students hate it :)

Ida Keen: I try very hard to be nice and patient with newbies, you never know when you are being kind to the next Taturo Nino. Or Hamlet. Or other individual who will become a great content creator or a powerful force for good.

Ida Keen: The same is true in RL.

Ignatius: Hmm. . .

Ida Keen: And I love living on the mainland for that reason, it newbies wander by the house all the time.

Ignatius: I do have this somewhat selfish dream of being the Hunter S. Thompson of SL. . .

Ida Keen: lol

Ignatius: We had to make an island for students. Our first spot had a nightclub next door and a casino on the other side.

Ignatius: But I prefer wandering the mainland, too.

Ida Keen: Islands are insanely useful - do all the students get the same last name? I love that feature.

Ignatius: I didn't know that feature. I might use it next time.

Ida Keen: Plus, you keep them out of the Welcome Areas so that they can have a positive experience on their rez day.

Ida Keen: Boy, i am really down on the welcome areas today.

Ignatius: True. One of my students got trapped in an adult club by a creep.

Ignatius: Nearly ended her SL experience. But she reported him and he got suspended for several days.

Ida Keen: yeah and even though you KNOW that nothing bad can really happen to you, and you can tp away at any time it is STILL creepy and upsetting.

Ignatius: I'd planned to show up in an attack helicopter and attack the club when a party was on. . . then write about it :)

Ida Keen: haha you'd just get abuse reported.

Ignatius: heehee

Ida Keen: but it might be worth it - do not take that as a griefing endorsement of ANY kind! heehee.

Ignatius: Another idea was to have the entire class stand outside with protest signs.

Ida Keen: That is a good way to go! Isn't it interesting how quickly we come to identify with our avatars?

Ignatius: Or get invited to the club and spoil the fun. . . now I'd do so as an ape.

Ida Keen: hehehe

Ignatius: Yes. But I decided early on that Iggy would look a lot like me. He does except for the bald part :)

Ida Keen: Heh, you can bald yourself with the sliders if you really feel the need!

Ignatius: Not with this av. I've tried and tried.

Ignatius: Beeble chose a furry b/c he loves dogs and is a very RL, woody person. He questions the entire virtual-world thing.

Ida Keen: Ida is a reflection of my self (my hair doesn't do this RL) and she could probably gain 5 pounds or so. But I made her to represent me.

Ignatius: It's funny to me. People make themselves so "perfect" here but I'm proud that 1) I got myself in shape IRL and 2) enjoy not having hair. so many guys are traumatized by their ageing bodies!

Ida Keen: wahah

Ignatius: I'll get a cane if I'm still in SL at 85 :)

Ida Keen: So true! I like having me for me. And if I need a break, that is what alts is for. :D

Ida Keen: But I suppose if you have a chance to be anything you want, it's odd that I chose to recreate (ish) myself.

Ignatius: True. And now I know what to call my planned caveman AV. . .Alt something or other.

Ida Keen: I am better dressed here than RL. Especially when you consider that I am still in pajamas. Shhh don't tell. :D

Ida Keen: hehehe

Ignatius: Mum is the word. I dress in SL the way I love to dress at work. Jeans, blazer, turtleneck. I need some good cowboy boots b/c I collect them.

Ida Keen: Oh there are bunches of great boots!

Ignatius: Now that I am premium I'll get some.

Ida Keen: I am a gadget collector myself!

Ida Keen: Congratulations on premium!

Ignatius: BTW, where is Lila?

Ida Keen: let me see if I have an lM

Ignatius: And can we take a wee-tiny tour?

System Message: Ida Keen gave you Lila - Natural Skins, Purden (15, 59, 140).

Ida Keen: Sure! where do you want to go?

Ida Keen: That should work unless she's moved.

Ida Keen: The house is right down the hill.

Ignatius: Got the landmark. Near where I once wrecked my bike :)

Ida Keen: but if you are looking for tourist spots...

Ida Keen: haha I have returned all kinds of things from the shop!

Ignatius: oops. [Iggy bumps right into Ida]

Ignatius: I still walk like a Newb sometimes.

Ida Keen: ooh laggy up here.

Ignatius: And don't get near me in a vehicle.

Ida Keen: hahaah

Ida Keen: Oh the photography contests are a bunch of fun too!

Ida Keen: Our house is loosely modeled after my grandmother's house on the water in FL.

Ida Keen: It is all front porch.

Ida Keen: One of my favorite places RL.

Ignatius: It's a nice spot. Some houses just seem welcoming in RL.

Ignatius: You got a water view, too.

Ida Keen: yes I love having visitors although i did come in one time to find people making out in the living room which was Nyt cool

Ida Keen: Yes, water and road, Theo was lucky to find this place.

Ignatius: We had to ban folks at our first house. Clubbers kept stopping by to have sex.

Ida Keen: Nice. people are so classy sometimes.

Ignatius: Yep. Classy is the word :)

Ida Keen: Make yourself at home! there isn't much to see

Ignatius: Thanks.

Ida Keen: Although someone has been clicking the blinds

Ignatius: I've this idea of uploading some RL photos from my RL travels for the wall of my SL house.

Ida Keen: good idea!

Ida Keen: I tried to add interesting thing for the people who wander in off the road to do.

Ida Keen: Like washing hands for instance. Novel if you just got here.

Ignatius: So you don't lock the door?

Ida Keen: Oh no. No ban lines either.

Ida Keen: No one can steal anything and I HATE ban lines.

Ida Keen: I mean, I understand ban lines and support the rights to them and everything but they really get in my way.

Ignatius: Yeah. I don't like them, either. But students are easily creeped.

Ignatius: For them, social networking is the big thing. They don't want to meet strangers.

Ignatius: You are real hostess! [starts washing hands at sink]

Ignatius: Well, my hands are clean!

Ida Keen: Right, they all know each other, besides they are new and SL is new to them so I can totally understand. Oh hey it does open. I forgot that.

Ida Keen: No food though, they make them so that you can click and get food.

Ida Keen: Tea's ready!

Ignatius: The tea kettle is great!

Ignatius: Do you think that food, coffee, etc. are to make SL a familiar exp for players?

Ida Keen: I need to put a cup out so people can drink.

Ida Keen: I do!

Ignatius: I mean, we could just be balls of light that chat. . .

Ida Keen: When you are here, you are representing yourself to others, stuff like that makes it easier to identify with your avatar.

Ignatius: Beeble is writing about "embodiment" in virtual worlds with me.

Ida Keen: which in turn makes you except and react even more realistically I think

Ida Keen: balls of light chatting... you may as well be in a chat room somewhere.

Ida Keen: SL brings a new level of interaction.

Ignatius: His idea is that we interact much better when we are comfortable online. So tea and customized AVs are the thing.

Ida Keen: Exactly!

Ignatius: It would just be chat w/o the avs and objects.

Ida Keen: precisely!

Ignatius: Other things you want to say for the readers? Some of them have NEVER played SL.

Ida Keen: Give it a go, and don't get discouraged!

Ida Keen: Your first experience might be scary, but your second fantastic!

Ignatius: There is this fear of the online world, after all.

Ida Keen: Certainly - the internet is lots of sex and credit card scandals, but it has fun things too like information and "Icanhascheezeburger.com"

Ignatius: Yes. We use the net despite those things.

Ignatius: Just curious about the Kitty treats.

Ida Keen: They belong to the cat.

Ida Keen: She has a bed in the other room and a skybox where she builds things.

Ignatius: Where's kitty?

Ida Keen: Not here now, she'll probably be in later.

Ida Keen: Betty Barbecue.

Ignatius: Send me a snap sometime.

Ida Keen: let me see if I've got one.

Ida Keen: She is not supposed to get on the counter but that never stops her.

Ignatius: Betty is the kitty?

Ida Keen: Yes.

Ida Keen: Nothing is labeled properly, I'll have to see - she does have a photo album on the book case.

Ida Keen: I love pointing with my dots. [Ida uses the "create" tool to point with the stream of dots that come off the avatar's finger]

Ida Keen: She made the picture changers [Betty Barbeque's photos change as I look on]

Ignatius: There is that boat from your blog! [Photo of small sailboat appears]

Ida Keen: Yes! I love the Tako.

Ignatius: I have this canoe. . .I need to use it sometime.

Ida Keen: lots of very cool vehicles floating around SL.

Ignatius: This has been great.

Ida Keen: I've had a ton of fun!

Ida Keen: And it is so nice to meet you "in person."

Ida Keen: Cool the cat is here for petting.

Ida Keen: She likes to type. . . real life cat sorry.

Ida Keen: Bye! anytime!

Ignatius: Off goes Iggy. Bye!

Ida Keen: *waves*

Back To Iggy's and His Friends' Adventures "In A Strange Land"