Interview with Blaise Glendevon, of TheRumor.biz

Several weeks ago we published a resident story shared by one of our landowners. We were pleased by the feedback received from the readership and wanted to continue with that, but have since decided to go about presenting the offering in different form. We passed an open invitation welcoming you to tell the community about yourselves, and many of you immediately responded.

Xavion: What was the original attraction which brought you to Second Life?

Blaise: I came in because my boyfriend was a SL user. I had an account before – when the big SL boom of media attention happened, but I didn’t get into it too much. But coming in with him gave me a ready-made base of friends. So I stayed this time.

Xavion: …Interesting, because I was also referred to Second Life by someone. So to confirm, you did come in before he introduced SL to you or only after?

Blaise: I came in before, logged in a couple times, but didn’t stay long enough to really explore because it wasn’t as much fun when you have social connections.

Blaise: Er, as much fun “as when you have social connections.”

Xavion: Did you have any early crash experiences that might have made you wonder if it was even worth logging back in?

Blaise: Not really. I was used to things like high-traffic area lag from other MMOs I’ve played. (Don’t ever try and cross Atlas Plaza in City of Heroes when there’s a costume contest. Ever.)

Xavion: …Right, the ever faithful lag monster.

Blaise: Lag is an old foe.

Xavion: Okay, next question. Since joining, has anything changed within Second Life that you wish you could go back to the old days to experience?

Blaise: Like, before I joined?

Xavion: …Yes, before you joined – like things that were going on when you first joined or before, that have since changed.

Blaise: I’m sort of sad that I missed out on the Dune RP sims before the Frank Herbert estate asked SL to shut them down for IP infringement.

Blaise: Everything that’s changed since I’ve been in has been for the better, really.

Xavion: …I see.

Blaise: I think the roleplay stuff has diminished a lot too,  at least that’s what I mostly hear.

Many of the things that made really made SL big have fallen off the shelf, I guess.

Blaise: The problem with RPing in Second Life, as opposed to a MUSH or a Tabletop game or a LARP is the lack of centralized game-mastering or storytelling.

Blaise: The sims that are sticking it out have good staff & centralized storylines — so it’s not just people poseball humping in skyboxes.

Blaise: (Can I say ‘poseball humping’ on Lionheart’s blog?)

Xavion: LOL. You can say anything that you don’t mind being published as such. 😉

Blaise: We may both get fired. LOL.

Xavion: …That’s a valid point though. It takes a good storyline and work of contribution to tell any RP story.

Xavion: Haha, we might both – you’re right!

Xavion: Okay, next question, if you’re ready.

Blaise: Shoot!

Xavion: What was the first thing you ever designed and what inspired you to do so? And to add to that in following, as a content creator, there are obviously some difficult challenges faced. What’s been your hardest faced challenge?

Blaise: I’m not actually a content creator in-world. I’m a fashion reviewer and photographer. So the challenges are a little different. My job is to highlight the best of SL. So many people just put out template & stock textures, set up a shop, and fleece the newbies with low quality items. So, my challenge is to help people find the best value for their linden dollar. Obviously this is subjective – I have a specific taste and style, that is a little more conservative than some SL players like it. (You can have cleavage or midriff. BUT NOT BOTH.) And some content creators think I’m an elitist. But really, I just like sharing the good stuff.

Xavion: Even as a content reviewer, I would suspect that it requires some business-minded sense to be able to provide valid critique on products and services, yeah?

Blaise: It does. And it requires being up on both the products that are comparable in SL and the trends IRL. I look at a LOT of clothes, a LOT of sales. And I get very few review copies. So, when I do spend my lindens

Blaise: Scratch that last sentence.

Blaise: What I meant to say is that when I do showcase something, I’ve most probably paid for it with my own lindens. If it is a review copy, I’m very careful to say so.

Xavion: Have you been bashed or shunned in the most worse way before, due to something you’ve written or commented on?

Blaise: The blog I’m part of the team of is known for being very forthright with our opinons. So, oddly enough, I’m one of the ‘nice ones’. People are relieved that I’m doing the review. But I have had one content creator send her Plurk crew after me. I called her out for putting out a template underwear set for a sale event when other people put out lavish, hand drawn items worth much more. Fashion in SL does get rough, but as long as you’re fair and stay out of the ‘friendship games’, you can have fun with it.

Xavion: How ironic. I was thinking that your job might be tough at times due to people suspecting you’ve been bribed to give good reviews.

Blaise: I’m new on the scene, so it hasn’t happened yet. But other bloggers who have been around longer do get those critcisms. That’s why I’m clear about when something was gifted and when I paid for an item.

Blaise: Usually when people make accusations that a review is unfair, they say it’s because the reviewer is pals with a ‘rival’ creator. Which is silly. SL is HUGE, and there’s enough marketplace for everyone.

Blaise: (Everyone making a quality, unique item that is.

Blaise: It goes without saying that the market is flooded with low-quality rip offs.)

Xavion: …Almost as flooded as the myriad of 0 linden items of the past, huh?

Blaise: It would not bother me so much if the items were $L0.

Xavion: Ha. Well, I was about to ask how you felt about Linden Lab putting the lockdown on that being done across the Marketplace, by charging a listing fee. Do elaborate more. 🙂

Blaise: I think it’s fair to do it on the SL Marketplace. Those $L0 items clutter up the searches, and are rarely good quality. In-world, they’re still available.

Xavion: The search was supposely improved, the web search experience anyway, but that’s all in the same as Viewer 2 relies on everything they’re preparing for going Web 3.0.

Xavion: If we may, I’ll move forward to the next question.

Blaise: I do not love the new profiles & web based stuff.

Blaise: Let’s.

Xavion: Do you have any idols or favorite avatars that inspire you in world? If so, who?

Blaise: The people who inspire me are my favorite content creators. I love people like the Kinzart and Tokushi and DERP teams, who make awesome sculpted furry avatars. I love hyasinth tiramisu from ~silent sparrow~ for doing amazing hand-drawn textures on her clothing designs. I am a huge fan of Drinkinstein Sorbet of The Sea Hole for mixing the wacky of SL with IRL fashion. And this is just a random sampling. As far as bloggers, of course, Gogo from JuicyBomb basically invented our side of the game. I am drawn to people doing fresh, fun original things. I’m jealous, but in a good way, of their talent.

Xavion: Wow! You have a host of people and brands which inspire you. Out of the above mentioned, does anyone stand above the rest?

Blaise: JuicyBomb.com is the first fashion blog I started reading when I was new to SL. And even though my personal style is very different than Gogo’s, her pictures and reviews laid the blueprint for my early work.

Xavion: Ah, alright. I don’t believe that I am famiiar with that one but I will check it out.

Xavion: I realize that you are not a content creator persay, but is there anything worth noting that you’re currently working on in Second Life that you’d like the readers to know about? If not something being created, anything that you are checking out?

Blaise: Right now, I’m one of the staff bloggers for The Rumor (http://www.therumor.biz). And I’m focusing a lot of my not-blogging efforts on postapocalyptic RP on the Thinis sim. And Meeroos. Meeroos have taken over my life, basically.

Xavion: …Another name of a likely popular blog that I have not heard of. I really do need to get out more (lol!).

Xavion: Oooh, and you said the magic word. *fan boi coming out* I too am raising meeroos. Do you raise them just as a hobby or seek to earn something of a monetary profit?

Blaise: The Rumor is the top ranked blog on wordpress, as far as number of hits goes. We’re almost as high as ilovesl, the blog aggregator that collects a huge amount of SL fashion content. So, yes. I don’t blame you for not being familiar, though. We’re a little light on menswear content. (For that, check out SL.ipsters for a very urbane, hip menswear style. I <3 those boys.)

Blaise: Meeroos! I haven’t even bred mine. They’re strictly there for the social aspect of the game, and because I like them and they are cute. (Though if anyone would like to trade, I am open to offers.)

Blaise: Katya, my ‘boss’ on the blog wants you to throw in that we’ve had 2 million hits on The Rumor in a little over a year.

Xavion: Noted! I’ll be sure to mention that as a shout out and invite any readers to check into the blog.

Got that readers? Katya Jhamin sends a shout out to all and says to check out The Rumor blog!

Blaise: Thank you! <3

Xavion: You’re both welcome. 🙂

Blaise: But back to meeroos. I got burned out on the breeding part of other breedables. If I can’t just enjoy playing with a critter, carrying it around and watching it on my lawn, and enjoying the company of other owners — I’m not interested in the deep game.

Blaise: I’m a little tired of the puppy-mill style breeder operations that pump the marketplace full of overpriced breedables. It’s a hobby, not a sideline. Want to make money? Make your own project.

Blaise: Opinions. I has them.

Xavion: …Well said. From what I know and believe, the meeroos were created with a different mindset. Sure they are breedables, but there’s a fascinating lore behind their existence; one that comes with a “social game” as you say.

Xavion: Have you joined a meeroos clan, and if so, which?

Blaise: I am a member of Midnight Meeroos.

Blaise: Can i be honest?

Xavion: Please do!

Blaise: Part of the pleasure of Meeroos is popping around to people’s houses and habitats and seeing how they decorate them, and how they do their living spaces. I am nosy.

Xavion: You’re also honest, which I believe comes before that. 😀

Blaise: They go hand in hand, in my experience.

Xavion: Yes, exploring is one of the biggest aspects with raising them.

Xavion: From all of your experiences, can you recall a most enjoyed moment?

Blaise: When I first started, my ex (the one who brought me into SL) scripted a table with a gameboard & gaming miniatures. And a group of SL friends sat around that table in my skybox and played a D&D chronicle for several games. It was a great deal of fun. It felt like having friends in my living room. And, another time a dear friend and I watched 50s creature features late into the night. She & I made popcorn and talked on skype, like we were in the same room. Little moments like that, where the medium becomes a way to connect friends over distance, are what’s special about SL to me.

Xavion: D&D! Really? I’m reminded of a video that I watched on Vimeo not too long ago. It was a song parody in favor of D&D, the original dice game.

Xavion: Your experience is warm. Thank you for sharing that.

Xavion: Is there anything of a last given, that you would like to have our readers know or be thinking about?

Blaise: Have you seen Like a D6?

Xavion: That is it!

Blaise: That’s the one!

Xavion: Ha ha! I tweeted about it and played it on repeat for an entire day. No joke.

Blaise: I’m glad you enjoyed it. I live a slightly dull SLife. No torrid romances, and I don’t go to the club as much as I used to. Hehe.

Blaise: I LOVE THAT SONG. I want a ringtone of it.

Blaise: I can’t think of anything big on the horizon. There are going to be lots of great charity shopping events coming up. Even if you are a little tight with the finances, charity events (as long as they are for a reputable organization) are a great way to pitch in the small amount you might be able to donate with other people’s small amounts. Every bit helps. And if you get shoes or hair out of the bargain, too. . .well, consider it a blessing. 🙂

Xavion: I wouldn’t mind having one (ringtone) for myself. That is if I talked on a phone much.

Blaise: I am attached to my Crackberry. I just upgraded from the 5 year old Curve with the trackball to the Style. SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT.

Xavion: I happen to be an Android fan but don’t judge me for it.

Blaise: I’ll try out ANY phone however because I am geek like that, lol.

Blaise: My sister likes Droid, but I am a creature of habit.

Blaise: People haven’t jumped on the Style for some reason, but I love it. It’s a flip, it has a qwerty keyboard (I hate a touchscreen), and BB 6.0 is full of awesome.

Xavion: Slide keyboards are more of my thing, but then I guess this ain’t a debate or show off about who likes what as best preference.

Blaise: I’m just pleased to have the threat of the button dial taken out of play.

Xavion: I know what you mean.

Xavion: Thank you so much Blaise, for taking the time to allow me to interview you with these questions. It’s been a great pleasure.

Blaise: Thank you for asking me great questions! I hope we have come up with something fun to read.

Xavion: I believe that we have. 🙂

Thanks to all of our readers. If you’d like to be interviewed and have your story published. Please let us know.