Intlibber Brautigans Virtual World Crumbles
This event described below is something that is not all that common in Second Life but possible when an individual establishes themselves in this virtual world at such a scale it becomes truly logistically to complicated and financially frightening.
It played itself out and the outcome was a good one for a short time because people worked together. Second life is also trying to turn itself around and with it others must change. The residents of Second life have no other choice but to evolve along with Second life if they want to continue to participate as either a person playing games or utilizing a technology that in all possibility transforms the way they conduct business overall.
There are great opportunities still to be had in Second Life and in the area of business this gentleman was in. And it actually served a purpose for both a simulation and education in the field of finance and community management and not to mention human behavior. A lot of lessons are to be learned from this one persons gains and short falls.
Intlibber Brautigan to some may not have been the most well liked individual in Second Life and he would have been the first to say that. Some may have even either envied his perseverance or success but then again they may have just not like his virtual character all together.
All that aside I will have to say with him and others like him that they have helped make Second Life a more exciting experience for so many reasons. His business the ACE Exchange was l one of the remaining virtual locations you could go to and interact with other avatars that are really driven by real human beings to discuss business adventures and barter and trade ideas. I have always loved seeing that connection flow with people in Second Life and having implemented the voice feature the experience is all that more rewarding and much more fun.
He built up a large grouping of sims that simulated a sense of community and commerce. His Estates became others playground and they all meshed together to form a community that lasted for a good time. It had it's ups and downs and it is no longer there. It was Constantly transforming like it should and preparing & re-structuring for the future to come. Unfortunately is no longer in existence because people have moved on. They chose another path in life and like most things there is an end. It served a purpose and taught many people so me hard lessons in the realm of a virtual environment. Beware in whom you trust.
This virtual platform was a great place for business and education and still is but like everything it must be kept in perspective. I saw this one example of a business community being used everyday by so many different people from all over the world for many different reasons and not for a few months but for a few years. It really was a virtual community. People made so many connections personally and professionally and with some it had really altered their real lives.
So many others also saw this as the direction technology would take to communicate across the globe as it already is being used. It had it's growing pains but it deserved It. Second life is very complex and layered but littered with tools for people to learn and share and grow.
As long as we keep our heads on straight and keep things in perspective and pace ourselves we will continue to play a part in this really fascinating virtual world REAL experience. A great breakthrough in so many areas and on so many levels, we are definitely still a part of a pioneering adventure in a total immersed environment.
The following was a difficult predicament with many rumored speculations that played itself out publicly in real life and many lessons were learned. In some cases in Second life there is a lot of money at risk and a lot of money to dish out. If one is not careful they may find themselves in a very serious financial dilemma just like in real life which it did.
January 11, 2009 questions were being asked as to the state of Intlibber Brautigan, BNT and the ACE Exchange. The recording posted here is just a taste of how people were feeling about the economy in general in Second Life at that time and how the past had led them to what we now know to actually be true. The estates of Intlibber Brautigan are gone now but not forgotten.
I can't personally say I know what is going on because there has not been an official announcement by Linden Lab or Intlibber Brautigan himself to what the real story was so anything here at the moment is speculative. Its only an observation of the situation and some of my own thoughts.
People move on with their lives like Intlibber did and sometimes with what they had built that so many others depended on as their own virtual experience splinters lives. People lost real money and virtual products not to mention their pride and trust in others.
The following is old news. BNT is no more but this is how things played out.
Some of the groups of BNT have been taken over and now show highlighted a new name, a Linden name, which means owned by that Linden. Which is an interesting and scary situation that is unfolding. This Linden belongs to a group "Linden Estate Services Group" hopefully they are just holding onto the groups for safe keeping and will return them when private business matters are resolved.
It would be a really sad state of affairs if BNT / Intlibber Brautigan were to be liquidated by Linden Lab. Those of you who have known Intlibber Brautigan have either a kind word to say about him or rather a major dislike for him. That is an understatement.
I know him and I have been able to look beyond the bold, outspoken man some may think is a pit bull. But he isn't that at all. He is a business man and yes outspoken but a human. He has been kind and generous to many in Second Life. He has built an empire of his own for many to enjoy.
He built this empire with a vision but also wanted to include others. I believe his intentions were to create exactly what Linden Lab wanted and that was to have a virtual economy flow through Second Life to demonstrate the possibilities a virtual world had to offer.
So for Linden Lab to let go of his sim's and the businesses that reside there would be a bit of a loss to Second life. Even though those sims reflect a fraction of the Second life Population. They still demonstrate what was possible. It was a great model for a virtual world. It was pretty impressive to me.
I believe that he would not have let his investors down if he could help it. Leave them out to dry like others have in the past I just couldn't believe that. But I was wrong. He a lot riding on all this. He was not in that category of cons running a Ponzi scheme. so we thought. Yes he is a ruthless business man and speaks his mind. I pulled away from that group to only pursue my own adventure in Second Life. I now look back and I don't regret a thing. I learned a lot form that experience so it was not a waste of time.
The show goes on without him but what would all of you have had to write about or complain about if it were not for Intlibber? What bothers me personally were the attacks on his physical person. I found that very disturbing.People really showed their real colors and still continue to. I've found so many articles written on him that were so harsh, unnecessary and immature. To this day i don't know what to think really. So many insensitive remarks made by people who most likely don't know the real man and base their claims by a photo or by a single conversation or run in with the guy. This man made some mistakes and moved on. I've saw him support and help others make their virtual dreams come true and create such a really great environment for a time. Yes all good things come to an end but must they?.
We have to remember that there are real people behind these avatars with feelings and agendas. Everything you do in this virtual world should also be thought through as if it were to be played out like in real life if you are going to engage on a personal level.
Caution is always a great personal tool to guide you along your virtual adventure to protect you from scams and let downs. They are still strangers, some with good intentions and others with not so honorable ones. Some may be there to propel themselves to heights they could never achieve physically in real life and others are here to just play a silly game. It is up to the individual resident to pave their way through this journey either making it their own or sharing it with the world.
NOTE: As we all know the empire has fallen and the characters are no more. I wont say I'm happy and I wont say I'm sad but I can say I am glad to have been a part of it for a time. i learned a lot from the people who associated with most of the people who played on the Estates of BNT and played with the ACE Exchange. Lessons learned and notes were taken.
There came a time there that I felt I had to move on and disassociate from the ups and downs of their world and forge my own path. I took my own road. Who knows what is the turht in all that happened related to all that went along with BNT and ACE.
I know plenty and then again I know nothing. I learned what was possible and took it from there.
Played: 232 | Download | Duration: 00:27:59
Really now, you should have called me at home about this before using such strong words. I'll have some comments in a press release tomorrow on this.
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Well We are all happy things worked out. I don't think I wrote anything to sensitive that hasn't already been written. I've read worse and think what I wrote to be very tame.
Sophia~
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