Alphaville Herald Acquires Second Life Herald

by Alphaville Herald on 14/02/09 at 9:53 am

by Idoru Wellman, staff writer

AlphavilleAs part of a corporate restructuring, the Second Life Herald has been acquired by the Alphaville Herald. Current Herald staff will retain their positions, and the company plans to add staff as the editorial focus of the paper is broadened to include significantly more coverage of worlds and communities beyond Linden Lab’s walled garden.

“We are following the community as they level up – and out. Our mission remains the same as it ever was – observe, record and study the legal, social, and economic implications of life in the virtual world, while demanding that those who govern virtual worlds do so fairly” said Herald editrix Pixeleen Mistral.

Although the move comes one day after Robin Linden’s retirement from Linden Lab, Herald readers should not expect immediate radical changes. Ms. Mistral continued, “Changes at the Herald will take place at an organic pace, between trips to local restaurants for grits and aurugula with a side of homemade kimchi. But Urizenus Sklar, Walker Spaight, and I agree that covering the virtual realm properly means taking a critical look at worlds beyond Second Life – the OpenSim worlds are just a start”.

The name change brings the Herald back to its roots – the paper was originally founded as The Alphaville Herald, but was renamed after its founder was banned from The Sims Online in retaliation for covering the dark side of life in the metaverse.

20 Responses to “Alphaville Herald Acquires Second Life Herald”

  1. Bunny Brickworks

    Feb 14th, 2009

    Congrats for going back to the roots. I am looking forward to some more coverage of other virtual worlds. And Happy V-Day to the staff and readers of The Alphaville Herald!!!

  2. What?

    Feb 14th, 2009

    So you changed the name to signify branching out from the Second Life walled garden and the name you chose was a reference to another walled garden (Sims Online)? What about ‘Metaverse Herald’ or ‘OpenSource Herald’ or any millions of possible names that would give the impression of a Herald covering the entire internets?

  3. Bunny Brickworks

    Feb 14th, 2009

    *recommends What? to google Jean-Luc Godard*

    it might help… and knowledge never hurts, right? :p

  4. Sylauxe

    Feb 14th, 2009

    Wow, the world of fake newspapers covering fake events in a fake world sure is complicated.

  5. Good Riddance

    Feb 14th, 2009

    another feable attempt at being useless and nonrelevant.
    “Acquires” ROFL
    give it a break for crying out loud.
    call it what it is.
    bordom and and malaise stemming from gazing at the blatant writing on the wall.
    like the T.S.O. relevance is even relevant anymore.
    like YOU GUYS are even relevant anymore.
    like
    get a real life and stop wasting your time.
    we’re not talking about blog stop overs by the brigade of entertaining and certainly most sophisticated readership that grace this site.
    no, we mean
    you guys that RUN THIS RAG.
    G A F L!
    get on the slimfast
    call that long last family member
    read a good book
    pick up the local paper
    (& find a job)
    get a sanding at the dermatologist
    freaking get some plastic surgery if you really need it
    BUT
    GET
    A
    F’N
    REAL
    LIFE

    (as a side note)
    a turd of a different name still smells and sits there like a turd
    LaTeS

  6. Miley Stewart

    Feb 14th, 2009

    I think I’m getting slightly confused here. Were you just acquired by yourselves?

  7. time to move on

    Feb 14th, 2009

    SHUT IT ALL DOWN

  8. ingenious?

    Feb 14th, 2009

    On the other hand, if they can organize another group psyop like the one on friday which got that cow profky neva all sweating and climbing up the Linden’s asses, sideways, well maybe Alphaville Herald is on to something here… Second Life is dying. OpenSim is the future. OpenSim will make a great Fort Longcat. Spying and Attack bots that live in SL and are controlled from OpenSim are being finalized… Can’t you just kinda feel it all coming…

  9. Good Riddance

    Feb 14th, 2009

    its called consolidation Miley.
    “when the world is runnin down…you make the best of what’s still around”
    like scaling back
    protection from further financial exposure
    retrenchment
    fizzleshit
    its a global shift in priorties that is leading to a complete “reset” of everything we have come to take for granted.
    its finally spilling over into the “not so essential” discretionary waste of time
    otherwise known as the
    metaworst ((choice of valuable 1st life time))

  10. Why Bother

    Feb 14th, 2009

    Methinks this is a simple attempt to rid themselves of “Second Life” part of their name complete with the logo as to not get into some sort of legal trouble with Linden Lab.

    Same reason why Second Life Exchange changed to Xstreet before ultimately being gobbled up by the Lab.

    Anything the Herald says otherwise is just their usual B.S.

  11. Zillow Dejavu

    Feb 15th, 2009

    Huh? I thought TSO went depunk! Maybe this just means that Second Life Herald has renamed itself to Alphaville Herald (and bought the URL) or something like that.

  12. Sigmund Leominster

    Feb 15th, 2009

    Ah, but here’s he fun bit: why stick with whining about the decline and fall of the Linden Empire when there are so many OTHER declining and falling empires out there? The collapse of the Sims Online; the shut down of Lively (and it’s re-birth as NewLively); the banning of sex, drinking, and violence in the Muslim world of Muxlim Pals; it’s all grist to the virtual mill.

    Of course, the Herald (and it remains “the Herald”) has reported on these in the past anyway, but with an officially wider remit now in place, the opportunities for more fun and games (or doom and gloom) expand tremendously. Not only can folks tell all the sad sacks in Second Life to “get a life” but all the sad sacks in Twinity, There, World of Warcraft, Entropia, Barbie Girls, Littlest Pet Store, ad nauseum, to “get a life!”

    And like Pix and Uri, the Second Life Herald and Alphaville Herald are self-identical.

  13. Professor C

    Feb 16th, 2009

    At this time I would like to wish a fond farewell to the newspaper that had brought me a few laughs over the years. Seeing the inception of the SL Herald and to this ‘end’ is very comforting. I would like to tip my hat to those of the Herald that had been highly entertaining.

    However…

    I pray at this time that the Herald will move on and be more picky about what will and will not run as an article. It may perhaps be advised that any old article would NOT make it to print. Case in point those that get MY attention as articles that are there for no other reason than to be trolled. Contrary to popular belief it would be nice to have something positive such as this to comment to.

    @ The Herald Staff…

    Entertainment can include denying an article.

    @ Bunny Brickworks

    I am proud of you. With all the things I have said, I like to troll. Remember that. I will take ones faults and bring them out. If it makes you better I am happy and pleased. I hope that my comments have improved your desire to make a higher quality article. Seek out those that DESERVE a Post6. Not those that just appear on the surface as someone to write about. Be PICKY. Say no to those that send you reference unless they REALLY deserve it.

    @ Pixeleen

    You have impressed me at some points and disgusted me at others. I can only hope that this change can continue to impress me. You have an uncanny ability to see under the glass surface. I believe that’s why I have never gone too harsh on you.

    @ everyone else

    If you come here with the intention of mindless trolling, get the hell off the Herald. If you come here looking to suck up the authors of the story writers. You are WORSE than the trolls and I hope that you would wipe the shit off your brown nose. If you are here to comment and discuss events and drama that occur in this world that is Second Life in a constructive or destructive manner. Hats off to you. That is what this paper needs.

    This is the ever so bitchy and hated Professor C signing off until the next article. See you then.

  14. Eva Ryan

    Feb 16th, 2009

    Does this mean I can have the pleasure of receiving the same amount of SPAM as XstreetSL???

  15. who cares?

    Feb 16th, 2009

    @Professor C, who cares what you think? You have no life.

  16. Karl Reisman

    Feb 16th, 2009

    Could you please then, adjust the page format to a columnar format, maybe similar to Drudge, so that those not interested in WoW or Muxlim Pals, could continue to follow SL news. Also please don’t diminish the already scanty and rarely updated coverage of SL now? thank you.

    Karl

  17. Professor C

    Feb 16th, 2009

    @ Who Cares…

    I will assume you are one of the mindless trolls. And thus a battle of wits with you would leave you at a disadvantage.

    Please keep trolling comments to the topic at hand.

  18. Anonymous

    Feb 17th, 2009

    More like, they decided it best to change the name as second life is a sinking ship, and it’s better to disassociate with SL and its ilk instead of going down with it. Yes, SL is dying, anyone who states otherwise is either someone with no life and will go off the deep end if their alternate reality goes under, or someone who believes LL’s bullshit right and left.

    Look at any chart showing the decrease of premium accounts. Look at what Linden Labs is trying to do in regards of trying to corral people back to mainland from private land. If they cant get enough people on the mainland, they’ll have to start removing mainland sims from the grid, which would spell utter disaster for the SL land economy, and would make anyone investing in SL leave. However, by trying to be forceful about it and trying to hide reality, they’re only going to hasten the inevitable.

    That kind of crap is why you are going to start seeing more things like this happening. If you wanna stay relevant in the metaverse, ditch ties with SL, this seems to be what SLH/alphaville herald is doing.

  19. Emperor Norton hears a who?

    Feb 17th, 2009

    Anonymous “Look at what Linden Labs is trying to do in regards of trying to corral people back to mainland from private land”

    You’re possibly insane Anonymous; the private islands are pure gravy for the Lidens. All they have to do is provide a sever while some resident does all the hard work of dealing with the dinks like you, providing content _and_ they get to pay for the privalge. Were is the downside for Liden Labs?

    If the Lidens are fluffing the mainland is because they have the sense to realize there is a serious flaw in the private island model in the log run. Sooner or later the private island land barons may just realize they are being boned here.

  20. Nacon

    Feb 18th, 2009

    Another words… you demoted yourself, that’s nice.

    Useless anyway. Have fun getting your income with the advertising crap.

Leave a Reply