Waking up this morning and checking my RRS reader i saw a really interesting post in Vint Falken’s blog about Plurk, and even about all that Social Networking world (Twitter, blogging, Facebook, etc). Reading it (you should do it too, is really interesting) i started to wonder THE question: What is all that for?

As Vint suggests i will try to be as honest as i can, specially with myself. I just use some of that applications: Flickr, Koinup and YouTube, Twitter and Plurk, and finally, this blog (and some related stuff, like the SLbloggers group in Ning). Well, Second Life too, but this is kinda different and i’ll tell you why below. I didn’t want to be in other social networks like Facebook or Myspace (even i have an account there that i never use) because i considered just to much to can enjoy them.

The use i give to that services (some purely social networks, some not) are:

• Flickr, Koinup and YouTube:Well, that are spaces to share images or machinimas i make myself. Normally i don’t do them professionally, are just ways to express myself. Also are a good place to learn and share knowledge. About the social use, well, i met great friends through them and are useful in collaborative projects, specially with Flickr groups. Anyway, i’m not using much lately the social side of this applications, possibly because the specially high possibilities of Drama. Is sad becuase i’m sure i’m missing a lot of nice creations, but well, need some “drama holidays”.
• Plurk and Twitter: That’s kinda different, is like a mix of ramblings and (mainly) a way to stay connected with some people i met there. Also i use them as a way of “promotion”, well, is that may sound bad, i mean i tell there i published a new photography, a new machinima or a new post. At the same time Plurk is the place where i’m having more doubts. I love to follow some people i met there, or in Twitter, and i consider friends (you know who you are ), but that hundreds of “responses” or “plurks” of people i don’t know or i don’t have contact is a bit… how to say it… stressing. Possibly is my fault because i didn’t selected my “friends” there correctly and i feel Plurk like constant flow of information where is difficult to select what is important for me. Also that “Karma” think makes me uncomfortable, someway pushes you to a competition, but well, i don’t care much about my “Plurk karma”. Twitter was easier to follow for me and sometimes i think i should cancel my Plurk account and go back exclusively to Twitter. Another thing that surprises me of that applications is that you have better “response” rates at comments like: “Good morning, people” than to any serious rambling or micro-blog and that driven me in a subconscious way to keep just saying small and even empty “plurks” sometimes. So Twitter and Plurk seem the be things i should reconsider.
• This blog and SLbloggers group in Ning:Someway this blog is the extension of my Flickr stream in the sense a lot of times i use it to write about a pic and what i wanted to tell with it. Also is a place to express myself, to write all what my Second Life makes me think about (well, not all actually, i keep some things to me ). A place where i tell stories, where i talk about my dreams, projects, hopes… sometimes is like a friend that listens so good! Maybe is my more “honest” side, even that doesn’t mean i always write super honest and dramatically important posts, most of the times are just about stuff or places i like, little jokes, protests, whatever. I don’t limit myself about what i say here, just tell my mind in the moment i write the post. The only thing i don’t use to talk about (even i love it) is SLclothing, there are enough (and really good) blogs about that. The SLbloggers group in Ning is a useful tool to be in contact with the SLblogosphere, just that (btw, thanks to Zoe Connolly for creating it).

But the question remains… What is all that for? All that applications, social networks, all that are related to my Second Life, so possibly there is the answer. Let’s redo the question then: What is Second Life for?

And now the answer: Because is my life too, I don’t have two lifes, i have one with different sides and one of that sides (SL) is important enough for me to talk about it, even exclusively sometimes. Part of that side of my life is creation, that’s why i like to share it; part of that side of my life is friends and people, that’s why i like to be in contact with them. That part of my life helps me to understand all together, gives me another angle over my full life because connects me with people from all the sides of the world with a lot of different ways to see things. Second Life is a technological tool where thousand of people from all over the world are sharing at the same time love, hate, creativity, friendship, drama (sorry, is included in the pack) and much more.

OMG! I <3 SL!!!