Mel Guymon
Head of 3D Operations
Google Inc.
Dear Mr. Guymon,
I, like many others, have been truly surprised by the announcement of the closure of Lively at the end of December. I know there are economic reasons for this, and you must have consulted your team widely, before making your decision. Many people are truly upset about this, and this is just one letter stating an individual case, amongst the many. I hadn’t liked the concept of chat rooms; laying yourself open to anyone on the internet, and we all know how people can lie, deceive and cheat each other. I’d read about cases where men lie about their age and try and seduce teenagers into meeting them in real life, with potentially fatal consequences. I made up my mind that if the occasion ever arose, I would just be honest with people, and not lie. Anyway, what was the point in trying to remember what lies you had told? I’ve been using a computer since 2001, and had some fun times, making websites and learning geeky things I tried forums, and made a few friends through them, and it was always with the intention of helping others. There was a sense of humour in them, and a real sense of family, but was fairly limited in the sense that it couldn’t go that far, at that period in time. MSN and email was the main source of communication, and they served their purpose well. One day I saw a program called Second Life, and thought, hey, this is a new concept and idea, so tried it, but was soon put off by the impersonal nature, and difficulty of use. Then there was a small program called Hobbo Hotel, which looked cute, but this lasted maybe an hour before the novelty wore off. Still the concept of 3D chat rooms, to my mind, was an untapped resource, waiting to be found and used. Then one day, while looking on winbeta.org, I saw a post for a new Google program called Lively. I knew Google had a very good reputation; all the programs I had seen from them had a clean, professional look about them. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try? So a quick download later, I was presented with the Lively main page...a list of rooms, and avatars...thought I’d try Jen’s first as it looked good and had a few people in there. I wasn’t disappointed; after a little while taken reading the Help page, it was easy to find your way around, and navigate. Already after only a few minutes, I had met people like Cherry Star, or CS as she is now, and many other really friendly people. I soon accumulated many new friends from around the world. This was new...this was different...and many leagues above what I had previously seen in all those years. My first attempt at a room, like so many other new people, was based on a variation of Jens Coffee Shop. I don’t think anyone ever got it quite as good though. Many surpassed the idea, but that simple idea of a Coffee Shop was perfected at Jen’s, shown by the thousands of visitors it has to this day. The great thing was that we could meet people from so many countries...it wasn’t an invitation only thing, like I understand it is from many similar 3D programs. It was open to all! That’s the key to the continued success of Lively...freedom and integration. The sheer human strength of spirit is alive on Lively every day. As Oriste mentioned, someone might say something that was so wise and well beyond their years, it would bring tears to your eyes. It was a joy to go there. People became adventurous, and thanks to a few intrepid explorers, it wasn’t long before users started to go way beyond the standard shell. People formed groups of like-minded souls, and you could see friendships forming. It was becoming a family. Relationships grew as people began to know one another. I myself met Miss K, who spending a lifetime with seems too short. There was friendship, creativity, strength, weakness, love, a little hate, fun and romance. Everything that makes being human worth living. I met Miss X and Miss Y who had lost everything, and had attempted suicide, emotional people, who needed a strong environment in which to flourish. Lively gave them that strength; it gave them love. There is so much that Lively can do for people, ordinary people, if you will just give it a second chance. Lively has changed my life in a very positive way, and I’m sure many others can say the same. There are ways to create a profit I am sure. Advertising, paying for goods, sponsorship, annual or monthly fees...most everyone I know has said they would agree to this, if it was just kept alive. Mr Guymon, in conclusion, I would like to thank you and your team so much for creating Lively. It may have just been an experiment, but it was most definitely a success. Witness all the glowing reports from everyone here. I ask you humbly to reconsider your decision about closing it down. It literally has saved lives and brought love into our world, and surely something like that needs nurturing, feeding and tending...
Mikey
Mikey
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