Jay Wiseman in SL

Of course the big event of the weekend was the interview of Jay Wiseman by Destiny Teardrop in Second Life. The sim filled up within minutes as predicted but was remarkably stable with only minimal chat lag despite the 80+ avatars in attendance.

Jay did not disappoint with a brief history of the world of BDSM according to Wiseman and an amazing Question and Answer session.

As with previous high profile lifestylers who have come to Second Life at the invitation of a resident, he was surprised at the BDSM community in SL. When I asked him about it, he said something to the effect that his jaw had dropped. So what are they so surprised at? The size of the community? 83 is the very teeny tip of the iceberg when it comes to the BDSM community in SL. The OpenCollar group in SL now boasts 76K members. Is it the fact that we are "serious" about the lifestyle? If so, that begs the question.... what were they expecting?

Well the good news is that after their surprise, these guests have recognized that SL is a legitimate BDSM community and have gone back to their RL communities to tell others of their findings. In many cases, their RL organizations have been convinced to give online communities such as Second Life recognition in their mission statements, etc. And Jay was no exception, vowing that he will be back to Second Life, and that he will recommend it to other educators as a viable venue for teaching safe and healthy BDSM.

I was a little disappointed that the attendees were mostly from one organization, with a sprinking of other group leaders who managed to tp in early. I would have liked to have seen a better representation of the diverse groups in SL but given the technical limitations, it was first come first sit.

All in all, a great event which will hopefully inspire even more great events in our very own community.