New veg*an sites
Lately, I have joined two new veg*an sites with chat rooms, that I really like. Also, I’m waiting impatiently for the launch of another. This is a short ‘review’ of those sites.
First of all, Happy Cow. The site offers a list of veg*an and veg*an-friendly restaurants and shops all over the world. I have known about this site for years, but only joined recently. Members can post reviews of these restaurants and shops. They also get a profile page. They also have a blog, message boards, private messaging and a very nice chat room.
Veganchatroom.uk is a similar site, with chat room, directory, message board etc. Most, but not all, members are from the UK. You don’t need to sign up anywhere to join, but there are advantages to signing up. For instance, you can use the same ID all the time, so people recognize you. Also, you can get a short profile so people can check out who you are and what you stand for.
It’s been ages since I last had a veg*an chat room to hang out in, so it’s great. Most of the time, there’s at least one other person around to chat with. I can’t say that I’ve made any close friends, but at the moment, it’s just nice to hang out with like-minded people.
Bleat, finally, looks very promising, even though, of course, I haven’t used it yet, since it hasn’t been launched yet.
This is what it says on the site:
So, what’s all this talk about Bleat?
For vegans everywhere, something big is about to happen…
Say hello to Bleat.
If you’re a vegan trying to find vegan friendly restaurants, looking for the latest recipes or just interested in meeting other vegans, all you have to do is Bleat. If you’re a vegan concerned for the rights of animals, have questions about a raw-only diet or simply perplexed about pulses just Bleat. Even if you’re a non-vegan and you’re simply contemplating the idea of a vegan lifestyle – BLEAT!
What’s so great about Bleat?
There’s a lot to discover at Bleat, such as:
A vast comprehensive vegan resource
Interact with vegans from all across the globe
Advice on vegan friendly brands
Recipes, restaurant guides & reviews
Information on the welfare of animals
How do we sum Bleat up? Well, Bleat isn’t just a vegan social network and it’s certainly far from just a vegan directory. Simply put, it’s a whole new way to get the absolute most from your vegan lifestyle.
Go on, Bleat about it.
It seems like a great addition to my old favorites, Livejournal (and Dreamwidth), Tumblr and last but not least Care2.
Adventures in 3D land
Ok. I’ll admit it. That title – I just made it up because it looks cool. So far I haven’t had any adventures of any kind in 3D land. Not that I want to. That kind of adventure.
Let’s start at the beginning. Last summer I let myself be talked into joining Second Life. My sister was already hooked and she thought I’d like it too. In a way, I did. It’s a fantastic 3D environment. Better than any other attempt I’ve seen in the nine years I’ve been online. What’s missing is some content.
I’m not Bob the Builder. I’m not there to look for sexual contacts either. What else is there? Well, according to my sister, who is the only one I know in there, you can chat. Socialize. Like in any other social networking community. There are even groups, for people with all kinds of interests.
So I joined them. There were actually groups for most of the things I’m interested in. Unfortunately, that didn’t help at all. They seem too haphazard and vague for me. Or maybe it’s just that it’s hard to fit in. The people in those groups are presumably already friends. Maybe it’s my shy Scandinavian temperament. Who knows? In any case it didn’t help.
Supposedly, there are also all kinds of ‘real life’ events too. Concerts. Pub performances. Even online courses or lectures arranged by respectable universities. Lately, Sweden, yeah, that’s right, my country, has started a cultural embassy inside the virtual community.
So far though, I haven’t found my place in there.
What I have done, which I’ve enjoyed enormously, is create my avatar. It’s more fun than you might think. Certainly more fun than I expected. In real life I’m nobody’s fashion freak. In Second Life makeovers are a breeze. You just go shopping for new hair, new clothes, even new skins and shapes.
Shopping… Well, as you know there are women who love shopping then there are others who don’t. I belong in the latter category. Unless you let me loose in a bookstore with lots of spending money, shopping simply doesn’t appeal to me. I guess I’m too much of a tomboy at heart. Tech stuff is nice too, if even more expensive. Other than that, I just can’t stand shopping sprees.
In Second Life it’s just so much easier and practical. Unfortunately, it’s just as expensive and being the cheap weirdo that I am, I absolutely refuse to ‘buy’ Lindens – the currency, not the founders… Not sure if those are for sale… LOL.
That brings me to the most typical aspect of Second Life. Money. Business. People actually run businessed in there. Make believe businesses, selling make believe stuff. Believe it or not, someone’s actually become a real life millionaire selling (or rather speculating in) land.
I’ve been forced to learn new ways of making money. Being who I am, I absolutely refuse to join the sex industry. When it comes to sex, I’d rather buy than sell. Just kidding. About the buying part, not about the selling part. That’s my final word. Fortunately, there are a few more ways of making money.
So now I’ve become a professional dancer. LOL. No, not quite, but I do ‘camp’ for Lindens. Most addicts (did I say addicts? Slip of the tongue). Most residents frown on that, but camping is available and so I camp to make money. I sit in a chair or I dance. As simple as that. Of course you don’t make much and there are many pitfalls and hangups. You can get logged out. Some camping providers (is that the word, SL:ers?) kick you out on purpose so you have to pay a little fee to start over again. If you’re not careful you end up losing money instead of making it.
Anyway, let’s say I have a little hard earned cash. I head for the luxurious stores. In Second Life shopping really is a pleasure. You can walk around those endless halls, gazing at the merchandise hanging on the walls. Once you’ve found what you’re looking for (and being me, I’m extremely picky) you click on the item you’ve chosen and voilà ! You’ve bought it.
One of the worst aspects of Second Life is that it can be extremely sexist. I’m not going to get into the more ‘adult’ examples of this. Suffice it to say that the female apparel is slutty. There’s no other word for it. You’re expected parade your poor avatar around half-naked. Not me. Not this girl.
There. Enough for now. This is the end of my (possibly first) report from 3D land.
