For the second time this week a picture used to illustrate a Second Life news blog caused a false impression and seemed to link a respected event or charity with scandal. Yes, it’s another NWN post by Hamlet Au causing the confusion. No linky-love for him, Google amongst yourselves. The first time was bad enough.

Fortunately, Au took the image down late last night or early this morning. Unfortunately his blog is widely read and the damage has already been done, not easily to be repaired by an update buried in the comments.

This time, an event picture from the widely respected Relay For Life cancer fundraising charity was used to illustrate a story about the current “fake charity receipt” scandal, which broke on SlUniverse and Twitter the other day. Au was very careful to mention fact-checking, sources, and not to mention the charity by name…which everyone already knows. So all that care, associated with the RFl picture, seemed to imply the scandal might go farther.

At a Steelhead group event last night, our award-winning fundraising coordinator for RFL was not pleased. He noted that the image topping Au’s post seemed to imply that Relay for Life was the charity in question (Au did call RFL the “gold standard” of inworld charities). However, our coordinator also mentioned the earlier post, that referenced the wrong image/event/sim, and snarked that it was probably just another NWN mare’s nest.

“I’m very, very happy that this scandal was NOT about RFL.”

It absolutely was not. RFL, as I said, is the gold standard, which is why I included a screenshot of their site, as the role model. However, because I don’t want anyone mistaking even for a second my intention, I removed the image.

Posted by: Hamlet Au | Saturday, January 07, 2012 at 01:36 AM

Unfortunately the image already gave the wrong impression last night, even if only momentarily. A prominent, award-winning RFL fundraiser mentioned it in group chat, with the caveat that you probably did not mean to associate the charity with the scandal, which was already well known.

A picture is worth a thousand words; the exchange rate in $L is subject to change.

Posted by: Lelani Carver | Saturday, January 07, 2012 at 04:19 AM

via (no linky love) New World Notes: SL Fundraising Scandal Strongly Suggests Need to Work Directly With Real World Non-Profit Organizations

Yeah, I piled on. It was irritating to see yet another fuss made over at NWN whose end result is more eyeballs on ads, and oops, my 3 or 4 non-spambot readers may add to that.

On the other hand, thanks to Crap Mariner’s blog roll posts, I’m now following a much more interesting blog, Zak Claxton’s. He posted photographic proof that a charity gig he played at helped to feed a passel of very cute Kenyan kids. Doesn’t look ‘shopped… 😉

All this musing on Second Life charities (which is most worthy? Which is most transparent?) has me thinking. We’re (that’s the household we, not the royaly we) waiting for the shoe to drop with a RL family member; in fact we’re going to a family confab tomorrow at which… Something will be announced??? We’re not sure, but the auguries are not good.

I’ve decided to throw a lot more effort into Steelhead’s RFL fundraising campaign/slog/marathon this season. And if Mistletoe holds any Love148 events, I’m in for those, too.

Lelani Carver is a Steampunk resident in Second Life who blogs a little about everything, and about nothing of any importance. She sells odds and ends inspired by her real and virtual lives at her store in Steelhead St Helens or on the Second Life Marketplace.