WikiFur - User contributions [en]

User talk:Caromfox

2008-07-12T18:02:12Z

Caromfox:

Sorry about that.

User talk:Caromfox

2008-07-12T18:00:23Z

Caromfox: Removing all content from page

WikiFur

2008-07-12T17:58:29Z

Caromfox:

[[Image:caromfox.jpg|right|WikiFur]]
'''WikiFur''' is a website dedicated to the collection and preservation of information about the furry [[:Category:Community|community]] and [[:Category:Culture|culture]]. It is built by contributions from readers - anyone can edit the site, and their changes are reflected immediately. Over 9,000 articles have been started as of March 2008, and active translation/localization efforts exist in [[:cs:|Czech]], [[:de:|German]], [[:fr:|French]] and [[:pt:|Portuguese]].

:''For more information about how WikiFur works, see '''[[WikiFur:About]]'''''

*'''Addresses''':
**'''Web site''': wikifur.com -> http://furry.wikia.com/
**'''LiveJournal''': http://community.livejournal.com/wikifur/
*'''Founder''': [[GreenReaper]]
*'''Administrators''': [[WikiFur:Administrators|(see list)]]
*'''Contributors''': see the [http://wikistats.wikia.com/wikistats/EN/TablesWikiaFURRY.htm#wikipedians site statistics]
*'''Ran from/to''': July 24, 2005 - present
*'''Mottos''': ''WikiFur: By furries, for furries, about furries''; and ''WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia''
<div style="float:right">__TOC__</div>
== Mission and content ==

WikiFur's stated mission is to "record information of use to the furry community", in an attempt to distribute it to others. This mission has been widely interpreted, and WikiFur contains articles on [[art]], [[literature]] and other forms of culture both created by and of interest to members of the [[furry fandom]], as well as the people and characters within it, their history and interests, the worlds they inhabit, [[News:Front Page|news]] on events of current interest, and much more besides. It can also offer a good introduction to the fandom, although [[Wikipedia:Furry fandom|Wikipedia's article]] is considered by WikiFur's founder to remain the best single page on the topic.

Motives for contributors vary. There are those who simply enjoy collecting and organizing information on anthropomorphic topics. Many are fans of particular topics and wish to help write "the definitive article" on it. Some see WikiFur as a means of "getting the truth out" about contentious subjects like the [[Babyfur]] community, while others value it as a source of information which, while not completely without bias, is at least subject to an element of peer review and modification.

== Audience and impact ==

WikiFur did not spring up overnight, but it only took three weeks for it to be featured on [[Something Awful]]. It was selected by [[Wikia:Wikia|Wikia]] as Featured Wikicity in December 2005.<ref name="Wikia feature">[http://wikia.com/wiki/Featured_Wikicity#WikiFur Wikia features WikiFur as Featured Wikicity], December 2006</ref>. As of September 2006, WikiFur receives 2000 to 2500 visitors and 15,000 to 20,000 pageviews per day ([[Wikipedia:Google Analytics|Google Analytics]] figures). Around 4000 edits are made per month, with around 75 contributors making five or more edits, and eight or nine contributors making 100 or more edits (Wikia figures). Roughly ten articles are created a day, excluding articles that are later deleted.

WikiFur's actual impact is harder to judge. Certainly, it has been referenced by others, both within and without the fandom, including ''[[Animal Passions]]'', an article on [[Anthrocon 2006]] published in the [[Wikipedia:Pittsburgh City Paper|Pittsburgh City Paper]]. Some have mentioned that WikiFur was the source of information leading them to attend a [[convention]]. It has been linked to by [http://furry.wikia.com/wiki/WikiFur:Supporters#WikiFur_Linking_Supporters several popular sites], including [[Crush! Yiff! Destroy!]], [[Fur Affinity]], [[PeterCat]]'s Furry Infopages, [[Rabbit Valley]], [[Yiffstar]] and [[Califur]]'s website. The site has an international reputation, with links from [[Dutchfurs]], [[FranFurence]], [[Furbase.de]] and [[Furry.it]], as well as a partner agreement with [[TurriWiki]] and visitors and contributors from every continent.

== Promotional activities and advertising ==

WikiFur has engaged in various methods of [[WikiFur:Promotion|promotion]] and [[WikiFur:Advertising|advertising]], the latter being paid for by [[WikiFur:Supporters|site supporters]]. Promotion usually focusses on two goals: increasing readership, and attracting new editors. Emphasis is often made of WikiFur's size, both in terms of articles and audience, and of the importance of its mission. Methods of promotion have included [[conbadge]]-like [[Wikipedia:Business card|business cards]], [[:Image:WikiFurAC2006Flyer.png|flyers]], ribbons, and posts and comments on news sites, forum and [[LiveJournal]]s, along with paid [[conbook]] advertising and [[Wikipedia:Google AdWords|Google AdWords]] coverage.

== Controversy ==

As a popular fandom site with avenues of discussion, WikiFur has its share of controversy.

=== Concern over mission and misuse ===

A few people worry that WikiFur provides a perfect source of information for [[troll]]s, furry-bashers, and others who delight in pointing out certain aspects of the fandom. WikiFur does contain information that confuse or disgust some people, and it has been linked to by websites that seek to highlight such information to promote [[stereotype]]s of the fandom, though so far the effect has not been particularly significant.

There is also concern that WikiFur may be co-opted by such people to push their point of view in the name of neutrality - this was highlighted when an [[Encyclopedia Dramatica]] user was found to be editing the same articles on WikiFur and on ED at the same time.<ref name="j'accuse">[http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:SleepAtWork&oldid=70252#J.27accuse.21 Accusation of dubious editing practices] by [[User:GreenReaper|GreenReaper]] against [[User:SleepAtWork|SleepAtWork]]</ref>

=== Removal of information ===

As of September 2006, roughly one article in three on WikiFur is about a person. Contributors are encouraged to make articles about themselves and other members of the furry fandom, as well as those who do not consider themselves members but who are related in some way. This sometimes leads to problems, especially when it turns out that the people concerned do not want information about them at WikiFur, and has led to the development of a [[WikiFur:Personal information|personal information policy]] that is under continued review.

One of WikiFur's objectives is to do no harm to past or present members of the fandom. Some contributors and non-contributors feel strongly that people have a "moral right to privacy", and this has compelled removal of factually correct information from articles in some cases. At the same time, there are those who consider it to have a moral duty duty to ''other'' members of the fandom to preserve history, especially when they believe there is an unstated reason to remove it. Balancing the two views is not always easy, and has led to heated discussion and criticism of WikiFur from both sides - the former calling it a "stalker's heaven" while the latter accusing it of compromising its mission or "playing favorites" (as there are no absolute rules about what information may be removed).

Several people have proposed a '''legal''' right to privacy, but so far have failed to come up with any relevant laws when challenged to do so. The use of legal threats has not helped the case of those requesting a removal.

Exclusion of a person from WikiFur (as authorized by the consensus of the community) is typically implemented through locking the page about them with a [[:Template:Protected-Excluded|short message]]. It is also possible to for administrators to implement a limited editing system, such that only administrators and the person concerned may edit an article.

==== Examples ====

* Non-notable artists and other fans are usually removed on request without comment, although some have been convinced to watch the page or to turn the page into a personally-controllable page
* Notable people, including some "famous" artists, entertainers and members of the fandom who have caused controversy are opened to debate, and in some cases certain information is moved to relevant pages before exclusion is applied
* Extremely notable people are unlikely to receive full exclusion of the page about them, though some particularly decidedly personal information may be removed
* A person's real name and location is usually allowed to be removed without question, although there are cases in which even this has not been granted even after debate (the prime example of this is [[Sibe]])
* Removal of a person's name from an article that is not specifically about them is generally only permitted if their identity is not important - for example, the name of [[Talk:Further Confusion/Eyes of the Night|a person who bought a painting for $10,000 at auction]] was not considered important since the issue was the price of the painting
* Articles about comics and other public works are not subject for removal even if the author requests it, as they are not "personal information" - some artists have [[Talk:Guardian Knights|contended that their work is "not furry"]], but as they are on WikiFur because they are ''of interest'' to furry fans, this is not considered a valid reason either

=== Bias ===

There is an ever-present danger of bias on WikiFur. The most notable bias is due to the fact that most editors (and all of the most dedicated members) are members of the furry fandom, and the majority are likely to have a positive opinion of it. This can lead to accusations that articles are biased towards the furry fandom's position - and sometimes these accusations are accurate.

There is also little to stop people adding overly-positive information about things they like, or overly-negative (sometimes even downright malicious) information about things they do not like. Such information may or may not be removed by others when it is added; either way, it can cause controversy. Arguments are typically solved by removal of unsourced information, the provision of references, or (in the case of opinion) specific attribution of statements. Sometimes it is suggested that the relative proportions of content that is present in an article may itself put the topic in a [[Wikipedia:False light|false light]] - the usual answer to this is to suggest that the person complaining about it fix it by adding other relevant information.

Some people believe WikiFur can never be a reliable source of information. Despite this, WikiFur '''is''' perceived by some to be a more reliable source than others on contentious topics that it covers<ref name="Starfinder_Beware">[http://community.livejournal.com/artists_beware/90313.html?thread=1638089#t1638089 Comment about WikiFur] in regards to [[Starfinder]] by [[Darkwolven]] in [[artists_beware]], 9 August 2006</ref>, and it has been praised for its attempts to provide useful information while avoiding bias.<ref name="nothingkat">[http://nothingkat.livejournal.com/49215.html?thread=446271#t446271 Praise for WikiFur's attempts at avoiding bias] by [[nothingkat]]</ref><ref name="barona">[http://barona.livejournal.com/6037.html?thread=21653#t21653 Comment on the use of WikiFur] by [[Chris F. Grant]]</ref>

=== Vandalism ===

Like many furry forums and sites which allow comments, WikiFur has its share of vandals. However, since it is a simple matter to return to a previous state, most vandalism is reverted within minutes. The members of [[4chan]]'s ''/b/'' board took particular interest in the site, and regularly organized raids until August 2006.

Despite multiple attempts, no vandalism since Something Awful from any source has succeeded in disrupting WikiFur for more than a few hours - the worst case was a sophisticated account-registering bot that used the [[Wikipedia:Tor|Tor]] proxy system, which has since been blocked.

== Timeline ==

* '''July 23, 2005''': Conceived by [[GreenReaper]] when creating [[Wikipedia:The Blind Pig (fiction)|a Wikipedia article]] on [[The Blind Pig]].
* '''July 24, 2005''': WikiFur founded on [[Wikia:|Wikia]].
* '''July 31, 2005''': The first content pages began to appear.
* '''August 4, 2005''': GreenReaper wrote ''[[Wikipedia:Talk:Furry_fandom/Archive_2#WikiFur_-_a_home_for_the_furry_community|WikiFur - a home for the furry community]]'' on the talk page of Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:furry fandom|furry fandom]] page. Surprisingly (considering previous edits), there was no discussion, but a few people did join as a result.
* '''August 13, 2005''': With editing totaling around 50 pages, WikiFur was promoted with GreenReaper's ''[http://www.livejournal.com/community/furrtive/338319.html I Have a Dream]'' message, cross-posted to several [[LiveJournal]] communities (it was, perhaps appropriately, deleted from [[Yerf]]'s ;-). In a deserved burst of [[Wikipedia:Karma|bad karma]], the server went down and stayed down for hours.
* '''August 14, 2005''': Trolling [http://www.livejournal.com/community/fursecution/31428.html began], led by users from the [[fursecution]] [http://www.livejournal.com/community/fursecution/ LJ community] and [[Wikipedia:Encyclopedia Dramatica|Encyclopedia Dramatica]].
* '''August 15, 2005''': Shortly after midnight UK DST (or 19:00 EDT the day before), [[User:AshMCairo|AshMCairo]] [http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1642602 posted about WikiFur] on the [[Something Awful]] forum. WikiFur was [http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3132 subsequently selected] for the dubious honor of ''Awful Link of the Day'':
:''It should come as no surprise, but in case you were wondering: "yes". Yes, there is a Wiki for furries. Don't spam it up, if only out of respect for the wikipedia ideal.''
As a result, [http://furry.wikicities.com/webalizer/usage_200508.html a mass of users] hit the WikiFur servers. At the peak one edit was made every 45 seconds.
:''At first we thought it was just an extension of the previous trolling, but as I tried to record the IPs and figure out some sort of pattern, I saw they were all over the place. Our next thought was proxies, but even then, there were just too many edits. Finally a vandal posted the URL while making an edit, and so we found out exactly what happened. Then we got chosen as Awful Link of the Day . . . ''
:''I drafted several sysops from those trying to revert the edits, and we slowly beat back the tide. By about 14:00 EDT we had a reasonable handle on things, although edits were still coming thick and fast. Ironically, it probably helped us far more than it hurt, considering how many users it brought into the site, but it was hectic at the time!'' --{{UT|GreenReaper}}
*'''August 20, 2005''': Within the first week of openly promoting WikiFur, it had grown 32 times over, and there were over 1600 pages and 646 full articles on the site. Statistically, there was a new edit every 2 minutes, and a new page added every 20 minutes.
*'''August 21, 2005''': A [[Wikipedia:WikiFur|WikiFur article]] was created on Wikipedia by an anonymous user, and almost [[Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/WikiFur|immediately submitted to Votes for Deletion]] on grounds of non-notability. Nobody actually at WikiFur heard about this until later in the week. The majority of votes (including those by WikiFur admins) were for delete, due to unproven notability.
*'''August 23, 2005''': Passed 750 article pages.
*'''August 25, 2005''': Passed 850 article pages and 10000 edits.
*'''August 28, 2005''': Passed 1000 articles pages in the early hours of the morning, [[:Image:1000 Articles.png|minor celebrations]] are held.
*'''October 30, 2005''': The [[WikiFur Furry Central|main page]] and [[WikiFur:Community Central|Community Central]] were redesigned (and the latter renamed) to celebrate the creation of WikiFur's 2000th article page.
*'''November 18-20, 2005''': WikiFur was [[User:GreenReaper/Con reports/Midwest FurFest 2005#WikiFur at the con|promoted]] at [[Midwest FurFest]] 2005, using a [http://www.greenreaper.co.uk/wikifur/WikiFur%20leaflet.pdf leaflet] written and distributed by GreenReaper, and printed with tweaks by [[Duncan da Husky]]
*'''December 1, 2005''': WikiFur pipped [[StarWars:|Wookieepedia]] to becoming December's [[w:Featured Wikicity#WikiFur|featured wikicity]].<ref>From the [[StarWars:Wookieepedia_talk:Community_Portal/Archive7#Featured_Wikicity|Star Wars talk page]]:
:Maybe we can try to vote for Wookieepedia to make it the next month's featured Wikicity? [[w:Featured Wikicity/vote]] [[StarWars:User:Sikon|Sikon]] <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[StarWars:User talk:Sikon|Talk]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> 18:15, 5 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:* Almost there... Just a few more votes to beat WikiFur, pleease! - [[StarWars:User:Sikon|Sikon]] <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[StarWars:User talk:Sikon|Talk]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> 15:20, 24 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:**If you only knew the ''power'' of the [[WikiFur Furry Central|furry side]] . . . why not join us, and we can rule together as WookieFur! --[[User:GreenReaper|GreenReaper]] 09:40, 27 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:***Nnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! --[[StarWars:User:Azizlight|Azizlight]] 09:41, 27 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:***We...we actually lost? '''''To furries?!''''' God help us. *echos Azizlight* [[StarWars:User:MarcK|--MarcK]] [[StarWars:User talk:MarcK|[talk]]] 05:48, 2 Dec 2005 (UTC)</ref>
*'''December 13, 2005''': WikiFur passed 2400 articles.
*'''December 30, 2005''': The 2500th article page begun.
*'''January 15, 2006''': 2600th article mark reached.
*'''February 5, 2006''': 2800th article.
*'''February 11, 2006''': [[WikiFur:Advertising|Advertising]] begins with [[Wikipedia:AdSense|Google AdSense]].
*'''February 21, 2006''': 2900 articles reached.
*'''March 27, 2006''': Because of [http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Wikicities_relaunches_as_Wikia#Out_of_curiosity confusion around the name (are they wikis about cities?) and a desire for a better name to reflect that they are not just another wiki community], WikiFur's host changed from Wikicities to Wikia. WikiFur's URL changes accordingly to http://furry.wikia.com (though the old address still works as well).
*'''April 1, 2006''': WikiFur underwent a [http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=WikiFur_Furry_Central&oldid=49382 short seasonal alteration].
*'''April 23, 2006''': 3500 articles reached.
*'''June 13, 2006''': WikiFur [[News:TurriWiki links with WikiFur|partners with]] Finnish-language furry wiki [[Turriwiki]].
*'''June 16, 2006''': First [[WikiFur:WikiFur Meetup|WikiFur Meetup]] was held at [[Anthrocon 2006]]. Around 25 furs attended.
*'''June 21, 2006''': 4000 articles reached.
*'''June 29, 2006''': WikiFur was referenced in [[Animal Passions]] [http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A28606], a [[Wikipedia:Pittsburgh City Paper|Pittsburgh City Paper]] article covering [[Anthrocon 2006]].
*'''July 24, 2006''': WikiFur [http://community.livejournal.com/wikifur/36552.html celebrated its first birthday], having just passed 4400 articles.
*'''September 20, 2006''': 5000 articles reached.
*'''November 8, 2006''': [[/Wikipedia version|Wikipedia's article about WikiFur]] is [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/WikiFur (2nd nomination)|deleted again]]
*'''December 17, 2006''': 6000 articles reached.
*'''February 17, 2007''': [[WikiFur:WikiFur News|WikiFur News]] launches.
*'''March 8, 2007''': [[:fr:|French version of WikiFur]] [[News:WikiFur launches French version|is founded]] by [[RainRat]]
*'''May 10, 2007''': 7000 articles reached.
*'''July 10, 2007''': 7500 articles reached.
*'''August 14, 2007''': [[:cs:|Czech version]] is founded by [[Xkun]].
*'''September 25, 2007''': 8000 articles reached.
*'''October 28, 2007''': [[:de:|German version]] [[News:WikiFur launches in German|is founded]] by [[O'wolf]] (technically a couple of months before - this is when edits and content started appearing).
*'''February 7, 2008''': [[:pt:|Portugese version]] is founded by [[Ekevu]].
*'''March 30, 2008''': [http://tinyurl.com/2rtopk OVER 9000] articles.
*'''April 1, 2008''': [[:Image:WikiFurFrontPage1April2008.png|Front page vandalism]]

== Interesting facts ==

* What was the first content page? [[Sibe]]! [[Uncle Kage]] followed three hours later. :-)
** [[Image:Censor_panda_nyr_button.png|right|Nyra button]] The first ''non''-content page was the [[WikiFur:About|about page]] ([http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=WikiFur:About&oldid=2 initial version]), while the first image was the [[:Image:Censor_panda_nyr_button.png|Nyra button]] from [[Mab]]'s [[Censorship Pandas]]. The very first edit was a reduction of [http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Lastmodifiedby&oldid=1 MediaWiki:Lastmodifiedby].
* WikiFur was not the first time the concept of a wiki for the furry community was raised - one was [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.lifestyle.furry/browse_frm/thread/41d3c0b95e66c60f/d8b09a18e03b8ce8 suggested] by [[David Cooke]] in 2001 on [[alt.lifestyle.furry]]
* WikiFur is a member of the 2006 ''Recommended Anthropomorphics List'' published by the [[Ursa Major Awards]] (listed under "Recommended Anthropomorphic Miscellany")

== Quotes about WikiFur ==

* ''WikiFur? Furry has to take everything and make a down-syndrome version of it.'' -- [[Chuckles]] on [[HLM]]
* ''Furries have the worst case of [[Wikipedia:Manifest Destiny|Manifest Destiny]] ever.'' -- [[Spiral Cut Mink]]
* ''Someone recently told me about the WikiFur Central project. It's a wikicity on furryism, basically. It's pretty crappy and a perversion of what Wikipedia is supposed to be about, but that's not really my point.'' -- [[J]] of [[God Hates Furries]]
* ''Thank you very much, Wiki moderators. As to my drinking, this is indefensible, and you have my abject apologies. I find of late that I have very little choice in the matter of expressing emotions. When I browse WikiFur I can either drink, or I can weep. And drinking is so much more subtle.'' -- [[McGroarty]] in a shout on [[HLM MUCK]]
* ''[[Special:Allpages]] has its pages ranked into sections for listing. They should make the results a slogan. "Wikifur: From [[2]] to [[Zoophilia]]." Eh? EH? :)'' -- [[Crassus]]
* ''I first cringed at the thought of a furry wikipedia roaming on the net. I figured it to be a rather one-sided "don't talk about the bad, only use it as a propaganda site to make furries look good" website. What I found it to be instead was a rather well done unbiased encyclopedia on the fandom.''<ref name="nothingkat" /> -- [[nothingkat]]
* ''Please do not take offence, but this site [[fursuit|featured article]] scares me. It is a person dressed in an animal costume sitting on a couch.'' -- [[Wikia:User:Makon|Makon]], on the WikiFur nomination for [[Wikia:Featured Wikia#WikiFur|Featured Wikicity]]
** ''OOH! Shakespeare wrote about some of them in [[Wikipedia:A Midsummer Night's Dream|Midsummer Night's Dream]].'' - [[Wikia:User:Robin Patterson|Robin Patterson]], in reply
*''I had no idea that furry culture was this big! Wow, this is really a nice community. :3'' -- [[User:The LP|The LP]]
*''Wikifur is definitely one of the fix-stars on the furry sky ;)'' -- [[User:Toumal|Toumal]]
*''It's a field crowded with high-quality entries, but WikiFur's emergence and growth after a smear campaign makes it uniquely qualified to receive attention, methinks.''<ref name="Wikia feature" /> -- [[Tom Howling]] voting for WikiFur as a Featured Wikicity
*''Somewhere else in this thread somebody posted a link to the furry wiki. As of so far, this is the only even handed thing I have seen posted here regarding Starfinder as it reports the allegations, doesn't claim them as truth and provides information on what to do. How hard is that?''<ref name="Starfinder_Beware" /> -- [[Darkwolven]] comparing WikiFur to [[artists_beware]]
*''WikiFur was definitely useful, I would have spent months gathering information without it. Feh on that! I was also glad to see that it seemed to maintain a rather evenhanded point of view overall; considering how factionalized FF can be that can be difficult. One man's fair is another man's controversy...''<ref name="barona" /> -- [[Chris F. Grant]]

== Related terms ==

* The term 'Wikifur' (sometimes inter-capped as WikiFur, also [[:Category:Wikifurries|Wikifurry]]/WikiFurry) is also used to describe a frequent contributor of WikiFur, much like 'Wikipedian' is used to describe a frequent contributor of Wikipedia
* A WikiFur [[:Category:People|page about a person]] is sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as "a wiki" or "my wiki", in the same way that people refer to "my LiveJournal" or "my MySpace"; this usage is not endorsed by regular editors

== References ==
<references />

== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:WikiFur|WikiFur]] at Wikipedia

== External links ==

* Statistics:
** [[Special:Statistics|Local wiki statistics]] ('''note:''' page views and user count wildly inaccurate due to caching and global Wikia user database)
** [http://wikia.com/wikistats/EN/TablesWikiaFURRY.htm Wikia statistics]
** [https://www.google.com/analytics/home/report?rid=52980 Google Analytics reports] ([https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount Google account] and [[User talk:GreenReaper|prior authorization]] required)

[[Category:Websites]][[Category:Community]][[Category:WikiFur]][[Category:2005 births]]

[[cs:WikiFur]]
[[de:WikiFur]]
[[fi:WikiFur]]

WikiFur

2008-07-12T17:57:52Z

Caromfox:

[[Image:caromfox.png|right|WikiFur]]
'''WikiFur''' is a website dedicated to the collection and preservation of information about the furry [[:Category:Community|community]] and [[:Category:Culture|culture]]. It is built by contributions from readers - anyone can edit the site, and their changes are reflected immediately. Over 9,000 articles have been started as of March 2008, and active translation/localization efforts exist in [[:cs:|Czech]], [[:de:|German]], [[:fr:|French]] and [[:pt:|Portuguese]].

:''For more information about how WikiFur works, see '''[[WikiFur:About]]'''''

*'''Addresses''':
**'''Web site''': wikifur.com -> http://furry.wikia.com/
**'''LiveJournal''': http://community.livejournal.com/wikifur/
*'''Founder''': [[GreenReaper]]
*'''Administrators''': [[WikiFur:Administrators|(see list)]]
*'''Contributors''': see the [http://wikistats.wikia.com/wikistats/EN/TablesWikiaFURRY.htm#wikipedians site statistics]
*'''Ran from/to''': July 24, 2005 - present
*'''Mottos''': ''WikiFur: By furries, for furries, about furries''; and ''WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia''
<div style="float:right">__TOC__</div>
== Mission and content ==

WikiFur's stated mission is to "record information of use to the furry community", in an attempt to distribute it to others. This mission has been widely interpreted, and WikiFur contains articles on [[art]], [[literature]] and other forms of culture both created by and of interest to members of the [[furry fandom]], as well as the people and characters within it, their history and interests, the worlds they inhabit, [[News:Front Page|news]] on events of current interest, and much more besides. It can also offer a good introduction to the fandom, although [[Wikipedia:Furry fandom|Wikipedia's article]] is considered by WikiFur's founder to remain the best single page on the topic.

Motives for contributors vary. There are those who simply enjoy collecting and organizing information on anthropomorphic topics. Many are fans of particular topics and wish to help write "the definitive article" on it. Some see WikiFur as a means of "getting the truth out" about contentious subjects like the [[Babyfur]] community, while others value it as a source of information which, while not completely without bias, is at least subject to an element of peer review and modification.

== Audience and impact ==

WikiFur did not spring up overnight, but it only took three weeks for it to be featured on [[Something Awful]]. It was selected by [[Wikia:Wikia|Wikia]] as Featured Wikicity in December 2005.<ref name="Wikia feature">[http://wikia.com/wiki/Featured_Wikicity#WikiFur Wikia features WikiFur as Featured Wikicity], December 2006</ref>. As of September 2006, WikiFur receives 2000 to 2500 visitors and 15,000 to 20,000 pageviews per day ([[Wikipedia:Google Analytics|Google Analytics]] figures). Around 4000 edits are made per month, with around 75 contributors making five or more edits, and eight or nine contributors making 100 or more edits (Wikia figures). Roughly ten articles are created a day, excluding articles that are later deleted.

WikiFur's actual impact is harder to judge. Certainly, it has been referenced by others, both within and without the fandom, including ''[[Animal Passions]]'', an article on [[Anthrocon 2006]] published in the [[Wikipedia:Pittsburgh City Paper|Pittsburgh City Paper]]. Some have mentioned that WikiFur was the source of information leading them to attend a [[convention]]. It has been linked to by [http://furry.wikia.com/wiki/WikiFur:Supporters#WikiFur_Linking_Supporters several popular sites], including [[Crush! Yiff! Destroy!]], [[Fur Affinity]], [[PeterCat]]'s Furry Infopages, [[Rabbit Valley]], [[Yiffstar]] and [[Califur]]'s website. The site has an international reputation, with links from [[Dutchfurs]], [[FranFurence]], [[Furbase.de]] and [[Furry.it]], as well as a partner agreement with [[TurriWiki]] and visitors and contributors from every continent.

== Promotional activities and advertising ==

WikiFur has engaged in various methods of [[WikiFur:Promotion|promotion]] and [[WikiFur:Advertising|advertising]], the latter being paid for by [[WikiFur:Supporters|site supporters]]. Promotion usually focusses on two goals: increasing readership, and attracting new editors. Emphasis is often made of WikiFur's size, both in terms of articles and audience, and of the importance of its mission. Methods of promotion have included [[conbadge]]-like [[Wikipedia:Business card|business cards]], [[:Image:WikiFurAC2006Flyer.png|flyers]], ribbons, and posts and comments on news sites, forum and [[LiveJournal]]s, along with paid [[conbook]] advertising and [[Wikipedia:Google AdWords|Google AdWords]] coverage.

== Controversy ==

As a popular fandom site with avenues of discussion, WikiFur has its share of controversy.

=== Concern over mission and misuse ===

A few people worry that WikiFur provides a perfect source of information for [[troll]]s, furry-bashers, and others who delight in pointing out certain aspects of the fandom. WikiFur does contain information that confuse or disgust some people, and it has been linked to by websites that seek to highlight such information to promote [[stereotype]]s of the fandom, though so far the effect has not been particularly significant.

There is also concern that WikiFur may be co-opted by such people to push their point of view in the name of neutrality - this was highlighted when an [[Encyclopedia Dramatica]] user was found to be editing the same articles on WikiFur and on ED at the same time.<ref name="j'accuse">[http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:SleepAtWork&oldid=70252#J.27accuse.21 Accusation of dubious editing practices] by [[User:GreenReaper|GreenReaper]] against [[User:SleepAtWork|SleepAtWork]]</ref>

=== Removal of information ===

As of September 2006, roughly one article in three on WikiFur is about a person. Contributors are encouraged to make articles about themselves and other members of the furry fandom, as well as those who do not consider themselves members but who are related in some way. This sometimes leads to problems, especially when it turns out that the people concerned do not want information about them at WikiFur, and has led to the development of a [[WikiFur:Personal information|personal information policy]] that is under continued review.

One of WikiFur's objectives is to do no harm to past or present members of the fandom. Some contributors and non-contributors feel strongly that people have a "moral right to privacy", and this has compelled removal of factually correct information from articles in some cases. At the same time, there are those who consider it to have a moral duty duty to ''other'' members of the fandom to preserve history, especially when they believe there is an unstated reason to remove it. Balancing the two views is not always easy, and has led to heated discussion and criticism of WikiFur from both sides - the former calling it a "stalker's heaven" while the latter accusing it of compromising its mission or "playing favorites" (as there are no absolute rules about what information may be removed).

Several people have proposed a '''legal''' right to privacy, but so far have failed to come up with any relevant laws when challenged to do so. The use of legal threats has not helped the case of those requesting a removal.

Exclusion of a person from WikiFur (as authorized by the consensus of the community) is typically implemented through locking the page about them with a [[:Template:Protected-Excluded|short message]]. It is also possible to for administrators to implement a limited editing system, such that only administrators and the person concerned may edit an article.

==== Examples ====

* Non-notable artists and other fans are usually removed on request without comment, although some have been convinced to watch the page or to turn the page into a personally-controllable page
* Notable people, including some "famous" artists, entertainers and members of the fandom who have caused controversy are opened to debate, and in some cases certain information is moved to relevant pages before exclusion is applied
* Extremely notable people are unlikely to receive full exclusion of the page about them, though some particularly decidedly personal information may be removed
* A person's real name and location is usually allowed to be removed without question, although there are cases in which even this has not been granted even after debate (the prime example of this is [[Sibe]])
* Removal of a person's name from an article that is not specifically about them is generally only permitted if their identity is not important - for example, the name of [[Talk:Further Confusion/Eyes of the Night|a person who bought a painting for $10,000 at auction]] was not considered important since the issue was the price of the painting
* Articles about comics and other public works are not subject for removal even if the author requests it, as they are not "personal information" - some artists have [[Talk:Guardian Knights|contended that their work is "not furry"]], but as they are on WikiFur because they are ''of interest'' to furry fans, this is not considered a valid reason either

=== Bias ===

There is an ever-present danger of bias on WikiFur. The most notable bias is due to the fact that most editors (and all of the most dedicated members) are members of the furry fandom, and the majority are likely to have a positive opinion of it. This can lead to accusations that articles are biased towards the furry fandom's position - and sometimes these accusations are accurate.

There is also little to stop people adding overly-positive information about things they like, or overly-negative (sometimes even downright malicious) information about things they do not like. Such information may or may not be removed by others when it is added; either way, it can cause controversy. Arguments are typically solved by removal of unsourced information, the provision of references, or (in the case of opinion) specific attribution of statements. Sometimes it is suggested that the relative proportions of content that is present in an article may itself put the topic in a [[Wikipedia:False light|false light]] - the usual answer to this is to suggest that the person complaining about it fix it by adding other relevant information.

Some people believe WikiFur can never be a reliable source of information. Despite this, WikiFur '''is''' perceived by some to be a more reliable source than others on contentious topics that it covers<ref name="Starfinder_Beware">[http://community.livejournal.com/artists_beware/90313.html?thread=1638089#t1638089 Comment about WikiFur] in regards to [[Starfinder]] by [[Darkwolven]] in [[artists_beware]], 9 August 2006</ref>, and it has been praised for its attempts to provide useful information while avoiding bias.<ref name="nothingkat">[http://nothingkat.livejournal.com/49215.html?thread=446271#t446271 Praise for WikiFur's attempts at avoiding bias] by [[nothingkat]]</ref><ref name="barona">[http://barona.livejournal.com/6037.html?thread=21653#t21653 Comment on the use of WikiFur] by [[Chris F. Grant]]</ref>

=== Vandalism ===

Like many furry forums and sites which allow comments, WikiFur has its share of vandals. However, since it is a simple matter to return to a previous state, most vandalism is reverted within minutes. The members of [[4chan]]'s ''/b/'' board took particular interest in the site, and regularly organized raids until August 2006.

Despite multiple attempts, no vandalism since Something Awful from any source has succeeded in disrupting WikiFur for more than a few hours - the worst case was a sophisticated account-registering bot that used the [[Wikipedia:Tor|Tor]] proxy system, which has since been blocked.

== Timeline ==

* '''July 23, 2005''': Conceived by [[GreenReaper]] when creating [[Wikipedia:The Blind Pig (fiction)|a Wikipedia article]] on [[The Blind Pig]].
* '''July 24, 2005''': WikiFur founded on [[Wikia:|Wikia]].
* '''July 31, 2005''': The first content pages began to appear.
* '''August 4, 2005''': GreenReaper wrote ''[[Wikipedia:Talk:Furry_fandom/Archive_2#WikiFur_-_a_home_for_the_furry_community|WikiFur - a home for the furry community]]'' on the talk page of Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:furry fandom|furry fandom]] page. Surprisingly (considering previous edits), there was no discussion, but a few people did join as a result.
* '''August 13, 2005''': With editing totaling around 50 pages, WikiFur was promoted with GreenReaper's ''[http://www.livejournal.com/community/furrtive/338319.html I Have a Dream]'' message, cross-posted to several [[LiveJournal]] communities (it was, perhaps appropriately, deleted from [[Yerf]]'s ;-). In a deserved burst of [[Wikipedia:Karma|bad karma]], the server went down and stayed down for hours.
* '''August 14, 2005''': Trolling [http://www.livejournal.com/community/fursecution/31428.html began], led by users from the [[fursecution]] [http://www.livejournal.com/community/fursecution/ LJ community] and [[Wikipedia:Encyclopedia Dramatica|Encyclopedia Dramatica]].
* '''August 15, 2005''': Shortly after midnight UK DST (or 19:00 EDT the day before), [[User:AshMCairo|AshMCairo]] [http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1642602 posted about WikiFur] on the [[Something Awful]] forum. WikiFur was [http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3132 subsequently selected] for the dubious honor of ''Awful Link of the Day'':
:''It should come as no surprise, but in case you were wondering: "yes". Yes, there is a Wiki for furries. Don't spam it up, if only out of respect for the wikipedia ideal.''
As a result, [http://furry.wikicities.com/webalizer/usage_200508.html a mass of users] hit the WikiFur servers. At the peak one edit was made every 45 seconds.
:''At first we thought it was just an extension of the previous trolling, but as I tried to record the IPs and figure out some sort of pattern, I saw they were all over the place. Our next thought was proxies, but even then, there were just too many edits. Finally a vandal posted the URL while making an edit, and so we found out exactly what happened. Then we got chosen as Awful Link of the Day . . . ''
:''I drafted several sysops from those trying to revert the edits, and we slowly beat back the tide. By about 14:00 EDT we had a reasonable handle on things, although edits were still coming thick and fast. Ironically, it probably helped us far more than it hurt, considering how many users it brought into the site, but it was hectic at the time!'' --{{UT|GreenReaper}}
*'''August 20, 2005''': Within the first week of openly promoting WikiFur, it had grown 32 times over, and there were over 1600 pages and 646 full articles on the site. Statistically, there was a new edit every 2 minutes, and a new page added every 20 minutes.
*'''August 21, 2005''': A [[Wikipedia:WikiFur|WikiFur article]] was created on Wikipedia by an anonymous user, and almost [[Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/WikiFur|immediately submitted to Votes for Deletion]] on grounds of non-notability. Nobody actually at WikiFur heard about this until later in the week. The majority of votes (including those by WikiFur admins) were for delete, due to unproven notability.
*'''August 23, 2005''': Passed 750 article pages.
*'''August 25, 2005''': Passed 850 article pages and 10000 edits.
*'''August 28, 2005''': Passed 1000 articles pages in the early hours of the morning, [[:Image:1000 Articles.png|minor celebrations]] are held.
*'''October 30, 2005''': The [[WikiFur Furry Central|main page]] and [[WikiFur:Community Central|Community Central]] were redesigned (and the latter renamed) to celebrate the creation of WikiFur's 2000th article page.
*'''November 18-20, 2005''': WikiFur was [[User:GreenReaper/Con reports/Midwest FurFest 2005#WikiFur at the con|promoted]] at [[Midwest FurFest]] 2005, using a [http://www.greenreaper.co.uk/wikifur/WikiFur%20leaflet.pdf leaflet] written and distributed by GreenReaper, and printed with tweaks by [[Duncan da Husky]]
*'''December 1, 2005''': WikiFur pipped [[StarWars:|Wookieepedia]] to becoming December's [[w:Featured Wikicity#WikiFur|featured wikicity]].<ref>From the [[StarWars:Wookieepedia_talk:Community_Portal/Archive7#Featured_Wikicity|Star Wars talk page]]:
:Maybe we can try to vote for Wookieepedia to make it the next month's featured Wikicity? [[w:Featured Wikicity/vote]] [[StarWars:User:Sikon|Sikon]] <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[StarWars:User talk:Sikon|Talk]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> 18:15, 5 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:* Almost there... Just a few more votes to beat WikiFur, pleease! - [[StarWars:User:Sikon|Sikon]] <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[StarWars:User talk:Sikon|Talk]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> 15:20, 24 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:**If you only knew the ''power'' of the [[WikiFur Furry Central|furry side]] . . . why not join us, and we can rule together as WookieFur! --[[User:GreenReaper|GreenReaper]] 09:40, 27 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:***Nnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! --[[StarWars:User:Azizlight|Azizlight]] 09:41, 27 Nov 2005 (UTC)
:***We...we actually lost? '''''To furries?!''''' God help us. *echos Azizlight* [[StarWars:User:MarcK|--MarcK]] [[StarWars:User talk:MarcK|[talk]]] 05:48, 2 Dec 2005 (UTC)</ref>
*'''December 13, 2005''': WikiFur passed 2400 articles.
*'''December 30, 2005''': The 2500th article page begun.
*'''January 15, 2006''': 2600th article mark reached.
*'''February 5, 2006''': 2800th article.
*'''February 11, 2006''': [[WikiFur:Advertising|Advertising]] begins with [[Wikipedia:AdSense|Google AdSense]].
*'''February 21, 2006''': 2900 articles reached.
*'''March 27, 2006''': Because of [http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Wikicities_relaunches_as_Wikia#Out_of_curiosity confusion around the name (are they wikis about cities?) and a desire for a better name to reflect that they are not just another wiki community], WikiFur's host changed from Wikicities to Wikia. WikiFur's URL changes accordingly to http://furry.wikia.com (though the old address still works as well).
*'''April 1, 2006''': WikiFur underwent a [http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=WikiFur_Furry_Central&oldid=49382 short seasonal alteration].
*'''April 23, 2006''': 3500 articles reached.
*'''June 13, 2006''': WikiFur [[News:TurriWiki links with WikiFur|partners with]] Finnish-language furry wiki [[Turriwiki]].
*'''June 16, 2006''': First [[WikiFur:WikiFur Meetup|WikiFur Meetup]] was held at [[Anthrocon 2006]]. Around 25 furs attended.
*'''June 21, 2006''': 4000 articles reached.
*'''June 29, 2006''': WikiFur was referenced in [[Animal Passions]] [http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A28606], a [[Wikipedia:Pittsburgh City Paper|Pittsburgh City Paper]] article covering [[Anthrocon 2006]].
*'''July 24, 2006''': WikiFur [http://community.livejournal.com/wikifur/36552.html celebrated its first birthday], having just passed 4400 articles.
*'''September 20, 2006''': 5000 articles reached.
*'''November 8, 2006''': [[/Wikipedia version|Wikipedia's article about WikiFur]] is [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/WikiFur (2nd nomination)|deleted again]]
*'''December 17, 2006''': 6000 articles reached.
*'''February 17, 2007''': [[WikiFur:WikiFur News|WikiFur News]] launches.
*'''March 8, 2007''': [[:fr:|French version of WikiFur]] [[News:WikiFur launches French version|is founded]] by [[RainRat]]
*'''May 10, 2007''': 7000 articles reached.
*'''July 10, 2007''': 7500 articles reached.
*'''August 14, 2007''': [[:cs:|Czech version]] is founded by [[Xkun]].
*'''September 25, 2007''': 8000 articles reached.
*'''October 28, 2007''': [[:de:|German version]] [[News:WikiFur launches in German|is founded]] by [[O'wolf]] (technically a couple of months before - this is when edits and content started appearing).
*'''February 7, 2008''': [[:pt:|Portugese version]] is founded by [[Ekevu]].
*'''March 30, 2008''': [http://tinyurl.com/2rtopk OVER 9000] articles.
*'''April 1, 2008''': [[:Image:WikiFurFrontPage1April2008.png|Front page vandalism]]

== Interesting facts ==

* What was the first content page? [[Sibe]]! [[Uncle Kage]] followed three hours later. :-)
** [[Image:Censor_panda_nyr_button.png|right|Nyra button]] The first ''non''-content page was the [[WikiFur:About|about page]] ([http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=WikiFur:About&oldid=2 initial version]), while the first image was the [[:Image:Censor_panda_nyr_button.png|Nyra button]] from [[Mab]]'s [[Censorship Pandas]]. The very first edit was a reduction of [http://furry.wikia.com/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Lastmodifiedby&oldid=1 MediaWiki:Lastmodifiedby].
* WikiFur was not the first time the concept of a wiki for the furry community was raised - one was [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.lifestyle.furry/browse_frm/thread/41d3c0b95e66c60f/d8b09a18e03b8ce8 suggested] by [[David Cooke]] in 2001 on [[alt.lifestyle.furry]]
* WikiFur is a member of the 2006 ''Recommended Anthropomorphics List'' published by the [[Ursa Major Awards]] (listed under "Recommended Anthropomorphic Miscellany")

== Quotes about WikiFur ==

* ''WikiFur? Furry has to take everything and make a down-syndrome version of it.'' -- [[Chuckles]] on [[HLM]]
* ''Furries have the worst case of [[Wikipedia:Manifest Destiny|Manifest Destiny]] ever.'' -- [[Spiral Cut Mink]]
* ''Someone recently told me about the WikiFur Central project. It's a wikicity on furryism, basically. It's pretty crappy and a perversion of what Wikipedia is supposed to be about, but that's not really my point.'' -- [[J]] of [[God Hates Furries]]
* ''Thank you very much, Wiki moderators. As to my drinking, this is indefensible, and you have my abject apologies. I find of late that I have very little choice in the matter of expressing emotions. When I browse WikiFur I can either drink, or I can weep. And drinking is so much more subtle.'' -- [[McGroarty]] in a shout on [[HLM MUCK]]
* ''[[Special:Allpages]] has its pages ranked into sections for listing. They should make the results a slogan. "Wikifur: From [[2]] to [[Zoophilia]]." Eh? EH? :)'' -- [[Crassus]]
* ''I first cringed at the thought of a furry wikipedia roaming on the net. I figured it to be a rather one-sided "don't talk about the bad, only use it as a propaganda site to make furries look good" website. What I found it to be instead was a rather well done unbiased encyclopedia on the fandom.''<ref name="nothingkat" /> -- [[nothingkat]]
* ''Please do not take offence, but this site [[fursuit|featured article]] scares me. It is a person dressed in an animal costume sitting on a couch.'' -- [[Wikia:User:Makon|Makon]], on the WikiFur nomination for [[Wikia:Featured Wikia#WikiFur|Featured Wikicity]]
** ''OOH! Shakespeare wrote about some of them in [[Wikipedia:A Midsummer Night's Dream|Midsummer Night's Dream]].'' - [[Wikia:User:Robin Patterson|Robin Patterson]], in reply
*''I had no idea that furry culture was this big! Wow, this is really a nice community. :3'' -- [[User:The LP|The LP]]
*''Wikifur is definitely one of the fix-stars on the furry sky ;)'' -- [[User:Toumal|Toumal]]
*''It's a field crowded with high-quality entries, but WikiFur's emergence and growth after a smear campaign makes it uniquely qualified to receive attention, methinks.''<ref name="Wikia feature" /> -- [[Tom Howling]] voting for WikiFur as a Featured Wikicity
*''Somewhere else in this thread somebody posted a link to the furry wiki. As of so far, this is the only even handed thing I have seen posted here regarding Starfinder as it reports the allegations, doesn't claim them as truth and provides information on what to do. How hard is that?''<ref name="Starfinder_Beware" /> -- [[Darkwolven]] comparing WikiFur to [[artists_beware]]
*''WikiFur was definitely useful, I would have spent months gathering information without it. Feh on that! I was also glad to see that it seemed to maintain a rather evenhanded point of view overall; considering how factionalized FF can be that can be difficult. One man's fair is another man's controversy...''<ref name="barona" /> -- [[Chris F. Grant]]

== Related terms ==

* The term 'Wikifur' (sometimes inter-capped as WikiFur, also [[:Category:Wikifurries|Wikifurry]]/WikiFurry) is also used to describe a frequent contributor of WikiFur, much like 'Wikipedian' is used to describe a frequent contributor of Wikipedia
* A WikiFur [[:Category:People|page about a person]] is sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as "a wiki" or "my wiki", in the same way that people refer to "my LiveJournal" or "my MySpace"; this usage is not endorsed by regular editors

== References ==
<references />

== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:WikiFur|WikiFur]] at Wikipedia

== External links ==

* Statistics:
** [[Special:Statistics|Local wiki statistics]] ('''note:''' page views and user count wildly inaccurate due to caching and global Wikia user database)
** [http://wikia.com/wikistats/EN/TablesWikiaFURRY.htm Wikia statistics]
** [https://www.google.com/analytics/home/report?rid=52980 Google Analytics reports] ([https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount Google account] and [[User talk:GreenReaper|prior authorization]] required)

[[Category:Websites]][[Category:Community]][[Category:WikiFur]][[Category:2005 births]]

[[cs:WikiFur]]
[[de:WikiFur]]
[[fi:WikiFur]]

User talk:Caromfox

2008-07-12T17:56:15Z

Caromfox:

[[Image:Caromfox.jpg|120px|right|"Carom Fox's eye catching fursona"]]

User talk:Caromfox

2008-07-12T17:55:39Z

Caromfox: Created page with 'Carom Fox's eye catching fursona'

[[Image:Caromfox.jpg|120px|right|Carom Fox's eye catching fursona]]

Second Life

2008-07-12T17:42:54Z

Caromfox:

[[Image:SecondLife.png|right|Second Life]]
'''Second Life''' is an online [[Wikipedia:Virtual world|virtual world]] consisting of hundreds of interconnected large-scale areas populated by interactive [[avatar]]s, whose players may choose to take any form they can create or purchase. The major form of short-distance transportation is flight, while transportation between areas is typically performed through teleportation; both abilities are innate. The "main grid" is restricted to those 18 or over, as some regions contain strong violence or sexual content. A teen version for those 13 to 17 is also available.

*'''Address''': http://www.secondlife.com

Second Life has over 8,268,883 registered users and 1,548,131 active users as of july 21, 2007; logged-in users range from 20,000 to 50,000 at any one time. The system is funded through a combination of account subscriptions and "tier" (a form of [[Wikipedia:Land value tax|land value tax]]). Users have the option to own or rent land parcels in a variety of sizes - as in [[real life]], some owners may zone their land to restrict certain activities, such as commercial development. Business in the game's virtual currency (exchangeable for real-world funds) is encouraged by the ''[[Wikipedia:Linden Lab|Linden Research]]'', and a variety of content vendors have sprung up to meet demand.

==Second Life and furry==

The [[furry fandom]] has a major presence in Second Life, with multiple areas devoted to providing accommodation, entertainment and creative services specifically for members of the furry community. Themes range from the pedestrian to the bizarre, although trees are common in furry haunts. Each user can create their own objects from the inbuilt primitives, but the majority of users rely in part on objects created and sold by others. These include body parts for avatars, accessories, vehicles (which may be purely aesthetic or provide extra functionality), toys, [[pose ball]]s for avatar animation, and scripts to provide extra features (like "push" and "shield" defensive/offensive capabilities).

==Controversy==

On September 8th 2006, Linden Lab reported via a security bulletin (which was also emailed to all SL users) that the servers holding player account information had been attacked using a zero-day exploit. According to Linden Lab, this attack on the servers may have begun as early as September 3rd and they only noticed an increase in activity on the 6th which they then quickly locked out. Their investigation showed that the attack allowed a significant amount of customer account information to be downloaded such as credit card numbers, PayPal transaction ID's, real life names, Second Life names, account passwords, and contact information.

As part of their effort to improve the security of their servers, Linden Lab had invalidated the passwords (assuming they were already compromised) of all Second Life users and has required said users to reset their passwords. Linden Lab further mentioned that while the compromised payment information was encrypted, no encryption is unbreakable given enough time and computing power. They had thus stated that if any SL user believed themselves to be the victim of credit card fraud, they (the user) should contact their credit card company.

The short form of the bulletin in available at http://secondlife.com/corporate/bulletin.php

== Outline ==
[[Image:SecondLifeCarrot.png|right|thumb|150px|Second Life lets you create your own objects]]
Second Life was started in 2003 as a project by "Linden Research, Inc." doing business as "Linden Lab".
Second Life's primary attraction has always been the level of customization; from the ground under your feet to the clouds in the sky. This was quite literal since the game's developers intended for the user to be able to create the world to their desire, as is quoted in the Second Life overview on its site:

:''"Second Life is a virtual world - a 3D online persistent space totally created and evolved by its users. Within this vast and rapidly expanding place, you can do, create or become just about anything you can imagine. Built-in content creation tools let you make almost anything you can imagine, in real time and in collaboration with others."''

Second Life is considered by some to be a variant of the ''Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game'', or ''[[Wikipedia:MMORPG|MMORPG]]'' for short. The true answer to the question "is it such a game?" is "yes and no" - Second Life is technically not a [[role-playing|role-playing game]] by itself.
Also, unlike other role playing games, there is no goal to reach, no levels to gain, no enemies to defeat, therefore it isn't a game at all. It is more a MUSE: Multi User Simulated Environment.
Rather, it is a platform that allows games and worlds to be built within its framework. It is better classified as a richly graphical multiple user chat kingdom ([[MUCK]]) rather than an MMORPG. Some go so far as to just call it a [[Wikipedia:Metaverse|metaverse]], which isn't that far of a stretch. Membership requires a credit card or [[Wikipedia:Short message service|SMS]]-capable cellphone, both for security reasons and because each region has its own content rating, from PG to Mature (which can be very mature at times), though as of April 2007, both of these appeared to no longer be required.

Second Life has become one of the popular forms of online entertainment for members of the furry fandom; at last count there were over 500 furries registered as Second Life users, and the true number is probably several times that by now. This arose out of the fact that the avatars, humanoid objects representing the user, are very customizable and the game's disposition for allowing users to create anything has made the concept of a virtual "[[fursuit]]" possible. Many furries of Second Life don't like to be considered to be wearing fursuits. Instead, they pretend it is their real body. These consist of a variety body parts which are attached to the user's avatar. These parts include [[tail]]s, [[wing]]s, legs, and so on - some have even made complete sets that resemble mythical beasts such as [[dragon]]s, complete with scripted flame effects. Such avatar add-ons can be sold by their creators, who retain the ability to control distribution of their objects as part of their copyright, enforced by inbuilt copy restrictions. Some choose to give works away for free, for apparently [[Wikipedia:altruism|altruistic]] or promotional purposes.

The high interactivity is also a plus for online social networks - as a result, various [[furry]] communities began to pop up in the game and are now a sizable force in the virtual world. In the October 2005 issue of ''[[Wikipedia:Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games]]'', "Furries" (used as a proper noun) were noted as a major user-base in Second Life in an article about the use of MMOs for self-actualization.<ref>Liu, Johnny. "Waking Dreams." ''[[Wikipedia:Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games]]'', October 2005; pp. 58-59</ref>

Signing up for a new account no longer requires a credit card or an SMS-capable cell phone. Also, current members have the option of changing their billing information in the members area so their membership fees can be deducted through [[Wikipedia:PayPal|PayPal]].''

== Age policy ==
{{rating-nc17-button2}}
As with most social environments on the Net, there is no way to tell inside the game how old someone really is. The game's Terms of Service state quite clearly you must be over the age of 18 to enter the "main grid" of Second Life. If anyone is found to be under 18 in the main grid, they will be banned from the game and all money and inventory will be forfeit. It is generally assumed that almost all players in the main grid are over the age of 18.

Second Life rates the individual sections of the game as Mature, or PG, with other possible ratings. These ratings help moderate the behavior of people that populate the various sections of the game, as they won't tolerate someone breaking the PG rating by performing a Mature-rated act in a PG-rated zone. The rating system is not in place to keep children out of areas in SL; it is there because many adults don't want to be exposed to [[:Image:SecondLifePenisVendor.jpg|adult material]] during their time in the game or to take a break from it for a time by visiting a PG sim. [[Luskwood]] is a prime example of a furry PG sim, safe from displays of sexuality and nudity unlike a mature furry sim like [[FurNation Worlds]].

=== Teen Grid ===
{{rating-14-button2}}
Late in 2005, Second Life created a separate version of its game designed with teens in mind, strictly separating those 18 years of age or greater from those 17 and under. Server-side tracking differentiates teen users from adult users, sending teens to the Teen Grid instead of the main grid. The Teen Grid has different rating policies than the main version; being made for teenagers, none of the regions are rated Mature and nothing may exceed the general PG13 to PG17 rating spans.

* '''Website:''' http://teen.secondlife.com/

== Environment and Economy ==

=== Costs and land ownership ===

Membership of Second Life falls into one of two categories: "Basic" and "Premium". Basic accounts are free to create and incur no monthly fee. If you wish to have more than one account however, secondary accounts ([[Alt|Alts]]) incur a one-off fee of US$9.95, which may be paid with a credit card, or a positive [[Wikipedia:PayPal|PayPal]] balance.

Basic accounts are subdivided into "verified" and "unverified". A verified account means that the user has submitted a credit card, PayPal account, or telephone number to verify their identity. However, users may create an account without any verification of their identity. This was a highly unpopular move that sparked protests<ref>PierceP, {{youtube|TfV1DrrY2r4|The Protest}}</ref>. In response to this, Linden Lab added the ability to prevent unverified users from entering a parcel of land, and introduced an option to the LSL function [http://secondlife.com/badgeo/wakka.php?wakka=llRequestAgentData llRequestAgentData()] to return an agent's payment status as one of:

* No Payment Info on File
* Payment Info on File
* No Payment Info on File AND Payment Info Used (Only Beta/Lifetime users fall under this status)
* Payment Info on File AND Payment Info Used

The fears of "open registration" were that it would lead to an influx of minors on the main grid - both opening Linden Lab to potential lawsuits and its users; and allow [[griefer]]s to quickly and freely create a new account as soon as one account is banned for their misdeeds.

Premium accounts come at a rate of US$9.95 each month, with discounts for paying quarterly or annually -- $22.50, and $72, respectively. The premium accounts come with the privilege of owning 512 square meters of land, known as 'First Land'. This is approximately 1/256 of 1 simulator, or "not much". They also come with a weekly stipend of L$300. The ability to acquire additional amounts of land bring an additional charge, called ''land tier''.

* US$195.00/month: 65,536 square meters - Entire Region
* US$125.00/month: 32,768 square meters - 1/2 Region
* US$75.00/month: 16,384 square meters - 1/4 Region
* US$40.00/month: 8,192 square meters - 1/8 Region
* US$25.00/month: 4,096 square meters - 1/16 Region
* US$15.00/month: 2,048 square meters - 1/32 Region
* US$8.00/month: 1,024 square meters - 1/64 Region
* US$5.00/month: 512 square meters - 1/128 Region

These are the official Linden rates - it is possible to find island owners (see below) who will sell or rent land for lower rates, usually with some restrictions as to its use. It is also possible to get low-cost rented accommodation with no specific land ownership, and to own land without a premium account through a "group" to which the land is deeded. Many users own no land or accommodation at all - it is not required for object ownership, although object creation can be another matter.

Land, once purchased, may be traded between users at market rates. Large contiguous plots of land (or even relatively small plots of land in a busy place) can often sell at a hefty premium. Linden's tier remains the same whatever the selling price.

=== Referrals ===

Each user who joins Second Life gets an unique referral link. Giving this link to people who have yet to sign up, and getting them to do so used to credit the user with a certain amount of Linden Dollars -- the in-world currency. Since late January 2006, only premium account signups will result in a bonus, of L$2500, staggered over a three month period, where you get L$500 on the spot, another L$500 after one month, another L$500 after two months, and the final L$1000 after three months, to prevent gaming of the premium account referral bonus.

=== Currency ===

Users can buy or sell their Linden Dollars (L$) from within the game using the Lindex money market run by Linden Research. There are also third-party exchange services.

Exchanges can be performed with any number of Linden Dollars. The Lindex calculator will give you an idea of what you'll be receiving as a result of your sale. The amount that you receive as a result of your sale gets placed into your account, where you may have it applied to anything you owe for your account if you are a premium user, or may have it sent to you via PayPal for a US$1 charge. For larger amounts, you may also have a check mailed to you for a fee - US$5 if you're inside the United States, or US$15 for locations outside of the United States.

There are some furs who extract do this with the earnings from their businesses (custom avatar creation, generic avatar vending, etc.), turning it into profit that allows them to do whatever they want to pay for, up to, and including starting their own islands. Historically-speaking, the L$ is a relatively volatile currency prone to bouts of inflation. It can therefore be a good idea to remove any significant sums from the game, unless they are to be spent quickly in-game.

=== Objects ===

Objects in Second Life are constructed from [[Wikipedia:geometric primitive|geometric primitives]] known as "prims" which are combined, manipulated and textured with images. A variation on this is the "flexiprim", which allows for more realistic movement of flexible objects like [[tail]]s and hair.

== Islands and other locations ==
[[island (Second Life)|Islands]] are user-owned simulators within Second Life. You can buy your own island but the price to play is pretty steep: $1675 for start up costs and a server (you don't own the server itself though and due to multiple CPU servers, you are effectively buying space on a single CPU for your island), as well as $295 a month maintenance fee. Islands, as opposed to the mainland, get a dedicated processor to run on. Mainland sims (regions) may have to share resources with up to 3 other neighboring regions. An additional benefit is that purchasing an island allows you to contact the Linden Concierge directly with questions, bypassing the standard technical support lines and forums.

Prior to the creation of islands, every simulator belonged to a large land mass. Regions of these simulators sometimes ended up dedicated to specific groups, including the furry fandom.

There are currently a number of furry-owned or themed islands and regions in Second Life:
[[Image:Luskwoodlobby.jpg|thumb|200px|The Lobby at Luskwood, the primary hangout for many furs]]
===[[Luskwood]]===
* Luskwood consists of two sims/regions, '''Lusk''' and '''Perry''', with some elements spilling into '''Clara'''; PG-rated, though not heavy on rules (for example, unlike most PG areas, weapons are allowed in Luskwood), Luskwood (started in mid-2003) is the oldest Furry-themed area in SL. Though not an island in practice (it resides on the SL mainland,) these regions are wholly owned by the Luskwood group, and can be considered its own furry-themed area.

*It is home to [[Luskwood Creatures]], the first furry avatar makers on SL. Luskwood builds many varieties of furry avatars, and is considered a sister-sim to, and administered by some of the same folks who run Taco.

*Luskwood has been the center of controversy resulting from accusations from some SL users that the administration and owners of Luskwood have undue influence over Linden Lab policy. Several Linden employees, such as Frontier Linden, frequent Luskwood, and there have been accusations of unfair bans given at the request of Luskwood staff. In addition, some have proposed that Lusk's purported influence resulted in the reduction of sculpted primitive LOD (the way they look from afar), due to lobbying to have their tree (which uses such primitives) look better.{{fact}}

:{{see also|Luskwood}}

===[[FurPleasure]]===
[[Image:Market_logo512.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The FP Sim logo, with the marketplace backdrop]]
* A mature friendly furry themed sim cluster including a popular club, shopping area and residential areas in '''FP Enigma''', Owned and run by a group of dedicated sim admins headed by [[Foxdie Ghia]] and [[Kit Keiko]]. The sim is dedicated to and run in the memory of [[AOD Enigma]], Providing a fun and stimulating place for all furs and nonfurs to relax and socialise
* Started as a small club in the highflyer sim, and then expanded into sprawler due to further need for space. The first sim was purchased shortly after was co-owned by Iyeyasu Muromachi (who now owns Asian Delight) and [[AOD Enigma]]. AoD Enigma passed away in 2006 at the age of 21, and the sims ownership was moved over to Foxdie Ghia who currently owns the sim.

===[[FurNation Worlds]]===
[[Image:FurNationWorldsLuxor.png|right|thumb|200px|The Luxor on FurNation Prime]]
* FurNation Worlds is a group of several simulators run by the crew at [[FurNation]].
* Each of their simulators seems to serve a particular purpose.
** FurNation Alpha is a residential area with a medieval theme.
** FurNation Vista is a sandbox with residential areas.
** FurNation Gamma is a sandbox with residential areas.
** FurNation Prime is the welcome area and general starting point for FurNation.
** FurNation Worlds Mall is a commercial simulator for people to sell items from rented vendor spots.
*** Prices range from L$50/week to L$1500/week depending on location, size, and type of spot rented.
** FurNAtion Phoenix is a residential simulator.
** FurNation Mythica is primarily a residential simulator.
*** The Club called The Ark recently relocated to the east side of this simulator.
** FurNation Dragon is a residential simulator.
** Purgatory is a themed simulator connected to FurNation.
** Drakeal Prime is a residential sim connected to FurNation.
** Drakeal Tui is a simulator connected to FurNation by extension of Drakeal Prime.
** FurNation Polaris is a mountainous residential simulator owned by Mathuen Lagerlof.
:{{see also|FurNation Worlds}}

===[[The Forest]]===
[[Image:SecondLifeForestDeluxeApartments.png|right|thumb|200px|Treehouse apartments in The Forest]]
* The Forest was the first furry-oriented island in Second Life.
* The Forest is under [[Anshe Chung]]'s ownership and is a part of the DreamLand continent developed by her.
:{{see also|The Forest}}

===[[Fur Valleys]]===
[[Image:FurValleys-27Jun07.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Map of the Fur Valleys island chain, June 2007]]
[[Image:CubConclaveClubResurgenceDancer.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Dancing [[babyfur]] in [[Cub Conclave]]]]
* The largest chain of furry-themed islands in Second Life to date, often known simply as '''The Valleys'''.
* The first island in this chain was founded in November 2005 by [[RedFox Costello]]. Since then, the island chain has grown, with the addition of many new islands. These include:
**'''Fox Valley''', a residential island, owned by Redfox Costello
**'''Wolf Valley and Jaguar Valley''', a residential island, owned by [[Mako Minogue]]
**'''Tiger Valley''', a residential island, owned by [[David von Foxkin|Foxkin Impfondo]]
**'''FlyinTails Airfield''', an aircraft-themed island, owned by [[Effsey Nelson]]
**'''Rabbit Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Dragon Valley''', containing the Foxkin Rentals offices, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Ryu Valley''', a volcanic island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
*** The [[Macro Room]], devoted to [[macro]] furries, is located here
**'''Istaria Prime''', owned by [[Crawler Woyseck]]
**'''[[Serenity Woods]]''', a recreation of the original '''The Forest''', originally run by the former The Forest guides, but now owned by Mako Minogue
**'''Critter Valley''', a residential island, owned by [[kodi Sachs]]
**'''Zeta Valley''', a [[zoophilia]]-themed island, owned by [[Wolphin Fluffball]]
**'''Neko Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Otter Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''[[Cub Conclave]]''', a [[babyfur]]-themed island, owned by [[Raven Welesa]]
**'''[[Kit Estates]]''', a babyfur-themed residential island, owned by Raven Welesa
**'''Pony Island'''
**'''Furry Park''', a residential island, owned by [[Effsey Nelson]]
**'''Cheetah Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Ferret Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Meerkat Valley''', a commercial island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Cougar Valley''', a mountainous residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Lynx Valley''', a river-run residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Mink Valley''', a paw-print shaped residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Lemming Valley''', a residential island with steep cliffs, owned by Foxkin Impfondo, pays homage to the 1991 video game "Lemmings"

* The '''Fur Valleys''' also include many ocean regions (also known as voids), all owned by Foxkin Impfondo. Most are each rentable as an entire region, but all allow visitors and residents to sail around the greater part of the Valleys. These voids include:
**'''Dragons Void''', a rentable void, managed by [[djomnifusion Snickerdoodle]]
**'''Kitsune Sea''', a [[fox]]-shaped island, managed by [[Autumnfox|Autumnfox Vesperia]]
**'''Strianic Ocean''', a [[dragon]]-shaped island, managed by [[Stria Inbiri|Stria Teazle]]
**'''Onyx Ocean''', a rentable void, managed by [[Cera Watts]]
**'''BlueRay Sea''', a rentable void
**'''Geckos Void''', a rentable void
**'''Moonlight Sea''', a rentable void in the shape of a crescent moon
**'''Sydney Sea''', a rentable void
**'''Crocodile Rock''', a rentable void named after the song by Elton John
**'''Dolphin Deep''', a rentable void
**'''Drakes Void''', a rentable void
**'''Kitten Cove''', a rentable void
**'''Raccoon Lagoon''', a rentable void
**'''Salamander Sea''', a rentable void
**'''Yang Sea''', a rentable void in the shape of the yang half of the yin-yang symbol
**'''Yin Sea''', a rentable void in the shape of the yin half of the yin-yang symbol

:{{see also|Fur Valleys}}

===Rocket City FurMeet===
*The [[Rocket City FurMeet]] sim contains an exact replica of the hotel that the [[real life]] [[convention]] is held in.
*The sim is staffed and upkept by many of the real life staff members of RCFM, headed by [[Lacy Amberwolf]].
*At the end of each real life RCFM, the staff posts a banner that states Welcome Home! to returning con-goers.
*Numerous dances are hosted throughout the year.

===[[Dragon Spire]]===
*The Dragon Spire is a club catering towards dragons and avians but does not make any restrictions on species. The club is located in the Southwest corner of of the Drachen simulator.
*The club is known for its public sex and cuddle poseballs, volunteer DJs, and a side wing with rooms for those wanting to use a SexGen bed.
*The club has restrictions on building and scripting for non-club members which effectively prevents the most abusive griefing, and one can only become a club member if invited by member of sufficient authority.

===[[Abbotts Aerodrome]]===
[[Image:Sl abbotts aerodrome cubey terra.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Abbotts Aerodrome]]
* Abbotts Aerodrome bills itself as "the most famous airport in Second Life". Occasionally referred to as '''Abbotts Furrodrome''', Abbotts is among the most fur-friendly airports in Second Life. The Aerodrome features free demo flights, a skydiving center, A.I. flights, and shops owned by some of the leading aircraft designers in Second Life. Founded by Apotheus Silverman and Cubey Terra in 2004, Abbotts Aerodrome is a center for aircraft development and skydiving.

[[Image:Alchera1.gif|thumb|200px|The town center of Alchera.]]
===[[Alchera]]===
* A Furry based roleplay island sim, it is based within the medieval era and holds a [[fantasy]]/Oriental theme. Opened to the public on January 20th, 2007, it is the first serious adult roleplay sim made expressly for furries and anthro players. Created as an open and friendly role play environment, it is open to all anthros of any race, mythology and preference.
Other then roleplay, it also offers quiet and relaxing oriental themed residential housing for $400L a week for 1024sq meters. Personal housing costs $150L for a room of a player’s choice plus 50 additional prims. [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Alchera/38/88/24/]

===[[Gay Yiffy Club]]===
* Gay Yiffy Club is a popular furry nightclub, partially due to the open and welcoming atmosphere for every species, gender or alignment (even though its name suggests to cater only to [[gay]] [[male]] furs). Originally built by [[Senjin Soothsayer]] and managed by [[Kiroja Fluffy]] and [[Darkfoxx Bunyip]]. It's not even an island SIM, yet it's traffic surpasses most islands. The club is commonly referred to by its abbreviation GYC and thanks it's popularity mostly to the very active staff containing dancers, DJs and Bartenders. The club features dance-floor, bar, darkroom, stage, pool, private rooms, lounge area and a separately located shopping area.
Unlike other clubs, public display of intimacy is not frowned upon, and even encouraged.

===[[Rainbow Tiger]]===
* Originally a dance club owned by [[Spike Nico]] and an adjoining mall owned by [[Shadow Garden]] in the '''Cleary''' region, Rainbow Tiger has expanded onto a full island. Rainbow Tiger currently has: [[Club Rainbow Tiger]], a large dance club with live DJ's spinning tunes regularly as well as a swimming pool, events center, and an exercise room. Additional description is available on the Rainbow Tiger page. The trio of Rainbow sims have been awarded Developer's Incentive awards 3 times by Linden Lab since Rainbow Tiger was founded back in Cleary.

* A second island named [[Rainbow Stallion]] was added at the end of March 2006, and is designated a residential area. In 2006, a decision was made to change the ownership of the sims. Rainbow Tiger became fully owned by Spike Nico, and Rainbow Stallion became fully owned by Shadow Garden. Then, in 2007, an additional sim [[Rainbow Canyon]] was added to give both the mall and club additional room to expand. Rainbow Canyon is also owned Shadow Garden. All 3 sims are rated 'mature', and are open to all species.

* In 2007, a new island, Lykaois, joined the fold as the first independent sim. It is owned by Valdis Damone, and his mate Redwolf Ghia. This island is, however, a private island requiring an invite to enter.

* Additional islands are in the process of being approved and added, the earliest one coming online in January 2008.
:{{see also|Rainbow Tiger}}

===[[Tartarus Island]]===
* The new home of [[The Fur Dungeon]], a club that once existed on the mainland. Underwater dungeon areas and an array of domes (including, presently, a mall and movie dome) complement the club itself. Created by [[Musuko Massiel]].

===[[EuroFur Exodus, also called EXTRA]]===
* Furry themed sim especially made for french and european furries, maintained by rafa226 Lubitsch and a few members. Located in a sim named EuroFur, it moved to a sim named ''Extra''. This sim includes a club, a small shop, a beach, some yiff houses and a movie theater. Those weeks, a pet auction market have been built, and is a great success.

===[[Oinari]]===
* This furry themed island sim is the headquarters of [[Furry Japan]] owned by [[Fakefur Okonomi]], founder of Furry Japan. The island is divided among the officers of Furry Japan, who do a variety of experimental shops and houses. Japanese is naturally the primary language here, and visitors are recomended to bring a translator HUD or fluency

===[[The Wild (Second Life)|The Wild]]===
* Furry [[Wikipedia:Myst|Myst]] themed island owned by [[Shaun Wallaby]].

===[[Mythos Prometheus]]===
* Mature-rated furry-themed island sim run by [[Sabvriel Padar]], (liberum veto) [[Solus Candour]] and [[Msakaji Yoshiro]]. Mostly a residential island, with laid back rules, several houses nestled amid beautiful landscaping, and apartments for rent up in the sky. Also hosts a small shop for vendors, and [[The Hangar]] club. Residence in the sky apartments is one of the most affordable at 100L$ per week for 100 prims, which makes them popular and causes a waiting list to accumulate for the space. The residents of the skyboxes are among the more friendly 'neighbourhood' style cliques and as a new denizen of the sim you can expect sudden visits from the other residents.

===[[Coonspiracy]]===
* Southwest corner of Noonkkot sim, a hangout for raccoons, gators, swamp foxes, and the like.

===[[Meeting Island]]===
* Mature-rated furry-themed island sim run by [[Pounce Teasle]]. '''[[Raccoon Hill]]''', formerly '''[[Fae Valley]]''' from the '''Fur Valleys''' sim conglomerate, was added in May, 2006, but has since vacated. '''Meeting Island''' is best known for the furry [[escort]] establishment, [[The Seven Tails Brothel]].

===[[Lost Furest]]===
[[Image:lfcenterance.jpg|thumb|200px|Pawprint lake at Lost Furest, welcoming visitors.]]
*This island sim is "Mature" rated and recently got it's own sim named The Lost Furest.
*As of early 2007, the Lost Furest redesigned their look to set focus on the avatars they sell. The name actually represents the act of being at rest or as we call it "Fur-Rest". When visiting you will find LFC avatars in the center tree, then surrounding it would be the 4 seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter.
*Home to the [[Lost Furest Creatures]] furry avatars, founded by [[Cheetah Kitty]]. As of 2008, LFC has gained more avatar creators.
*[[Lost Ferals]] is another branch of the LFC avatar line which focuses on feral animals.
*Awarded Developer's Incentive awards three times by Linden Lab and has recently become a heavy traffic area, earning the islands name in the top 20 most popular places often.
:{{see also|Lost Furest}}

Collecting donations for Island upkeep fees is a popular activity on islands, furry or otherwise.

===[[Furry Plateau]]===
Furry plateau is teengrid's oldest furry hangout (3.75 years now), and was originally founded by [[Reggie Marquez]] and [[Inuyasha Overlord]]. The hangout was originally a 1024 plot for the "brothers" to live in. After some time, Reggie's account was disabled due to payment issues, and Inuyasha Overlord continue to take care of the parcel until it moved to Gordon, where it became a mainstream hangout.

After a year, Inuyasha also left the parcel due to payment issues. Shortly after, Reggie returned on an alternate account, [[Reggie Clifton]], and brought FP back to teengrid alongside [[Phox Sillanpaa]], in the hope that it would become mainstream again, which it did. Furry Plateau quickly reached the top of the pop-list with its "housing for homeless furs" - a program started in order to help new furries adjust to the community. This housing project became big enough to put FP at the top of the popular list for another six months.

The land soon became too small to contain the community and the group continued on to create the FP Peacelands alongside [[Nicelus Borelly]]. The "four founding furs" now continue the community on the sims Citivas and Leviathan. On February 5th 2009, FP will begin its build up on the Main Grid. It will remain totally PG and no "Bits or Bobbers" will be allowed upon it. Other than that hardly any strict rules will be placed upon visitors.

===[[TSL Fur Fest]]===
Teen Second Life (TSL) Fur Fest (TSLFF) is the Teen Grid's first [[furry]] and [[anthropomorphic]]s [[convention]]. TSLFF was founded by Ferret Surface ([[Ferret Vulpsi]]) and the first TSLFF was held in 2007 on August 17th, 18th, and 19th mainly in the sim of Unreal. The convention was mainly attended by members of the FP, FN (TSL), and Tiamat communities however the con was a grid wide event and made history as the first furry convention (or convention of any kind for that matter) to be held on the Teen Grid.

===[[Castle Dark Haven]]===
[[Image:DH_Castle.jpg|left|thumb|130px|Castle Dark Haven]]
Castle Dark Haven is a huge furry castle located within an ancient mystical forest on Growl1. Owned and operated by [[Growl Fardel]] and [[Nilsninian Dryke]], the castle and forest offer many distractions. Concealed surprises may also be found by unsuspecting adventurers within the vastness of the castle.

Rated mature, Dark Haven is open to all furs and offers an Avatar Shopping Center, the Twisted Tails Dance Club, private skyboxes, a [[yiff]] lounge, yiff dungeon, hot tub area and beautiful scenic areas for peaceful relaxation.

===[[Drachen & Amaru]]===
These two estates are run by Draconian Estates, a subsidiary of [[Draconian Enterprises]].

Drachen is a scaly and furry region that is home to the Dragon Spire, a scaly themed dance club. It is also the location of Waster's Mall, a shopping centre. Land is currently available for tenants should shops or private business owners wish to expand.

Amaru is a region to the west of Drachen that is the home of a new Anthro club "Constellation. The region also contains an art gallery known as the Mouseface Gallery, HermHQ, Doog Labs, Pavi's Avi's and The Water Plant (formerly The Tool Shed) which are all part of Hantu's collective lands and now the new home of ZZ Studios. Residences in this world are part of the 'Spamalot' subdivision and can be found on the ground around the club in addition to the sky at 400m.

Both regions contain sandboxes for furs without land to create items on.

== "Second Life Furry" logo ==
[[Image:Slfur.png|right|100px]]
In (early 2006?), a "furry admin" meeting for all furry and/or furry-friendly sims' administrators or owners was held to discuss several unifying strategies regarding the fandom population in world ([[Inferniel Solvang]] was the lead fur for this particular encounter.) Of the many proposals, one was the creation of a common, official symbol or logo for identifying purposes for sim or fur.

The final design, a SL logo inspired image, came to be thanks to the design of SL [[furry artist]], [[Yiffy Yaffle]]. The logo can be viewed on most of the older furry sims, with propagation to newer ones going at a slow, but steady rate.

== Video ==
[[Image:SecondLifeFundayPawPetShow.png|right|thumb|200px|Furs watching the Funday PawPet Show in Second Life]]
As of version 1.6.0, Second Life now hooks [[Wikipedia:Quicktime|Quicktime]], if it is installed on the user's system, to provide an interface that allows one to watch movies within the client itself. A '''very''' fast connection is suggested in this case, as you will be streaming world data ''and'' a video at the same time. If Quicktime is not installed, the user will be reminded that Quicktime is needed to watch video within the client when they enter a parcel with video.

A number of furs use the video feature to watch the [[Funday PawPet Show]] on their land.

Some users have taken advantage of this new feature to bring forward a new business: Movie Rentals. One may rent adult movies from a couple of the businesses in Second Life, for the express purpose of being able to watch pornography on their land for a couple of hours.

== Preview Grid ==
As Linden Lab draws closer to a potential release, be it a sub-version upgrade, or a full point-release jump, they release preview versions of the client, to allow all interested parties to test the new client and its features. This is extremely important to builders, scripters, and texturers, as knowing how the new software will handle their works is very important.

The Preview client is run on a separate grid from the current client, which means there are less people to interact with. Most of the people available test their wares, making sure they won't have to do a full rebuild or rescript for the next version, as well as reporting bugs.

== Technical advice ==

Due to the amount of data that is sent between the client (you) and the servers, Second Life requires a fast internet connection, at least 128kbps, though more (768kbps or better) is highly recommended, at least 512MB of RAM (preferably at least 1024), and a CPU faster than 800MHz, though the bare minimum will not be as pleasant an experience. Linden Lab suggests that you invest in hardware that will exceed the minimum specs. There are also specific graphics card requirements due to the game making use of a certain OpenGL standard. The system requirements for interested people is listed at the Second Life website partially, and more exact requirements can be found inside its technical support area.

Although it is not impossible to use a dial-up connection with Second Life, nearly every option of the game requires serious cutting back; close to the bare minimum. This makes the experience flatter and less pleasant, with lag so heavy that movement is difficult and awkward with occasional stop-frame style "clipping" animation. Walking forward one step, for example, might occasionally result in sliding forward more then a yard or two before being snapped back to your intended position in a rather sudden jerk, or scenery change. Sometimes, said movement could make you sink through the ground or pass through other objects (like a wall) before the snap-back occurs. Then you find you need another of the regular 24MB to 25[[Wikipedia:Megabyte|MB]] updates to play. There aren't many dial-up users on Second Life as a result. ISDN provides a usable experience, but only just. Mobile broadband solutions such as UMTS or HSDPA are usually good enough, however.

Second Life has been dealing with issues over ATI's video card drivers for quite a while. It has become practice on the forums to suggest to ATi users to pick up the [http://www.omegadrivers.net/ Omega Drivers], a set of user-modified drivers recognized by ATi (according to their author) as "''the best-modded drivers in the Internet''". These Omega Drivers enable features that Second Life can use which aren't easily enabled in the default drivers.

== Fan-sites ==

Linden Lab's policies regarding the use of trademarks on Second Life fansites are loose, provided the following stipulations are met.

* There is no attempt to pass off a fan site as Second Life or Linden Lab itself.

* The following legal text is present on all Second Life related pages: "Second Life® and Linden Lab® are registered trademarks of Linden Research, Inc. No infringement is intended." this must include the ® circles though can be any size the website creators see fit.

== References ==
<references />

== See also ==

* [[Wikipedia:Second Life|Second Life]] on Wikipedia
* [[:Category:Second Lifers|Second Lifers on WikiFur]]
* [http://secondlife.com/movies/secondtake.wmv Second Life Promotional Video] -- This file is directly available on the Second Life Home page. The video is linked to an image titled "watch the video" that will alternate with the free trial promotional image link. There is also a [http://www.apple.com/games/trailers/secondlife/ Quicktime version] of the video.

== External links ==
{{rating-ma-button}}
* [http://www.livejournal.com/community/secondlife_furs/ Second Life Furry Community] at [[LiveJournal]]
* ''[http://www.alphavilleherald.com/archives/000505.html The Second Life Herald: Miravoir Meets The Furries]'' — Article about furries on Second Life
* ''[http://secondlife.blogs.com/nwn/2005/04/furry_like_me.html New World Notes: Furry Like Me]'' — Another article about furries on Second Life
* ''[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm?chan=tc&chan=technology_technology+index+page_today's+top+stories My Virtual Life]'' — Business Week reporter examines Second Life in detail
* ''[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982009.htm Virtual Land, Real Money]'' — An interview with [[Anshe Chung]]
* {{youtube|1LlMZjCBJhE|Beatfox and his flexy foxy tail}} - an video example of flexiprims in furry avatars
* [http://jolie.silentshadows.net Jolie Grant: SL Furry Model] - a website with models created by [[Jolie]], a furry who made it into the human modeling world with her avatar
* ''[http://www.graphxpress.com/cgi-bin/wcotp.cgi?date=20060702 Second Life]'' - ''[[West Corner Of the Park (comic)|West Corner Of the Park]]'' strip about [[FurryMUCK]] players who spend time in both worlds
*[http://www.news.com/2300-1026_3-6204587-3.html?tag=ne.gall.pg Furries, pirates, drag queens at 'Second Life' ball], page 3 of coverage (credited to Caroline McCarthy) of 2007 Second Life Community Convention.
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=7VDTa7uXUp4 Furries, Second Life and you]- A Youtube video introduction for new furries joining Second Life.
----
''A piece of this article has been copied directly from the Second Life website and no challenge is being issued in regards to the material of the quote taken in any way, shape, or form.''

[[Category:Graphical virtual worlds and chat systems]]
[[Category:Second Life|*]]
{{featured article}}
[[fi:Second Life]]

YouTube

2008-07-12T17:38:55Z

Caromfox:

[[image:Youtube_logo_plus_tagline.png|125px|right]]
'''YouTube''' is a well known [[Wikipedia:Video sharing|video sharing]] internet company which allows users to view, upload, and share net-ready [[Wikipedia:Video clip|video clips]]. Its extensive media content includes [[Wikipedia:Movie|movie]], [[Wikipedia:television program|TV]] clips, [[Wikipedia:Music videos|music videos]] and [[Wikipedia:Viral videos|viral videos]], as well as amateur content such as [[Wikipedia:videoblogging|videoblogging]], [[Wikipedia:Video podcast|Video podcasts]], and short original videos and animations.

Videos can be rated, and the average rating and the number of times a video has been watched are both publicly displayed.

== YouTube and furry ==

YouTube holds a significant place in the [[furry fandom]]. There are literally thousands of [[furry]] videos, clips, animations, artwork slide shows, films, and TV and pawpet shows on it, and the fact that its easy to upload and share videos makes Youtube a very valuable resource to [[furries]].

== Furry groups ==
{{main|List of furry YouTube groups}}
* [http://www.youtube.com/group/ShadowlordInc Shadowlord Inc. TF/Furry Media]
* [http://www.youtube.com/group/eye4youalliance Eye4You Alliance]
* [http://www.youtube.com/group/fursuit Fursuit]
* [http://youtube.com/group/Werewolvescult WereWolves/Lycan Cult]
* [http://youtube.com/group/warriorcatsmoke ♥♥Feathertail and Crowfeather♥♥]
* [http://www.youtube.com/group/loogaroopack the loo-garoo pack]
* [http://youtube.com/group/HeroicAnimals Everyone's Favorite Non-human Heroes]
* [http://youtube.com/group/LoneWolfPack The Pack of Lone Wolves]
* [http://youtube.com/group/wolves4eva Wolf_Pack] (fan group for [[Wolf's Rain]]
* [http://youtube.com/group/jamesthedragonking The Furry Snow Resort]
* [http://youtube.com/group/WEREBEASTS WEREWOLF CLAN]
* [http://youtube.com/group/midnightwolfpack Midnight Wolf Pack]
* [http://youtube.com/group/darkridersofchaos Dark Wolves]
* [http://youtube.com/group/FoxyWolfyCoyote Animal lovers!! Mainlly the Furry ones!!]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=jItz-uNjoZA Furaholics]
== See also ==

* [[Wikipedia:YouTube|YouTube]] on [[Wikipedia]]

==External link==
*[http://www.youtube.com YouTube's] official website

{{net-stub}}

[[Category:Video and animation archives]]

Further Confusion

2008-07-12T17:34:49Z

Caromfox:

[[Image:Further_Confusion_logo.png|right|Further Confusion]]
{{Further Confusion}}
'''Further Confusion''' (or '''FurCon''', sometimes '''FURther CONfusion''') is an annual [[convention]] celebrating the [[anthropomorphic]]s genre or [[furry fandom]]. It is the [[List of conventions by attendance|2nd largest such convention]] in the world and takes place in the [[Wikipedia:San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area of California]] each January. It includes charitable benefits, educational seminars, art shows, panels, and general social activities. It was the first event sponsored by [[Anthropomorphic Arts and Education]], Inc. (''FurCon'' is its registered [[Wikipedia:service mark|service mark]]<ref>[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78318515 FURCON mark registration] - [[Wikipedia:USPTO|USPTO]] (filed 24 October 2003, registered 12 October 2004)</ref>) and continues to be its largest. It will next be held 22-26 January 2009, at the DoubleTree Hotel, [[Wikipedia:San Jose, California|San Jose]].

Further Confusion has the largest art show of any convention in the fandom with sales routinely exceeding US$50,000. Indeed, one piece alone (''[http://web.archive.org/web/20041101222805/www.goldenwolfen.com/portfolio/eyesofthenight.htm Eyes of the Night]'' by [[Goldenwolf]]) went for $10,000 at Further Confusion 2004, the result of a close, fierce bid battle between [[Flint Otterhall]] and a local appreciator of [[furry art]].<ref>[http://www.livejournal.com/users/normanrafferty/415153.html ''Just a quick update from Further Confusion 2004''] - note about the $10,000 painting</ref>

Significant events of Further Confusion include an [[Iron Artist]] competition, the original Critterlympics and an in-house Television station (FCTV) that broadcasts during the convention.

== History ==
[[Image:Further Confusion Attendance.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Visitor Statistics]]
Beginning in 1999 with attendance of 691 individuals, it has grown rapidly: in 2008 there were 2,423 registered attendees. Since its start, FurCon has donated $100,940 to various local charitable beneficiaries.

== Guests of Honor ==

Further Confusion honors several [[Guest of honor|guests of honor]] each year. Previous guests have been:

* [[Ed Kline]], [[Ken Mitchroney]] and [[Michael H. Payne]] (1999)
* [[wikipedia:C. J. Cherryh|C. J. Cherryh]], [[Shawn Keller]], [[John Nunnemacher]], [[Karen Prell]], [[Mike Quinn]] and [[wikipedia:Jane Fancher|Jane Fancher]] (2000)
* [[wikipedia:Diane Duane|Diane Duane]], [[Christina Hanson]], [[wikipedia:Peter Morwood|Peter Morwood]], [[Felorin]] and [[Talzhemir]] (2001)
* [[wikipedia:David Brin|David Brin]] and [[Kevin Palivec]] (2002)
* [[Karen Anderson]] and [[Toby Bluth]] (2003)
* [[Heather Alexander]], [[Grant Freckelton]] and [[wikipedia:Larry Niven|Larry Niven]] (2004)
* [[Alan Dean Foster]] and [[Walter Crane]] (2005)
* [[Eric Elliott]] and [[wikipedia:Jane Lindskold|Jane Lindskold]] (2006)
* [[Wikipedia:Jerry Pournelle|Dr. Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Baron Engel]] with Special Musical Guest [[Sub-Level 03]] (2007)
* [http://www.moirahahn.com Moira Hahn] and [http://www.davebarclay.com Dave Barclay] (2008)
* [http://www.jeffpidgeon.com/ Jeff Pidgeon], Story Artist for Pixar Animation and Anita Coulter, puppeteer [2009]

== Charities ==
Each year, Further Confusion donates money to selected charities. Funds are raised both from its [[charity auction]] and from a direct grant given by the convention itself. The following charities have benefitted since Further Confusion was founded:

* 1999: ($3,500) [[wikipedia:Coyote Point Park|Coyote Point Museum]] and [http://therapypets.org Therapy Pets]
* 2000: ($6,000) [[wikipedia:Cartoon Art Museum|The Cartoon Art Museum]] and [http://seaotters.org Friends of the Sea Otter]
* 2001: ($7,240) [[wikipedia:Oakland Zoo|The Oakland Zoo]] and [http://kirshner.org The Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundation]
* 2002: ($5,200) [[wikipedia:Comic Book Legal Defense Fund|The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund]] and [http://tigertouch.org Tiger Touch]
* 2003: ($6,000) [http://www.pawssf.org Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS)] and [http://www2.ucsc.edu/seymourcenter The Seymour Marine Discovery Center]
* 2004: ($10,000) [http://bayareabears.org Bay Area Bears] and [http://cathouse-fcc.org The Exotic Feline Breeding Center]
* 2005: ($10,000) [http://therapypets.org Therapy Pets] and [http://friends-lulu.org Friends of Lulu]
* 2006: ($15,000) [http://www.wildlifecompanions.org/ Wildlife Companions] and the [http://www.cbldf.org/ Comic Book Legal Defense Fund]
* 2007: ($16,000) [http://www.goldengreyhounds.com Golden State Greyhounds] and [http://www.stanislauswildlife.org Stanislaus Wildlife Rehabilitation]
* 2008: ($22,000) [http://www.rabbit.org House Rabbit Society], [http://http://www.rattieratz.com Rattie Ratz], and [http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/ Wildcare]

To date, the total amount donated to local charities by Further Confusion stands at $100,940.

== Themes ==
Like many [[convention|furry conventions]], Further Confusion features a different theme every year. Past themes were:

* 1999: Paws Across the Bay
* 2000: FCY2K
* 2001: A Furry Odyssey
* 2002: Further Confusion University
* 2003: Furries in Wonderland
* 2004: The Great Outdoors
* 2005: Furries in denile
* 2006: Renfur: A Knight's Tail
* 2007: Fur Your Eyes Only
* 2008: The Fur East <ref>''[http://community.livejournal.com/furcon/152640.html Notes and Numbers from FC2007]'' [[Frysco]], {{lj-comm|furcon}} (25 January 2007)</ref>
* 2009: Surfing Safari

==Staffing==
Unlike most conventions, Further Confusions staff changes occasionally. It is open to anyone interested in working with the convention. Any interested parties are free to email HR@furtherconfusion.org with any questions.

== References ==
<small><references /></small>

== See also ==

* [[Wikipedia:Further Confusion|Further Confusion]] at [[Wikipedia]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.furtherconfusion.org Further Confusion official website]
* [http://www.furtherconfusion.org/forums/ Further Confusion official forums]
* [http://community.livejournal.com/furcon/ Further Confusion community] at [[LiveJournal]]
* {{con resources}}

[[Category:Conventions]][[Category:California]][[Category:1999 births]]

[[fr:Further Confusion]]
[[de:Further Confusion]]
[[cs:Further Confusion]]

Deaddog!

2008-07-12T17:34:00Z

Caromfox:

[[Image:Deaddog.jpg|right|200px|Deaddog!]]
'''Deaddog!''' is an IRC channel on [[Anthrochat]] ('''#deaddog!'''), and a social group surrounding it.

The group are the hosts of the '''DeadDog Party''', a traditional event at many larger furry [[convention|conventions]], taking place after all of the equipment has been packed away. Besides being a transition time that allows attendees to emotionally "let go" of the con, it provides an incentive for people to stay through the work session. It typically takes place in a room smaller than the Main Stage, as by that point the con population will have shrunk considerably.

DeadDog parties occur at many major conventions, including [[Further Confusion]] and [[Anthrocon]].

* '''IRC''': [irc://irc.anthrochat.net/deaddog! irc://irc.anthrochat.net/deaddog!]
* '''Website''': http://www.dead-dog.org/ (site and forum off-line for now)
* '''Motto''': ''DeadDog! Eliminating [[Post-Con Depression]] since MFM 2002 and STILL going strong!''

== Origin ==

Deaddog! started on the last day of [[Mephit Furmeet 6|Mephit Fur Meet 2002]]. A group of old and new friends got together in [[Perro]] and [[Alaskan Wolf]]'s hotel room and had a large party, complete with [[Wikipedia:Cartoon Network|Cartoon Network]] and plenty of liquid refreshments. Having received word that there was a bigger party in the [[convention|con]]'s dance hall, they proceded to join it.

After the party, the partygoers all popped on IRC after they returned to their respective homes. [[Snowie]] and [[Perro]] created #deaddog! and the tradition has been going on since.

== The 10 Commandments of DeadDog ==

# Everyone staying in any DeadDog Room, or traveling on any DeadDog Roadtrip, must take at least one shota a day!
# Don't touch anyone who doesn't want to be touched. No means no, dammit! You will be assimileaturd.
# Leave your problems at home.
# No bitching/whining/groaning/complaining/you get the drift.
# If you get drunk/stoned, we will not be held responsible for your actions. NO underage drinking is permitted.
# Public [[yiff]]ing will cause you and your partner to be ejected from the room (or van?).
# No smoking unless nobody objects. And no smoking means NOT WITHIN at least 10 FEET OF THE FRICKIN VAN OR WHOEVER DOESN'T WANT TO BE SMOKED AROUND!! >.<
# There is no rule #8.
# No sleeping nekkkid. [[Clothing]] is a must, unless you are getting paid for it or the free lapdances for Snowie. Or modelling for JessK/Shy/other artists to draw you.
# Have fun.

== External links ==
*[http://irc.netsplit.de/channels/details.php?room=%23deaddog%21&net=AnthroChat #deaddog! IRC statistics on AnthroChat IRC Network]

[[Category:Social groups]][[Category:Chat rooms]][[Category:Convention events]]