Ethics. We all live by them, using them as a guide to help us negotiate our actions and responses in life - But how do they apply to our Second Life? Do they even have a place there, or do we simply render them as inappropriate or unhelpful in SL?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ethics as 'moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity'. If we use this as our definition, they should be an integral part of our Second Life experience; but are they really the same as in RL?
There are a few very general guides of conduct that the long term SL community at large tends to adhere to as rule. These include -
# Changing your avatar's appearance or clothes in private
# Using private voice chat to talk about personal issues
# Not asking strangers for Lindens
# Talking to child avatars as though they were children (Until you are asked otherwise!)
# Keeping conversations as purely Second Life until you know it is Ok to discuss RL (From someone's profile, or if they tell you they don't mind)