Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about peacekeepers.
Q: I'm tired of griefers and I want to fight back against them. Can I join your group?
A: If you want to attack griefers, then a peacekeeper group is the wrong group for you. Peacekeepers never attack anyone in non-combat areas, even if they are being attacked. To do so would be a violation of section 3 of the Community Standards. There's a term for residents who attack someone in a non-combat area: they're called "griefers."
Q: Why do you guys always show up in big groups? Isn't it "gaming the system" to write large numbers of Abuse Reports?
A: We write large numbers of Abuse Reports (ARs) because that's what Linden Lab wants. The Second Life Knowledge Base guidelines on Filing an Abuse Report are very clear in stating that if many people are affected by a griefer's actions, then they want to receive a larger number of ARs. The paragraph reads as follows:
File reports on any abuse you witness in addition to abuse that targets you personally. Not every Resident is aware of the abuse-reporting system or remembers to use it, so please help out your fellow Residents! Reports from multiple people underscore the seriousness of an incident.
Q: Okay, but why not let the people who are affected write the ARs? Why do you have to show up?
A: If everyone would write an AR when they were attacked by a griefer, there would be no need for peackeepers. The problem is that when residents are attacked, most of them TP to another place or just do nothing. They might think it's a waste of time to write an AR, or they might not know how to do it. Peacekeepers respond to the location of the attack and write ARs very rapidly, then stay until Linden Lab removes the problem. Residents might be shaken up by some of the disturbing images the griefers use during their attacks, and they want to talk to someone about it. That's why we're there.
Q: Aren't you guys just fascist Nazi Gestapo police wannabees? Who gave you permission to run around enforcing the Terms of Service?
A: Peacekeepers never take any enforcement actions. All we do is observe and report, the same thing that any resident can do. We're like a Neighborhood Watch in Second Life. We send in the reports and the Lindens respond and do the enforcement. The only difference between us and a regular resident is that we are disciplined, and we train our members in how to write ARs. That and the spiffy spandex uniforms. :)
Q: What kind of training do peacekeepers get?
A: Training is the common thread that runs through all the peacekeeper groups. The first training we get is on the Second Life Terms of Service and Community Standards. We all had to acknowledge that we had read them when we signed up for SL, but we may not be well acquainted with them. This training helps members to identify violations. We train on how to patrol, what to do when we respond to a griefer attack, and how to file an Abuse Report. We also talk about the group's code of ethics, which varies from group to group (but not much).
Q: I don't see the big deal with a few porno cubes floating around. I think those are funny. People should be free to do what they want. Why do you guys have to stick your noses into someone else's business anyway?
A: Some people may think porn or photos of mangled corpses are funny. The problem is that in most parts of Second Life these things are violations of the Terms of Service. There are people who might be deeply offended at seeing such things. There is also the issue of the new resident who gets into the middle of something like that and decides that Second Life is a place to avoid. Peacekeepers perform a service by having these items removed from the grid. And don't forget the broken windows theory [1], stated as follows:
Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in run-down ones. Window-breaking does not necessarily occur on a large scale because some areas are inhabited by determined window-breakers whereas others are populated by window-lovers; rather, one unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing.
Q: I [was assaulted by a Green Lantern] [saw Superman rez a porno cube] [was run over by Batman driving his batmobile]. Is that what peacekeepers do when they're not writing ARs?
A: These people are almost certainly not peacekeepers. Anyone can buy a superhero costume and fly around in Second Life. You should check the person's profile and see if they're a member of one of the established peacekeeper groups. If they are, then please report their actions to one of the group's leaders.
Q: Why do you bother writing ARs? Linden Lab never does anything about griefers anyway.
A: That's not true. We've seen responses within 5 minutes of the first AR being filed. The response time depends on how many Lindens are available to respond and what else they have going on at the same time. It is very rare to write ARs and not see a Linden response.
Q: How do you find out about griefer attacks so fast?
A: Communication! There are several peacekeeper groups in Second Life, and many members are in several different groups, so when a major griefer attack takes place, the group channels come to life. Also, we have the Assistance Notification Network (ANN) and GridWatch to help in getting the word out.
Q: What are ANN and GridWatch?
A: These two groups were created at about the same time, late 2007 and early 2008. The membership is made up of peacekeepers and regular residents who want to help, but may not want to join a peacekeeper group for whatever reason.
[1] Broken Windows, Atlantic Monthly, March, 1982