In Firestorm, I reduced the light setting to .5 from the default of 1.0, and that really helped.

All very interesting. I am not a creator, but I enjoy building. Right now, it seems that SL is progressing in a modern way. I think this is needed, but of course, there will be growing pains.

I tried to encourage several friends to join SL, but after a week or two, they basically left. I have heard similar stories from other SL friends. One of the main issues seems to be the complexity of getting a really nice avatar, so I was thinking perhaps an intermediate starter avatar could help.

Again, enticing with better starting avatars, but these new users would still be tempted to eventually by the high-end avatars, instead of just quitting and moving on to GPark.

Right, but some might be tempted to join Second Life through the app on the App Store. And that could be optimized to really help gain new users. This is where better starting avis could come into play along wth info sets, explaining a bit more about SL.
Otherwise, Linden is missing an opportunity.

Yes, but Not intended for long term use. Just a better starting option. SL seems to have a retention issue, especially at the very beginning.

I also think that they should have really amazing starter avatars available for purchase upon entry, such as with Zepeto, GPark, etc. My generation (and younger) are used to gaming avatars, which are easier, more plug and play. Especially needed for the phone app ✨️

Oh, I don't mind AI at all. Nobody is really going to stop that train. It's like back when horse and buggy owners protested against autos or when the airbrush was despised when first used for fine art or pineapple on pizza 🎶

Followed 💜🐰🎶

youtu.be/D525EiipH5M?...