I received news today that a friend of mine would not be coming back to SL. I’ll not go in to details, the manner that this news reached me was less than good. Her departure could have been handled a lot better and she could have left SL in a more positive manner.
There’s nothing wrong with moving on, if that’s what’s right for you, that’s precisely what you should do, but there are good ways of doing it and there are bad ways of doing it. The way this friend did it hurt people, which is unfortunate.
I can’t help but feel grateful, though. Grateful that although the closure was unpleasant, although it could have been handled with grace and good will, at the very least we have closure.
So, my friend, if you’re reading this I wish you well for the future and thank you for at least letting us know you’re moving on.
Shuggi's Blog 
I so agree, Shuggi… just upping and going leaves so many people wondering and upset. I have had a few people just disappearing and it was always a small trauma, even when I was not really close to them, and I have been a witness to many people being devastated and shattered by a sudden disappearance.
Whatever you do, remember there’s people out there and behind avatars and, Shuggi is totally right: it only matters relatively if you can handle your closure properly… DO try, and remember that a bad closure is still better than just poofing away forever.
I have met so many whose loved ones have left SL (or swapped to another alt) without telling anyone. This causes such pain, so much better to tell people — that at least gives people a chance to mourn and move on.
(and as for those that fake RL death… that makes me so angry I just want to shoot them (in SL of course))
I dunno, as the one that was hurt the most by the departure Shuggi is referring to, I’m wondering if I was better off not knowing. At least then I felt like she might be in a better place and that our last time together was meaningful and full of love and warmth. But having her say the things she did just sort of destroyed the memories we had together.