Ava Ganache

We often hear from inworld organizations and businesses that they need better ways to promote the great experiences, products and services that they offer to Residents. While working to improve other advertising channels in Second Life, such as Classifieds and XstreetSL, we've also been exploring how we can offer additional promotional opportunities that can reach Residents more broadly and effectively.

Advertise Your Business or Organization on Message of the Day
Message of the Day (MotD), that brief text message displayed below the progress bar while you're logging into Second Life, is one of the most visible communication channels in Second Life. It's carried by all official Linden Lab Viewers and some third party viewers. For years, Linden Lab has successfully used MotD to promote new products, such as Linden Homes, inworld events and other news items of broad interest to Residents. Last year, we also briefly allowed the big estates to advertise on MotD and the program successfully drove traffic to their websites. Now, as a limited-time trial, we're offering MotD promotional space to a test group of advertisers.

This is a Trial Offer
Starting today, we are offering qualified advertisers the opportunity to promote their inworld businesses and organizations using MotD, on a trial basis for about a month. Our goal is to gauge interest from advertisers and get feedback from Residents. We will be responsive to feedback, and the terms of the trial (such as price and duration) will be subject to change based on what we learn. If the trial is successful, then we will make it available to a broader group of advertisers. If the trial does not provide enough value to Residents, advertisers and Linden Lab, then we will revamp or discontinue it.

To start, we will only be accepting a small set of initial participants who meet all of our participation criteria (e.g. account in good standing) and who have a website for their inworld business or organization. In terms of process, potential advertisers will submit a form to Linden Lab that includes their draft MotD message and preferred time block. All messages will be carefully reviewed for adherence to our editorial guidelines. Upon publication, the message will include a link to the URL that they provide.

You can learn more about the cost and terms, and submit an ad request, from the offer description and guidelines on the SL Wiki. A few highlights:

• MotD space will be sold in blocks of time.
  
• Since this is a very high visibility communication channel, it is priced accordingly.
  
• Validated nonprofits and educational institutions will receive a discount.
  
• We'll begin scheduling ads once we've received a critical mass of requests. 
  

Your Concerns Are Our Concerns
Many of you will be as excited as we are to test this new, much requested, promotional channel. We also know that some of you may be concerned that advertising is going to "take over" Second Life. We share that concern, and it's not what any of us want. We have given this a lot of thought, and the terms and editorial guidelines are carefully designed to encourage quality MotD ads. If we decide to continue this offer after the test period, then we will consider adding refinements like better targeting by language or interests and the ability to opt-out of ads. We believe that additional features, along with good stewardship, can make advertising a benefit to advertisers that also enhances the Second Life experience for all Residents. For now, let me emphasize a few important things about the MotD trial offer:

• We will always make it very clear which messages are from advertisers and which are from Linden Lab. Paid advertising will be marked with "Advertisement."
• We've set up strict editorial guidelines and a review process to ensure that these promotional messages are engaging, helpful, and attractive to Residents.
• If the program isn't successful -- based on advertiser results and Resident feedback -- then we'll modify or end the trial.
  

Learn More on the Second Life Wiki
If you would like to participate in this trial, then please read the offer description, where you'll also find a link to submit your ad request. Additional information about this offer is also available to all in the FAQ.

Requests will be acted on in a first-come first-served basis, so send yours in now!

Give us your thoughts about the MotD advertising trial offer in this thread.

Linden Lab held the first SL Pro! conference on February  23-25, 2010. The event brought together over 150 participants from  around the world and a variety of content creation disciplines to learn, share their knowledge and demonstrate their skills to those in the  content creator community. Prominent content creators and scripters led 14 sessions discussing best practices in building and scripting  techniques and building a successful business around content development  in Second Life. Well-known vehicle creator Cubey Terra shared processes  and techniques for building a virtual aircraft. Feather Grizot, CEO of  Digital Pastry and Stiletto Moody, engaged conference attendees in the  story of how this famous inworld fashion brand became successful, and  the lessons learned. JB Hancroft answered the pressing question of how to create scripts that optimize Second Life experiences while defeating  (or at least minimizing) the nemesis of every script -- lag. A complete  list of speakers can be viewed here.

Conference  participants also had the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and  creations, participating in building and shared media contents called  Content Creation Challenges. Participants could compete in one of four  challenges. Entries were reviewed by a panel of judges and three winners  chosen in each category. Winners each received L$10,000. Congratulations to all the winners!

Shared Media Challenge

• Sitearm Madonna
• Qie Niangao
• Cataplexia Numbers

• Sextan Shepherd: Underwater pirates lair
• Bronco  Graves: Candy store
• Chanty Bolissima: The Tunnel

View all the  entries on SL Pro 2

Linden Home 100-Prim  Challenge
This challenge focused on creating furniture and other furnishings made of 100 prims or less, suitable for Linden Homes. Each entry had to fit a  specific style of Linden Home. Click the SLurls below to teleport to  the winning entries:

• Carla Chandrayaan
• Randy Clarence
• JL Zinner

View all the entries here.

Full Region Challenge
This  challenge asked attendees to fully flex their content creation and  creativity muscles, building out a full region. The winning entries:

• Sonas Cascades by Morrigan Swords
• La Plaza by Calisto Encinal
• Inspiration Island by Georgianna  Blackburn

The conference regions are now open to the public through March 31, 2010. If you are interested in viewing the creativity and diversity of the content creator community, or are just curious about the winning submission in the Content Challenges, you can visit the following conference regions at the following SLurls:

• SL Pro 1
• SL Pro 2
• SL Pro 3
• SL Pro 4

More Conference  Highlights

• Tom Hale (T Linden), Chief Product Officer at Linden Lab, opened the conference with an overview of Linden Lab strategy and goals for 2010, roadmap for content tools and management
• Viewer 2 public beta was announced and made available to conference participants
• Several Lindens spoke  about current and future plans around specific content development tools and management, including Shared Media, C# and the future of scripting in SL, and best practices on merchandising on XstreetSL.
  
• Project  tours led by several content creators demonstrating how they are using  and expanding the limits of what can be done in Second Life

Please see NMC's Flickr stream for photos from the conference. And for more details about all the challenges, please see NMC's Content Creation Challenges.

Special  Thanks

A conference is a massive undertaking and a group effort. We would like give special recognition to several people and organizations integral to the development, organization and success of SL Pro!

New Media Consortium (NMC): NMC was responsible for organizing and managing the SL Pro! conference

Glenn Fisher (Glenn Linden): Glenn developed, shaped, guided and oversaw the conference

Conference Sponsors: Special thanks to Remedy Communication Ltd, Treet.tv and Radar Magazine for sponsoring  the event

Session Speakers:  For sharing your knowledge, skills and insight into content creation and scripting with conference participants

Conference Attendees: For your participation, enthusiasm and creativity during the event and as content creators in Second Life

If you missed out on this year’s  conference, don’t worry. Linden Lab plans to hold more SL Pro! conferences in future, and we look forward to the continued participation by content creators. An essential part of helping us  prepare for next year’s event is feedback from the community. If you  attended the conference, please let us know what you enjoyed about the conference and what you would like to see at future events in the blog  comments. Also, feel free to give us feedback on the conference in the discussion thread linked below:

Sometimes premium subscribers need love and understanding too. Whether you're already a premium account owner or are just thinking about taking the plunge, you might be curious to learn more about Second Life from a premium perspective. As requested by Support blog readers, here are some of the commonly occurring topics we see in support from Premium subscribers.

When will my stipend arrive in my account?
Residents with premium accounts are paid L$ stipends (aka an "allowance") each week. Stipends are paid on Tuesdays, based on database information gathered on the preceding Monday. Premium subscribers receive their stipend every week, whether they log in or not. If it doesn't arrive on Tuesday, you should submit a ticket through the Support Portal.

I'd like to claim my Linden Home—what do I do?

Linden Homes are available to Premium subscribers as an additional benefit—at no additional cost for those without mainland holdings. From the secondlife.com website, simply choose a theme, a house, and a name for your home, and once you agree to the terms and conditions, you should be good to go. Things to keep in mind:

• You will use 512 sqm of your available Land tier.
• Parcel sizes can't be changed.
• Terraforming is forbidden.
• Only one parcel per account.
• Buying or selling of land is prohibited.
• Zoned as non-commercial. No event or classifieds.
• Houses are permanent.
• No commerce activity.
• No sky boxes can be built.
  

By the way, if you already claimed your Linden Home, now's a good time to go and play with the new Linden Home Control Panel, which you can use to make additional customizations to Linden Homes.

I just bought some land. How do I find it?
First off, congratulations! The map will take up to 24 hours to find the region, but there are three ways you can get into the island before the map finds it.
1. Fly in from a neighboring island.
2. Specify the region's name as your "Start Location" on the login screen. (If you do not have this option, go into Preferences and it's on the General tab.)
3. Access World > My Land.

Once you've arrived, create a Landmark. Landmarks will work even if the inworld map hasn't updated. You can use it once you leave the new region or give a copy to a friend to find it. You can find your new billing information in the Land portal, under My Land. Private islands appear here.

I'd like to grant some land to a group. How do I do it?
1. Right-click the land and select About Land.
2. Click the Set button.
3. Select a new group for the land from the Groups window.
4. Click the Allow Deed to Group checkbox.
5. Click the Owner Makes Contribution With Deed checkbox.
6. Click the Deed button.

And once you're ready, you can sell group land back to yourself. See How do I reclaim land that is deeded to a group? from the Knowledge Base.

Information about other popular topics among premium subscribers can be found in the landowners section and the group-owned land section of the Knowledge Base on the Second Life Wiki. Enjoy!

There's no denying that an appreciation of nature can unite us all, and Zoo Neunkirchen offers Residents the opportunity to spend time within an environment where the stars of the show are the many amazing animals on display. Although most of the signage at the entrance is in German, it doesn't mean it cannot be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their mother tongue.

It's rare to see such well-formed and sculpted animals in Second Life. These wonderful beasts are often animated and they even react when you touch them. From fearsome lions and polar bears, to mellower chickens and livestock, there should be something here for everyone to enjoy.

Once inside the gates, Residents can tour the area on the back of a camel, or simply wander around on foot. The big cats enclosure is particularly impressive with its lions, leopards, and cheetahs. But look closer at the ground, and you'll see an incredible stream of ants scuttling along. It might freak you out if you're not a fan of creepy crawlies, but it's also just another example of how much attention to detail the designers of Zoo Neunkirchen have paid to their creation.

Also on display are polar bears, seals, giraffes, and some fantastic animated elephants that make their familiar trumpeting sounds when you get too close. In fact, throughout the zoo, Residents will feel truly immersed as the sounds of the animal kingdom, from shrieks and cries to whistles and roars, surround their avatar and enhance the atmosphere.

Just to the right of the main entrance is a relaxing park-like area. There are also more animals here, but with its waterfalls, ponds and places to sit and relax, this quieter area of the zoo makes for a beautifully romantic spot to share with a loved one. Just don't get too close to the crocodiles and gorillas, and remember that those hippos can bite.

Looking for more cool places to explore? Check out our Destination Guide or submit your own!