UPDATE: As of Ocrober 4, 2016, this offer has expired.

********************

In November, we lowered the set-up fees for land purchases by 40%. Today, we’re introducing a limited-time offer that will make land even cheaper by allowing you to lower your monthly tier payments (aka land maintenance fees).

From today until October 4th, 2016, you can “buy-down” your Full Islands and/or Homesteads to the grandfathered maintenance rates. By paying a one-time fee up front, you’ll be entitled to lower tier rates on your land for as long as you hold it (and remember, we now also allow transferring grandfathered land).

The pricing for this offer is as follows:

• Full Island:
  • One-time buy-down fee: $600
  • Grandfathered maintenance fee: $195/month (regularly $295/month)
• Homestead:
  • One-time buy-down fee: $180
  • Grandfathered maintenance fee: $95/month (regularly $125/month)

 Note: This offer cannot be combined with our Education and Non-Profit discount program, and cannot be applied to Skill Gaming Regions.

If you plan to hold onto your land for longer than 6 months, this is a great deal for you!

To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to submit a Support Case using the Land & Region -> Region Buy Down case type. In that case you can provide us with the names of the regions you would like to buy down, and we will assess the appropriate buy-down fee per region.

You may have heard that in addition to continued work to improve Second Life, Linden Lab is developing a new platform for user-created virtual experiences, code-named Project Sansar. (If you’d like to learn more about it, check out some of the recent press in our media archive.)

Project Sansar is not a sequel to nor a replacement for Second Life, and that the two will run in parallel. Although different from Second Life in a number of respects, Project Sansar has understandably aroused the interest and curiosity of many Second Life Residents. We’re very grateful for that enthusiasm! While it’s still very early for Project Sansar, today we have a special message to share inworld -  exclusively with Second Life Residents.

Since this message is just for Second Life Residents - you’ll need to head inworld to view it. Simply teleport to Town Hall Island and click on the screen to start the video. Make sure your media settings in the Viewer are set to on, and that your volume is up in order to hear and view the message. Lindens will be in and out of the region throughout the day to answer questions as well.

Because of the exclusive nature of this message, it will only be available today - April 1, 2016, so log in as soon as possible and don’t miss out!

Town Hall Island

Drop in on Friday, April 1st after 10 am SLT for an exclusive message for Second Life Residents.

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Spring has technically sprung, and while there is evidence of it in the cherry blossoms and greening of leaves, there are still some hints of winter lingering around - even in Second Life.

We have to take advantage of the snowball fight arena at the Winter Wonderlands region before the snow fully melts - and we want you to come have ice-hurling fun with us on Friday, March 25th, from 10 am - Noon SLT and 2 - 4 PM SLT.  If you missed the last snowball fight now is your chance to come pelt some friends and Lindens with soft, fluffy balls of frozen fun. Grab your snow-launching weapons from the kiosks, get some practice in, and be sure to make the trek to the top of the ice castle to take in the amazing view.

Mark the time and date in your calendars and don’t miss this last chance to enjoy the Snowball Fight Arena before the Winter Wonderland regions come down at the end of this month.

One Final Snow Fight

Take advantage of the snowball fight arena at the Winter Wonderlands region before the snow fully melts! Have ice-hurling fun with the Lindens on Friday, March 25th from 10 a.m.- noon and 2 - 4 p.m. (Pacific).

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From gachas to historic sites and everything in between - there’s an enjoyment  of all things Irish in every nook and cranny across the grid this week. This Thursday, in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day, we’ll be hanging out at some of the best spots inworld to grab a pint, kiss the Blarney Stone, and have a good time!

From the gorgeous Cliffs of Moher and the Blarney Castle’s virtual twin, to some full-tilt festivities and lively pub fun - the party is sure to be in full swing this holiday. Why not get a festive green ensemble and join us inworld from 10 am - Noon SLT and 2 pm - 4 pm SLT for the  sights, sounds, and spirit of Ireland at these destinations.

As luck would have it, we Lindens love some inworld fun too - so don’t be surprised if you run into a few at these St. Paddy’s Day celebrations. We hope to see you inworld!

Blarney Stone Irish Bar

Come visit the lively, always-exciting Blarney Stone Irish Bar in Second Life. Social events and live DJ music occur daily. Live music concerts are also held three times a week.

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Blarney Castle

Visit this 3D replica of the real Blarney Castle main tower in Ireland. There's even a Blarney Stone kissing animation. Outside the castle entryway, you can even pick up your certificate indicating that you've "kissed the Blarney Stone."

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Cliffs of Moher

Lovingly replicated from the original in county Clare, Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher are part of a four-sim, 1939 Irish village called O'Hare's Gap. Come unwind and take in the views. You will find much to explore in this very Irish experience.

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2016 St. Patrick's Town

The all-out festive atmosphere of St. Patrick's Day Town will blow through your senses like a virtual Irish breeze. Ride on flying gold coins, dance a jig with Leprechauns, slide down the rainbow into a pot of gold and fill your basket with any and everything Irish. The most colorful party is waiting for you so follow the rainbow to St. Patrick's Day Town.

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As with any online service, Second Life Residents may from time to time be targeted with phishing attempts, which try to trick users into providing personal information and account credentials.

These attempts may include messages - including inworld IMs and emails trying to appear as if they were sent from Linden Lab - that prompt you to click on a link and/or provide personal information.

To help keep yourself safe from these tricks, remember: 

• If you receive a suspicious email, forward it to phishing@secondlife.com and delete it.
• If you receive a suspicious IM, file an abuse report against the sender even if the sender looks like your friend. After stealing an account, a fraudster often tries to trick the victim's friends.
• If you feel your account has been compromised, contact Second Life Billing through the Support Portal right away. (Better yet, call us at the number provided on the Support Portal)
• Keep your antivirus software up-to-date and scan for viruses regularly.
• You can change your account password; do so frequently to keep your account secure. If you suspect you've already clicked a phishing link, change your password immediately.
• If you have multiple accounts, use a different password for each account.
• Never reuse your Second Life password for your email account or any other website.
• Your password should be easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess.
• If you think you entered your credit card information into a fake email or website, contact your bank immediately!

For more info, check out this page on the wiki.

Help your fellow Second Life Residents keep their accounts secure by sharing this post with them. Bookmark it, and the next time you see phishing attempts in group chat, share this post to help educate others. You can help put phishers out of business.

The Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (or VWBPE) Conference returns this year in the theme of HORIZONS. This free-to-attend inworld conference   kicks off tomorrow - March 9th, 2016 with opening ceremonies and festivities starting at 11 AM SLT, and runs through March 12th, 2016.

Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg has spoken at the VWBPE Conference since joining Linden Lab - with his

For the last thirteen years - long before the recent popularity of head-mounted displays -   Second Life Residents have constructed amazingly immersive experiences that impact people’s lives in ways they perhaps never would have imagined. Whether it’s visiting a national park or bygone era, or creating the perfect place to call home, it has been possible to virtually build and visit many locations - based on the physical world or completely imagined - in Second Life.

Thanks to the artistic eyes and talents of many creators, you don’t have to be a creator or builder to put together your own incredible spaces. Residents like Sominel Edelman support themselves by providing readymade landscapes for role-playing regions, privates spaces, land rentals, and more - making it possible for anyone to customize a beautiful space without having to understand terraforming.

Watch more about the impact of environment on experience and communities in this

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 1: Kriss Lehmann

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 2: Jo Yardley

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 3: Eshi Otawara

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 4: Fantasy Faire / RFL

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 5: Engrama

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 7: Rod Humble

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 8: MadPea Games

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 9: Elie Spot

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 10: Robin Sojourner

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 11: Dwarfins

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 12: Ole Etzel

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 13: Creations for Parkinson's

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 14: Rose Borchovski

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 15: Scottius Polke

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 16: Feed a Smile

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 17: Zachh Barkley

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 18: Paradise Lost

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 19: Virtual Chemistry at Texas A&M

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 20: Flockers

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 21: Editorial Clarity

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 22: Virtual Health Adventures

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 24: MadameThespian Underhill

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 25: Oblee

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 26: Absinthe

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 27: Nylon Pinkney

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 28: Whiskey Monday

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 29: Insilico

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 30: Maylee Oh

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 31:Tom Boellstorff

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 32: Jay Jay Zifanwe

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 33: Luxembourg 1867

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 34 : Cheeky Pea

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 35 : Project Bento

The ability to redeem Linden dollars for real money on the LindeX is an incredible facet of Second Life. We believe that creators should be able to profit from their creativity, and we’re proud of the success that Second Life creators have achieved. Last year, users redeemed $60 million (USD) from the Second Life economy, and for many, the virtual world is a significant source of real income.

Enabling users around the world to buy and sell Linden Dollars for real currency is no small feat. This involves Linden Lab making sure that everything is compliant with applicable laws and regulations, as well as preventing fraud and money laundering.

We’ve been investing in improvements to these processes, and today we’re announcing improved speeds for credit processing, as well as some fee adjustments.

Faster Credit Processing

We’re happy to announce that we will significantly improve how quickly we’re able to process a majority of credit requests.

Based on current data, we estimate that the upgrades we’ve made will allow approximately 75% of process credit requests to be completed within 2 business days.

For a minority of requests, the process may still take 5 business days. Because we’re dealing with sending real money to users around the world, we may require additional information and perform other processes that could impact the time needed. A good rule of thumb is that the better we know you as a customer, the more likely it is we’ll be able to quickly process your credit requests.

Upcoming Changes to Fees

In addition to taking time, processing credit and paying real money to users’ PayPal and Skrill accounts incurs costs to Linden Lab. Each transaction actually costs us more than the $1 (USD) fee we have been charging. To address that and in light of the significant investments we’ve made to improve the related systems and processes, we will be making some adjustments to the fee structure, beginning next month.

As of April 5, 2016, instead of charging a flat fee of $1 (USD) per transaction, we will charge a fee of 1.5% of the transaction value, with a minimum fee of $3 (USD) and a maximum of $15 (USD). Additionally, the fee for purchasing L$ on the LindeX will increase 10¢, from $0.30 (USD) to $0.40 (USD) per transaction.

We hope that you’ll enjoy the improved speed of credit processing and understand that these upcoming fee updates help to support the complex work involved in enabling Second Life users to buy and sell Linden Dollars for real money at a massive scale, all while keeping the system reliable, safe, compliant with regulations - and now faster.

Cupid’s month is nearly at its end — but you can still head over to the Isle of View and visit the gifting kiosk — all proceeds will be matched and donated to The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. You may have an extra day this month due to it being a Leap Year — but the gifting kiosk ends on Feb 29th — so head on over!

In the spirit of giving — the folks over at the  Second Life Destination Guide  keep busy exploring tons of submissions. They work hard to bring an assorted bevy of the best there is — and that’s a lot of good stuff. Why not take think of their hard work as your fortune? A pamphlet of places to visit that you can stick in your back pocket and  the grid with. A divining cheat sheet that will catapult you into your next inworld adventure? Try this — close your eyes, scroll through this blog and point — then go wherever your luck takes you!

Wherever you go — be sure to take lots of pics — maybe enter them in the Leap into Love Snapshot Contest before it ends on the 29th — for a chance to win and share them on our Official Second Life Flickr page!

Let’s go!

Home For Our Troops Event

Help raise money for Homes For Our Troops in this multi-day event in Second Life. Buy or bid on exclusive items and attend one of the many live music performances in this charity event, held through Feb. 29.

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Children of the World Charity Event

Residents of Second Life unite together for a good cause at this music and fashion event, held Feb. 25 through March 2. Help the children in Yemen and connect with others who care in this limited-time event in benefit of War Child (warchild.org.uk).

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Metroplex 17

Metroplex 17 is a sci-fi roleplay community based in the year 2086 where humans live among a complex society of cyborgs, androids, and genetic mutations.This totalitarian city is ruled by social class distortion, with a shift of balance given to the wealthy Mega-corporations, who preside over and influence major political movements that affect the lower-class. Which side will you choose?

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Bay City History Pavilion

Want to learn more about the Mainland community of Bay City? Get in deep and visit this display covering the city's history and featuring artifacts and images spanning it's existence from 2008 to today!

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Unexpected Error

Unexpected Error is a hangout for self-proclaimed geeks, nerds, gamer girls and guys Meet like-minded people, talk games and possibly get laid at this unconventional chat spot.

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Sorrow

Experience the isolated, icy beauty of Sorrow.

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The Outer Garden

The course of time stops at The Outer Garden. Listen to a lover's whisper...or take a walk and snap photos along the way. These gardens are filled with summer dreams, twinkling water and translucent pale lights.

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Funky Junk

Funky Junk is a world of the future. Humans and the subsequent dominant species (avatars) have long gone. All that remains of them are piles and piles of their trash. Learn more at funkyjunksl.weebly.com.

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The Ionic Spell Collective

The Ionic Spell is what remains of a little village devastated by a large solar storm, forcing the citizens to rethink day to day life. For 10 years the people have lived without electricity and looked for ways to restore the light. The community is close and must stick together to find the answer.

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Grace Island

Grace Island is a photography sim with regularly-changing designs and themes; from strands of romantic beaches and glistening seas to enchanted mountains tufted with forests, Grace Island offers much to discover and photograph. Each design has a story you can piece together as you explore. You'll also find many features perfect for friends and lovers to relax and spend time.

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Etinterra

Explore Etinterra, an adventurous space for the Spanish-speaking furry community in Second Life.

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Monumento Malvinas Argentinas

Honor those who have passed at this replica of the memorial to the Argentinian casualties in the Falklands War (April-June 1982).

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17th Century Pirates Haven of Rogues

Hide out in this secluded haven for 18th century pirates, rogues and outlaws. Nestled in the southern nether regions of an active and growing 12-region estate, here you'll find pirates, rum...and others of questionable character.

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The Second Life community likes to participate in many charitable organizations and fund-raising events - it's one of the many great things about this community!

Second Life Resident Blaze Teardrop is currently looking for designers who are willing to participate in an event this coming weekend to benefit the Homes For Our Troops organization. Any designers who are interested in participating should send a notecard to Blaze Teardrop or simplerosey resident inworld as soon as possible. Items do NOT need to be a new item. Performers and DJs who are interested should contact Crowe Blackheart.

The event runs February 21st through February 29th - so a quick response is encouraged. There is no theme - however all proceeds from items sold at the event go towards the organization.

The event region has been donated by Chung Real Estate.

In this age of modern love it’s important to stop and enjoy the finer things of your Second Life - smell the virtual flowers and dream a little. The Isle of View is the perfect place to discover that the truest hallmark of love is time spent with our loved ones. This year it’s bigger and better than before - with some rebooted classics and new festivities! Read on to find out everything we’ve got in our box of chocolates this year! We’re fairly sure you’ll fall in love with the fireworks, gaze deep into the waters of the Swan Boat ride, and tiptoe through fields of botanically beautiful landscapes! There isn’t an inch of Isle of View that you and your amor will want to miss.

Love for a Good Cause

What the world needs now is more love! Visit the Isle of View kiosks any time this month to send virtual roses and candy hearts to your Second Life friends and sweethearts. Nothing is better than giving, so the L$ proceeds from the sales of these gifts will go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Visit the Isle of View to select and send your Valentine’s gifts. We’ll match the final total and double the donation love! How’s that for a sweet pairing?

Mix It Up at Our Mixer

We understand that love is sometimes complicated. You have got to work hard to make it work - and we’re not afraid of a little tough love. On February 12 from 10am - 12pm and 2-4pm SLT we'll be mixing things up with the return of Dunk-a-Linden and Hug-a-Linden booths! You may just meet your virtual Valentine while waiting for a chance to dunk or hug a Linden - and if you don’t - hey you still got to dunk or hug a Linden! It’s a win-win situation.

With music, festivities and love in the air - solo or soulmates - The Isle of View Second Life Mixer is sure to be fun for everyone. This region is so scenic, you may want to snap some pics and enter our Leap into Love Snapshot Contest.

If you’re looking to take a little jazz-drenched New Orleans stroll in celebration of Mardi Gras, or escape the brain-eating hordes of post-apocalyptic zombies, no one has got your back like the Second Life Destination Guide does. Feeling up for a little hunting? Looking for some Valentine’s Day gift inspiration? We’ve got that covered, too!

Take lots of pics — maybe enter them in the Leap into Love Snapshot Contest for a chance to win or share them on our Official Second Life Flickr page!

If your spot or event is missing from the Guide, drop us a line at the submission form.

We’ll catch you inworld!

Imesha

In Imesha, urban and sci-fi are carefully blended together to bring about a very unique looking landscape. Although very futuristic in appearance, many areas still contain aspects of nature and original art. Discover the endless scenic opportunities for photographers or simply explore this attractive environment and chill out with friends,

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Paris de t'aime

Explore the many shops, sights and attractions in this beautiful Parisian-themed sim.

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Apocalyptic Coast Zombies

Watch your back as you explore this apocalyptic city...where the zombies will come out to bite you.

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The Truth Or Dare Affair

Don't miss the Truth or Dare Affair, brought to you by Evil Bunny Productions. Over 80 of SL's best designers tease and please you with TRUTH (nice) and DARE (naughty) exclusive designs! Each designer also has a $10L gift for you! Opens Feb. 6.

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2016 Mardi Gras Town

The vibrant sounds of authentic, New Orleans jazz will fill your ears the moment you land on the cobble stoned streets of Mardi Gras Town. A holiday venue with incredible colors, ambiance and a festive spirit. Mardi Gras Town is the destination to let the good times roll.

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London City Love In

Celebrate the joy and passion of Love in London City. This month-long festival of the heart has nightly events, weekly concerts, and special attractions centered around Valentines Day. The event runs through February. For details, visit mainlandlondon.blogspot.co.uk

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The Stupid Cupid Hunt 4

That Cupid, he's so STUPID! Flying around, shooting arrows everywhere, flipping around making everyone dizzy, trailing little hearts wherever he goes. He's trying to make love matches all across SL! It's time to stop cupid before he gets any more stupid! Find the arrows he's left laying around SL for amazing gifts from talented designers.

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Isil Designs

Isil Designs (Delaunay Industries) provides the highest quality materials-enabled architecture, furniture, and vehicles with modern and futuristic themes. Experience the unique sights of the main store from the ground level island resort to the orbital space station.

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REVAMPED

REVAMPED is a monthly shopping event where designers take customer favorites and revamp them to either now be made in mesh, include appliers, include previously unavailable new appliers, or include new pieces that were not part of the set before. This monthly event runs from the 28th of the month to the 20th of the following month.

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“You can build or do or create or be whatever you want. We want to support that in any way that we can.”

Project Bento extends the standard Second Life Avatar skeleton - enabling rigging, animation, and attachment points for dozens of new bones! That means more articulate, expressive and customizable avatars for Residents and a new runway of creativity for creators.

In this episode of the Drax Files take a backstage glimpse into the development process of Project Bento -  from mission statement to beta deploy - directly from the Lindens and Moles who are working closely with Resident advisors on this major avatar improvement.

To find out more about how Project Bento is supporting the endless possibilities in Second Life - watch the

The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 1: Kriss Lehmann
The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 2: Jo Yardley
The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 3: Eshi Otawara
The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 4: Fantasy Faire / RFL
The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 5: Engrama

Many a tune has been penned in its honor, mountains of prose labor over its intricate highs and lows. Love. The original muse. The inspiration of art across the world, and the culprit of many a great story. Why not continue the tradition of love and creativity by participating in the “Leap into Love” Snapshot Contest?

Share a Snapshot in the theme of Love on our Official Contest page, and you could win one of 4 amazing prizes:

• Grand Prize – L$10,000
• First Prize – L$5,000
• Second Prize – L$3,000
• Third Prize- L$1,000

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges made up of Residents and Lindens based on consistency with theme, originality, creativity, and overall impression.

The “Leap into Love” Snapshot Contest celebrates friends, family, loved ones - all of those who are beloved in our lives. While Cupid may be pointing arrows at this time of year, we know that love is much bigger than that. Love is kindness, friendship, balance, warmth, laughter, and so much more - so share it with us! Contest ends on February 29th.

Pic by Strawberry Singh

A series filmed using Second Life is set to air its first of three 30-minute pilot episodes this coming Monday, February 1, 2016 at 6pm Pacific.

Breakout “Joyful Noise” is the first in the series that focuses on a young woman named Joy Jamison who works in a high-end boutique but struggles with her faith and self-image.

Those in the Midwest who are interested in watching may check their listings for Charter Cable channel 198. Everyone can view the broadcast on Dynasty Television via stream.

A trailer for the series is also 

Tune in Monday!

The Second Life Destination Guide returns with another edition of Destination Guide Highlights — a sample platter of some of the coolest spots you don’t want to miss inworld.

Music, art. romance and many more flavors of fun are all over the grid — why not springboard into your weekend fun with a tour starting now?

If your spot or event is missing from the Guide, drop us a line at the submission form.
We’ll catch you inworld!

Mole Day 2016

Once again, we celebrate those creatives minds and the great builds of the Linden Department of Public Works! Join us for a concert in the park featuring Maximillion Kleene and GoSpeed Racer as we toast the Moles! Event held Jan. 30 beginning at 11 a.m. (Pacific).

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Oi Oi Oi - Experiments Phase One

Created by real life multi-media artist "The London Paint Splatterer." Explore the volatile waters that lurk deeply in Oh! Noire's psychological landscape with many visual adventures. You can boat round the waters at Oi Oi Oi - Experiments Phase One. All welcome and nothing is usual.

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Betty Tureaud's The City

The City a art installation about trying escape from a life to another. Follow the footprints in the sand to begin your journey...

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Beginners by Cica Ghost

Every end is a new beginning.

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Surf Religion & Surf Love

Surf Religion and Surf Love is an ideal spot for surfers, photographers and lovers. They have the awesome JAWS wave, as well as beautiful grounds and romantic cuddles. Come and enjoy the positive flow of energy here among the ruins.

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Heavenly Groove

Heavenly Groove is a nice hangout space with beautiful picture perfect scenes. Come here to explore, spend time with friends and take lots of pictures!

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Forgotten at The Pulse

Forgotten at The Pulse is a beautiful, scenic and photogenic area that features beautiful, hidden areas to discover. Here you can dance or find blissful areas for solitude. There's a beautiful chapel and other impressive architecture. Enjoy taking photos, spending quality time with a loved one or just wandering and enjoying a quiet moment and serenity.

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Northern Forests of Shara

Explore the Northern Forests of Shara, a peaceful retreat filled with many areas to discover including a formal ballroom, large castle, dance pavilions and more.

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Evolving Images Romantic Park

Evolving Images is a romantic place for dancing, dining, cuddling, vistas and walks. There are two types of dining experiences, four dance floors, and a large menu of romantic dances to choose from. Take your sweetheart on a walk through the bird sanctuary, go ice skating on the ice rink, cuddle in the gazebo, buy flowers from the flower cart, mosey through the local shops or ride the carousel.

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The Second Life Destination Guide strives to highlight all types of events going on in Second Life. From the one off art exhibits to the seasonal events - we’ve got you covered. Now, we’ve added a special category highlighting those recurring shopping events you don’t want to miss! Take a look and see what’s out there and happening right now!

Once again, we’ve gathered a handful of some of the best spots to  investigate inworld right now. Have a look at the list below, but remember - as you explore the grid, share your inworld pics to the group pool at our Official Second Life Flickr.  Pic of the Day images are selected from there and featured on our blog and social media pages.

If your spot or event is missing from the Guide, drop us a line at the submission form.

Go on now - log in. You know you want to!

Timekiller II 2016 Festival

Join slGoth and Morphe, Inc. for the New Year celebrating the past, present, and future in the theme “Gothic Steampunk." Features 20 merchants, daily live DJ’s and SL voice story telling by Seanchai Library.

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MENstuff Fashion Hunt

The MENstuff Fashion Hunt consists of creations from great MENstuff designers, some of which have generously designed exclusives that will only be found in this limited-time hunt. Event ends Feb.29.

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Wayward Winter

This winter event, held Jan 18-31, is filled with activities and fun. Build a snowman or take a lift up to the tallest hill for skiing. Grab your ice skates for twirling among the snowflakes or pick up the fastest sled for gliding over those snow caps. Then, head back to our ski lodge to warm up beside the fire!

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20Twenty

20Twenty is a monthly instore event, beginning on the 20th of every month, spanning 20 days, and offering exclusive items from up to 20 curated designers at 20% off. More at differentialevents.weebly.com/20twenty.html.

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Santorini Club

Get lost in space at the Santorini International Space Club. Celebrate the spring surrounded by stars and planets somewhere in the universe.

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Emmalena Damour's Art Gallery and Photo

This art gallery hosts photographic art from real life, as well as digital art and prints of real life acrylic paintings and charcoal and chalk drawings (with permission of the artists).

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Split Screen Installation Space

Split Screen Installation Space hosts a variety of limited-time art exhibitions from well-established creators. Don't miss Jo Ellsmere's mesmerizing bot performance "Biomechanical," which is inspired by Russian theater director Vsevolod Meyerhold.

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Gates of Memories

We don't remember days. We remember moments.

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On January 7th, 2016, we put out a call for questions for the upcoming edition of Lab Chat -  a Q & A show where Lindens answer your questions in a 1 hour show that’s recorded with a live studio audience.

The next Lab Chat - with guest Ebbe Linden -  is scheduled for this Thursday, January 21st, at the Linden Endowment for the Arts Theatre. The show starts at 10:30am SLT, and if you have trouble getting there at the link above - you can try here and here. Seating is limited - but if you are unable to attend, we’ll have a recording available sometime after the show wraps.

If you missed the first episode, the show is available on our Official YouTube channel in three parts:

Catch up on the last episode and try to come out to be a part of the next show on January 21st!

The Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference aims primarily to strengthen the ties of the virtual worlds communities through networking opportunities and access to innovation. Whether you work in education, or support education, the VWBPE community embraces the work of all of those that work in this industry both directly and indirectly. VWBPE connects you with the people that share your interests in furthering the goals of education in an information age.

The deadline for proposals is fast approaching on January 17th.

Whether your passion involves, imagination of artists, innovation of coders and scripters, the vision of designers, the ingenuity of out of the box thinkers, or the aesthetic interpretation of performers, VWBPE has a great program on the horizon for March 9-12, and they're looking for your participation.

Important deadlines here: http://vwbpe.org/presenters.
Proposal Guidelines: http://vwbpe.org/presenters/guidelines
Call for Proposals: http://vwbpe.org/presenters/call-for-proposals
Steps to Submission: http://vwbpe.org/presenters/faq/how-to-submit

Get your prosals in this weekend and plan to attend!

Project Bento is one of the biggest changes to the Second Life avatar ever! More than 90 new bones have been added to accommodate features like subtle facial expressions, articulating fingers, smoothly-flapping wings, waving tails, and much more that was previously impossible or required complex workarounds.

If you’re a creator who’s testing out Project Bento, or one who’s eager to give it a try - now is the perfect time! We’re looking for creators to show off some of the possibilities of Project Bento for an upcoming episode of

On January 19th at NOON SLT, there will be an open casting call for anyone who has built something with Bento to come show off their work. Selected creators may be filmed and/or interviewed to be featured in an upcoming episode of the Drax Files. You will need to login to Aditi in order to access the location (secondlife://Aditi/secondlife/Bento%20Island/128/128/23). The location will not be open until NOON SLT on January 10th Information about Aditi and how to access it is located on our wiki.

In addition to the open casting call, creators are encouraged to contact Draxtor Despres inworld with information about what they're making. Video, screenshots, descriptions - the more information the better, and the sooner you can share that - the better as well. Chosen creations and their creators will be contacted with information for a private filming on  January 20th, 2016, with Draxtor and Torley Linden.  

Machinimists are encouraged to come film during the open casting and get an early peek at the creative ways Project Bento is being utilised.

A sneak peek at the set and props being built for the filming project. 
There are no awards - everyone is encouraged to come show their Project Bento creations.

Here are a few examples of what some creators have already accomplished with Project Bento that will inspire you to try out Project Bento and come show off your work!

Valentine’s Day is just on the horizon and will be here before you can get through a handful of heart candies! We’re looking for some great Second Life pictures from the community to feature in upcoming email and banner campaigns - with credit to the photographer - of course!

In a snapshot, let us know what Valentine’s Day means to you in Second Life.

Share your story in a picture and on our Official Flickr Page with the tag “SLVday2016” so that we can see all of your amazing works. You may submit as many as you like between now and January 29, 2016.

We’ll showcase the chosen image(s) in an email to Residents, as well as in some banner campaigns. We’ll let the chosen image creators know via Flickr and ask for an avatar name for the credits.

Submission Requirements:

• Images must be at least 2048x1207
• Make sure that your submissions are appropriate for all audiences.
• Show your avatar or avatars in a scene inworld - an image that tells a story is going to make an impression.
• Keep your image free of additional text/logos
• Make sure your lighting is not too dark and that avatars can be seen well
  
  

As an example, here are last years selections:

Good luck and have fun!

We’re only about a week into the new year, and there’s already so many great new events and spots to check out inworld. The Second Life Destination Guide is fast filling up with new places to explore, events to shop and wander, and tons of other great ways to spend a little of your time logged in.

Here’s a small sample of great destinations you should make sure to visit. Art, opera, scenery are just a log in away!

Roots by Cica Ghost

The people have gone...the village remains, and time and nature now live here...

Visit in Second Life

Miyako Jima Exhibition

Explore this limited-time exhibition filled with Japanese-themed architecture and experiences. Visit the dojo or discover the Kimono Museum. Roleplay as a samurai, geisha or monk in one of the many relaxing and inspiring spots here.

Visit in Second Life

CyberPolis: The Oracle

Can you uncover the secrets of the urban planetary system CyberPolis? Discover an old oracle as you navigate a maze to solve a puzzle in this limited-time exhibition from Asmita Duranjaya.

Visit in Second Life

Royal Opera

Welcome to the Royal Opera of Second Life. It was formed to encourage, educate and support the best in classical arts including music, dance, art, opera and theater.

Visit in Second Life

Tether's End

Located in the forests of upstate New York, not far south from the Canadian border, the city began as a settlement founded in the mid-18th Century by a group of fae folk. It's purpose? A safe haven for supernatural beings who wished to remove themselves from the violence and war that plagued the human world.

Visit in Second Life

The Keys

In this picturesque photography region, you can wander and take in the harmonious views. Stop and rest in a furnished house full of character or get led astray by hidden areas filled with charm and attention to detail. All provided for photography -- both beginners and professionals are welcomed. Don't miss the free photo studio.

Visit in Second Life

Stranger Things Are Happening

Stranger Things Are Happening is an art installation filled with photo and machinima opportunities. Created by Krystali Rabeni, this sim invites you to ponder this strange land and take a minute to wonder if stranger things are happening all around us.

Visit in Second Life

Pomponne

Visit this quaint Japanese town and explore the train station, local shops, and shrine.

Visit in Second Life

Scenes @ MetaLES ..O.. Scene IV

Just one thing, remember, in all the scenes, she always was...alone.

Visit in Second Life

London City Early Spring

London City invites you to join them for an early spring time. If you are fed up with the cold weather, come and enjoy outdoor events and weekly concerts, bathed in balmy sunshine. More details at mainlandlondon.blogspot.co.uk

Visit in Second Life

Hollow Days @ Jasmine's Hollow

The 5th annual Hollow Days is here! Celebrate winter with love, peace, joy, and friendship in this acclaimed all-inclusive Adirondack Steampunk destination full of whimsy and magic.

Visit in Second Life

Heritage

Opening Jan. 7. Heritage is a two-part exhibition by creator Gem Preiz. It begins with "Vestiges," an evocation of these witnesses of Past. It is designed as a quest and is inspired by stories of fearless adventurers who explore archeological sites or forsaken strongholds to find there the treasures of disappeared civilisations.

Visit in Second Life

Le Bistro

Le Bistro is a newcomer-friendly meeting place for French speakers. Lieu de rencontres et de discussion francophone, face au Centre d'Accueil de France 3D. Respect de chacun et bonne humeur obligatoire !

Visit in Second Life

Lost Junction

On the corner of Never and Tomorrow, you'll find a tiny boutique full of knick knacks, paddy whacks and other assorted fancies including accessories and decor, statues and the occasional bit of jewelry.

Visit in Second Life

Nightfall Cities

Get on your hiking boots and put a camera around your neck so that you can explore one of the wildest locations in SL. Nightfall Cities: Into the Wilds is a picturesque sim full of personality and character. With a wintery theme, you'll want to bring thermal underwear!

Visit in Second Life

Silver Hawk

Explore the Silver Hawk community, where you'll find a Japanese gun shop. combat zone and other surprises both above and below the ground.

Visit in Second Life

As you explore the grid, share your inworld pics to the group pool at our Official Second Life Flickr.  Pic of the Day images are selected from there and featured on our blog and social media pages.

If your spot is missing from the Guide, drop us a line at the submission form.

Last November - at the Linden Endowment for the Arts Theatre, Ebbe Linden sat down with members of the Lab Chat production team to answer questions from the Second Life Community forums, as well as a live audience of more than 180 Residents. This was the first Lab Chat  - a community-driven initiative with participation from Linden Lab

The next  Lab Chat will be Thursday, January 21st, at 10:30am SLT. Once again the guest will be Ebbe Linden, and the show will be taped at the Linden Endowment for the Arts Theatre. This is an opportunity for you to ask your questions during a live taping that will be recorded and archived for everyone to watch - not just those who can attend.

To submit your questions for the next Lab Chat, please add them to this forum thread before Friday January 15th, 2016. Residents from the Lab Chat production team will select questions to ask Ebbe from this forum thread and invite the authors to ask their question live at the inworld show. If there is time, additional questions from the audience will be taken.

As mentioned, if you are unable to attend the live show, a recording will be available shortly after the first Lab Chat wraps, so no one will miss out!

We’ll see you on January 21st, 2016 at 10:30am SLT. Don’t forget to add your questions to the forum thread and mark your calendars to join us!

There’s a certain magic in the air this time of year — and it’s all over the grid in Second Life! Winter, the holidays, the warmth of a roaring fire and twinkling lights — all of it is a spectacular sight you won’t want to miss out on.

This edition of Second Life Destination Guide Highlights captures the joy of the season as celebrated by Residents from all over the world. There’s bound to be a festive celebration to suit your mood as you drop by these wintry destinations.

ChristmasVille

Welcome to ChristmasVille! Bring all your friends and enjoy the festivities in this winter-themed village.

Visit in Second Life

Holiday Village

The stage is set and the decorations are up. Holiday Village has been transformed into a charming and warm winter venue. Come ride the ski lift to the peak of the North Pole mountain for some skiing and sledding. Take a tour through the town center, the North Pole and the village. Travel by flying sleigh, horse drawn carriage or stroll about to take it all in.

Visit in Second Life

Ben's Magical Christmas Festavu 2015

Ben's Magical Christmas Festavu is back for its sixth holiday season! This year's creation is almost entirely new. Visit Santa's Workshop and House, Scrooge's House and more. Be sure to ride the BennyRail Train around the Festavu to take in all the sights.

Visit in Second Life

Clownski's Department Store

Come visit Clownski's Department Store and Skyroom. For a limited engagement, Santa Claus is visiting in the main atrium of the store. Clownski's is a model department store inspired after smaller older elegant downtown stores. Attached to Lapara Town, you may explore the museums, and other shops...then ride the train through town!

Visit in Second Life

2015 Christmas Town

Christmas Town is a sim-sized town with shopping and entertainment -- all in the spirit of Christmas and New Years. An updated time travel ride will take you through an ice castle filled with tunnels and passages transporting you through the magic of Christmas.

Visit in Second Life

Winter in Old Lapara Towne

Visit Olde Lapara Towne, the original mainland tram city based on the early 20th century. Start at the bottom level in the winter wonderland, and then take the tram on its (mostly) express run up four levels to the grand terminal. Explore the town under a blizzard. Visit the hotel, drug store, museum, or Santa.

Visit in Second Life

Christmas In Vampire Island

Interested in something new? Christmas in Vampire Island offers an active role play community with the essence of combat, joined with characters such as a Vampire, Angel, Lycan or Human, all work together against clan enemies.

Visit in Second Life

Lucienne

The picturesque town of Lucienne is nestled among forest, snow-capped hills and rivers. Explore a friendly, detailed downtown and journey beyond for quiet moments in a hilltop mansion, proud lighthouse, rustic farm and more. Hidden throughout are sensual and romantic surprises for adventurous couples. On the far reaches of Lucienne are The Docks and The Factory for music and events.

Visit in Second Life

As you explore the grid, share your inworld pics to the group pool at our Official Second Life Flickr.  Pic of the Day images are selected from there and featured on our blog and social media pages.

If your spot isn’t in the Guide and you think it should be, drop us a line at the submission form.

It’s hard to believe, but 2015 is wrapping up already! With the excitement over the recent Bento announcement still in the air, we’d like to end the year by highlighting just a few more of the many ways that Second Life got even better this year.

Tech & Feature Improvements
We just promoted the Valhalla (CEF) Viewer to release. This is a major step (so we bumped the version to 4.0.0) - In-Viewer web content is now coming to you via the latest version of the Chromium Embedded Framework API - it’s a lot like the latest version of the Google Chrome browser you might use on your desktop. This change allows Residents to add web media to their creations using the latest web standards including HTML5, CSS3 and WebGL. We’ve ditched the aging and unsupported Qt/Webkit framework and the myriad of previously unfixed problems it accumulated. While we encourage content creators to move to HTML5 for best performance and future compatibility, various older plugins are still supported.

We also spent quite a bit of effort to maintain and improve the infrastructure. There were 28 simulator releases, Inventory Robustness improvements, improvements to Group Chat, and a major update of the developer toolchain.

We launched Viewer Managed Marketplace this year and rolled out the timely demise of magic boxes. We released updates to improve the Mesh Importer and implemented a resident-contributed feature suggestion to improve and expand the Notifications UI. We added a control to set your Hover Height just right from another bit of feedback.

Of course there’s more to come in 2016, hopefully something for everyone. Just a few things we have in the pipeline are the new Marketplace Search (currently in Beta), HTTP project (soon merging with Voice fixes), the Quick Graphics & Rendering Complexity Viewer, and an update to the Oculus Rift Viewer as well!

 Better Looking Starter Avatars
This year we worked on and launched new makeovers to classic avatars. These great-looking new avatars address some compatibility issues as well as offer better-looking starter options for new Residents.

New Premium Perks
We’re continuously looking for ways to improve the value of Premium Membership in Second Life. Just this year we introduced Experience tools, reduced the cost of monthly membership and stopped charging VAT, increased Group and IM limits, and added Live Chat and extended concierge hours.

Lower Land Set-Up Fees & Grandfathered Transfers
We now allow Grandfathered transfers and we’ve lowered setup fees for Land owners and we continue to look for ways to improve our land products while keeping the economy healthy!

Inworld Events & Community Fun
This last summer marked the 12th Birthday of Second Life, and our Residents put together an amazing community-driven event. As part of the celebrations, Linden Lab hosted the first Official Music Fest - inviting musicians who perform in Second Life to come out and showcase their live music and celebrate a dozen years of Second Life. Part of the fun of SL12B included the release of the awesome T-rex avatar - a hint at what was to come with the epic launch of PaleoQuest.

There’s lots to talk about - and we were happy to join the Lab Chat production team in November for the first session of Lab Chat. Stay tuned for more details on the call for questions and date for the next edition - coming soon!

In the spirit of our inworld meetups like the Creepy Crawl and our Snowball Fight - we look forward to spending more time enjoying this amazing world with you in the new year!