Inworld

When I started as a new Resident, I explored Second Life but I didn't know what I was here for. Yet, I enjoyed what I was seeing and was visually stimulated by all of the user content. One of my favorite places was Creative Fantasy — this was my place to get lost in. Visually interesting, each build a scene of its own and each an inspiration for a photo, outfit or décor. This brought about my need to make things. I felt I had to put something — anything! — down on the grid and so I played with prims. Eventually, it wasn't enough. I found stores I needed to share with others. This need to create and share motivates us.

Existem alguns aspectos no Second Life que são bem interessantes, mas nenhum é tão instigante e mexe tanto com nosso espírito que a moda secondlifeana. Acredito que nesses anos de Second Life, nada tenha movimentado mais em termos econômicos que a relação simbiótica da oferta incessante de novas criações e a busca incansável por novidades. Essas novidades são transformadas em tendências que estão cada vez mais conectadas ao constante aprimoramento tecnológico que a plataforma tem proporcionado somado a inquietação explosiva dos criadores. Afirmando isso, não estou querendo dissertar sobre possibilidades ou oportunidades, mas quero sobretudo apontar para o processo de inspiração que influencia cada vez mais o espírito consumidor, recompensando todo o investimento. O caráter artístico e a qualidade de um produto são importantes ingredientes nesse mercado e determinam o sucesso ou o fracasso de um grande investimento tecnológico. Não basta ter apenas uma grande tecnologia é preciso ter qualidade e um apurado senso estético somados ao conjunto.

Durante muito tempo, o usuário com perfil consumidor teve pouca oportunidade para buscar melhores produtos, já que havia pouca oferta de qualidade e a inexperiência de saber como e aonde procurar. Alguns poucos criadores fizeram muitos sucesso há uns 3 anos atrás, tendo feito alto investimento em texturas com apurado senso estético, criando tendências. Ao observar essas criações de 3 anos atrás, vemos o primoroso trabalho que eles tiveram em uma época tão limitada onde tudo estava sendo testado e aperfeiçoado. Mas mudando o foco para os dias atuais, observo que houve muitas mudanças, sobretudo na oferta, o que faz com que existam mais novidades do que temos condição de consumir. Nesse caso o usuário precisa exigir constantemente qualidade nesse processo. Não só qualidade mas também o comprometimento constante dos criadores em oferecer bons produtos.

Mecanismos de difusão como os blogs são importantes ferramentas e devem chamar pra si a responsabilidade na busca por esses objetivos. Esta maravilhosa ferramenta já demonstrou inúmeras vezes, e de inúmeras maneiras, seu potencial para a propaganda. Não me refiro somente à utilização comercial da propaganda, mas também na divulgação, principalmente, de idéias e opiniões. Da mesma forma que criadores precisam ser responsáveis e comprometidos com a qualidade de seus produtos, os responsáveis por blogs não podem permitir que a popularidade e o consumismo exacerbado se sobreponham às exigências do senso estético e qualidade.

Lotus Mastroianni is one of today's Fashion Experts and will be "on call" to respond to comments and answer questions both here and in the Fashion Forums from 9 am - 4 pm, Pacific Standard Time, Sunday, September 18. 

Hi there! My name is Felicity Blumenthal, and you may or may not know me from my little blog My Second Closet. I started my blog back in April 2008 as a hobby, which it still is for me. In my Real Life, I am basically the typical soccer mom living in the Southern part of the United States. So, it just goes to show you — no matter who you are, you can do anything you'd like in Second Life.

Anyway, I thought I might introduce myself here on the Second Life Blog by sharing with you some of my favorite creators, all of whom I've been blogging for years now. I really do blog mostly for myself, but I like to share the things I love with my readers. Things I look for in clothing are really well-sculpted items, like the skirt I am sharing today from League. It is my favorite new thing, and if you haven't visited the store, you absolutely must go!  The skirt comes in a whole slew of patterns and colors, plus tons of tops to wear with it.

Accessories: These are my two favorite shops — Zaara and Mandala. I find that I can rely on them to get really high-quality, well-crafted jewelry, and impeccable texture work — and their sculpts are amazing as well.

Some other things that probably don't need mentioning at all because almost everyone on the grid has them: TRUTH hair and Maitreya shoes. You might have noticed my adorable prim feet peeking out from under my skirt — Onyx's new flip-flops are hands-down my favorite, and really ANY hair from TRUTH hair could be my favorite on any given day.

Skins are another of my many shopping addictions, and without a doubt Belleza makes my favorites. The skin I’m wearing today is from the upcoming release — Chloe.

You know there are tons of little things you can add to your look to really personalize yourself: eyelashes, eyes, nails and freckles. I could go on and on about them all, but most of those you will see I wear the same on my blog constantly. Old habits are hard to quit!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed sharing a little of my addiction with me, and that I've given you some “run-out-and-buy” items for the day. Now hop over to the Forums so we can chat it up! Can't wait to meet y'all!

Style Details:

Skirt:*League* (Nena Janus) Nomad Skirt -Vintage Floral
Tank:Nyte'N'Day - Racerback Tank (complete) - Brown
Freckles:[PXL] (Hart Larsson) – FullBody freckles
Freckles: [:T:] (Tuli Asturias) Freckles
Hair:>TRUTH< (Truth Hawks) Abigail - quince
Nails:[MANDALA] (Kikunosuke Eel) - NAIL/female Long
Flip-Flops:Maitreya Gold (Onyx LeShelle) * Flip-Flops Fawn L
Bangles:Zaara (Zaara Kohime) : Nizam Choodiya (bangles) gold *white*
Earrings:Zaara (Zaara Kohime) : Sarayi wood hoops *gold* L
Lashes:[LeLutka] (Minnu Palen)-Photoshoot II Lashes(NOSE)
Eyes:[LeLutka] (Minnu Palen) -Ellis-Vine/M
Necklace: [MANDALA] (Kikunosuke Eel) - KAGETORA necklace/wood/chest
Skin:-Belleza- (Tricky Boucher) Chloe Pale 31 **not yet released**
Pose:oOo Studio (Olaenka Chesnokov)

Felicity Blumenthal is one of today's Fashion Experts. She'll be "on call" to respond to comments and answer questions both here and in the Fashion Forums from 9 am - 4 pm, Pacific Standard Time, Sunday, September 18. 

These days, the amount of stuff available inworld and on the Marketplace seems almost endless, and although this means almost anything you could ever want is out there somewhere, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed as you’re looking. While this will be old news for many skilled fashionistas, I think the most valuable knowledge I could share here is my method for finding whatever you’re looking for in this wide virtual world — with almost universal success!

If you’re lucky you’ll already have the name of the product you’re looking for, the store it’s from, or the designer who created it. With that information, an easy inworld search is all you really need to do. But — what if the store has changed names, or the teleport dropped you in the middle of an empty field? This is why I’m a big fan of using a designer’s Profile Picks to locate their main store (and why it is so vital that designers keep their Picks current!). A designer’s name is more useful and more reliable than any other piece of information about an item.

In a perfect world, you would always know the specific details of an item you want, but what if you have the wrong information, or no information at all? Maybe you saw someone wearing an amazing pair of faun legs, or maybe you’ve just always been a fan of mythology and feel like wearing something that shows it. Where to even begin? 

The Second Life Marketplace is a great starting point, but many designers haven’t listed all the creations there yet and some don’t have Marketplace storefronts at all. So, how would you find them? Your next step should be to ask the Second Life Forums, which can be a wealth of knowledge. It’s also a good idea to head to a place where many Residents share information and pictures — image-sharing sites like Flickr and Koinup are ideal, and so are blogger networks like HeartSL. If network-wide searches there fail to turn up anything promising, broaden your terms. After all — if you can’t find anyone with faun legs, a blogger with a penchant for mermaids may still be able to point you in the right direction.

Remember that when nearly anything you can imagine is out there waiting, getting what you want is only as hard as finding it!



Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day, "Snapshot_004," by Kotori.

From Harper Beresford's blog "A Passion for Virtual Fashion":

"Linden Lab recently announced an event where “Fashion Experts” will be chatting with folks, answering questions, and posing some of their own in the SL Forums. I was chosen to be one of those Fashion Experts (among a pretty august group of bloggers and SL fashion leaders), so it was quite an honor for me. On Monday, September 19, from 9 am slt to 4 pm slt, I will be available to answer questions, bring up topics, and generally have fun. I really hope you can join me."

Keep Reading...

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day for Sept. 14, "Snapshot_244," by Julala.

The movie-effects creator who designed the original R2D2 model for some of the "Star Wars" films will be judging machinima contest "The Machinima 48 Hour Film Project." Check out more details here.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day for Sept. 13, "Hello and Goodbye," by Icarii Naxos.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day for Sept. 12, "Taken at Basilica Cardinale Cathedral, Braunworth," by Lilah Morgenstern. Visit the location at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Braunworth/75/103/361.

Mark your calendars for Fashion Expert Days, held Sunday, Sept. 18 through Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pacific) in the official SL Community Blogs and Fashion Forums. 

The Schedule of Fashion Experts (subject to change):

Sunday, September 18, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• Iris Ophelia
• Felicity Blumenthal
• Lotus Mastroianni

Monday, September 19, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• Frolic Mills
• Sasy Scarborough 
• Whimsy Winx
• Harper Beresford
• Laylinha Tomsen (in Portuguese)

Tuesday, September 20, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• PopTart Lillehook
• Casja Lilliehook
• Gidge Uriza
• Vick Spitteler (in Portuguese)

Wednesday, September 21, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• Strawberry Singh
• Lily Karlsbar
• Ponino Oh 
• Thereaver Barrymore (in Portuguese)

Hear What Second Life Resident Fashion Experts Think in Real-time

Each day of the event, as many as five SL Fashion Experts will be standing by to share ideas and images, and to discuss the vibrant fashion scene in Second Life. There will be exclusive Fashion blog posts and insider style tips shared in the Fashion Forums during this interactive community event.

Ask Questions 

Experts will be on call in the community from 9 a.m. through  4 p.m. (Pacific) during all four days of the event (Sept. 18-21). This is your chance to ask these fashionistas any SL style-related questions you can dream up and hear their expert opinions. Newbies can get advice on how to improve their avatar’s appearance, and more-advanced Residents can get the scoop on the latest fashion trends and developments. No query is off-limits — just ask the Fashion Experts!

Share Your Creations

Want to share your own creations? All participants can post and share images of favorite fabulous fashions and creative combinations at this community event. Join the conversation and ask the experts and community what they think of your designs.

Image courtesy of Poptart Lilliehook for Modavia Fashion Marketing.

Don’t miss the fun! Join us live for this special Second Life community event, held on the Second Life Fashion Expert Blogs and Fashion Forums.

In celebration of its sixth year in Second Life, Bare Rose Tokyo has created an elaborate treasure hunt that begins with a click on the poster near the store's entrance.

Once you click on "The Mother Dragon" poster, you'll receive a hunt folder that contains the prologue to an elaborate storyline and quest that will take hunters through several challenging puzzles and stunning locations. 

It all begins with The Blue Maze, where you must navigate your way to the exit to claim the first of many prizes. Weave your way through these crystal caves to find your way to the exit, where you'll be given the first components of The Armor of Ordeal outfit (in both male and female versions). You'll need to click on the "Next Chapter" sign at the exit to claim your gifts and receive a landmark to your next challenge.

As you arrive at The Bridge of Red in the next chapter, you'll be faced with several menacing blades that you must carefully dodge. The task is made more difficult by the dodgy-looking, narrow stone bridge that you must stay on. Be careful here! If you fall, you'll land in the nasty lava pool below. Your reward for making it safely to the other side? More free items to complete your Armor of Ordeal outfit.

In the next chapter, you'll encounter the daunting Wall of Green. Don't look down if you're agoraphobic! You must carefully descend from the small rock ridges to safely arrive at the exit below and claim your prize and the next landmark. You'll be rewarded with the final items to complete your Armor of Ordeal outfit and you'll also gain entrance to the next challenge.

At last! You've arrived at The Room of Gold, where you'll find yourself face-to-face with a huge golden dragon. Find the vulnerable spot to claim your final prize...and it's a good one! You'll get a special, rideable dragon that makes the entire journey well worth it.

So, that's the end of the quest...or is it? Rumor has it that there is even another hidden secret of this hunt to discover in the Bare Rose sim. Can you find it?

This hunt is only around until Sept. 17, so quest seekers will need to head over to Bare Rose to get started before the fun ends.

Happy Hunting!

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day, "[...We going MESH...]," by PiStyle Primswitch.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day for Sept. 10, "Waiting at Home," by India Nadeau.

We’re making Second Life Premium better than ever with new added benefits — and, for a short time, membership is now 50 percent off*.

Now is a great time to sign up! In addition to saving 50 percent, members will enjoy more rewards than ever — including exclusive, Resident-created gifts. You’ll also gain access to Premium-only Sandboxes, special areas inworld where you can build objects, rez purchased items and meet other new members — all on specialized land where you are free to express your creativity.

Plus, you’ll get your own Second Life home to furnish and Premium-only access to Live Chat support. You'll also enjoy a L$1000 sign-up bonus and weekly L$ rewards to spend however you like. Read more details about Premium benefits here and keep your eye out for even more benefits on the way soon.

Pictured: These are just two of the many styles of Second Life homes that you can select
as a Premium member. What style will you choose?

Learn more and upgrade to Premium now. >>

*Terms & Conditions for 50% discount: This limited-time discount offer is available only for memberships on the Quarterly billing plan. Discount will be applied to the first quarterly billing cycle only, and all future charges will be at the regular Premium price. To qualify, Second Life members must have an active Basic account or create a new Second Life account. Discount offer begins on Friday the 9th of September at 12:00 pm (noon) Pacific Standard Time (SLT) and expires on Monday the 12th of September 2011 at 08:00 am Pacific Standard Time (SLT).




Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the day for Sept. 9, "Taliesin's Battle Of The Trees 17," by celestial elf.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day, "Et la Hérone s' Envola...," by Eirela Lane.

Check out the Sept. 7 Flickr Pic of the day, "Seasons Come and Go 2," by Markski Glom.

Design the official avatar for Albert Einstein and win one of $2,500 in U.S. cash prizes! Full details of the contest, which is presented by the Institute for Medical Research Canada-Israel in association with Remedy Communications, can be found on the official contest site. Contest entries are due by Sept. 9.

In the mood for machinima? Wed, Sept. 7 at 7 PM SLT check out the latest screening of inworld films. 

Check out th SL Flickr Pic of the Day for Sept. 1, "Ananya & the balloons," by Aleida Rhode.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day for August 31: "frost." by Silent Ass@ssin.

Check out the Flickr Pic of the Day for August 30: "Xiong & Julia," by oO_Julia_Oo.



Experience a year in the life of two residents in Second Life, the online virtual world where you can create anything you can imagine.

A PookyMedia Production

Check out this post discussing the possibilities for design using mesh on ArchVirtual.com.

"...This long awaited ‘holy grail’ feature in Second Life has now finally arrived on the main grid! The subject of numerous false starts, April fool’s jokes, and much controversy – it is now possible to import 3D models directly into Second Life. The implications from an architectural urban design and city planning perspective are obvious."

Photos courtesy ArchVirtual.com