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Happy December, Residents! The holidays are here, and we’ve packed the season with festive fun for everyone. From epic shopping sprees to snowball battles, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate in Second Life this winter. Here’s a peek at what’s coming your way:
2024 Holiday Shop & Hop
The 2024 Holiday Shop & Hop is almost here with 320 participating merchants across 16 shopping regions, bringing you loads of festive fun! Every store will have at least a 20% discount on all items and a free (non-group) gift for shoppers or a gift certificate valued at L$300 or above!
The event formally opens to the public on Friday, December 6th at 9 AM PT/SLT - but who wants to wait when you can get early access?! If you can’t contain your excitement, join the official Second Life Birthday group inworld to be granted immediate access.
Before you jump inworld, you can get a sneak peek at many of the items that will be available in the official Second Life Shop & Hop Flickr pool. And don’t forget to share photos of your haul after your shopping excursion!
To visit the 2024 Holiday Shop & Hop - start at any one of the Regions - but be sure to visit them all to see everything that's available. Happy shopping!
Scroll to the end of this post for a complete list of all 320 participating Shop & Hop Merchants and their direct slurls!
Winter Last Names 2024
To celebrate the winter holiday season, we have released some festive new last names!
The following winter-themed names are only available for a limited time:
Candyclaws
Merry
Frostlake
Candlewick
Prancer
Silverbells
Mistlefluff
Alegria
Befana
HollyberryThese names for winter are seasonal and may come back around this time next year, for a limited time.
We will continue to make additional updates to the available last name pool, so if these options aren’t for you, stay tuned for future updates. You can also suggest your favorite name on our suggestion form, the new names were chosen from there!
For more information about the costs and how-tos involved in name changes, read the Changing your username FAQ. Click to change your name now!
New Winter Premium & Premium Plus Gifts
Premium members, get ready for a special treat! Enjoy an exclusive, limited-edition Premium and Premium Plus gift designed to bring extra holiday cheer and charm to your inworld adventures. Drop by one of the Premium Gift kiosks and pick up your exclusive holiday gift!
Santa Patch & "The Molelves"
Mark your calendars for Friday, December 6, 2024! From 12 PM to 3 PM PT/SLT, join us for a special festive event with Santa Patch and the “Molelves”!
Stop by for holiday fun, photos, and plenty of cheer. Share your Christmas wishes, and don’t miss out on the exclusive Frosty Puff Boopie, available only at the Christmas Expo!
We can’t wait to celebrate with you!📍 Location: Santa Patch & The Molelves
Linden & Resident Snowball Fight
Grab your warm clothes and prepare for some snowy mayhem at the Winter Wonderland Snowball Fight Arena! This year’s event promises sparkling snowballs, big laughs, and a chance to face off against your favorite Lindens.
Event Details
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When? Friday, December 20th
- First battle: 8 AM - 9 AM PT/SLT
- Second battle: 12 PM - 1 PM PT/SLT
- Location: Winter Wonderland Snowball Fight Arena
Arrive early to snag your free snow-launching gear from vendors around the arena. Assemble your squad and prepare for the ultimate showdown. See you on the battlefield! Mark your calendars!
Winter Wonderland
Explore Winter Wonderland by Linden Lab, opening at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024. Winter Wonderland is your go-to holiday destination! You can access this magical region through Portal Park or by direct teleport. Once inside, dive into the action with competitive snowball fights in the arena, race down the slopes in an exciting sledding mini-game, and glide gracefully across a picturesque ice skating rink.
Join the Snowflake Hunt to discover hidden treasures and collect the exciting new 2024 Boopies as your prizes! The Snowflake Hunt is open for everyone to enjoy throughout December.
Snowflake Hunt: Collect Limited-Edition Boopies
The Snowflake Hunt is an exciting activity within the Winter Wonderland regions! This hunt is all about tracking down snowflakes scattered throughout the frosty landscape to win exclusive prizes.
Collect all the snowflakes to claim limited-edition 2024 Boopies! These adorable and festive collectibles are only available during this event, making them the perfect winter keepsake.
How to Join the Snowflake Hunt:
- The hunt kicks off at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024.
- Visit the Winter Wonderland region and pick up your Snowflake Hunt HUD.
- Locate hidden snowflakes throughout Winter Wonderland.
- Collect snowflakes to unlock your exclusive Boopies!
The hunt runs throughout December, so there’s plenty of time to track down all the snowflakes. Happy hunting!
Second Life Swaginator Hunt for Winter
Are you ready for a winter adventure filled with even more prizes? The Second Life Swaginator Hunt returns with a seasonal spin, offering frosty fun and fantastic treasures!
How It Works
- The hunt kicks off at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024.
- Start your journey: Pick up the free Swaginator HUD from one of the kiosks inworld.
- Solve the clues: Explore winter-themed locations and uncover unique prizes.
- Collect all the gifts: Complete the hunt to gather an exclusive bundle of seasonal items.
This exciting treasure hunt runs throughout the entire month of December, so bundle up and dive into the adventure. Hidden treasures await—don’t miss out!
Winter Attractions on the Destination Guide
If you’re looking for even more winter activities, there are already 100 snow-covered locations in the Winter Attractions category on the Destination Guide. We’re adding new regions daily, so if you have a spot you’d like to invite other Residents to explore, make sure to check out the submission guidelines and submit yours today!
Wishing a safe and happy holiday season to everyone in our virtual community! ❄️🎄🧑🎄
A complete list of all participating Shop & Hop Merchants and their direct slurls is below:
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When? Friday, December 20th
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Have a safe and happy holiday season! 🌨️❄️🎄
Residents featured in this image:
Top Row (from left to right):
Middle Row (from left to right):
Bottom Row (from left to right):
Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with us! 💖
For a chance to have your image featured in our social campaigns, submit your work to the Official Second Life Flickr Group.
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As part of our ongoing effort to amplify the voices of the Second Life Blogger Network (SLBN), we’re excited to introduce a new way to discover and connect with our talented bloggers, vloggers, and influencers.
We’ve categorized and created public RSS feeds for participants of the SLBN, making it easier than ever to explore the diverse content created by our community. These feeds are organized to reflect the unique platforms and approaches our bloggers use to share their stories, styles, and insights about Second Life.
Important Notes on RSS Feeds
- We do not endorse or take responsibility for the content in these public RSS feeds: The opinions expressed in these feeds do not reflect the views of Linden Research, Inc. or its employees. All content remains the responsibility of the individual bloggers. These feeds simply provide a way to discover the incredible work being done by members of the SLBN community.
- We will not share all posts from these feeds to our official social channels and web properties: As always, we’ll curate and highlight specific posts that stand out and align with our SLBN Terms & Conditions and Content Guidelines at our discretion.
- Help us keep the feeds current: While we monitor these feeds to identify posts for promotion, there may be instances where we miss changes in a blogger’s content. If you notice that a blogger no longer creates content about Second Life or their focus has shifted away from topics relevant to the Blogger Network community, please let us know. Email us at editor@lindenlab.com, and we’ll review and, if necessary, remove them from the network.
- Content inclusion: We reserve the right to exclude any bloggers or content from these feeds at our discretion, even if they have signed up for the SLBN.
Explore the SLBN RSS Feeds
The following public RSS feeds are now available:
- Second Life Blogger Network: This RSS feed showcases the posts from all bloggers in the network, offering a comprehensive view of the diverse content created by SLBN participants. Below, we’ve categorized the feeds into specific topics to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. However, if you’d prefer to see everything in one place, this is the feed for you.
- Second Life Bloggers: Featuring bloggers who publish on official blogging platforms or their own domains and write in-depth posts about Second Life. Whether they’re covering fashion, art, destinations, tutorials, events, or community highlights, these bloggers are crafting written content that dives deeper into the Second Life experience.
- Second Life Video Bloggers: This feed features Residents who craft compelling video content, including live streams and edited videos about the world of Second Life.
- Second Life Fashion Bloggers: This feed highlights fashion-focused bloggers who share their creativity by showcasing stunning imagery and detailed style credits. These bloggers celebrate the artistry of fashion in Second Life.
- Second Life Decor Bloggers: This feed features bloggers who specialize in home and decor content, showcasing beautifully designed spaces and sharing decor details. These bloggers inspire others to transform their Second Life environments.
- Second Life Destination Bloggers: This feed includes bloggers who often spotlight must-visit locations in Second Life, offering stunning visuals and helpful slurls to explore destinations. These bloggers make it easier to discover the many incredible places in Second Life.
We may expand these categories in the future as new formats emerge.
Limitations for Social Media Bloggers
If you’ve signed up for the SLBN with links to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Primfeed, or blogging platforms such as Wix and some others, please note that not all of these platforms generate proper working RSS feeds. While we’re unable to include your content in these public RSS feeds, rest assured that we’re still actively following your work and may feature it on our own social channels as part of the Blogger Network’s promotional efforts. If you don’t see your blog showing up in the RSS feeds, this is likely the reason. Feel free to resubmit your application with a social network that does have a working RSS feed, such as YouTube or Flickr.
Join the Conversation
We’re excited to see how these public RSS feeds enhance the visibility of the Second Life blogging community. If you’re already part of the SLBN, your eligible content may be included. If you’re new to the program, sign up today to share your work with the broader community.
Let’s continue to celebrate and support the creativity of the Second Life community. Together, we’re shaping a vibrant future for storytelling in Second Life.
For questions or feedback, reach out to us at editor@lindenlab.com.
Happy blogging!
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Happy Wednesday!
We’re writing to remind everyone that we’ll be holding our monthly Web User Group meeting today at 14:00 SLT in our usual meeting place, where we’ll be discussing our status with ongoing projects and our near future plans for our web properties. As always, we’ll leave plenty of time for Q&A from the community. This meeting is conducted using voice. We're happy for you to contribute in voice or in text, but you'll need to have your voice settings activated. We look forward to seeing you there.
Stay updated with all of our user group meetings on our wiki and public calendar.
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To all our Residents impacted by the bumpy grid roll Tuesday, we’re sorry - and we want you to know what happened.
Timeline:
It started out as a normal roll to Second Life Server (SLS) when, around 7am SLT, the team noticed some regions were not coming back as swiftly as they should. Alarms were raised and we got a team together to tackle the issue immediately. It was quickly determined that we could not continue with the roll without causing more extensive pain to Residents, and the decision was made before 9:00 AM SLT to halt the in-progress grid roll. That left approximately 3800 regions in an offline state, while we continued the investigation.The team continued to bring the regions back manually, while simultaneously working to identify the cause of the problems. By noon there were still approximately 350 regions stuck offline.
Cause:
We’ve identified the root cause of the trouble. The server code itself is not the issue, but infrastructure communications between various AWS services broke down and prevented the normally smooth weekly grid roll.Next steps:
We’ve canceled the RC Roll on Wednesday while we ensure this problem doesn't happen again. Next week will be a quiet week with no SLS roll. Things should return back to normal with the following week’s server updates.Thank you for your patience while we banged on things yesterday.
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The Concierge and Land User Group meeting is a monthly, public meeting for discussion and education on Second Life, useful to both Mainland Residents and Estate owners.
Topics include any issues relating to Customer Relations/Support or concerning Land in general (mainland, islands, Linden Homes, estates, auctions, etc.).
Join us on Wednesday at 12pm PT at Linden Estate Services. All are welcome.
Keep up to date with all of our user group meetings on our wiki and public calendar.
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Hi Everybody!
I would like to introduce a new member of the Linden Support team, Boxy 5000.
Boxy 5000 is a virtual assistant/support bot trainee.
But wait, wasn’t there already a chatbot who answered questions for premium users? Indeed there was! Boxy 3000 was the earlier model of the trainee chatbot.
We are learning from some design flaws and moving forward with a more advanced bot. Boxy 3000 has been re-invented and given an extra 2000!
But wait a second time! Won’t this bring about the machine apocalypse? Not just yet–Boxy 5000 is more advanced and learns as they go but Skynet is still a few upgrades away.
The upgraded bot will be a 24/7 support option for both premium and non-premium residents! (Previously only available for premium customers.)
Boxy will have the ability to answer commonly asked questions, keep you up to date on current issues, help with ticket submission and in some cases handle a support request.
Boxy has uses for all residents, from early adopters to fresh new faces.
For new and more casual residents Boxy is available to help them find the support they need.
For our seasoned veterans Boxy can offer support options for some specific requests. Specifically, Boxy will be able to submit an abuse report on your behalf and in some cases help with the restart of a region!
Boxy will continue to learn as we go. Boxy might not have all the answers currently, but we will continue to review questions posed and help the bot to better answer your support queries.
We realize that a chat bot is not a substitute for a customer support representative, and this bot is not meant to be. It is however meant to help when we are unavailable or may be experiencing higher call volumes.For premium residents Boxy will only be the first point of contact before being passed to a support representative during office hours. Utilize Boxy to help better explain your issue once you are transferred to a support representative. Outside of office hours Boxy can help or create a ticket for when we are back in the office.
The ability to get an answer to your question or to get your issue resolved without having to wait until our Support Lindens are available is Boxy’s primary directive.
Anyone interested in saying hello to Boxy can access it by logging into our support portal. The Boxy 5000 chat widget should appear in the bottom right hand corner of your screen.
Boxy 5000, it’s advanced…
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