Second Life is full of depth and experiences, but what about culture and education?

Today, I’d like to introduce you to a place called Learning Virtualē, which is a wonderful cultural and educational resource center. Here’s part of their mission statement:

“Learning Virtualē is a group and location for educators, students, and others interested in the advancement of e-learning in (higher) education, particularly the integration of Second Life (SL) into learning experiences. The center offers resources for those seeking some education in their second lives and hosts periodic events on various topics.

Special exhibits are held throughout the year to educate, inform, and stimulate the mind. These exhibits cover various topics to appeal to a broad audience. They also demonstrate the value of a virtual world as an incredible medium for educating through interactive and immersive activities.”

There are several exhibits that are available for the public to partake in, including the following:

Women’s History Archives

Women’s History Archives includes content for National Women’s History Month, observed during the month of March in the U.S., and Women’s Equality Day (August 26)

Black History Archives

Black History Archives with much historical content that ties into U.S. history, 1600s-present. Black History Month is observed during February.

Hispanic Heritage Archives

Hispanic Heritage Archives – of the exhibit for the 2015 National Hispanic Heritage Month (an observance in the United States or U.S.) but content is relevant at any time. Thanks to Kundemor for sharing some of his paintings for this exhibit!

US Presidency Exhibit

Visit this evolving exhibit about the U.S. Presidency, Presidents, and the 2016 Presidential race. Come back again soon as some content will change over time.

There are also a lot of great areas to explore, from tai chi to meditation. You can even start your own fireworks show!

The depth of cultural and historical education to be had at this center is vast. Each location offers you an in depth notecard about the exhibit and offers plenty of information. It’s incredibly well-organized, packed with opportunity to learn and a great space for all ages. I strongly suggest you pay Learning Virtualē a visit!

Bria Oceanside
ZoHa Islands Blogger/Social Media

Oftentimes when I chat with people in Second Life, one interest that pops up is boating and sailing. Yet, I find that many people (both new and old) don’t know about the Blake Sea! That boggles the mind, because the Blake Sea is, in a nutshell, a massive connection of sea sims with no ban lines that enable truly liberating exploration and sailing experiences.

While I could go into depth with the history of the Blake Sea, I think this piece does it much more justice. Let’s talk about a few of my favorite spots within this spacious oceanic part of Second Life.

1) Hollywood International Airport

This airport is an amazing establishment right on the edge of the Blake Seas. With over 10 commercial airlines available, this is an amazing place to watch some of our most skilled pilots, learn how to fly or even book a tour flight to one of the many destinations in Second Life. There are hundreds of flights that happen every day. Shouldn’t you get on one of them? It’s perfect for a solo activity, date night, or even a great family outing.

2) Nautilus Marina Cove

Nautilus Marina sits right on the outskirts of the Blake Sea and offers rental moorings and slips for your boats. It’s also a gorgeous waterside venue for your more sophisticated events. It’s an excellent place to watch the beautiful sunsets over the water or a great spot to begin your marine journey.

3) Half Hitch

This is probably one of my favorite little spots on the Blake Sea. This is the place to be if you want to take part in the daily boat races, have seaplane and ferry access or really enjoy a rustic fishing village feel. The Sailor’s Knot Inn is a quaint little establishment with hidden gems like the Mole Times (these Easter eggs can be found all around some of the older parts of Second Life) and a sneaky bottle of rum that you can take along with you on your journey. Can you find them?

While there are rules of conduct on the Blake Sea, this is an amazing place to explore and enjoy. There are many fine establishments set up within its borders, you can sail for sims on end and not run into a single ban line, and it’s a great place to think about planning a nice getaway with the heavy amount of options when it comes to vacation rentals. Want something truly unique for a weekend away from home? Head over to the Hollywood Airport and ask for a flight to the SS Galaxy, an iconic 3 sim long ship that you can rent rooms in, shop and dance to your hearts content!
What are some of your favorite Blake Sea experiences? I’d love to hear from you!

Bria Oceanside
ZoHa Blogger/Social Media

Business ventures in Second Life. People talk about them, some even attempt them and a small group, master them. Is it a goal of yours to start one in the new year?

It’s hard to even talk about the potential of businesses in Second Life without talking about the “historic” accomplishments of Ansche Chung or seeing the current and booming efforts of individuals like Siddean Munro of Slink or even the amazing growth of ZoHa (yes, very meta of me).

So, what makes the difference between someone’s attempts flopping and someone having a thriving business? Well, there’s no exact recipe for it, but let’s discuss some important factors that can make or break any venture.

1. Probably the biggest thing: you must regard your Second Life business as a legitimate business. Now, it sounds funny for me to say this, but it plays into a lot of the points that I’m about to bring up. There is often a mentality around Second Life businesses that you can’t take them as seriously. However, for a business to thrive virtually, you need to follow a lot of the same practices as a physical business.

2. What is your “thing”? What’s going to make you stand out amongst the masses? You should have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. Are you going to go into real estate? Are you going to go into clothing design? Will you be making your own clothes from scratch or using templates? Perhaps you’re hoping to break into the mesh homes market? Whatever it is that you decide to do, pick a direction, map it out as far as what you want to accomplish with it and stick with it. To-do lists are great.

3. Don’t overdo it. You need to start off small and grow your business or offerings at a reasonable pace. Want to go into fashion or décor design? Before you go announcing to the world that you’re breaking out a great new business, how about creating a base line of offerings? That way, you’re not starting off with just a couple of things, and have other products for people to check out. Don’t throw a ton of money into forcing yourself to look big and awesome. Posturing rarely ends well.

4. Will you have a storefront? That’s a biggie, because your presence in world will have a large impact on whether or not someone decides to buy from you if they opt to stop by. Does it look well-organized? Is it nicely decorated or veering on the side of excessively busy? Is it in a nice area or clearly a parcel slapped in the middle of randomness? Is there room to grow if *you* grow?

5. Social Media! Some of us love it, some of us loathe it. But the reality of the matter is that social media presence is crucial for businesses in general- especially virtual ones. What I mean by social media presence is having a Facebook page, a Flickr, a Twitter, a Tumblr and knowing what groups to join and hashtags to use. You need to know your audience and the best way to reach them. Blogs are also huge, and should be cross-referenced on the different platforms. It’s a lot of work, but it’s essentially free advertising and has the capability of reaching tons of people. This is how you get from noticed to known. Can you afford to register a domain with your business name for your blog or create a full blown website? Do it. Tie it all together into a pretty little marketing package. It’s a huge way to stand out.

6. Kind of circling back to the first point, but professionalism is paramount. If you want it to run as a full-fledged business long-term that is genuinely profitable, you need to keep it professional. That means your presence all the way down to your customer service. If you eventually branch out to have a team of people working with you, have clear guidelines/expectations so they represent your brand as best as can be. Does your business involve advertising your products individually? Create (or have created) a clean and sleek template to use for all of your advertising shots so they look consistent and professional. All those little details lead up to people taking notice to what you’re offering.

7. And this should go without saying but…….you cannot make money without investing some. Whether it’s getting a parcel of land for your storefront or getting the tools to build your creations in world or going into real estate, you’ll need to invest before you profit. This is true in any life. There’s no magical formula for making loads of money in Second Life without investing first- sorry guys. To be able to stand out and catch the attention of the market you’re after, it’s going to take some hard work, consistency, a business headspace and an eye for details. And of course, investing.

While this isn’t a surefire, guaranteed way to be able to run a successful business, these are certainly some key areas that you need to take into consideration. Many try, many buckle at the first obstacle, some keep pushing and a small group thrives. If you are eager to establish a lasting and profitable business in Second Life, do know that it’s entirely possible- but it’s all up to you and what market you’re catering to.

Already have a business started and just need a great place to establish an in-world location? Get in touch with one of our great staff at ZoHa Islands to find out what amazing commercial-friendly lands are available! We’d love to hear from you!

Bria Oceanside
ZoHa Blogger/Social Media

So, you may have heard that there was a big announcement last week regarding Project Bento. Or you may not have. But, either way, this is a HUGE development for Second Life, and a big indication that Linden Labs is far from detached from Second life (yes, I’m talking to you, doomsayers).

What does this mean? In a nutshell, this means that the whole rigging game will be changing for the better. Concepts we previously could not realize are going to become accessible, which will not only impact the flexibility of clothing but also widen our possibilities when it comes to customizing our avatars. Animations are going to be even more fluid, as we’ll eventually be able to see examples where we can wiggle our fingers. Tails won’t need to be an add-on, nor will wings.

Here is a peek at some of the abilities in this great video made by Avastar’s Gaia Clary:

Sound unreal? Here’s an excerpt from the official announcement:

“Ever wish you could incorporate a tail, wings, or second set of arms into your avatar? How about having animations for facial expressions and finger movements? Yes, we know that there are some incredibly creative workarounds that give you some of these, but they can’t leverage skeletal animation, so they have been very complex, often fragile, and very expensive in performance and resources both in your Viewer and the Simulator.

• 11 extra limb bones for wings, additional arms, or extra legs.
• 6 tail bones
• 30 bones in the hands (all 10 fingers!)
• 30 bones for facial expressions
• 2 other new bones in the head for animating ears or antennae
• 13 new attachment points associated with the new bones”

Now, this might sound like jibberish to some, but basically what this means is that the addition of these extra bones to our avatar’s “skeleton” will lead to a major advancement in the realm of possibilities we’d be able to take advantage of. This also means that the level of realism in our animations would take us to a whole new level, which boggles my mind. From an animation standpoint alone, this is huge. Motion capture (or, mocap as some of you may call it) has been dominant in the animation game- imagine your fingers being able to go through a range of motions during the course of an animation, or the ability to have more expressive gestures and hand movements for photography purposes that won’t require a static set of hands?

Also, this was the year we started to see the surge in animated mesh hair. Could this lead to the emergence of dramatically animated mesh clothing? It’s quite possible to utilize the tail and wing rigging to maximize movement in mesh clothing as well. So, while this is a big development that will allow us to further realize our visions of our avatars, this will also be a major tech advancement for the content creators that are going to be on the forefront of exploring the possibilities.

Now, do bear in mind that this is still in a project phase, as mentioned below:

“The avatar skeleton changes introduced by Project Bento are not yet final because we want your feedback, either in theCreation Forum or in JIRA. To experience the changes, you’ll need to download the Project Viewer and upload any content using the new skeleton extensions to the Aditi Beta Test Grid (most regions on the Beta Test Grid will allow this; some may be in use for other testing and not yet have these updates). Once we have finalized the skeleton extensions, we will enable uploads using them to the main Second Life grid and the real fun can begin!”

So, if you can get involved, do! The more feedback that is received, the sooner this can be fine-tuned and launched.

For the full announcement, click here.

For content creator testing details and needed files, click here.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and I’ll see you next week!

Bria Oceanside
ZoHa Islands Blogger/Social Media

One thing that eventually impacts most of us in Second Life is the relationship experience. Now, this is a very broad subject, since this can mean anything to anyone. A relationship in Second Life could be one that is exclusively in Second Life with no intention of it carrying out in the real world to one that can transition to the real world or had originated there (and is an extension of it). While some don’t bother with dating in Second Life at all, quite a lot of folks do at some point.

I’ve dated as a “relationship in Second Life that I don’t intend to carry into real life” individual a couple of times. While there were a lot of highs, there were a few key points that I noticed are worth mentioning. I could call these “pro-tips”, but these are really talking points that are relevant for any healthy relationship or friendship.

1) Be clear about what you want. Whether you just want it to be confined to Second Life, a mix of both or want someone you can also date in real life, you need to communicate that in the beginning. If you’re not sure but you’re open-minded, communicate that too. It’s best to set those expectations ahead of time, especially if you might be dating someone that will end up wanting the opposite of what you want. In one case, I was dating someone that wanted real life when I had expressed that I only wanted a relationship in Second Life. That obviously led to a lot of tension as we got closer, and ultimately our undoing.

2) Be honest about who you are. This is a biggie. While some may argue that you shouldn’t have to be honest about this if you don’t intend to date outside of Second Life, this does matter. This also includes if you’re married, your gender, your identity etc. What I mean by “identity” is that if you bother to share real life pictures of yourself, make sure that you’re not using someone else’s pictures. I knew someone at one stage that used someone else’s picture for two years until someone bothered to Google Image Search it. That pretty much unraveled every friendship and relationship she had at that point, because then everyone wondered what else they were misled on. Also, if you are one gender and portray another in Second Life, if someone is worth your time, they’ll accept it. I spent almost two years with someone that never admitted they were really female in their physical form because they assumed I would run. Had they been honest, it wouldn’t have mattered to me.

3) Be confident with yourself. And I don’t mean be filled with ego and pride, but be the best you can be. One huge mistake many people make in either world is that they feel bored and lonely or unhappy with whom they are with already and feel that reaching out to someone else and getting attached to them will fill the void(s). This is never healthy nor productive, and you’re not going to enjoy how it ends up once it catches up to you. You need to find your own happiness before you can find happiness with someone else. One big suggestion here is finding something that you find interesting to invest a bit of time in, in Second Life, as well as making sure you’re in a good place mentally and emotionally in real life. A relationship is never a solution to a problem.

With those 3 key things, you’ll have much better odds of a healthy and happy outcome that suits your needs. Of course, as with all “ships”, communication is super important. But the common denominator is that you should be honest with yourself and others, no matter what your needs and wants are. If you start with that, your foundation will be much more solid.

Bria Oceanside
ZoHa Blogger/Social Media

With the holidays fast approaching, here’s an easy guide to some of the most interesting, fun and gorgeous places that you must visit! Every destination on this list is well established and family-friendly, so it’ll be worth checking out for people of all ages! Let’s get into the fun winter spirit together, shall we?

1. Calas Galahon’s White Christmas:

This place is well into its 7th year, and it’s just as gorgeous as ever! Beautifully decorated with plenty of places to explore, and an absolute gem if you want to find the perfect spot to do your annual family picture! There’s even a breathtaking spot to go ice skating- I always love the wonderful routines that people come and perform on the ice. There’s something totally perfect about how this winter wonderland. It always gets me in the holiday mood!

2. Winter Holiday Village:

Another well-established location- the Winter Holiday Village is in its 8th year in Second Life! There is ice skating, sledding, horse-drawn carriages, and even the opportunity to see Santa Claus and Mrs Claus LIVE! It’s a beautifully appointed establishment that you absolutely should check out! I even saw Frost The Snowman glide by gracefully on some ice skates!

3. Winter Festival At Aero Pines Park:

This beautiful sim has been a winter getaway in Second Life for 9 years! There’s so much to explore! You can go ice skating on a beautifully lit pond, take a sled or a carriage for a ride and even rent out snow cabins for a winter retreat. It’s a great experience for all ages and sure to lift you into that lovely wintery mood!

I hope you are all staying safe and warm this wonderful festive season!

Bria Oceanside
ZoHa Blogger/Social Media