{"id":5549,"date":"2019-11-25T07:32:05","date_gmt":"2019-11-25T13:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.zoha-islands.com\/?p=5549"},"modified":"2019-11-25T07:32:05","modified_gmt":"2019-11-25T13:32:05","slug":"the-return-of-last-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/the-return-of-last-names\/","title":{"rendered":"THE RETURN OF LAST NAMES"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE RETURN OF LAST NAMES AND CHANGES TO MARKETPLACE, EVENTS & PREMIUM<\/span><\/h2>\n
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As the end of the year approaches we\u2019re working hard on improvements to Second Life, including your most-requested features such as Name Changes, enhancements of the Marketplace, Events, and Premium Membership. Here\u2019s a rundown of what to expect, including some important fee changes which will soon take effect.<\/p>\n

THE RETURN OF LAST NAMES — UPDATE & CONTEST<\/p>\n

We heard you loud and clear. Soon it will be possible to change the name of a Second Life account. This is one of our Residents\u2019 most requested features and we\u2019re working furiously to make it available by the end of January.\u00a0 Name Changes will be exclusively for Premium members at an additional fee. Changing one or both of your First and Last Name will be available as a single transaction. Last Names will be picked from a list, which you can help us curate.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a last name you would choose for yourself? We\u2019ll soon hold a contest seeking your contributions to the pool of last name options. From all of the suggestions, we\u2019ll pick five, and those five lucky Residents will be able to change their names completely free of charge! You will not need to be Premium to participate or to win. The contest will run December 16 through January 15th, and participation details will be announced shortly.<\/p>\n

MARKETPLACE CHANGES & FEE UPDATES<\/p>\n

Effective December 2, 2019, Marketplace Product Listing Enhancement fees will be reduced by 10%. Listing enhancements allow merchants to promote their items by displaying them as \u201cFeatured Items\u201d on Marketplace pages.<\/p>\n

On December 2, 2019, commission rates on Marketplace sales will become 10% of the item price. This will be the first commission increase since the Marketplace debuted a decade ago. This new rate remains significantly lower than most digital content commissions across the industry. Apple and Google charge a 30% commission on sales in their app stores, as do many other popular virtual worlds, VR and gaming platforms, such as Oculus and Sinespace.<\/p>\n

This fee change helps offset our costs as we invest heavily in new Marketplace features and improvements, which remains the Internet\u2019s largest user-created virtual world Marketplace with more than 5 million items. Over the past year we\u2019ve added a store owner\u2019s ability to designate other Residents as Store Managers<\/a>, who can help merchants run their businesses.\u00a0 Recently we have taken steps to clean the Marketplace<\/a> of outdated or inactive listings so that higher-quality listings are more visible to purchasers.\u00a0 We\u2019ve also added long-requested features like customer-initiated redeliveries, a Revenue Distribution page, Wishlists, Favorite Sellers, and much more.<\/p>\n

More changes are coming in short order. The ability to filter limited quantity and demo items is just around the corner. A number of improvements for navigating shopping and order history for shoppers, and a way to prevent limited-quantity item redelivery for the Merchants.\u00a0 Mobile-friendly layouts are coming. Additionally, we\u2019re working to improve the ability for Merchants to issue refunds. We\u2019re also planning to give the Marketplace a facelift later in the year, and we\u2019re looking into a way to develop a native vendor system that better connects inworld sales and tracking with Marketplace transactions.<\/p>\n

EVENTS FEES & CHANGES<\/p>\n

Improvements to the Events pages are in the works for 2020, too. You\u2019ll soon see more functionality and a new look, such as the ability to set an alert on an event you want to attend, to follow your favorite event hosts, to share your event calendar with friends, and to see the latest event developments in a news feed. Here\u2019s a peek at a concept design (subject to change):<\/p>\n

\"events_concept.png\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pictured: Early concept for redesigned Events pages<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve heard many complaints from our Residents about duplicated event listings and spam. To combat this problem, we\u2019re introducing a nominal fee which will help discourage spamming and encourage higher-quality events from committed event hosts. Basic members will be charged L$50 to create an event listing while Premium members will pay L$10. On the heels of this change, we will introduce the ability for Premium members to schedule recurring events.<\/p>\n

PREMIUM PLUS<\/p>\n

Changes are underway for Premium Membership. In 2020, you\u2019ll see a new membership level, Premium Plus. This new option will join our classic Premium tier as an additional choice for Residents who want to get even more value from their Second Life.\u00a0 We think that many Residents will appreciate the new benefits and features of Premium Plus.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Premium \u2026 some astute Residents have noticed a lot of Mole activity around the Belliseria continent.\u00a0 Could something be afoot? Speculations abound! We are happy to confirm…<\/p>\n

NEW LINDEN HOMES<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s true! A new Linden Homes theme is on the way. On the heels of our recent additions of new Traditional, Houseboat, and Camper themes, the final touches are being put on for the next theme.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be able to get an exclusive first peek at the newest Linden Home offerings at the SL Christmas Expo, held Dec. 5-25 in Second Life.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s Just Around The\u00a0Corner!<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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Do You Believe In The Magic Of Christmas?<\/strong><\/h3>\n