News and Commentary: Political Ads Banned Under Ad Farm Rule Change

With America's Presidential Election Day in a little more than two months, it seems Linden Lab is trying to cut down on the size and number of political advertising signs.  In a Concierge and Land User Group meeting last Wednesday August 26, the rules about advertising signs were amended to include a prohibition on political ads in their rules about Ad Farms.

Shortly afterwards, it was brought up in the Second Life forums and subject to some debate. Some supported it. Some were solidly opposed it. Others felt it was well-intentioned, considering how sour political rancor has gotten, but smacked of censorship.

More than once in the forum thread, someone stated no one has to worry about taking down a "Vote for XXXX" sign from their home parcel on the Mainland, provided such signs are within common sense (no huge banners standing over 8 meters in the air, no flashing lights, etc.). Taking a look in one spot, the political signs themselves I saw seemed to be within the eight meter limit, though one guy was doing a subtle jab at the opposition by making what looked like a giant body bag with the other candidate's banner. When I checked the following day though, both the sign and the bag were gone.

The Newser has written very little on the 2020 Presidential Election this year. This is partially because of the lack of headliners like the Trump Manor , the Trump Wall, and the Trump Organization getting banned by the Lab four years ago, partially. The other reason is people yours truly talking to on Second Life and the Internet expressing their revulsion and exhaustion with the state of politics and political debate today. With the home stretch of the campaign season upon us, there will be some political coverage. But don't expect it every week.

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab Hiring Digital Marketing Manager

For those skilled in digital marketing, the Lab may have a job for you. Linden Lab announced earlier this week they are looking for a Digital Marketing Manager.

Linden Lab is seeking a Digital Marketing Manager to develop, execute and analyze paid marketing strategies that drive aggressive traffic and revenue growth to Second Life, the Internet's largest user-created virtual world. This position will also work closely with a dynamic team on overall strategic marketing initiatives.  

So what does this mean? It means Linden Lab is making more of an effort to advertise and attract new users. Perhaps they hope to catch a wave of revived interest in virtual worlds in the wake of the "Ready Player One" movie. As just weeks ago it looked like the Lab was giving Second Life scant attention in favor of Sansar. This suggests that's not necessarily the case.

So expect to see more ads for Second Life on the Internet.

Bixyl Shuftan

Advertise in the Newser

Running a business in Second Life can be hard. Running a dress botique? A breedable pets store? Or perhaps you're trying to get your dream club started? You're not going to make any sales if no one knows about you. So how do you get your name out?

Advertising.

We at Second Life Newser have several levels of advertising. For 1000 Linden dollars, you can have an article describing your business and what you sell on the front page for a week, and afterwards it remains in our archives, either of your design or done by one of our writers. To keep your name in the spotlight, consider a sponsorship in which you'll have a banner, linked to your page or an article of your choosing, near the top of the front section where it will be quickly noticed by readers, a three month term for the economical rate of 15,000 Linden dollars. Secondary Sponsorships are much the same, the banners appearing high on the page of other sections, such as People, Places, and Events, the three month term there costing 5,000 Linden dollars.

So get your name noticed. Advertise in the Newser today!

Eye On The Blog: Linden Lab Calls for Residents to Star in Ads

Want your avatar on webpages across the Internet? That's what Linden Lab is offering for their next ad campaign. They're asking for residents who aren't shy about showing both their real life and Second Life selves to star in their ads.

Banker by day, but intergalactic space cowboy in Second Life? We may be looking for you! We are now casting both humans and their avatars for a new promotional campaign that will be featured on SecondLife.com and across the web. For this campaign, we’re looking for people who are comfortable revealing their “human side” alongside their avatars in Second Life, like in the image above. Specifically, we are looking for those whose avatars do not physically resemble their owners. This promotion aims to spotlight the diverse and creative communities in Second Life, so please apply if you’d like to share your passion for Second Life with the world! 

Those residents interested are asked to fill out an application form by a minute before Midnight SL time on May 1st. Among the questions asked are why they're interested in being in the campaign and what they like about Second Life and what they do inworld. Linden Lab says "no personal information provided will be disclosed publicly" unless the person is chosen and agrees to take part in the ads.

To get to the blog entry and application form: (Click Here).

Eye on the Blog - "Advertising on Second Life Web Properties"

Lately there's been something new on the secondlife.com page, advertisements. Linden Labs has been tacking ad banners to the top and right margins. While one is a  banner for it's new "Versu" interactive fiction player, others have nothing to do with Linden Lab, such as websites to check for felony records. The Lab states they're "taking care" to make sure no banners from porn or similarly objectionable websites come up.

What might get the attention of Second Life users is that the Lab plans to add banners for Second LIfe goods from inworld sellers.


These ads are a great opportunity for advertisers to reach the large, global audience that visits the Second Life web properties every day, and we want to extend that opportunity to Second Life merchants as soon as we can. For Merchants, advertising on the Second Life web properties will be a new way to get their offerings in front of potential customers, while at the same time making the ads extremely relevant to every Second Life user who sees them. We have some work to do before we can make the ads purchasable by Second Life business owners, and it’s too soon to say precisely when we’ll be able to, but we wanted to let you all in on this plan early on.




Such a move would be a win-win situation for Linden Labs as not only do they have an additional source of revenue, but merchants using the ad space stand to gain as well from the advertising. And of course ads for SL content are probably going to be less pestering than bail bond services.

For the blog post, Click Here.

New Section: Classifieds

Second Life Newser has just opened it's Classifieds section. For a small fee of 500L, one can place a small classified ad there of 100 words or less.

An example might be:

Wanted: Roommate for house in Sunweaver Air sim. Must be willing to share 800L a month plot rental. Beachfront property. Cool neighbors. Call Jack Sparrow

More details can be found on our Advertising page.