Looking Back At The Newser: The First Years, 2010-2013 (2022)

 

The Second Life Newser is a publication with quite a history, fifteen years. That's quite a lot to look back over. In 2022, Bixyl took a look at the Newser's first few years. Starting from a team of four reporters fresh from the recently closed Second Life Newspaper, the Newser would win the confidence of readers and advertisers alike and soon become a force in journalism covering the people, places, and events in Second Life (with occasional nods to our sponsors). But much of what it covered was a Linden Lab that seemed increasingly unable or unwilling to understand it's virtual world's users.

Read the 2022 overview of 2010 to 2013 in Extra. 

Looking Back At The Newser: The First Years, 2010-2013 (2022)

 

The Second Life Newser is a publication with a long history, twelve years. That's quite a lot to look back on. In this article, Editor and head writer Bixyl Shuftan takes a look at the Newser's first few years. Starting from a team of four reporters fresh from the recently closed Second Life Newspaper, the Newser would win the confidence of readers and advertisers alike and soon become a force in journalism covering the people, places, and events in Second Life (with occasional nods to our sponsors). But much of what it covered was a Linden Lab that seemed increasingly unable or unwilling to understand it's virtual world's users.

Read the overview of 2010 to 2013 (written in 2022) in Extra.

News and Commentary: Logins Slightly Down, Sim Numbers Slightly Up Over 2022

 

 During the Coronaviris/Covid-19 Pandemic, the number of people using Second Life rose. Linden Lab stated in April 2020 that signups had gone up sixty percent since it started. In June 2020, CEO Ebbe Altberg stated the number of active users, those who were logging in at least once a month, had gone up to 900,000, a one-eighth of an increase over the previous year. 

Since then, the Lab has been quiet on just how many are coming in and staying in. There has been some speculation that with the Pandemic over, people have been leaving once more. In an article by Daniel Voyager, he stated that the daily peak has gone down slightly, from 55,000 about a year ago to about 48 to 53,000 this month. Checking the Second Life Grid Survey, this was the case. 

So it seems some people are leaving, though it appears to be a smaller number than those who joined during the Pandemic. Some who came back are sticking around, at least for now.

Of the number of sims, things looked more encouraging according to Daniel. With the growth of Belisseria, it should be no surprise to most that the total number of sims has continued to go up. He reported the total number at 27,659. This is an increase of over 2000 from two years ago. What will surprise some is that the majority of these, at least from two years ago, were private sims, from 17,024 to 18,370. But it should be noted almost all this increase was in 2021. The number of private sims didn't change much in just 2022, an overall increase of thirty-eight. But the number of Linden-owned sims grew at almost the same number, 378 more in 2021 and 380 more in 2022. 

 

So the number of private sims is still growing, but it appears economic troubles such as inflation causing the prices of everything from food and energy to rise and cut back on the amount of cash available for entertainment is resulting in fewer people getting new ones. 

So what do things have in store over the course of 2023? Difficult to say. If inflation drops and the global economy avoids a recession, we may see a few more people logging in and more people getting private sims. But if we end up with 1979-1980 style "stagflation," the news over the next several months may have some sim closings.

Source: Daniel Voyager's Blog

Bixyl Shuftan

2022 Year in Review

 

 2022 saw it's share of triumphs and tragedies, breakthroughs and pitfalls, and other things that stood out. Before closing the door, it's time for a look back at what happened.

In real-life, Europe would see it's bloodiest conflict since the Second World War with the invasion of the Ukraine by Russian dictator Putin's forces. People would protest across the world, and many in Second Life would show their support with demonstrations, fundraisers, flying Ukrainian flags, and the wearing of it's colors. Although there were less flags and people wearing blue and gold over time, moths later some places and people still were. When Britain's Queen Elizabeth passed, a memorial was set up in London City. Dana Vanmoer, the editor of the closed SL Newspaper, would make real-life news when her mailbox "toppers" were mentioned in the Daily Mail website.

Twenty years ago, Second Life was in beta. And this year, the oldest objects on the grid would start to turn twenty. On January 25, the first prim to be created (and remain) turned twenty. On February 11 came the oldest textured object's 20th anniversary. In July was the 20th anniversary of Second Life's oldest existing structure, "The Man."

 

Linden Lab and Second Life would see some developments. There would be two new levels of accounts in addition to Basic and Premium. There was Premium Plus which offered perks such as fewer fees and higher weekly Linden dollar allowances. Later in the year, Premium Plus residents could get a low-capacity homestead sim without getting a full one first. The Lab also stated there would eventually be Linden Home lots in a new 2048 square-meter size just for Premium Plus residents, though they hadn't arrived by year's end. There was also a Plus account option, which basically allowed people to get land for cheaper outside the Linden Home area. 

 

The price of Mainland was lowered. Europeans no longer had to pay VAT tax. Name change fees were changed so one no longer had to get a Premium account to do so. High Capacity sims announced in April, offered to residents in May, the initial high price of $999 and $899 a month after lowered the following month to $499. Linden Lab announced Puppetry feature was being worked on for avatars. It was also announced new starter avatars, NUX avatars, were in development, but six months after the SLB have yet to be released. In January, the 360 snapshot feature available already in the Linden viewer was accessible to more when it became part of the Firestorm Viewer. Not all changes were for the better. Sim rollbacks would no longer be free, but cost $25, each. 

The Grid has always seen glitches. But in late January there were so many that on January 31 the Lab felt compelled to issue a statement apologizing for them. Linden Lab would get it's founder Philip Rosedale/Philip Linden back in January as an advisor, and would add a Chief Marketing Officer and Information Security Officer in May. In September, Linden Lab would acquire Caspertech, an inworld company best known for it's rental-fee vendors. In October, a deal was worked out with the makers of the Speedlight text viewer, making it free for those with Premium Plus. 

 

Also in October, a deal was worked out between Tilia and JP Morgan bank, in which it would get a cash investment in exchange for a share of the profits. Tilia had been created by Linden Lab a few years ago, but was now separate though still controlled by it's owners the Waterfield Network.

The Bellisseria continent would continue to grow. In May, a new type of Linden Home, the Asian-themed Sakura, would be released in a new area with a tall, snow-capped mountain in the middle. In April, around the time of it's third anniversary, there would be more of the Newbrooke (suburban style) homes made available. Expansions in August made it possible to not just sail from Bellisseria to the older mainland, but continue traveling up the shore.

A couple feature-length movies made in Second Life would get attention. Draxtor's "Virtual Cultures in Pandemic Times" depicted people going to SL and Animal Crossing as ways to socialize while it was unsafe to do so in real life. In December came "Waarheid," a science-fiction cyberpunk film made entirely in Second Life. Both were featured at the Film Threat theater. 

Second Life would see many events over the course of the year. The Lab would host some, including "Hug or Dunk a Linden," two Linden snowball fights, The Music Fest, and of course the Second Life Birthday - the SL19B. The theme for the anniversary event was Steampunk. Bay City would hold some, such as Mole Day, the Bay City Parade, the Bay City Christmas party, and the Prim Drop. There was also the One Billion Rising, the Bellisserian Valentine's Day boat cruise, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, Naturecon, New Babbage's Burning Barrel Race, and more. The Relay for Life would host many events, such as the Home and Garden Expo, the Sci-Fi Expo and Con, the Fantasy Faire, the Christmas Expo, the Renniasance Festival, and of course the Relay Weekend, in which over a thousand avatars braved the lag on an "H" shaped track that when through over a few dozen sims. Patch Linden would host a barbecue on the Relay track in the "Days of Relay" a few days before that. 

 

One notable location in Second Life, Tempura Island, closed down after 14 years. But a tribute place quickly emerged, and the Lab would bring the place back under it's preservation program. But other places would not be as fortunate. "The Dirty Grind," a music venue that featured numerous live musicians would close after over a decade. The East River Community sims in Sansara shunk in number after a major landowner left. A few were saved, but some were not. The Mieville Steampunk community faced a crisis when it's founder Perryn Peterson was declared missing and presumed dead. As there was no plan to preserve the sims after his death, the long-term fate of the estates and community remains uncertain.

Sadly, some people would leave Second Life. Live musician Bat Masters would hang up his microphone after many years of singing due to declining health. Siddean Munro, the maker of Slink avatars, would close down and leave the grid on December 31 after content creating for about 15 years. Many would also pass away in real life, Curei of Whole Brain Health, Jimmy Branagh of New Babbage, artist Indea Vaher,  DJ Fritter AKA Hakura the Pup who was an SL and radio DJ, JasElm Merte of the Safe Waters Foundation and Insilico & Jinx, Teal Freenote of Raglan Shire, Breezy Carver of New Babbage. musician Paul Nowles, Ktahdn Vesuvino of Mieville, Minirainbow of Raglan, Waya Snowpaw a DJ and veteran who distinguished himself at HFOT benefits, Jenn Chant of the Sunweavers, and others.

Virtual Worlds would get attention in real-life news with Facebook/Meta's "Horizons." While Mark Zuckerburg tried to depicted his virtual world as new and nothing else like it, anyone even remotely familiar with Second Life knew this wasn't true, and he was demanding a far bigger cut from what content creators made, and of course the lack of legs which were lampooned on both late-night TV and Linden Lab's own "April Fool" gag. Horizons would turn out to be a disappointment for Zuckerburg, bringing in few people and little cash, which added to Facebook/Meta's problems as it's net worth went downhill. Social Media would also make the news as billionaire Elon Musk best known for his Telsa electric car bought Twitter. Some conservatives and populists saw this as good news, feeling the platform's censors had been biased against them. But Musk's moves such as demanding that employees work "extremely hardcore" did not go well and was seen as unfair to single mothers. Many advertisers would leave, and Musk would end up losing millions on both Twitter and Telsa. 

Outside Second Life, VRChat in July had a security update that disabled mods, much to the anger of many users who over time came to rely on them, and bringing an end to an unspoken agreement between the platform's owners and what came to be an underground mod community. Microsoft would announce it's plans to buy Activision/Blizzard, hoping to complete the deal by the middle of 2023, but it would have to be approved by the US Government's FTC. In the meantime, Blizzard would launch the latest World of Warcraft expansion: Dragonflight, with a new placer race, the Dracthyr.

 

For the Newser's neighbors, the Sunweaver/Angels community, it was an eventful year. The estates would see new features such as new train stops, the new Club Squeaks, and the Christmas theme park. The Relay season would be an active one, hitting Platinum at the start. Cynthia Farshore would be behind or have a hand in many of it's events such as the weekly Moon Dances, the Renfaire, and the Sunbeamer & Roos Air Show. The Sunbeamers would raise over a million Linden Dollars, making Emerald-Level fundraising and come out number thirteen of 138 Relay teams. For her efforts, Cynthia would be honored with a community trophy. ShinyWhiteDragon, a longtime regular at Club Cutlass, and LilyBethPatterson would be married in July. December had a crisis when Perri Prinz and RECoyote Mindes faced a real-life eviction. But in what was called a Christmas miracle, their friends quickly organized a fundraiser that got them the rent money they needed. There was also some fun and games to be had by the community outside Second Life, notably in the Angels server in Rust with the players seeing what they could build and having a couple races and a base defense competition. 

As for the Newser team itself, it was a challenging time with the editor/head writer having to deal with personal tragedy. But the publication continued, and was gifted with a new office by Ranchan Wiedman. As Second Life approaches it's 20th anniversary, we will continue to report the news, large and small, of the people, places, and events across the Grid. Special thanks to our sponsors at Lorena Chung Estates, the Deathlands, and Montecito Bay, our supporters at Farshore Radio and the Sunweaver/Angels community, and of course you the readers. 

 

*Addition* I forgot to include the split in the Burn2 community, with some artists forming their own Burner group, Burn ONe, which would hold a "Renegade Burn" in October and a few other events that year.

Bixyl Shuftan
Editor/Head Reporter

Second Life Newser

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

Saturday, January 7

    ~*~

    

    At 10 AM PST   

    CRISPR Year in Review 2022

    By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/crispr-3/

 

   The Science Circle (72,129,30)

      

    ~*~

 

    At 9 PM PST   

    Alternative Energy Sources

    By Jes Stannard

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/alternate-energy-sources/

 

   The Science Circle (72,129,30)

 

    ~*~

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

 

 

Woman of the Year: Gem Sunkiller

 

 The Newser got a few nominations for Person of the Year. Among them was someone who was part of group of major newsmakers, the Relay for Life.

For over a decade, officially joining in 2012, Gem Sunkiller has been active with the Relay. Originally the founder of Team Shadow, she would go on to be on the committee in a number of positions, as well as organizing numerous multi=team events. One Relayer would say of her, "She has been for lack of a better title Teams Lead for several years. She helps teams on board and show them how to fundraise." She's also been a host on Relay Radio, including during the Relay Weekend, "Her enthusiasm for Relay is evident during her set." For 2023, she is the Relay for Life Lead. She also describes herself as a lover of live music and has photography as a hobby.

"My hope ... beyond the prayer that we are not needed next year because a cure has been found, I hope we Relay the right way, for the right reasons.  It's our desire to help other Relayers reach their goals.  As far as goals, Relay's goal is to finish the fight."

For 2022, Gem Sunkiller is the Second Life Newser's Woman of the Year.

Stay tuned for our runner-up.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Preparing For New Year's Eve

 

 

 2022 is winding down, and people are getting ready to celebrate. Partially for those who will be at real-life parties, Club Cutlass will be having it's New Year's Eve party a night early, tonight from 6-8 PM.

But on the big night is when the most parties are. Some places with Australian, Asian, and European residents will be celebrating early. At 8PM, the Goblin Cave at Caledon Downs will be where the Caledonians and Sunweavers will be celebrating. 

There will be other places as well, such as the Premier Business Center.

One of the last parties, but not least, is the Prim Drop at Bay City's Fairgrounds, starting at 11PM SL time, and climaxing when the big prim starts lowering down the pole at 11:59, touching down when 2023 officially arrives on the Grid.

Have a happy New Year's Eve.

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: New Year's Party at The Goblin Cave

 

 Greetings to all! You are invited to the yearly New Years Eve Party at the Goblin Cave! The Duchy of Downs will throw a party starting at 8 PM and will last till at least 1 AM. Music will be provided by Her Grace Cynthia Farshore and will play region wide so you can enjoy the Christmas rides and sights before they are taken down. A ball will drop for each time zone of the continental U.S. followed with 2 minutes of fireworks till the last zone you get a full 5 minutes. 

 

Besides the dance you can enjoy riding the Christmas Express around the region and even pay a visit to Santa on his hidden aerial abode. The Caledon wide sleigh ride awaits there too to take you on a 40 minute round trip tour of every region of Caledon! So come enjoy and if you can't stay long who cares just drop in and say Hi!!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Downs/104/89/32

 

Press Release: Bay City Prepares For End of Year "Prim Drop"

 

Bay City's gala event set for 31st December

BAY CITY, SL (27th December, 2022) - Citizens of Bay City, Second Life's® “city by the bay,” will be marking the end of the year in fashion with their annual "Prim Drop" in the Bay City Fairgrounds in North Channel on the evening of the 31st of December.

The party will include a two-hour set of music presented by Marianne McCann, as well as fireworks and other festive fun. Food, drink, and other party favors will be provided for all attendees.

The event is presented as an outdoor, high-class, wintertime soirée, and black tie attire and/or full dress is requested. All Second Life® Residents are welcome to attend and ring in the New Year with the Bay City community.

This will also be the last event within Bay City this year for donating to Child's Play Charity (www.childsplaycharity.org) .  Child's Play is a 501c3 non profit organization offers online communities such as ours an opportunity to help seriously ill children around the globe during their hospital stays with the purchase of games and gaming equipment.

As of the 27th of December, Bay City has raised L$260976 for Child's Play Charity through their annual silent auction and tree lighting concert, as well as other local events.

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab® and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest group for Residents of Bay City.

For more information,  please contact Marianne McCann.

 

Linden Lab Posts Year in Review For 2022, Some Objectives For 2023

 

On Thursday December 22, Linden Lab posted it's "2022 - Second Life Year in Review" article on the official Second Life blog. "As 2022 comes to a close, it is time for our annual look back at some of the year’s most notable developments and accomplishments in Second Life."

Besides posting what happened, the Lab would also write about what they're planning, including:

• Avatar customization improvements to simplify creating your virtual identity, including inventory thumbnails to give a preview of what’s sitting in those boxes
• New user experience upgrades to better fuel retention, engagement, and growth across key parts of the new user journey
• New centralized "hubs" to better connect residents to the communities that match their passions and interests
• First peek at a world and avatar centered mobile-first Second Life experience
• New LSL functions that improve the quality of life for scripters
• Even more performance improvements to increase the quality and visual fidelity of the Second Life experience 

 The Newser will have it's own Year in Review in a few days.

 

Who Should Be The Second Life Newser's Person of The Year?

 

 About a week ago, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine was declared Man of the Year by Time Magazine. The "Man of The Year" as the edition was originally called is something they have done every year for almost a century since 1927, the person or group of persons the magazine feels has made the largest impact on the news for the past year. On occasion, it's been awarded not to one man or woman, but to a group of people. The choices have occasionally been controversial. One year, it was announced "The Computer" was given the title due to the impact of computer technology. A number of times, the Man of the Year had made the news due to very negative reasons such as the oppression of a people or peoples, death, and/or destruction. 

 

So with this in mind comes the question who had most impact on Second Life News in 2022? Who should be our Man, Woman, or Persons of The Year? Last year, it was awarded to Patch Linden for partially stepping into the role left empty by the late Ebbe Linden following his passing. 

So who should be our choice for 2022? 

Should it be someone behind a project that helped people in real-life, such as the numerous charities such as the Relay for Life that make use of the virtual world? Should it be someone behind a breakthrough that could change the virtual world as we know it? Should it be a noted filmmaker? Should it be a noted community leader or community officer whom made a difference? Or maybe this was someone on the Internet whom had such a big impact, they had a huge impact on what happened or could happen here in Second Life? 

We have a few people in mind, but we're willing to take suggestions. Who do you think should be Second Life's Man, Woman, or Persons of the Year?

 

Source: Time Magazine, Wikipedia

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: 2022 Out Shop Cancer

It is almost time to shop for a very important cause!

Out Shop Cancer is a main store and marketplace shopping event and a signature Strides Campaign in Second Life in support of the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer programs and research which started in 2018.

The 2022 Out Shop Cancer event includes main store and marketplace shopping, a grid-wide hunt, an Out Shop Cancer Pop-up Market and a special Bloggers for a Cure event. Along with the many shopping opportunities there will be several special raffles during the month, including raffles for eBody Reborn bodies and a Prima Elite body.

With more than 70 stores participating ranging from clothes to decor to cars to breedables, there is something for everyone. Sandie Slate, founder of Out Shop Cancer, shares “We are super excited for this year’s event. The response from designers this year has been tremendous and the amount of support for the event has exceeded expectations. With the inclusion of the Pop-Up Market and the Bloggers for a Cure event, this year’s event is jam-packed with shopping and much more.”

The Out Shop Cancer event runs from October 1st to the 31st. Shoppers will be able to pick up a shopping hud inworld at the Out Shop Cancer office. A list a of contributing merchants with shopping directory and the official bloggers can be found on the Out Shop Cancer website at https://www.outshopcancersecondlife.com/. Information about the Pop-Up Market and Bloggers for a Cure event will be available on the website as well.

All proceeds from this event go directly to the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer programs and services. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Choerom/57/16/100

SL Video: "A Memory of Fantasy Faire 2022"

 *

From Zieb Zen on May 5, "I was almost low-key crying after I made this as I feel this is some of my best work so far. I did something I've always wanted to accomplish and that was to make a truly epic video of ALL the 20+ sims at Fantasy Faire. The Faire is an amazing work of art and I wanted you to be able to see it through my eyes and imagination. Special thanks to Peasant and Vrutega for helping me get my Flycam set up! All footage was filmed in Black Dragon. I attempted to capture the windlights of the sims as close as possible. There was so much beautiful footage I had to mash together two different songs to make it long enough. I really hope you enjoy this!"
 

Press Release: Fantasy Faire 2022

 

* * Fantasy Faire 2022, April 21 – May 8* *
A Benefit for the American Cancer Society

Many Realms – One Vision.
Fantasy Faire 2022: Building a World Without Cancer

Since 2009, Fantasy Faire has been the largest gathering of fantasy designers, enthusiasts, role-players, and performers in the virtual world of Second Life®. It is also one of the most successful Relay For Life (RFL) fundraising teams worldwide. The 2021 Faire ranked 19th out of 5,000 RFL teams around the globe. Over its fourteen years, the Faire has raised close to $530,000 US Dollars, or over L$133,250,000 Linden Dollars.

For the past five years, the Faire has dedicated its fundraising efforts to the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) global service and support programs, including the recently launched project BEACON (Building Expertise, Advocacy, and Capacity for Oncology Navigation).

A partnership with nine health institutions and organizations in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, BEACON builds on the success of similar ACS programs in the US and elsewhere. The project answers the call from healthcare professionals and cancer patients in those areas for life-saving information that can dramatically increase survival rates. “Fantasy Faire is one of the cornerstones of our vital work,” says Kristie McComb, Managing Director of Global Capacity Development and Patient Support at the ACS. “It’s an inspiring example of a global community working together to address a global challenge.”

The Faire has long been considered the premier annual shopping event for fantasy-themed merchandise in Second Life, showcasing fantasy avatars, clothing, furnishings, gadgets, and exclusive items by 250 of the grid’s top fantasy creators. In addition, Faire visitors enjoy dance and theater performances; attend auctions, art galleries, and a Literary and Film Festival; and share in an interactive quest and roleplaying events and classes.

Fantasy Faire Radio provides the soundtrack for visitors exploring the Fairelands, featuring music from blockbuster fantasy films along with a rich variety of world music traditions. A second radio station, “Live at the Fairechylde” features DJs spinning an upbeat, eclectic mix of tracks including classic rock, club music, jazz, blues, and pop hits. In 2021, more than 30,000 unique listeners tuned in from over 150 countries around the world.

It all comes to life again this year when the Fairelands return on April 21^st. “I’m always deeply moved that a realm made of ones and zeros has become home to a global community capable of affecting positive change for all humankind” says Elizabeth Tinsley, Executive Director of Fantasy Faire. “It doesn’t stop at the border between the virtual and the physical. In fact, that’s where the real magic truly starts.”

Fantasy Faire 2022 will be open to the public April 21 – May 8. The SLurl to the event will be found on the website on our opening day. We welcome you to come and join the story.

Fantasy Faire 2022 is made possible by the generous support of our Region and Event Sponsors, all of whom you can learn more about on the Faire’s website. For more information please contact one of the Faire coordinators: https://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/organizers/

Are you or a loved one battling cancer? Find out how many ways the American Cancer Society is there to help. Visit cancer.org or call (US) 800-227-2345.

Email: FantasyFaireRFL@gmail.com
Website: http://fantasyfaireSL.wordpress.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fantasyfairesl/
Plurk: http://www.plurk.com/FantasyFaireSL
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FantasyFaireSL
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/fantasyfairesl/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FantasyFaireSL
Discord: https://discord.gg/cxN5NEzBe5
RFL in SL: www.relayforlife.org/secondlife

American Cancer Society SLurl:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/American%20Cancer%20Society/127/103/21
 

Various New Year's Happenings

 

New Year's Eve was a busy time in Second Life, with many places having parties. Yours truly went to several, and took a number of pictures. So many were taken, it took a while to get them all up. But here they are.

See the pictures in Events.
 

Happy New Year

 

It's January 1, 2022, and the start of a new year. There were a number of celebrations in Second Life, and now, a whole new year to look forward to with hope and optimism. And we at the Newser will be there in Second Life to inform you of what's going on.

Bixyl Shuftan and the Second Life Newser crew.
 

VWBPE 2022 Call for Sponsors

 

Every spring, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference takes place in Second Life. Earlier this week, the organizers posted a request for sponsors for the 2022 conference, which will be the 15th. The theme this year is "Phoenix Rising," and it takes place from Thursday March 31 to Saturday March 2.

We are asking for your support by sponsoring the 15th Annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference (VWBPE), Phoenix Rising, happening this March 31 to April 2, 2022.

This completely online conference provides educational and networking opportunities that are relevant to educational curriculum development utilizing virtual environments and “best practices”. Your participation in this conference not only helps the thousands of instructors coming together to champion immersive education during our conference, it also reaches out to thousands more throughout the year.

Your participation will help to:

    build community through extension of learning best practices to practical application of those ideas and techniques;
    provide networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and
    provide access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education.

Community sponsors are the primary source of funding for this event and will help ensure its success. You can provide support in the following ways:

    Be an event supporter through a monetary donation.
    Volunteer at the event.
    Host a presentation on your products or services.
    Provide samples or trials showcasing your services

We invite you to help us promote online education as an official corporate sponsor.

The event is a major annual one in Second Life with hundreds attending and numerous discussions about various topics on education and virtual worlds. This includes some discussions in which Lindens, including CEOs, took part and talked about what was going on with the Lab. 

For the announcement in full, Click Here.
 

RFL Team Sunbeamers Have Over 100,000 Lindens For Next Season

 *

The next Relay season in Second Life is still months away. But some teams have been raising money for the season ahead. Among them is the Sunbeamer team, of whom team captain Rita Mariner set up a tip jar onto the deck of Club Cutlass for anyone wanting to chip in for next year's team total. A few days ago, the total passed 100,000 Linden dollars. And the total keeps going up.

How much will be raised by the start of the season in February 2022? We'll have to wait to find out. 

Go Sunbeamers! Go Relay!

Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757).

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Logo for 2022 RFL Season Chosen

 
On Friday September 3, Stingray Rainmaker announced that the logo for the 2022 Relay for Life fundraising season had been selected. The design selected was by Arizona Ballinger. The news was announced on the Second Life ACS website.

The 2022 Relay For Life of Second Life theme is: Heroes of Hope! - which will undoubtedly manifest itself through tales of heroes, both fiction and non-fiction. The theme will align perfectly as we pursue our goal of raising $500,000 USD in a single year...and as we close in on $5 Million USD, all-time.

We would like to thank everyone who submitted logo concepts over the last several weeks and we’re excited to unveil the final version of the 2022 Relay For Life of Second Life Theme Logo, designed by Arizona Ballinger.

This logo will serve as our flagship symbol for our Relay For Life efforts in 2022. We’re going to try something new this year by integrating the RFL logo into the theme logo (notice “O’ in Hope). Because we cannot sell anything with the ACS/RFL logo on it, we will also make an alternative version of the logo available to anyone who wishes to sell items for donations with the theme logo on them. You can get a copy of both logos in the “logo section” of the Relay Building on the American Cancer Society Island in Second Life.

The theme, "Heroes for Hope," was chosen on July 29.

Already, the logo is being used. In Steelhead Bay, Fuzzball Ortega, the captain of the Steelhead Salmons team, put it on display.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Relay 2022 Season Theme Chosen: Heroes of Hope

 

Yesterday on Thursday July 29, Stingray Rainmaker announced that the theme for the 2022 Relay for Life fundraising season had been chosen. After counting the 259 votes made, "Heroes of Hope" came out on top with over 38% of the tally. 

Over the last two weeks, the ACS community in Second Life have cast their votes for the theme of the 2022 Relay For Life of Second Life.

259 votes were cast, making this the largest community decision on a theme in our event’s history. This is a good indicator for how excited everyone is about reaching our $500,000 USD goal.

Each year, our theme guides our motivation, inspires our creativity, and gives each season a unique identity. Considering the fact that our goal for next year is the highest we’ve ever set, we know that it will take a “super-heroic” effort from everyone in the ACS community.

This theme can be interpreted in so many ways, all of which are going to make for an unforgettable Relay season and event. The theme that received the most votes is the perfect description for each member of our community. We can’t wait to see how each team embraces our 2022 Relay For Life of Second Life theme: HEROES OF HOPE.

Among the other choices, "Hope Floats" came in second with 27% of the vote. Third was "Decades of Hope" with 12.7%. "Toon Out Cancer" was fourth with 11.3%. And fifth was "Lights, Camera, Hope" with 10.8%.

Chatting with a few in RFL team Sunbeamer chat, there was a little surprise about the choice made, but general agreement that there was plenty of room with the theme to work with. As to why "Lights Camera Hope" came out last, more than one commented perhaps this was a reflection of peoples' opinions of Hollywood and movies in recent years.

Source: Second Life ACS Information

Bixyl Shuftan