Xiola Linden's Farewell Address

Xiola Linden left Linden Lab on January 3. But not without some final words. In New World Notes, Hamlet Au wrote about asking her if she had any "last message" for the residents of Second Life. Xiola stated the following:

Be open to change, but never stop questioning it. Constructive criticism is always going to be received more enthusiastically than attacks. It is very easy to get emotional about something that means so much to us. I know, from my own experiences with Second Life, that it's sometimes difficult to keep calm and Second Life on -- but I also witnessed that sort of emotional response grow into a lot of misinformation and unnecessary panic. So, it's a balance. But it is important and key, I think.

We live in a world where it can be difficult to not get jaded and overwhelmed, but Second Life is a world that we can control, and I have always felt very strongly about the positives of how it impacts people. How it impacts me. That is what makes it so strong. It should be the playground and sandbox that it is so great at being. A place where we can feel welcome and empowered. 

So, my suggestion is that everyone try to be more welcoming, and also empower one another. I know that may sound idealistic, but it's a very simple concept when you think about it. That is what builds an incredible community. That is the principle that I always strive to bring to my work with any community, and one I think that everyone can benefit from practicing from time to time. 

Xiola reminded that she wouldn't be really gone, but still had her standard account and will be coming back, "Sometimes it might be just 5 to 15 minutes, others it will be for an hour or more for things like live music or just hanging out ... I'd like to get back into making stuff if I can find the time because I love clothes in SL so much, but sometimes have a hard time finding my style. I like to change outfits right before I log off, so it's like a surprise when I log in next, because I forget what I changed into."

So if your place in Second Life welcomes residents from all around, one of them someday soon just might be Xiola.

The picture was one of two Xiola sent to Hamlet, "The cheese one is closest to my heart because it's cheesy."

Former Xiola Linden Joins Mixed Reality Startup

It's been about two weeks since Xiola Linden departed Linden Lab. According to New World Notes, already she's been hired. She's now at Ubiquity6, a startup tech company focusing on mixed reality.

Xiola told Hamlet Au she saw similarities between Linden Lab and the new startup,  "'Fun, energized, whip-smart, kind, thoughtful, and very diverse. That is something that was so important to me in my previous role, and I did not expect to find that kind of culture anywhere else -- I got lucky to have lightning strike twice in that regard. It's exciting to make new friends who are so enthusiastic about the incredible possibilities and potential of really compelling projects."

Uniquity6 has one product available: display.land , which it calls "a new digital canvas for creativity and shared experiences." How much we'll be hearing from them  in the future, hard to say. But Xiola's presence can only help them.

Source: New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: Two Linden Snowball Fight Videos

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Draxtor Despress



(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Linden Lab

Both videos give different perspectives of the Linden Snowball fight last month, one from Xiola and Strawberry Linden, the other from Draxtor Drepress. In Draxtor's video, you can see me lob a few snowballs his way. ;-)

Nine Questions For Xiola Linden

After eight years, one of the more popular Lindens, Xiola Linden, is departing Linden Lab. Coming in at a time the Lab had been distancing itself from the residents, Xiola has been quite a force in reversing that with events such as the Creepy Crawl and the "Lab Gab" show. The Newser wanted to interview her, but inworld was a problem as Lindens are busy. So we brought back an old style of interview, "Nine Questions." Xiola had a number of things to say, including how she came to Linden Lab and her future plans.

Read the interview in People.

Xiola Linden Stepping Down From Linden Lab

The Linden Snowball fight today from 10 to 11 SL time was lots of fun. But there was one sad moment. Near the end of the event, one of the Lindens taking part, Xiola Linden, told people she would soon be departing Linden Lab. Her last day will be January 3.

Xiola Linden was with Linden Lab's public relations, and one of the most familiar and popular Lindens, it not the most popular. She frequently appeared in many events with residents such as the Second Life Birthdays and the "Creepy Crawl" each Halloween. More recently, she started co-hosting the livestreamed show "Lab Gab" with Strawberry Linden. In the most recent episode on December 18, she also announced she was leaving (14:50).

"Just a little over eight years ago was when I showed up for my first day at 'The Lab,' and I basically walked into my dream job. It was a place that I had for a very long time been a resident of since 2006. ... It's been a job that's allowed me to grow, and it's been a job that's been challenging. ... The product has it's challenges in terms of ... how do you explain Second Life to someone who's never done it because it's to many things to so many people on it. ... It's giving me a ton of incredible stories of things that you can not only imagine but realize. And I learned from the community to see the way that they continuously adopt the features of the platform and do it in ways that we never expecter or would do. So ... here we are eight years later and it's still my dream job. I still can't even imagine who I would be or what I would be like without this community and without Second Life and without the Lab.

"That said, it's come time for me to work on some new dreams. ... So yes, my last day at Linden Lab will be January 3rd. ... That's not to say I'm no longer gonna be in Second Life, because, you bet your bottom dollar ... I'm still going to be in Second Life, maybe even more so since I won't have to be doing it as a full-time job as well. I'll have more time to just come in and run amok. It's been awesome. In my time here, I've gotten a chance to work on so many products, not just Second Life obviously. I've been here for Sansar, for some of the other products we've had in our portfolio in the past. It's been awesome of course. Second Life is the dearest and nearest, and the one I have the most experience with.

"So yeah, that's my announcment. I should shut up before I start crying again."

Whereever you go Xiola, we all wish you the best of luck.

Bixyl Shuftan

Eye On The Blog: Lab Gab Episode Seven Today

Today at 3PM SL time (6PM EST) is another episode of the "Lab Gab" program by Xiola and Strawberry Linden. This week, the two popular Lindens will talk about various winder areas.

We’re all set to go walking in some Winter wonderlands in our next episode of Lab Gab with Xiola & Strawberry. What’s not to love about sweater weather, a cozy scarf, and the calming crackling of a toasty fire? Winter is a time of year for family, friends, holidays, and cheer - and we’re ready to bring some of that cheer to Lab Gab.

People can tune in on Linden Lab's youtube channel to see the program livestreamed

Official "Creepy Crawl" Schedule

For the past several years, Linden Lab has organized a "Creepy Crawl" event, a Halloween-themed venue crawl, every October 31st. This year will be no exception. Yesterday, Tuesday October 29, the Lab posted the schedule on the official blog.

10:00 AM : Bay City's Halloween Hay Maze - North Channel (128/128/24)
10:30 AM : Dreadvill - Halloween at Cay's - Spice Cove (110/56/3008)
11:00 AM : Sanctuary at Rock - Serena Nightingale (39/76/1999)
11:30 AM : All Hallows - Moochie (170/200/23)
12:00 PM : Club End of Days - End of Days (233/245/503)
12:30 PM : Shenanigans Music Cafe - Ocean Of Orchids (81/64/25)
  1:00 PM : I Am A Rock- Au Paradis (176/60/21)
  1:30 PM : Ambrosia Dance Club - Ambrosia Dance Club (185/121/686)

The event is often crowed and the sims packed. So those having trouble TPing to the next venue in the crawl may want to head to the one after.

SL Video: "Lab Gab With Xiola and Strawberry - Episode 5 - The Return of Spooky Second Life"

Here's the most recent "Lab Gab" from Linden Lab, "Episode 5 - The Return of Spooky Second Life," broadcasted last Wednesday. Here, Xiola and Strawberry Linden discuss Halloween. Much of the first 15 minutes is discussing about some amusing real-life Halloweenish tidbits, then they get more into what Second Life has to offer. After 22 minutes, they leave their studio to check out some spooky places.

Eye On The Blog: Creepy Crawl Call For Venues, Lab Gab Today

October means the Halloween season in Second Life. And part of Halloween in the Grid in recent years has been the "Creepy Crawl." For those who don't know, it's a Halloween-themed venue crawl, the inworld equivalent of a bar crawl in which a group of people go to a number of bars and spend just a little time at each, organized by Linden Lab. A few days ago, the Lab posted on the official blog that they were looking for venues to take part.

If you’d like to host a stop along the Creepy Crawl, own a spot that will be decked out for the holiday, and don’t mind if a parade of Residents and Lindens come through, then you might be just what the witch doctor ordered. We’re looking for spots that have entertainment (we like to dance around in our costumes!), are appropriate for general and moderate audiences, and can handle a crowd.

To get in, first of all, venues wanting to be part of the Crawl have to be listed in the Destination Guide. They also have to fill out and submit this online form before October 25. The Lab will choose several venues and notify them by email after October 25.

The Creepy Crawl will take place Thursday October 31 from 10AM to 2PM.

To read the blog post in fill, Click here. 

*  *  *  *  *

There will be another episode of "Lab Gab," the live-stream show hosted by Xiola and Strawberry Linden.

Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays in Second Life - when the veil between the other world and inworld is thinnest. Each year, we see events, parties, hunts, and costumes haunt even the farthest reaches of the Grid. It’s a great time of year to explore the elements of surprise and the unknown, and maybe even get a little scared. While dressing up is a year-round activity for many, there are some next-level looks that roam inworld.

This week, we’ll be talking about Halloween in Second Life as well as taking a field trip to venture into some Halloween-themed events. Join us as we wander the spooky, spoopy, and downright kooky side of Second Life! 

Those interested can watch the show on Linden Lab's Youtube channel,or their new Mixer channel. The show is today, Wednesday October 9, at 3PM SL time.

To read the blogpost in full, Click here.

Lab Gab Episode Three: Kess Crystal

On Wednesday September 25, the third episode of "Lab Gab" took place at 3PM SL time. On the show, Strawberry and Xiola Linden interviewed Kess Crystal. Kess writes a blog, "The Glamour Sauce," as well as running the Blogger and Vlogger Network (BVN), "a group and website built specifically for networking and education purposes. ... strives to provide bloggers and vloggers with the most pertinent, up-to-date, and interactive information available."

If you can't see the video above, click on the link Here.

Review of Lab Gab Episode Two With Reed Linden

Last week, the new Second Life show hosted by Xiola and Strawberry Linden, Lab Gab, had it's first guest: Reed Linden. As Second Life's Product Manager, Reed talked about a few things recently developed, and a few things in the works such as some upcoming changes to Marketplace.

Read the review in Design.

Lab Gab Episode Two: Reed Linden

On Wednesday September 11, the new "Lab Gab" youtube program by Linden Lab featuring Ziola and Strawberry Linden had it's second episode, airing at 3PM SL time. The guest for this episode was Reed Linden, the Product Manager.

We'll have a summary of the show soon. For now, if you want to hear what Reed had to say, watch the above video, or Click Here.

"Lab Gab" Live Streaming Show Debuts Tomorrow

Good news for fans of Xiola and Strawberry Linden (formerly Strawberry Singh). Xiola announced on the official Second Life blog that she and Strawberry will be co-hosting a live-streamed show, "Lab Gab." Their first episode is tomorrow, August 28, 2019 at 3PM SL time. Further episodes are planned "every two weeks or so."

We’re excited to announce our very first live-streaming show - “Lab Gab” with Xiola and Strawberry Linden. We’ll be coming to you live on YouTube every two weeks or so, starting Wednesday, August 28th at 3 pm SLT/PT. You can join us for these live streams on our Official YouTube Channel here when we go live! (We’re working on bringing Lab Gab to more streaming platforms in the very near future - so stay tuned!)

What’s Lab Gab? Well, it will be a variety show of sorts - we want to explore Second Life, answer your questions, talk to Residents from all over the world, and stream it through the internet and into your homes, phones, and wherever you get your quality entertainment.

In our first show, we’ll be introducing ourselves, talking a little bit about what Lab Gab is, and interacting with you through YouTube live. In the future, we will invite special guests to come visit us on the set and talk about events and issues that impact the communities in Second Life.

As Xiola stated, the first episode is basically an introduction. What will further shows "gab" about? Will the show last longer than "Lab Chat" a few years ago? Time will tell.

Source: Linden Blog

Xiola and Strawberry Linden at "Meet The Lindens" Today

"Meet The Lindens" concludes today with two popular women in Linden Lab: Xiola and Strawberry Linden. Xiola as "Lead Community Manager" is behind a number of Linden Lab's announcements, as well as organizing many events in which residents have a chance to interact with the Lindens, such as the Halloween "Creepy Crawl" and snowball fights. Strawberry was one of the most noted fashion bloggers in Second Life, if not the most noted, known as Strawberry Singh, until recently hired by Linden Lab a couple months ago in April.

Meet Lead Community Manager Xiola Linden and Marketing Content Specialist Strawberry Linden at this special event, held June 27 at 2 p.m. (Pacific). Xiola currently handles all things social media and community related for Second Life, while Strawberry strives to create tutorials and imagery that will resonate with not only new Residents, but also the current community.

The event is today June 27 at 2PM at the Auditorium

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL16B%20Awesome/39/214/23

Eye On The Blog: The #SL16B #SecondLifeChallenge

There's a lot going on at the Second Life Birthday with the music events, the exhibits, the Swaginator hunt, and more. On the official Second Life blog, Linden Lab (via Strawberry and Xiola Linden) was offering one more activity: the "#SL16B #SecondLifeChallenge."

Strawberry Linden and Xiola Linden decided to pose a Second Life Challenge to you - pick up your free party hat at the welcome area and take videos and/or pictures of you and your friends wearing your hats. Share them with us on social using #sl16b and #SecondLifeChallenge - it's that easy!

To take part, one gets the party favor bag in one of the welcome areas, such as the one ar SL16B Pizzazz (129/244/23), and unpack the hat, flag, and lanyard. Then the person takes pictures of themselves and friends in the hats. And finally, the person shares the pictures on social media, and submitting a picture to Second Life's official Flicker page and the Second Life Challenge page, "using the hashtags #SL16B and #SecondLifeChallenge ."

To read the blog post in it's entirety, Click Here.

Linden Town Hall, Last Names Date Pushed Back To Spring 2019

Yesterday, November 15 at 10 AM, was the time of the Town Hall. Oz, Patch, and Grumpity Linden were joined by Xiola on stage as they talked to the residents in the audience. They answered a number of questions that had been posted in the forums. At the end was a short Q and A taking some additional questions from the crowd.

There were a number of question answered. Will there be resident to resident auctions? Not until next year. Will Premium residents have some choice in their style of Linden Home? Yes. What does the SSP in the new mystery continent stand for? "Super Secret Project."

On the issue of bringing back last names as an option for new residents and allowing those who don't have them to get one, "As with many things in Second Life, it's complicated. A lot of things in the background we need to upgrade." They stated that it was looking like last names would not be back until sometime in " the second quarter of next year" at least. As for how much the fee would be, one stated, "on the order of a few months of premium membership" or close to $30 USD, "not impossible, but not throwaway money."



The Newser will try to have more about the Town Hall later. For now, here's a video of the event courtesy of Luca.

Bixyl Shuftan

Addition: I've been hearing from others that getting a last name or changing one's last name for an account may be limited to Premium Residents. So for a free player looking to get a last name could be spending about $40 USD.

Linden "Creepy Crawl" Today

Since 2015, Linden Lab has held a "Creepy Crawl" event in Second Life every Halloween. And this year marks the fourth. On Monday afternoon, Xiola Linden posted the schedule in the official blog. The event will go over eight locations in four hours.

The Creepy Crawl inworld starts THIS Wednesday, October 31st at 10 am SLT, and you don't want to be left out in the dark! The full schedule is available below, and in the Destination Guide.


10 - 10:30 AM : Tagus, Tagus (110/152/30)

10:30 to 11:00 AM : Bay City Fairgrounds : North Channel (128/128/24)

11:00 to 11:30 AM : Vampyr Empire : Transylvania (85/125/30)

11:30 to 12 Noon : All Hallows at Moochie : Moochie (171/199/23)

12 Noon to 12:30 PM : Spookzilla Hunt : Lucky Star (169/137/22)

12:30 to 1PM : Octoberville : Pixeltrix (190/16/3801)

1 to 1:30 PM : At The Edge of Darkness : Butterfly Bay (198/165/22)

1:30 to 2 PM : Bad Katz Halloween : Community (78/148/24)


Read the blog post in full (here).

Scenes From the SL15B

There's a lot to see and do at the Second Life Birthday.  There's the Auditorium, there's the three stages, there's the dozens of exhibits, and more. Bixyl Shuftan was there to check out some of the places, as well as catch a few goings-on.

See the pictures in Events.

"Meet The Lindens" This Week At The SL15B Auditorium

For the past few years at the Second Life Birthday, the residents have had a chance to hear from the Lindens themselves. And this year, they can at the "Meet The Lindens" events in the Auditorium. From Monday to Friday 2-4PM SL time, Saffia Widdershins will be conducting interviews with various Lindens.

Monday: Xiola Linden
Tuesday: Keira and Patch Linden
Wednesday: Ebbe Linden (the CEO)
Thursday: Oz and Grumpity Liden
Friday: Brett Linden

The Auditorium is just north of https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL15B%20Enchant/25/119/23

Linden Lab Announces Fourth Annual Music Fest, Auditions for, in June

Although Linden Lab hasn't been involved with the Second Life Birthday event since 2011, in recent years it has been increasingly involved with helping to celebrate the virtual world's anniversary. In 2015, they announced and then held their first "Music Fest" event, taking place at the same time as the Second Life Birthday. At first, these events were held separately from the SLB grounds. But later have been held there as part of the mega-event. On Monday, Xiola Linden announced the Fourth Annual Music Fest would be taking place this June, and that early in the month there would be auditions for musicians interested in playing.

This June, Second Life turns 15 and we’re planning some fun ways to honor this long-standing community and invite some of the rest of the world to come check out what makes us so special! Stay tuned to this blog for more details about events to come and read on to find out about the first of many - our annual Music Fest - sponsored by Linden Lab.

 

In recent years we’ve taken the popular idea of music festivals and brought them into the virtual world - all the music, merriment, and good times without the sunburn. This year will mark the 4th annual Music Fest in celebration of Second Life - and we can’t wait to get grooving.

 

Since we started Music Fest in Second Life, we’ve held an audition showcase to highlight some of the musical talent in the Second Life community. Many of you have been performing for years in virtual venues all over the grid, and we’d love to have you come showcase your talent at the tryouts for this summer Music Fest. All genres are welcome! From bands to solo acts, rock and roll to electronica - we encourage anyone to sign up for consideration. The Second Life Music Fest is an opportunity to perform at one of the biggest celebrations in Second Life, and it’s a paid gig!

Unlike the performers volunteering for the main Second Life Birthday event, Linden Lab promises to pay the musicians in it's event a little cash. Those trying out for auditions need to fill out a form online (link here). Musicians are requested to define their type of music, and while not required are requested to provide links of any music they have online.

The audition times are Friday June 1 at 12 Noon to 2PM, and Saturday June 2 from 6 to 8PM SL time.

To read the blog post in full, Click Here.

Bixyl Shuftan