Echovets Gateway For Veteran Newcomers Now Open

 

 

 Last month, the Newser reported that Echovets had been granted a gateway sim by Linden Lab, the first and so far the only one to be aimed at newcomers who are military veterans. But it had been an empty sim that needed to be built on. A few days ago, Echovets' leader, Stacy Lee (Stacy Maracas), informed me the gateway was now open for newcomers, the construction of it's buildings completed. 

"Here at Echo Group Band of Brothers Gateway, we know how overwhelming Second Life can be when you first rezz in.  We went out of our way to ensure our uniformed service residents, their families and supporters, not only receive the knowledge of being a new resident, but also interactive everything for hands on learning as well.  We feel that it will make new residents want to stay in Second Life and keep learning more."

Stacy described herself as exhausted, but proud of what the sim had become and now had to offer. There was a newcomer orientation area where one could learn the basics on how to get about Second Life. But there was more. There was a mall area. There was a golf course. There was a bumper boats pool. There was a sandbox. There was a picturesque garden. There was a firepit welcome area. And more. 

 

One place Stacy was particularly proud of was the Echovets Bike Track. Located over the sim, it offered a long track that would take some time for motorcycles, or perhaps cars or horses, to make their way up to the end. It offered occasional signs and other scenery along the track, sometimes funny, sometimes serious.

A valuable asset for military veterans new to Second Life.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Echo%20Group%20Welcome/15/239/25

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Echovets Announces New Veteran’s Gateway Sim

 

 

 Almost a year ago, we wrote about the Echovets sim and community, which later ended up in Second Life Destinations. A couple days ago, it's co-President Stacy Maracas (Stacy Lee) had an announcement, shared through a notecard.

Last week we were given the first and only Veteran’s Gateway Sim.  I am currently building it as we speak, and we are searching for business owners to partake in that sim with us.

What we are attempting to do is have some free items for our Active Duty, Veterans and family members that choose to Rezz for the first time in Second Life at the EchoGroup Gateway.

I have been in SL for almost 19 years, I know, and have seen us pull together to help new residents get a great start.  I am hoping I can count on you to pull together again, with us to make it a great experience for them as they come to Second Life, and to EchoVets and not only join us in the place we all love, but also to receive the benefit of having their Rezz day on our sim where we can provide LIVE assistance with the systems in place to help them as Uniformed Service Members.

We are looking for Mesh Bodies, Hair, Skins, Clothing, and any great items you think might be a nice free item or even VERY low cost that I am willing to give them the lindens out of my pocket to obtain.

I welcome you to tour the sim, ask any questions you like, and I am also including some background and our social media links for your information.

The Gateway sim, Echo Group Welcome, is just north of the EchoVets BandofBrothers sim. While much of the place is still empty, some things have been set up, such as the beginning of an orientation course, and a freebie mall. But the mall had very little. As stated by Stacy, Echovets could use a little help in getting free or practically free items for veteran newcomers to Second Life. 

In my opinion, the idea of a Gateway sim for veterans is a good one as it would encourage more to stay in Second Life.

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EchoVets%20BandofBrothers/159/221/23

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Picture of The Day: Welcome Lines

 

From "IQ" on Discord.  One thing practically every Second Life resident is familiar with are those annoying yellow ban lines. While some residents need them to deal with stalkers, yours truly can't help but wonder how many who use them truly need them. With this in mind, this picture from IQ was a welcome contrast: parcel lines welcoming people in.

"Check the best property lines ever! I have the coolest neighbor ... She, the creator/owner of those, put them up against a parcel that has ban lines. I love that!"
 

The Caledon Oxbridge University 10 Year Anniversary Ball

In 2010, Linden Lab ended it's support for Community Gateway programs. The majority went under. But Caledon continued it's newcomer welcome area, Caledon Oxbridge University. Last Saturday, the noted steampunk community celebrated the tenth anniversary of the place and group. The Newser was there to get a few pictures.

See more in Events.

InWorldz' Sucessor Islandz Comes Online

On July 27, the virtual world on Inworldz shut down. Beth Reischl (Elenia Llewellyn) had promised that a new grid would arise. After almost four months, it arrived. The Islandz virtual grid was open to the former residents of the virtual world on November 14 at 3PM. Elenia had a message for the former residents of the closed virtual world whom had anxiously awaited the new one.

Well, it's taken a while, but we've finally managed to get to the point where we can open our doors to show our residents that we are indeed alive and well! 

First, let me thank everyone for their hard work, their patience and their determination to help us see this through. Without you, we would never have gotten this far! I've watched our community be absolutely amazing, stunning, graceful, patient and so helpful to the myriad of questions from so many.

To begin with, former Inworldz residents should not start new accounts, but login with their old account names and passwords at https://app.islandzvw.com/account. Once they successfully log in on the website, then they can try logging in the virtual world via the viewer, which can be downloaded at https://islandzvw.com/download.php.

For those expecting to appear as what they looked like in Inworldz, they will be in for a disappointment as they appear in the Welcome Area. With inventories completely empty, they won't have so much as a "Ruth" avatar, appearing as a cloud. There are some freebie avatars, clothes, and accessories nearby, so you can at least have a newbie look. But the OARS, or the items residents left at sandboxes to save, are not around yet. There's also only a few sims accessible for most residents.

And so, the success to Inworldz is finally online. How well it does at making the residents of it's predecessor happy, and how successful it is as a virtual world, will take many weeks, probably months, to figure out.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Shelter : A Place to Relax And Enjoy !

Imagine that you're new to Second Life. Chances are, you have hardly a clue on where to go or what to do. Even if a friend brought you here, he or she won't be around all the time. So where to go? One place is "The Shelter," which will soon be celebrating it's tenth anniversary. Wesley Regenbogen recently went to take a look at the location, and what makes it special.

Read Wesley's article in Places.

Sha's Thoughts: Sha Anouki

In her latest column, Becky wanted to write a little about a place, and decided instead of going across the Grid to describe a far off location, she would describe her own little corner of Sunweaver Bay where she makes her home.

Read Becky's column in Places.

Meanwhile Back in Azeroth: Welcome Home Wen-Li

"This is ... Pandaria? I ... I'm home?"

I imagine that's what my Pandaren character would be thinking once she realized where she was. Just the other day I finally reached Level 85, and with it came the questline that led to the expedition to Pandaria. For most other adventurers, they would truly be strangers in a strange land. But for Wen-Li (Weynli), it would be coming to the land her ancestors left centuries ago. A land rejoining the world after thousands of years of isolation with the parting of the mists that once hid it from view, a world divided by a conflict not even the Pandaren from the Wandering Isle could escape from. To help heal the broken world, those adventurers leaving had to chose a side: Alliance or Horde. And now, how to help her ancestral homeland in this time of trial while still fulfilling the obligations to her faction?


She might not have much time as things are starting to get interesting, as the trailer for "Siege of Ogrimmar" suggests (Click Here).

Bixyl Shuftan

Surprise Visit in SL10B

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

Since the SL10B is still going on this week, I logged into the History site in Beguile sim to check on what was going on. If you have visited you know that the arrival point is the good old corral of the early days. To my surprise the corral was full!! Many avatars were sitting on the ground. 

 

As I surveyed the avatars, I saw that almost all were newbies. Thanks to Fran Gustav, a greeter and host,  I learned it was a university language class visiting Second Life for the first time. The instructor, Pionia Destiny, brought them to here as part of the class. I supplied her with some landmarks and information and tagged along. What fun! 

 

Their first stop was to the Welcome Center where they picked up all the goodies there and learned how to change their appearance. Then with some instructions, she set them free to roam. It was joy to watch. 

 

Remember the SL10B Community Celebration continues until the 29th of June. If you have not had time to see all the wonderful exhibits hurry! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL10B%20Beguile/253/145/22

 

Gemma Cleanslate 

Press Day in SL9B

It's Press Day in the SL9B area. So this means the building is done, and time for us in the media to start covering. Well, in some cases cover a little more. This picture by Zuzu Ritt shows the welcome area from above. For more pictures, check the SL9B Flickr.


A map of the area, complete with names.



And for a little humor, the Prim Reaper shows off the SL9B Mesh stage which will be the scene of a number of live music performances at the birthday event, "SL9B will feature some of the best musical performers in Second Life... and this video features the absolute worst!"

For more, check up on the SL9B blog: http://sl9b.wordpress.com/

A Welcome Screen With a Little Bite

For about a year and a half, we've seen those "Be a Vampire" banner ads for Second Life, advertising the Grid as a place for roleplaying the creatures of the night. Well, when going to the official website today, this is what greeted me.

Now the vamps in Second Life pretty much keep their fangs to themselves. But I can't help but wonder if some newbies might be scared off by the image, at least as is. Perhaps a collection of avatars, with vampires being one example.

On the other hand, a wag might joke this is Linden Lab's way of warning the Grid can sometimes "suck."

The Passionate Redhead’s Cinco de Mayo Party

On Thursday May 5th, the Passionate Redheads held a dance party in Southern Colorado. As it was the Mexican-American holiday Cinco de Mayo, that was the theme of the party. Beginning at 5PM Second Lite time at the Enchanted Forrest, team officer and DJ Dusk Griswold cranked up the tunes with a selection of mariachi music. There were a few decorations setup, including a band wearing sombreros and a green liquor glass next to limes and a salt shaker.

A number of Redheads showed up, the total number showing up probably close to three dozen. The sim had a diverse crowd too, a mix of furred folk and normal human avs. Builder Lomgren Smalls and club owner Nydia Tungsten were among those attending. Not long after 5, someone else showed up: Daaneth Kivioq. His first event since returning from the hospital, he greeted everyone in voice, and the crowd greeted him warmly with a mix of voice and text, “Welcome back Daan.” He didn’t have a problem reading, as once feared, but couldn’t respond with type of his own.

At one point, Daaneth crashed. He soon got back on, but was ruthed! Going into “Appearance” didn’t help, nor did relogging. Amused, the girls in the crowd began kidding him about his ruth shape with bosom jokes and “boobies!” gestures. Finally, Daan changed to his feline av from the “Bid Me Furry” event a couple years ago. It worked, though changing back to human his skin remained gray for a while. Someone joked it took time for the fur to shed.

During the event, some special news was announced. The total amount of cash raised by the Relay for Life in Second Life since it’s beginning had reached one million US dollars. The news flash was greeted with cheers.

The event officially ended at 7 SL time, and Dusk had to leave. So Nydia invited those remaining to the Little Dove zeppelin club flying over the sim. There, they danced and joked for a while until they had to retire for the night.

Bxyl Shuftan

Ready or Not Here Come The Teens

Last year, Philip Linden announced that Second Life’s Teen Grid would be merging with the main, bringing in a number of young residents. The news brought a number of shocked responses, some predicting trouble. As this was about the same time as the Emerald controversy, it might have otherwise gotten more talk than it did had there not been other pressing matters.

A bit more than a week ago, Linden Lab quietly announced it was finally transferring the teen accounts over. The news made a few blogs, such as Tateru Nino’s “Dwell on It.” I also observed a short chat about it between SL players on Facebook, the people wanting to welcome the teens. The Betaverse blog suggested making February “Teen Welcome Month.” I was also told by a friend that someone whom lost land from the Interlibber Estate bankruptcy in 2009 was going to provide a sim to help welcome the teens, after they were now out of a place to stay and in need of a new one.

Betaverse mentioned three ten-friendly places:

• Ozma Malibu over at the Nonprofit Commons reports that they want to help mentor any teens that need help, create a "teen hangout" space on their Eco sim, and provide "informational welcoming posters and a variety of activities coming up, e.g. art with an art professor, various building workshops for the newer teens, more dances & etc. We'll also encourage teens to start their own nonprofits, and can mentor them through that process." Nice!
• Isla Sonoita is offering a "Teen in Residence" program to creative teens with a space for six months to work on creative projects on their sim. You also get L$ 2,000 to start you off.
• The Chilbo Community has published a really nice opinion piece about the Teen Grid merger and informs teens about their various spots, including the Town Hall, coffee shop, bowling alley, museum and land for sale.
• Further down the road, the Virtual Best Practices in Education organizers report that they March 17-19 event will feature a special Teen Fair to involve teens in their conference

Not every resident is expressing such optimism about the teens. The forums are full of comments questioning Linden Labs’ judgment about allowing 16 and 17 year olds on the main Grid, let alone those younger being allowed in if they’re with a sponsor. Chatting with friends, some predicted the arrival of teens would bring a plague of content thieves and griefers, driving paying residents from Second Life. And of course were the old fears of lawsuits on Linden lab and arrests of residents by parents who catch their kids peeping in on private activities. “I asked the Lindens about merging the grid months ago, and they told me there would be no merger!” one frustrated resident told me of Linden Labs’ apparently changing their mind.

Tateru Nino brought up a few details that may help reassure some a little. Of the teens younger than 16 whom could get on the sim of a sponsor, her talk with someone from the lab suggested no sponsor had been approved yet, and the sponsorship system itself might have been postponed. She also reminded that the teens were far less than the adult population. Teen Second Life has always had a small population, adolescents tending to prefer Facebook, MORPGs, and virtual worlds that appeal to them, such as Gaia Online.

And there’s the argument that there always have been some teens in Second Life, the secret adolescents not giving true information about their age. I’ve heard from friends of residents they know confessing they were underage. Linden Lab’s Teen Grid merger simply takes the blinders off people fooling themselves there were no people under 18 in Second Life, more than one person has commented.

So what do the teens themselves think? A meeting a month ago at Global Kids Island suggested most were feeling rather anxious about the merger, feeling their close community was coming to an end. Some felt the 13-15 year olds were getting “shut out completely.” The news of the angry comments from the official forums had reached them, and some felt pessimistic about the welcome they would get if it was know they were teens. Still, a few expressed excitement of the merger, and they chance they would get to show off their talents.

For anyone not wanting teens on his/her land, there's always the option of setting their land to “Mature” or “Adult” to keep accounts of those under 18 off.

So ready or not, the grids have merged, and for better or worse the Main now has these youngsters, at least on the PG grids.

Sources: Dwell on It, SL Blog, Betaverse
Picture from Betaverse

Bixyl Shuftan

CEO Rod Humble/Rodvik Linden “Getting Immersed in Second Life”

Some of you may remember when Paisley Bebee observed many Lindens didn’t seem to have much of a clue how to go about Second Life, not knowing how to change their avatar’s clothes or shop for them, let alone build something. Taking a look at the recent blog post by CEO Rod Humble, or Rodvik Linden as he’s known in-avatar, he is determined not to be part of that problem.


One of my highest priorities, over the last few weeks, was spending as much time as possible exploring inworld (with an alt and now Rodvik Linden) to better understand the product experience, your needs, and the culture of Second Life. I have discovered so much. I am amazed on a daily basis by what you have created. Over the holidays, I enjoyed many winter landscapes and seasonal activities. And, more recently, I have been playing around with vehicles and animals.


He’s also been doing a little landscaping, and building, the blog pictures showing a simple log cabin, and a river raft, “Getting immersed in Second Life is the fun part of the job and I can see why you love the world that you’ve created.”

Considering that Linden Labs has so often appeared without a clue, especially in the past several months, it’s refreshing to see the new boss not just cheering the new product, but being shown using it and getting to know it's users, whom he recognized as "customers." Hopefully this is an example of times to come, not just with Rodvik, but other Lindens.

Another thing I noticed, his choice of clothes. He was wearing a toga. Perhaps he had been visiting a Roman-themed sim, such as SPQR. Or maybe as Hamlet Au wondered, dropping in on a fraternity party. ;-)

Welcome to the Grid, Rodvik. We hope you keep on coming back.

To see Rodvik's post, and the comments below, Click Here.


Bixyl Shuftan

Breezes Goes Home

A week ago, our dear colleague Breezes Babi was rushed to the hospital. Thankfully she recovered, and is now home in real-life, safe and sound.

Welcome back, Bree.

Welcome, and Pardon the Dust

Hello there,

For those of you who don't know, I am Bixyl Shuftan, a reporter at Second Life Newspaper.

I just finished writing a piece, and it's a bit late at night, so can't make this very long. Mostly, I'm just trying to get this started.

So bear with me, more to come.

Bixyl Shuftan
Reporter