FAQ's

BRANDS ON THE SECOND LIFE GRID

LAND ON THE SECOND LIFE GRID

CONTENT CREATION

GENERAL BUSINESS QUESTIONS

BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

EVENTS

TECHNOLOGIES



FAQs

How do I get started?
The good news is you can get started without any help from Linden Lab.

You can construct your project yourself, or you can contract out content creation. As with the Internet where you do not need the permission of any company or organization to create content, you do not need Linden Lab's permission or engagement to create content on the Second Life Grid. Furthermore Linden Lab does not develop content on behalf of third parties.

If you're doing it yourself, check out the many classes offered in Second Life that are listed under the drop-down category "Education" in Daily Events. You can find a variety of useful resources about developing on the Second Life Grid in the Resources section.

If you decide to contract out content creation, look at the listings in our Solution Provider Directory. You can choose between businesses that manage the entire project for you and individuals with whom you can contract for specific services. These solution providers can also assist you with selecting a location on the Second Life Grid and promoting your project.

Linden Lab does not have marketing programs or do co-promotion with companies at this time. While many companies want to present their proposal to Linden Lab to get feedback or assistance, we prefer that you work with our solution providers who can help you create a project that will be successful in Second Life based on their substantial experience.

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Can Linden Lab build a presence for me?
Linden Lab does not develop content on the Second Life Grid. You don't need Linden Lab's permission to build a brand presence on the Second Life Grid. It is designed to enable you to build your own presence, whether on your own or working with others.

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BRANDS ON THE SECOND LIFE GRID

What other Real Life companies have done business on the Second Life Grid?
Since companies can establish a presence without interacting with Linden Lab, we have no way to track all companies on the Second Life Grid. You'll find links to several listings of Second Life businesses on the Second Life Wiki Brands page.

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Do you have any information available on establishing brand presence in Second Life?
We don't currently have any white papers or case studies. However, the section "How Organizations Use the Second Life Grid" includes many examples. There is a brand presence case study on Aloft. We also have Success Stories.

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What are the demographics of Second Life?
You'll find extensive information on the Second Life economy and Residents demographics on our Economics Statistics page. For demographics, download the file under Key Metrics in the upper right of the page. You'll find information about market research in Second Life at the Market Data Portal.

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How can I be successful with my business on the Second Life Grid?
There are many ways to increase your chance of success with your business on the Second Life Grid. One is to work with a solution provider who has helped other businesses be successful. Many solution providers can recommend effective strategies and tactics based on their experience. To locate a solution provider, see the Solution Provider Directory. You can also take classes on the Second Life Grid. Go to the Events: Education page. To read news stories about businesses using the Second Life Grid, see Linden Lab News. For information on PR and Advertising, see the section Publicizing my Business.

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LAND ON THE SECOND LIFE GRID

Why should I buy land?
In order to create any permanent object (such as a building) you need to purchase land. It's similar to having a web page, where you pay a hosting service to host your page. Of course, you don't really own land on the Second Life Grid, you lease it, just like leasing web server space.

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How much land should I buy?
One way to estimate how much land you need is to figure that Second Life Grid space is proportionately similar to real life space. You may want to do some trial builds on a small parcel to determine how much land you need. On the mainland, it's hard to add adjacent space, so you're better off buying as much or more than you think you'll need. With Islands, you have more flexibility in adding additional adjacent space. (A region on the Second Life Grid is 65k m2 or 16 acres or 6.6 hectares.)

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What's the difference between the mainland and islands on the Second Life Grid?
Buying on the mainland allows you to locate yourself near other businesses. If you buy on the mainland, you have less control of that space, and you will have more "walk-in" visitors. Islands give you total control over your space and you can restrict who is allowed to visit your island. You can also customize the terrain and name of your island. For more information about islands, see Land: Islands.

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What is the cost of owning land?
The cost depends on the amount of land you buy. See Community: Land.

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How do I purchase land?
You can buy land from Linden Lab via auction, from residents, or from land developers. To purchase islands, visit the Land Store. For more information on purchasing land, see Get Your Land.

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How does a business pay for land?
Linden Lab will invoice your company if you purchase one or more islands or regions and pre-pay for at least 6 months of monthly fees. To purchase land on the Second Life Grid from Linden Lab using invoice or wire transfer, go here.

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CONTENT CREATION

How do I learn to create content using the Second Life Grid tools?
Check out one of the many content creation classes offered in Second Life by either searching for Events (education) on the Second Life Grid, or viewing the listing of Daily Events under the drop-down "Education". You can also sign in and learn more about content creation from our Knowledge Base Guide.

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Can Linden Lab help me with content creation?
Linden Lab does not provide content creation, machinima, or scripting services.

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Can you recommend a solution provider?
Linden Lab does provide a list of solution providers offering a range of professional services in the Solution Provider Directory. For small projects, you can also find specialists offering services on Classifieds by clicking on “More Options” then selecting the category “Service”.

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How do I join the Solution Provider Program?
To learn more about the Solution Provider Program and to submit an application, go to Directory Submission. Note that you must have completed at least two Second Life projects to be considered for the program. If you are just getting started, you can list your services in Classifieds, SLProject, MySecond Life Project, or other third-party classifieds and exchanges.

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How do I get listed in the Solution Provider Directory?
To be listed in the Solution Provider Directory, you must apply for the Solution Provider Program (see above). To view the current list of solution providers, see the Solution Provider Directory.

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GENERAL BUSINESS QUESTIONS

What are the costs associated with doing a project on the Second Life Grid?
Generally, you have two basic costs - purchase of land (required to create objects/buildings) and content creation costs. Many companies buy islands. Current island pricing is available here. Content Creation costs depend on whether you do the work in-house or contract it out, and vary by the complexity of the project. For a list of solution providers ready to assist with your project see the Solution Provider Directory.

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What is the copyright policy on the Second Life Grid? How can I protect what I create?
You retain intellectual property rights to the content you create. This means, for example, that if you own a copyright to content you bring into or create on the Second Life Grid, you can protect your content through copyright law. You may have trademark, trade secret, or other enforceable intellectual property rights as well. Linden Lab does not attempt to own or control your work on the Second Life Grid. We believe that users should reap the benefits of the content they create. See Trademarks and Copyright on the Second Life Grid and DMCA.

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Can I host the Second Life Grid on my own servers?
Currently Linden Lab hosts all servers for the Second Life Grid at its own facilities and doesn't allow dedicated servers either at Linden Lab or elsewhere.

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Can people buy my real-world service or product in the virtual world but receive it in the real world?
The Linden Scripting Language (LSL) includes interaction with HTTP, enabling you to interact with web content on the Second Life Grid, including initiating purchase via the web. Three businesses that have used this with Amazon's Web Services to enable purchasing Amazon products from within Second Life are Jnana, Life2Lfe and Second411.

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How do I prevent griefing or other attacks on my business/event/presence?
Second Life Grid estate tools provide you with capability to control access to regions. Islands have more flexibility and control than mainland. You can also enlist residents through creating volunteer or paid roles to assist you in managing access to and behavior on your property. (Please sign in to the Knowledge Base and read the posts on "Estate Tools and Groups" for more information.)

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Will my business be taxed?
The Second Life Grid does not suspend the laws of the real world. Please seek the counsel of a qualified professional for advice on your particular situation.

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Can I create a custom avatar?
Yes. You can customize your avatar, or buy a custom avatar. For more details, sign in to the Knowledge Base and read the posts on "Avatar and Appearance". You can also download animations for your avatar, or create textures for your avatar with templates.

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Can I restrict access to my business/brand/island?
Yes. By creating an island, you have complete control over access - both who is included and who is excluded, through the Second Life Grid Estate tools. You can also use the Groups feature to control access. There are many reasons to limit people to one place, but many companies have found it beneficial to allow their employees access to other resources on the Second Life Grid. Linden Lab also opens a Registration API to provide your corporate image on the Second Life Grid client software and to have registrants land in a space you designate, rather than in the general orientation locations. For more information see Registration API.

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What if I want to exchange more than $2K into Linden Dollars?
There are billing and trading limits that enable Linden Lab to accommodate the needs of our Residents while mitigating our fraud risk. To find out more about billing and trading limits and how to request increased limits, please see Billing and Trading Limits.

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Where can I get information on using the Second Life Grid behind a firewall?
Please sign in and read our extensive Knowledge Base posts on firewalls. Also, join our discussion group for corporate users of Second Life: slcorporateuse@lists.secondlife.com. To subscribe to the list, go to Lists click on slcorporateuse, and subscribe.

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How do I advertise in Second Life?
At this time, Linden Lab provides a Classifieds service for Residents on the Second Life Grid. In addition, you can list an event in the Events listing. Linden Lab does not operate an advertising service on the Second Life Grid, but several Residents have built ad servers and provide advertising services. You can find them in the Classifieds or similar Second Life service listings.

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BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

I have a product/service that I want to sell to Linden Lab (server technology, billing services etc.)
If you have a service or product for Residents, you can offer this without contacting Linden Lab. The Second Life Grid is built to empower creators to develop products and services for consumers and for other creators. Linden Lab is always listening for requests and suggestions about feature development and technology integration, but generally we will not enter into exclusive marketing relationships or perform custom development work of limited appeal, because we are designing the Second Life Grid as an open platform. If your opportunity conforms to our philosophy and you wish to work with Linden Lab, use the "Contact Us" form.

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I want to partner with Linden Lab.
There is no requirement to work with Linden Lab in order to establish a presence on the Second Life Grid. We recommend that you review the Solution Provider Directory to find experts who can give you advice and help you be successful on the Second Life Grid.

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How do I bring my web community into Second Life?
You can use the Registration API to create registrations from your website that enable you to bring your current community into Second Life.

How can I promote my Second Life Community?
If you're using the Registration API to bring new Residents to a community you've created in Second Life, you can apply to the Community Gateway Program to have your Registration page visible on Linden Lab's registration pages.

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What kinds of activities are acceptable on the Second Life Grid? Can you tell me about any legal implications?
The Community Standards describe Linden policies on use of the Second Life Grid. Users of the Second Life Grid are responsible for their own activities - you generally have the same obligations and risks that you would have from putting up a website on the Internet. Linden Lab cannot provide legal advice to you on any matter - if you seek legal advice regarding your activities, you should consult your own competent legal professional.

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EVENTS

How do I organize a large event/concert on the Second Life Grid?
For assistance with the event, look at the Music page on SecondLife.com, Linden Lab's Guide to Second Life Music, the Solution Providers, or the list of Events in Second Life. To find out more about hosting a large event please sign in to our Knowledge Base and read the "Guide To Large Event Technical Considerations".

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How do I create an event with a large audience?
The Second Life Grid provides tools for social interaction. Large events are essentially broadcast events, not social experiences (think about the difference between a stadium concert and a concert in a club). We recommend that you consider ways to create multiple small, local events in Second Life. You might want to consider broadcasting video and allowing it to be played by clubs or individuals to distribute the audience. To find out more about hosting an event please sign in to our Knowledge Base and read our "Guide To Large Event Technical Considerations".

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Can I obtain additional land (“sims”) for my event for a short time?
Yes, you may rent multiple sims for an event. See the Land: Rental page.

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How can I promote my event?
If you are having an event on the Second Life Grid, you can use our Events listing to promote it. You can advertise in the many Second Life periodicals (see Resident Sites).


TECHNOLOGIES

How do I play/work with music or video on the Second Life Grid?
The Second Life Grid uses the QuickTime plug-in to enable streaming of audio and video on the Second Life Grid. To play the audio or video, you just need a URL of the stream. There is a limit of one per parcel, and it’s managed in your Land Preferences. To learn more about how to upload sounds and add Streaming music to your land please sign in and consult our Knowledge Base.

For more information and ideas, see Second Life's Music Community or blog.slmusic.org, a website for Second Life musicians and their listeners. If you want professional assistance, take a look at the Solution Provider Directory for solution providers who specialize in music and musical events. For information on streaming video from Second Life, please sign in to the Knowledge Base and read “How do I stream Video from Second Life”.

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Can I integrate RSS/HTTP feeds onto the Second Life Grid?
Yes, a number of solution providers have created ways to interact with HTTP and RSS feeds to provide real-world information on the Second Life Grid (or vice versa). We recommend you investigate these in Classifieds, SLBoutique or SLExchange and in similar publications that list services and products available on the Second Life Grid.

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