Thinking about living in Second Life - I suppose it can be overwhelming for new residents - all the options! Since I have been buying and selling real estate on the Mainland, I have been spending more time there and learning about it. Hey, more than 9 years in SL and still so much new to learn!

I visited the Mainland in my early days but found it jarring and unpleasant - and didn't go back for, well, 8 years! Now it is either a completely different place or has just grown and changed for the better. There are many protected areas where you can take the road for miles and miles or be on the river for many river miles! :-) Hop in your car or sailboat and freely cross many regions to enjoy a nice, long ride.

Why live on the Mainland? You can find any kind of parcel - snow, beach, roadside, mountaintop, flat prairie... just about anything. BUT terraforming rights are limited and you have no control over your neighbors. SO, it can be great - you find the perfect location, you like the land the way it is, and your neighbors are nice!  OR your neighbors are horrible or the land was cheap but you don't really like it on the ground at all - in this case you can live in a skybox and never see any of that. Some people prefer this. I prefer to be on the ground, to be able to see the view and walk around. It all depends on what you are looking for. (I sell Mainland - see my website for parcels!)

Why live on a private region? Most of the time, these are themed and controlled by someone who enforces the covenant. So, if you like the way it is, chances are it will STAY that way and you will continue to be happy there. Private regions also come in an infinite variety of settings and themes - beach, mountain, rivers and lakes, forests, fantasy, modern, role play, group-owned, etc. You may or may not have terraform rights, be sure to read any covenant carefully for details.

You can buy or rent - there are benefits to both. You may buy the land AND pay monthly tier to the landlord or to Linden Lab or the land may be free, but you pay monthly tier, or you buy the land and pay no monthly tier. Check details. To consider: If you buy, can you re-sell it? If you rent, what is the refund policy?  (Usually no refunds are given.) Note: You must have a Premium account to be able to BUY land on Mainland, but you can rent there from a landlord. IF you have a Premium account, you have an allowance for free tier for a 1024 square meter plot - this means you still have to buy the land but there is no monthly tier to Linden Lab.

Once you have your perfect land, you can landscape and decorate to your heart's content :-) But that is a whole 'nother story!

Skyspinner Soulstar
July 2018
http://www.skyspinnersoulstar.com/

a mainland water parcel

a private region area

Happy Springtime! I have been busy in SL with land management and working - and chatting with friends, of course! I got the bug for Mainland land and have acquired new property. It is such fun to landscape it! I am deciding what to do with a nice parcel that is a small peninsula with water on 3 sides - maybe a sweet shop? or a coffee shop?   Unlike some people who insist on putting up those ugly ban lines, I don't mind having a space to share with others. If you want privacy, there are always sky boxes, I say.

It's nearly the end of the year! Have you all enjoyed 2017? Lots of changes in my life, but all good :-)

Looking for contact information about me? Check out my website!

http://www.skyspinnersoulstar.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/SkyspinnerSoulstar

Greetings! I am dabbling in land ownership and rentals these days (aside from Alurel, which does have one plot available) and have been having fun landscaping beach parcels.
  

I have always enjoyed photography in Second Life - and recently entered some work to an exhibit on the theme of "Shores" all about beaches inworld and in real life too! As a follow-up, the Gallery owner posted about the exhibit on her blog - check it out! https://cesoirarts.com/2017/08/16/beaches-exhibit-artist-interviews-daze-landar-and-skyspinner-soulstar/

New video! Getting back to normal setup after some computer troubles. This video was made for the Second Life 12th Birthday Celebration - a video share project on "What Second Life Means to Me" that everyone is invited to contribute to. While hard to express what SL really "means" to me, I did share some of the things I like to do and some of the reasons I enjoy Second Life so much. Hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/30SQYmFwkAw

22 June 2015
Have been having computer drama for the past several weeks. Finally have word from Dell that they will replace my system (giving up on repairing the one I have) and it should be here within 10 days. Looking forward to that, because I can start working on videos again! Stay tuned.....

16 April 2015

Latest video completed is a follow-up to the New Avi Experience I did last year as a result of going through the "Welcome" experience of creating an account in SL and going inworld. It was horrifying then, and despite some efforts of communicating with LL about it, the experience is still just as dismal. Find it on my YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/SkyspinnerSoulstar

Have been busy recording and editing and should have 3 new videos out soon! A couple more in the works. There is always so much going on in Second Life! I continue to learn about my programs - thanks for all the tutorials posted by folks who are willing to share what they learn!

Here's the latest:

Chez Roz celebrates 4 years of live music and fun!



 A tour of the Kingdom of Alurel



A concert in memory of our dear Ravens Zuta, with Russell Eponym singing
thanks, everyone, for your support! hugs and keep warm!

31 January 2015
Wow, January is nearly over.... does this mean I am having fun, when time flies?  I think so! Because I am having fun. I love the live music in Second Life, I love to create videos, and life is good :-)

Finished a couple of videos recently - a wedding, a concert, and am working on a couple more. But first, it is Income Tax time and I have to take care of preparation for that today... ugh. Then some mundane cleaning and housework and shopping. But I will be back to the computer in short order!

Memorial Concert for Ravens on YouTube

Happy Holidays to everyone! I have been enjoying being inworld and exploring the winter sims and the music venues all decked out for winter holidays! Getting married this winter? Have a video made - it will be wonderful to relive the memory when hot weather returns :-)

Weddings are such happy occasions! Rainey and Cole recently "tied the knot" (I read that is connected to a tradition of ribbons on a person's hat being tied when they marry) in Second Life and have the memory saved in video. Thank you for letting me capture this for you both! http://youtu.be/zeBP0d3VQHg

What fun to be a part of the Drax Files Radio Hour! (it actually went on for 2 hours this time!). This took place at the SL11 Birthday celebration on opening day, 22 June 2014. Listen at your leisure:

http://draxfiles.com/2014/06/27/show-25-sl11b/

Ever wonder what happens these days when a new resident is born in SL? I tried it the other day - and decided to film it: http://youtu.be/zZNbXJ-KDA0 [my video, about 10 minutes]
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UPDATE: 30 June 2014
Ebbe Linden talks about new resident retention at the TPV meeting, via the "Living in a Modern World blog:
http://modemworld.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/ebbe-altberg-on-user-retention-now-and-in-the-future/

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UPDATE 22 June 2014
The Drax Files Radio Hour at the SL11B Opening Day celebration!
http://draxfiles.com/2014/06/27/show-25-sl11b/

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UPDATE: 20 May 2014
I was not able to appear on this program, as I was out of town (vacation!) but it is online now, so have a look - Designing Worlds takes a look at the new user experience. I am so pleased to have stirred up this topic! I do hope there will be improvements for new residents.  A friend of mine made an account just this past weekend and I left her alone a while, to get her impression. She walked into the water and looked at the sunken ship but was lost after that. (We were on Skype together, so before long I brought her out of there to shop a little bit and learn how to open boxes, then to some live music venues.) I am going to write to the LL employees who spoke on this program and I encourage you all to send your best (constructive) ideas to them as well. 

>>>> http://treet.tv/shows/designingworlds/episodes/sl-retention [1-hour video]

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***** My video has been getting some attention! *****

Draxfiles: http://draxfiles.com/2014/04/25/show-16-lindens-are-people-too-part-1/

Jo Yardley: http://joyardley.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/moreimprovements/

Prim Perfect blog: http://primperfectblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/the-need-to-nest-building-communities-to-retain-new-users/

New World Notes: http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2014/04/second-life-first-time-user-experience.html#comments

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Let me capture your party, your wedding, your music performance and save that memory for you and to share!

.•*˜ .•*♫*•. ˜*•. .¸.•*(¸.•*´♥`*•.¸)`*•.¸.*✰*   .•*♫*•. ˜*•.
Such a special occasion! Are you getting married in Second Life or other grid? Having a special party - maybe celebrating a Rez Day or other remarkable day - or having a music performance you want to remember? I can preserve the event for you - plan a video for yourself or as a surprise for a friend!

This is something I enjoy doing - I have a good computer and graphics card, a super-fast internet connection, and several programs to use to create the best video I can manage. I am inworld mainly early mornings and early evenings SLT during the week - more often on the weekends. I live in east coast USA time zone. I have accounts in Second Life, InWorldz, AviNation, 3rd Rock Grid, Metro, Island Oasis, and Virtual Highway (did I forget any? lol).

I do not charge by the minute; I want to tell the story of your event, getting all the details that I can, and the parts that are important to you. For this reason, a conversation about the event is important. I am available inworld by IM, by email to skyspinner.soulstar@gmail.com, and also on Skype (contact me for Skype name).

The $fee is dependent upon the style of event and general length, with half payable upon booking and the final half payable upon completion.
   

Your video will be uploaded to my YouTube channel  (all rights reserved): https://www.youtube.com/user/SkyspinnerSoulstar
   

Other questions for me? Please ask!

Skyspinner Soulstar