In January of 2008 I rented a small Kiosk at a Second Life Valentine's Day Market. My rent was approx. 20 cents per week and I had only one product to sell: A small 3d heart tree that emmitts floating particle hearts. I remember logging in on Valentine's day and getting quite irritated about constantly having to close the little blue sales messages boxes appearing on my screen. And so I logged off... and then it hit me... duh... I finally realized what these messages were actually saying:
The messages were sales messages, in other words, every time someone purchased my tree, a message popped up on my screen to let me know. So getting a lot of these messages meant that I was actually earning money! Actual $.
I had labeled earning-money-in-second-life a myth. But this experience instantly changed my perception and it motivated me to actually pursue earning money in world by creating my own business. I am aware about my initial luck and that plenty of residents open stores that end up earning little to no money. But it doesn't have to be that way.
This article/series intends to share what I learned while building and running a successful sl business over the past 4 years. Avoid mistakes I've made and instead use what worked for me. Use it to make money in Second Life.
Part 1 - Starting Out
Second Life:
Online Virtual Reality Game/3d World that attracts players worldwide
Slogan: Your limit is your imagination
Introduction/Economy/Game info can easily be located online (check youtube, wiki)
What you need:
Computer with internet access (check computer and game compatability)
Game Software (free)
Second Life Account (free)
Decision on what items you want to sell.
SL skills (building, navigation, etc.)
Paypal Account (free - used to transfer money out of second life)
Your investment:
Time(create, build, explore, learn, business promotion, etc.)
Possibly $ for store rental (if needed, or land purchase), texture uploads or purchase (actual need for $ investment may vary greatly, depending on your type of business and your vision)
Reality:
Actual income varies for each resident and always requires your commitment, talent, and time. Just like real life. Truth is, its just as hard making a fortune in SL as it is in RL.
But it is possible!
For example, a friend turned her real life computer programing skills into gadget gold, earning $400-500/day)
To Do List:
-download second life and install the program
-create account (includes selecting your avatar's name)
-Sign In
-Visit Help Island, and Resource Locations to master basic to advanced second life skills. Learn how to navigate, teleport, build, etc. There are many online tutorials, blogs, in-world classes, mentors, etc to assist you in acquiring these skills.
-Explore Second Life and what it has to offer. It will amaze and inspire you. Ask friends for landmarks to their fave places, use the sl event listing
-Do market research by getting to know what is being offered/sold. Discover Trends, What attracts visitors, etc. A fun way to do so is to participate in a grid-wide sl hunt through which you search stores around sl for their hunt prize and land mark to the next location.
Just remember: Don't fake your way around it. It is essential for your success! Fun! Adventurous! Oh, and while you are doing so, why not earn some money with an inworld job? This will greatly speed up your learning and applying sl skills. Usually these jobs won't make you rich, are part time, but are fun, an easy way to meet other residents, and will provide some income. Use it to pay for your inworld purchases instead of uploading your real life money.
There are endless ways on how you can start earning money. Here just a few options:
-Collecting Free Linden off a Money tree (low low $)
-Winning cash prize contests (ok to good$)
-Camping (low - but look out for better paying locations)
-Stripping (Tips can be great! Requires Skin Upgrade or the guts to instead use a unusual body shape etc to attract visitors and tips)
-Manage/Sell Property/Apartment Rentals for a Real Estate Company (ok $ -usually commission based)
-Be a live in-store fashion model (low to OK $ - combination of customer service with camping)
-Assistant to inworld business owner(low to fantastic $)
-conduct market research for a real life research or education company (nice to fantastic$)
Again, the above list is just the tip of the iceberg on jobs and money making opportunities inworld. These jobs usually don't require any $ investment from you.
!!Visit the forums located on the second life website to find listings for inworld employment opportunities.
!!Be sure to also check the second life website commerce forum for potential contract work.
You may also find full time employment opportunities in-world (eg. Customer Service Rep to a highly successful business owner). However, they are rare finds/opportunities.
But don't limit yourself. Also create income outside the virtual reality world!
-A sl related blog can earn you some advertising $, affiliate sales commission(eg. Selling Amazon Books about SL)
-Using your real life skills to create paid for and sl related tutorials, classes, videos, etc. (eg. how to use photoshop to create...)
Just as the second life slogan: Your limit is your imagination. Let the above shared information be your inspiration!
NEXT: Part 2 - Starting Your Own Business
article written by Markus von Allmen
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