World Goth Fair in Second Life

May 22, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

As I was logging into the grid tonight, I saw a notification about the World Goth Fair was in full swing, and that it was a benefit for a charity. It intrigued me enough to go check it out, and see if it was worth blogging about. I am only vaguely familiar with Goth, and so I thought I would explore what Goth really was all about. I didn’t know if it was wanna-be vampires, or a passing fad like my son when he was 16, with his black fingernail polish and black hair, and black clothes. Was he really into an alternative lifestyle or simply part of teenage angst? (I assume it was the latter, because he’s 26 and in college now, thankfully all vestiges of black nail polish are gone.)

The link that I received when I logged in was a link to a website, so I clicked on it to check it out.

Apparently within the Goth subculture is a RL event called “World Goth Day.” World Goth Fair is an annual Second Life event, officially sanctioned by the folks at World Goth Day to benefit the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

On August 24th 2007, Sophie Lancaster and her partner Rob, who were part of the Goth subculture, were victims of a horrific hate crime in Stubbeylee Park, Bacup, Lancashire, England, simply because of the way they were dressed. A group of people saw Sophie and Rob in the park, and attacked them, pushing them down and kicking them, hurling epithets at them. “Freak!” “Weirdo!” Sophie died saving Rob, who survived the attack. Sophie’s grief-stricken mother wanted to find a way to raise awareness, and she created The Sophie Foundation. Their motto is Stamp Out Prejudice Hatred & Intolerance Everywhere (or S.O.P.H.I.E).

THe Sophie Lancaster Foundation’s mission is:

• To create a lasting legacy to Sophie

• To provide educational group-works that will challenge the prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures

• To campaign to have the UK Hate Crime legislation expanded to include people from “alternative subcultures” and “lifestyle and dress.”‘

This amazing video is from the Foundation’s website:

In Second Life, a group of individuals decided to put on a World Goth Fair (WGF) in order to raise awareness for the Goth subculture and to raise funds for this worthy cause. World Goth Fair is produced by Cursed Events. The team consists of Axi Kurmin, Lokii Violet, Sonya Marmurek, Nephilaine Protaganist, and CruelBritannia. WGF 2014 takes place on three sims- Cursed (adult), Sium (moderate) and Port Seraphine (general). Cursed and Sium are adjacent. Port Seraphine is not attached and requires a teleport to reach.

WGF CURSED (adult) – http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cursed/65/129/1020

WGF SIUM (moderate) – http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sium/127/200/1001

WGF PORT SERAPHINE (general) – http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Port%20Seraphine/99/132/25

I hopped around to all three sims, and they are hauntingly beautiful. Kind of creepy to me, but I am not into Goth. However, you can’t help but appreciate the amount of detail that went into these builds. I wandered around all three sims, even going into some of the stores. Naturally, most of the stores were of a goth theme, but there were also a fair number of non-goth stores. It was fun to wander around and see what everyone was offering. There was some really beautiful enchanted landscape around the sim, also. It is very well done.

I took several photos, which I will display here. Most of the sims were quite dark, and I didn’t want to ruin the ambience by changing my windlight settings. My apologies if you can’t see much in the photos. You’ll just have to go visit the sims themselves! And drop a few lindens in the donation jar. Whether you agree with someone’s lifestyle choices or not, it is not okay for people to express their dislike with violence.

Enjoy!

I remain respectfully yours,

~ Suzanne Piers

ZoHa Islands Social Media Manager

Around the Grid with Suzanne

May 19, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

It’s Sunday evening, and another weekend has come and gone. We are facing another Monday tomorrow, but meanwhile I thought I’d close out the weekend with some highlights of things that are happening around the grid, and that are coming up soon.

And here we go…

New Mesh Default Avatars

On Linden Lab’s blog, they posted about new default avatar options they are offering. Linden Labs has updated Second Life’s default avatars with 24 brand new mesh avatars. In the Second Life blog, it states,”These avatars are designed to give new users a more appealing set of choices as they start their time in Second Life. Based on the most popular avatars picked at registration, these new options are much better-looking and take advantage of technology incorporated into Second Life over the past year (like fitted mesh and materials) for a more modern feel.” Maybe noobs won’t look so noob-y anymore!

Even if you’re a current SL user, you can check out the new default avatars in the SL viewer by opening the Avatar Selector in the viewer. Under the People tab, you’ll see a great variety of male and female mesh avatars to pick from. They even have mesh Vampires, along with some other monsters like zombies, werewolves, and winged beasts.

Project Interesting

Early in May, Lindens Lab announced the latest update to their viewer — Project Interesting. This viewer completes the series of improvements they began several months ago with a series of server updates. This update reduces the load and time it takes to draw objects in regions, meaning scenes appear more quickly and smoothly as you move throughout Second Life. The always-entertaining Torley Linden explains Project Interesting in the, well, interesting video below. Have a look!

SL11B is coming!

As I reported earlier, SL11B, SL’s 11th birthay celebration, is quickly approaching! June 22-29 are the dates. If you want to participate as an exhibitor, performer or volunteer, applications are due May 20th, so hurry and get those applications in! They are not accepting applications from commercial enterprises to promote business. Watch the Destination Guide as it approaches, because all of the events during this wonderful celebration will be listed there. Or you can follow their website here. This year’s theme is “The Empires of the Future.”

Relay for Life

Relay for Life, (or RFL as it is colloquially known in SL) is a huge grid-wide series of events designed to raise funds for cancer research. These events run parallel to the RL American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” fundraising events. All proceeds raised in SL at these events go directly to the American Cancer Society for their Relay for Life fundraiser. You can see their website here.

According to the Relay for Life Wiki, “Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) is an annual activity that takes place in Second Life in July each year. Volunteers form or join teams to have fun while fundraising and raising awareness from mid-March through mid-July. In July teams build campsites and walk a track, just like in a Real World Relay. Since 2005, Relay For Life of Second Life has raised over $1 million USD for the American Cancer Society. Relay For Life has become an international movement in RL and in SL.”

RFL has been active in SL since 2004, where they had the first volunteer driven fundraiser for the American Cancer Society ever in Second Life. Ninety-nine Avatars participated, and they raised a total of $2,000 US dollars. In 2013, the ninth RFL of SL saw 3,549 avatars participating, with 200 teams walking 2,898 laps. They raised $393,000 US dollars! This is a whopping $98,250,000 Linden dollars!! (based on an average exchange rate of $250L to $1.00 US). This is truly mind-boggling.

In 2014, the 10th RFL of SL will take place on Saturday, July 19 through Sunday, July 20, 2014. The Event Chair is Nikki Matheson and the theme is “A Journey of Promise.”

Please visit the RFL of SL website and take a look at how huge this event has become. This enormous effort raises hundreds of thousands of US dollars a year, and is a very worthwhile effort. Nearly everyone’s lives have been touched by cancer — either through their own diagnosis or a friend or loved one. Please consider participating, either with your time, or your linden dollar donations.

I remain respectfully yours,

~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media Manager

SL11B Is Coming!

May 3, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

Soon Second Life™ will be turning 11 years old, and of course that means a huge party!

The event will be held from Sunday June 22nd – Sunday June 29th, 2014. There will be 11 sims worth of amazing exhibits, music, conversation, debate, firework displays, games, puzzles, sports and much, much more!!

Actually, even that won’t be the end of it, as the sims will be open for a further seven days for everyone to explore.

The theme this year takes inspiration from a quote by the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill:

The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.

When Winston Churchill said this in 1943, he could not have imagined a virtual world like Second Life, but now, more than seventy years later, his words have come true in this new world that we have created.

Last year’s birthday celebration was an important milestone — 10 years. And, appropriately, Linden Lab’s theme was reflective of the past 10 years and a review of how far SL has come. This year is a good time to examine where we are going — what does the future hold for SL and it’s many residents? Where are we headed?

As stated on the SL Community Celebration website: “If there’s one thing that makes SL unique, it’s our community of users. Users from all corners of the globe come together under a single umbrella to build a community that comes from our minds and our imaginations. Everything we see, touch and use in Second Life is a product of our imaginations, our minds, and our community.

Want to get involved?

Applications are now open for Performers, Volunteers and speakers and performers in the Auditorium. Lots of volunteers are needed to make this a success, so please consider whether you can give some time to helping out. It should be a lot of fun!

Applications for Exhibitors (i.e. people who want a plot to build on) opened April 27th. The closing date for Exhibitor, Performer and Auditorium applications is May 20th, so don’t hesitate too long!

Need more information?

You can find out more on their website, and by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

There is also a Flickr page where you can paste your own images when the sims open. In the meantime, keep an eye on the Flickr feed, because the team will be posting some sneak peek pics!

Main site: http://slcommunitycelebration.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SLBCommunity
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SLBCommunityCelebration
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/slcommunitycelebration/pool/

They have also posted these promotional videos, which are kind of corny but feel free to watch:

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media Manager

Wedding Expo May 1st thru May 24th!

April 30, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

Did you know that ZoHa Islands has a business district? Did you know that they hold themed business expos regularly throughout the year? Coming up in May is the 2014 Wedding Expo!

ZoHa Islands Business District Office holds themed expos every month and the space is FREE! This will be open to ALL creators, you do not have to have land with us. ZoHa business owners get benefits like free advertising on our ad boards and our website along with free business consults from the business district manager Deelish Wishbringer. ZoHa’s Business Districts are the best place to be for your business! So if this will be your first visit we encourage you to take a look around, you might find your perfect business space!

Each creator will be given a space to highlight their product or service (per approval). If you have large items you can display a mini version of your item with a sign that says “not actual size” or something to that effect.
You will be expected to be there as much as possible to talk to potential customers. This is not an open invitation to spam people, greeting them and asking if they’d like to know more about your product/s is the better way to go. This is a great opportunity to get your items seen as this will be heavily advertised!

Here are the Expos we’ll be offering, any are subject to cancellation due to lack of interest:

♥ Wedding Expo – May 1st to May 24th

♥ Home & Garden Expo – June 1st to June 28th

♥ Vehicle Expo – July 6th to July 20th

♥ Game/RP Expo- Aug 14th to Aug 31st

We are open to suggestions, please IM Deelish Wishbringer if you have any good ones!

We will be supplying an easel for you to put a sign with your logo on no scripts in this please (if your display items are scripted in a way that makes them work or do something that is okay). You may include in your sign an info card and a landmark to your place of business or a link to your Market Place listings on a notecard. Set the sign to sell items contents for $0L so that when you are not able to physically be there people have the option to grab your info. (you may want to add text to your logo that says “right click/buy for 0L for info or something to that effect).

There will be 15 to 20 spaces per event. Time allotments may vary per space depending on interest., meaning the more interest the less time allotment per space to allow everyone interested to get a chance to exhibit. Once set up you will be informed on how much time you will have in your space, once you are informed of your time allotment it will not change. You will have 90 prims for your set up.

Please fill out the application by copying and pasting it, putting it on a nc and sending it to Deelish Wishbringer in Second Life.
***********************************
1) Your SL name:

2) Your business name:

3) Your product/s name/s:

Products need to be seen in person to be pre-approved please include a landmark to the product. If you do not have one, please say so, and Deelish Wishbringer will IM you to set up an appointment with you to arrange an in-world view of the items you wish to display.

4) Your LM (if you don’t have an in-world shop please IM Deelish Wishbringer):

5) Your commitment to showing your items for the time allotment given and being there as much as possible to talk about your product, give out info etc.

6) which expo are you interested in?
Answer here:

[ ] Wedding Expo – May 1st to May 24th
[ ] Home & Garden Expo – June 1st to June 28th
[ ] Vehicle Expo – July 6th to July 20th
[ ] Game/RP Expo- Aug 14th to Aug 31st

***********************************

We are open to suggestions, please IM Deelish Wishbringer if you have any good ones!

Once your application is in and you have been pre-approved, you will then be added to the expo group so that we can contact you easier and you can rez your items at the expo when the time comes.

The expos will be held here: ZoHa Islands Exposition Area

Here are some pics of our current vendors that are signed up and ready for the upcoming Wedding Expo:

Vendor: Smooth Designs

Vendor: Red Rose Jewelry

Vendor: A Ceremony To Remember

Vendor: Lovers Village

Vendor: Beloved Jewelry

Hurry! Space is limited, and spots are filling up quickly! This is a GREAT opportunity for any business! Don’t pass it up!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers
ZI Social Media Manager

4th Annual Autism Awareness ~ Lighting the Way 2014

April 16, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

I visited the Autism Awareness sims and took some photos. Please take the time to visit these connecting sims and donate to a very worthy cause. ZoHa Islands is a major sponsor of this event, as they have donated the two sims for their use. They are Marbella Bay and Margarita Bay. There is a clickable slurl here.

Here are some pics. Their website is here. Check the schedule of events, or wander the vendors at the sim and help support Autism Awareness in the month of April!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers
ZI Social Media Manager

MadPea’s Lost Mine Hunt ~ Part 2

April 12, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

Where was I…. Oh yes! I’d just teleported from the dark and rainy urban grunge (landing point here) to a gorgeous, forest area, with tiny little Dwarfins running around (most of them were bots; as I discovered when I accidentally stepped on one, and apologized to it. Imagine my embarrassment when a Dwarfin avi nearby wanted to know if I was talking to him. When I told him I’d apologized to the other gentleman for stepping on him, he chuckled and told me it was a bot. I was quite embarrassed).

As soon as you step out into the beautiful forested sim, I discover that my map has now changed, as you can see in these pictures, to include a thing that looks like a funny shaped cribbage board. I am next to a mine entrance, and I cannot open the door. Local chat tells me that I must collect these items and come back when I’ve found them all, in order to gain entrance to the mine.

As I step out onto the sim, my faithful assistant starts telling me that there are no dirt piles nearby. I am to look for dirt piles and sift through them for these crystal-like items. As I wander the sim, my assistant tells me when I’m nearby a dirt pile, and I collect these items exactly like the map pieces, while wandering around this beautifully detailed Dwarfin sim. And, just like the map pieces, other people nearby can collect the dirt piles right from underneath you! (Quite frankly, the dirt piles looked more like cow pies, but I digress!)

This was a lot of fun, as the dirt piles were hidden but not so hidden that you grew frustrated trying to find them, although I do have to admit that there were a couple of places that my assistant told me “OOOOH! You’re soooo close! It should be right nearby you (less than 5m)” but there were no dirt piles in sight. None. Absolutely none. I looked over and over. One was by the bridge; another by the koi pond. There was a third place, in the dining room, that was quite challenging to find. But the one by the bridge and the one by the pond did not exist.

No matter, because I found others and continued to find dirt piles until I’d filled in the cribbage board-like thing on my map. I didn’t have to worry about picking up other dirt piles I’d found before. I had to log out a couple of times during this part, and when I came back, I could find the same dirt piles, collect them and add the item to my pegboard. It was really amazing to see the detail in this Dwarfin land.

When I’d filled in my pegboard, I found my way back to the mine entrance, and since I’d completed part 2, I clicked on the door and it invited me in….

Stay tuned; Part 3 of MadPea’s Lost Mine Hunt is coming up — and this was the most convoluted part of all!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers
ZI Social Media Manager

ZoHa Islands – Second Life Real Estate Management Since 2007 – Land For Sale – Land For Rent

As one of the top estates in Second Life we can help you with all your land needs.

Category Archives: EVENTS

World Goth Fair in Second Life

Around the Grid with Suzanne

SL11B Is Coming!

Wedding Expo May 1st thru May 24th!

4th Annual Autism Awareness ~ Lighting the Way 2014

MadPea’s Lost Mine Hunt ~ Part 2

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: