Paying Your Way in Second Life
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 19:09 Written by PaisleyRaven Foxclaw Friday, 10 April 2009 06:59
Like many online SIMs, Second Lifeoffers a choice of account options to meet any potential resident’s budget. The Basic option is free and allows access to almost all of SL’s numerous features, events and activities with few limits. Multiple accounts are allowed, for a one-time charge. Premium membership is only 9.95 USD, and the benefits can be well worth the monthly charge.
Unlike most other online SIMs, Second Life’s monetary unit, the Linden dollar, can be transferred into real world money. As of this writing, a premium account at 9.95 USD per month equals 2728L. There are premium members who pay their monthly fees in Lindens. Others prefer to use Paypal. Second Life is the only place I have ever found both options offered without extra charges or penalties.
Acquiring funds in game can be can be as simple as clicking the L at the top of your viewer and entering how many Lindens you want. The system will calculate the exchange rate for you and complete the transaction real time. Like an ATM on your computer, the funds become available for use immediately.
For residents like myself, acquiring Lindens can be problematic.
I have a Basic account and no spare RL funds to put into anything extra. I have to work for a living, like so many others. Jobs are all over the place but openings can be sparse if you are new to Second Life or just don’t have the skills required for the job.
In my SL infancy, I found ways to get Linden that were not dependant upon my in-world “age” or my in-world skill set. Freebies, camping, surveys, visitations, the kindness of strangers (now valued friends) and picks kept me afloat until I found a “real” SL job.
I often wish I knew now what I knew the day I first stepped into Second Life. I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble and money. There are really no redeeming values to my newbie blunders outside of the fact that I was fortunate enough not to make any so big that I had to trash my account and start over.
My first blunder was thinking there was no way for me to get Lindens or stuff unless I spent RL money. Understand, it was less than 10 USD that I earned writing for various online sites, so t was unallocated “mad money” but it was money nonetheless. After buying Linden through the viewer, I went shopping for an SL job and a place to live. Even virtually speaking, I do not want to be broke or homeless.
My first Second Life work experience came from Job Island. This is a very simple and easy job for new residents. You simply wear a shirt that says, “Click Me For Free $L”. Of course, everyone wants free money, so one would think as long as you frequented busy areas you could make a ton. It only pays 1L per click. Once you get a click, you can go to the website, and clam your 1L. You personally can only do this once a day. I didn’t make very much, but it was money. There are camping benches available as well as ads for Second Life businesses seeking employees. The website offers more earning opportunities that you can browse at your leisure.
On the Job Island SIM I found an offer to get paid for Visits and Picks from Earn2Life. They also pay residents for completing web-based assignments or offers. I checked out the SIM, surfed to the site and I signed up immediately once I read through the concept. E2L, as they call themselves pays up to 20L for residents to visit areas for a set period of time. In most of theses, you have to stay within a certain area for the duration of the visit. You have to keep moving around and the E2L HUD you have to wear to be paid requires periodic clicks to confirm you really are there, and not botting or scripting your avatar to meet the move criteria. Once the visit clock runs out, you’re free to go.
For the Picks, you visit certain SIMs and add them to your Picks through Profile. These Picks have to be kept for thirty one days for payment to be made. These pay better than Visits. I earned over 400L in a few hours in-game, and there are no time limits on Picks for Pay. Here I made another newbie blunder. I didn’t realize one could have only 10 Picks, and maxed myself out before I was satisfied with my earnings.
When I tried the web-based earnings option, I accidentally violated E2L rules and got banned. Losing my good paying SL job hurt my pocket a good bit, but I had paid my rent up and I had some unallocated funds left. I supplemented my Linden and went looking for another job.
I found a college campus offering to pay research subjects at UCR eLab City Panel. This is a project based on RL research studies. Once you sign up and obtain approval, you receive a sign-on bonus of 100L. You are then contacted to answer various survey questions paying 200L and more per survey. I waited around for about two weeks, visited the SIM daily, and never saw anyone else or filled out one survey.
As my Second Life experience grew, my Lindens shrank, and I stepped my efforts to find work. I started marketing my services as a writer with a will that could only be inspired by nearly empty pockets with rent coming due. I signed up for several in world employment agencies and submitted resumes and applications for work all over the grid.
I only heard back from one agency: People Pool. They offered a free placement service for a laundry list of employers. There was also a premium, membership for a one-time charge of 25L. The premium membership puts the applicant into a smaller pool, giving them priority over the free applicants. In very short order, I was hired as a writer for AFK Magazine and as a receptionist at People Pool.
It took a full month of serious attention to get an actual paying Second Life job (or two!). I’m sure it isn’t as long for many, but I had no interest in the adult industry. I have no problem with it, as I have worked it before in RL. I simply wasn’t in Second Life for that particular experience.
Where ever your interests lie, good and steady employment is in there. You just have to look for it.
