Starting in 2006, Linden Research, Inc.^© launched the Second Life^® Solution Provider Program.  This was developed to specifically address the needs of outside, real-world organizations seeking to establish a presence in Second Life^®.  This program has really played an important role assisting in the transition to the virtual realm because in January 2010 a permanent trade-show style Solution Provider Exposition, or SP Expo, was announced by Madhavi Linden. Now, instead of using static web-based media, the Solution Providers can connect to the general public for free year round at the SP Expo.

Deciding to go into business in Second Life^TM is like needing power to run a computer, it's a necessity.  Almost every business is based on a service model, whether the service is providing goods, expertise, consultation or a unique perspective.  The virtual needs of a business can be met in different ways but the ultimate purpose is to allow easy connection between businesses and their clients.  The focus of this article is how these businesses are achieving that connection.

A Vendor at Precious Poison

(http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Absinthe/32/239/22/)

The inworld vendors on store walls or as free-standing kiosks offer some amazing options to merchants even if they only have enough space for a kiosk. There are several different companies offering vending systems with a large variety of features. hippoVEND, JEVN and Apez are examined here to give some ideas as to what is available to merchants looking to increase sales and simplify operations.

For those of you who are familiar with the MetaCard, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise the card is being discontinued by First Meta. Launched in July 2007, the card was the first of its kind, a credit card for virtual world currency. Usage of the card has slowed to a crawl recently due to the real world and Second Life® economies. Although merchants accepted the card, consumers have had little interest.

Discover the Commerce Forums

In case you were wondering, there is a place to learn about business issues in Second Life® and join in the discussion. The Commerce Forums (don't let the name put you off) are at https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/commerce. Thinking the forum is only for business owners or economics majors is a mistake. It is loaded with interesting information as well as banter on such topics as the SL Pro! Conference in February 2010, the new Managing Freebies Roadmap and employment in SL. Some people have commented that it’s difficult to find and, having only stumbled upon it myself, I understand why they say that.

Owner of “Skins by Liz”

 

Rhed Rhode: So tell me a little bit about your business here in Second Life®.
Lizbeth Darwin: Well, I started with Sunset Designs with my best friend and Shapes by Liz was something I did in my spare time, Shapes really started taking off so I turned my focus on that.

Jennifer Warden is the owner and COO of MWC Fashion House. MWC stands for models with curves. Brought to SL™ by a news article about a woman who left her RL husband due to SL, she became intrigued and decided to stay and learn more. What she gained was a renewed appreciation for her own self image, confidence, and appreciation of the value of networking.

Model Agencies In SL™

 

Shopping seems to be the life blood of SL. It seems that no matter where you go, no matter what you do, you see retail clothing stores. This is where the entire fashion industry is graded on its performance. If you do well, there are sales, if you don’t… well, there’s always next season.

Linden Lab's Land Expo, held this week, did not hold much interest for me until a friend invited me to “take a look”. Upon arrival, I found myself inside a small, empty castle. After escaping (and there was no moat thankfully) I wandered the displays. Some were whimsical, a few were deeply moving, and others seemed to have no point other than increasing occupancy. Here are a few that caught my eye, my interest, and my fancy.

The art of doing business in Second Life is a tricky one. There will be many times when you are not available when patrons wander by your establishment. Luckily, Second Life offers options to fill the gap. You can use bots, of course, but Linden has recently put new rules in place concerning bots. Bots as greeters or assistants in your store are still allowed. Another option for tending customers in your absence is a greeter.

Greeters are nifty little gadgets that can be as simple as saying hello to visitors to giving gifts and notifying owners and officers of a visitor’s presence.