Why is it that whenever I wonder around the world, all the fun places are deserted and the clubs and strip joints are full of people? Oh, did I say fun? Fun seems to be synonymous with sex nowadays. One person says to the other "wanna have fun" and its automatically understood as an invitation for intercourse. This is an issue I've been wondering about for some time now, and something that needs to be addressed.

The Money Tree Experience in SL™

It can be frustrating to be a new citizen of Second Life® — in addition to learning how to fly, how to actually remove the freebie clothes from their boxes instead of wearing the boxes themselves, and how not to constantly bump into your fellow SL citizens simply trying to master the default walk and directional pointers, a healthy dose of Real Life creeps into the SL existence: finding a place to live and finding a way to pay for it.

Getting by in Second Life can be as easy and as hard as getting by in RL. Your avatar may have rent, clothes, hair, shoes, creature comforts and of course, a social life to pay for. The Linden dollar’s exchange rate is far and beyond excellent when compared to most RL currencies. However, it can become problematic for some to keep up with the Lindens.

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.