Press Release: SL Christmas Expo 2021 Opens Friday 3rd December

Check out the latest new press release for the upcoming 2021 SL Christmas Expo. Please spread the word to your friends and on your blogs.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

November 25, 2021
Contact: Nuala Maracas or Drummer Jollycane
mailto:slchristmasexpo@slchristmasexpo.com

2021 SL Christmas Expo Opens Friday December 3^rd
“The 12 Days of Christmas” Helping To Fight Childhood Cancer

Since 2011, the SL Christmas Expo has been “Giving The Gift of Hope”, and is dedicated to children with cancer. The event which supports the American Cancer Society, is the premier Holiday shopping and entertainment event in Second Life. Opening on December 3^rd, the “12 Days of Christmas” features more than 150 stores and shoppes, spread over 15 gorgeously designed regions, and brings together merchants, Breedables, entertainers, and volunteers for 12 days of shopping, music, auctions, and holiday special events.  

As always the Holly Jolly Café presents the top performers in Second Life for nearly non-stop entertainment. Buy a ticket for the Holiday Shopping raffles, visit the Christmas Tree Lot and the Merchant village or stop for a Picture With Santa.

Once again, American Cancer Society partner Linden Lab will take part in the Expo with special surprises and events.  Take a picture with Santa Patch & the Elf Moles, get a Limited Edition Patch on a Shelf elf, and check out the newest Linden Homes at the 2021 winter reveal region.

And don’t forget to check out the Holiday Lights at The Lights of Hope home decorating competition, returning once again for 2021. The Lights of Hope regions feature homes decorated for the holidays by some of the best home designers in Second Life and an entire region of Linden Homes decorated by Lindens and Moles. Vote for your favorites by donating to special kiosks located at each home.

While shopping continues until December 14^th, The Expo culminates with the giant Winter Breedable Auction and the Holidays of Hope Ball on Sunday December 12^th.

For a list of merchant sponsors, entertainment and event schedules* and to learn more about the Expo and how it helps the American Cancer Society fight Childhood Cancer visit the Expo @ https://slchristmasexpo.com/.

If you or a loved one is affected by childhood or any cancer, or want to learn more about the American Cancer Society and its research and support programs visit the American Cancer Society region in SL, the Society website (cancer.org),  or call 800.227.2345 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

The American Cancer Society is the world’s leader in the fight against cancer and is attacking childhood cancers from every angle.

*Note: Merchant Sponsors, Landmarks and Entertainment Schedules will be available on the website during the week of November 29th. Please Check Back.

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Six New SSPE Regions Added East Side of Fantasy Sub Continent

New SSPE regions alert

This week six new SSPE regions (SSPE2766 to SSPE2771) have been added to the east side of the Fantasy sub continent in Second Life. These new regions are not yet visible on the world map however they are open for anyone to wonder into them.

The Moles have already added house parcel markers, terraformed them and placed down pathways etc. It’s really exciting to watch the Moles develop the coastal areas. During the past 11 months of 2021 the growth of the Bellisseria continent has been incredible.

It’s estimated now that twelve more SSPE regions are needed to complete the costal ring around the Fantasy sub continent. The Moles are working fast on landscaping newer regions and adding new Linden homes onto them.

Linden Lab Gives Second Life Search A Facelift

New Second Life Search Goes Live

On Monday 22nd November 2021 Linden Lab gave Second Life a facelift for the first time in many years. The new look interface is now live which can be viewed inworld or online here. The goal was to clean up the interface and provide a more streamlined look for the Second Life community to enjoy.

We've given #SecondLife Search a facelift, click for more info: https://t.co/AQiPNH9m8n pic.twitter.com/Salqmjk994

— SecondLife (@SecondLife) November 22, 2021

It’s important to mention that the lab have not changed the algorithm that the search feature uses in any way. The tabs for Places, People, Events, Groups, Land to Buy or Rent, Classifieds etc are still available.

The lab plans on unveiling a number of new features for Search during 2022. Linden Lab have recently revamped the Second Life Join page and the new secondlife.com landing page along with with roll out of the new Second Life logo on many Second Life pages.

I think the lab have done a really good job at revamping the Second Life website, the join page and now with Search. I think the new look will improve the new resident experience overall going forward. The addition of the new Welcome islands have helped with the new quick start guide. I think the lab should bring back the mentor program / new resident help groups to help new residents further.

New Second Life Homepage

New Second Life Join Page

Keep a watch out for new changes in the year ahead.

SL Christmas Expo 2021 Regions Have Arrived

22nd November 2021

The 2021 SL Christmas Expo regions have arrived on the grid this week with just ten days to go until the grand opening. The region naming is very good this year and it’s going to be great to see they open next week. The regions are closed to the public at the moment while preparations continue.

There will be many special events happening during the course of the event and live entertainment. There will be raffles, contests, auctions, breedables and much more during the Christmas season. There may be news about the next Linden Home theme like announced in previous years. It’s not been confirmed yet if that will be the case for this year.

I think the SSPLOH region (located far far away) will be most likely be joined up with the main expo regions at some point next week. 

23rd November 2021

The SL Christmas Expo is a mega event that raises funds for the American Cancer Society and the expo will be supporting the Childhood Cancer initiatives of The Society. All the proceeds of the Expo will be directed to support research, support programs and efforts to help children with cancer.

There is more information about the 2021 SL Christmas Expo on the SL Christmas Expo website. I will post more updates soon on my blog.

Top 15 Interesting Places To Visit In Bellisseria

There are many interesting places to visit around the Bellisseria continent. There are windmills, beaches, lighthouses, tunnels, airstrips and more dotted about. I have put together a useful list of 15 interesting places below. The Bellisseria continent is still growing today and it’s set for futher expand during 2022 with more Linden Home themes.

1: Campwich Forest – SLURL

A nice community center to visit featuring a lovely waterfall nearby with a fun zipline, a big forest to wonder about in, rez zones in the docks, a railway station which connects with nearby Linden Home themes and more.

2: SS Galaxy Cruise Ship – SLURL

The full-featured cruise ship spans three regions on the far west side of the Bellisseria continent. Featuring a swimming pool, dancefloor, helicopter landing pads and much more.

The SS Galaxy Cruise Ship was built in 2007 as a private initiative and then was converted into a museum by Linden Lab in 2015. In early 2020 it was moved from the south of the Blake Sea to Bellisseria.

3: Buffalo Springs Airstrip – SLURL

Explore the newest airstrip featuring boat rez zone, picnic area and airplane rez zone. Fly from the north coast of the Chalet sub continent all the way south west towards the mainland of the Bellisseria continent.

4. Brady Stream Windmills – SLURL

Check out the amazing new windmills, underground tunnel, railway line and much more. Relax by the river side and wonder around the lovely landscape.

5. Ebbe Altberg Memorial – SLURL

Come and remember Ebbe Altberg former CEO of Linden Lab who sadly passed away earlier this year. Ebbe Altberg statue is located at the center of the isle.

6. Fantasy Community Centre – SLURL

Check out the newest part of the Fantasy sub continent which is the new community centre featuring a main hall, a reception area, docking areas and more.

7. Varmint Hills – SLURL

Explore the hills area with amazing views all around. The water stream runs right through turning this way and that.

8. Mermaid Shoal – SLURL

Check out this underwater area featuring plants and this is a good spot to take shelter.

9. Obelisk Fountain – SLURL

A interesting fountain in the Victorian sub continent surrounded by hedges. A nice place to relax and a short walk to the beach in the west.

10. Hidden Mole Trailer – SLURL

Check out the hidden mole trailer behind the waterfall in Rigamarole. There are references to Magellan Linden and there is more to discover here.

11. Bellisseria Fairgrounds – SLURL

Bellisseria Fairgrounds hosts regular events set up by the Second Life community here. There is a small airstrip and boat rez area (including boat ride) nearby.

12. Puffin Head Swimming Pool – SLURL

A great area to relax near the poolside with friends with lovely views over the sea. Nearby hangout areas and docks.

13. Dinosaur Fossil – SLURL

Check out this interesting dinosaur fossil near the railway line. How many bones does this dino have ?

14. Treeowatoor Waves – SLURL

Lovely place to watch the waves come in and hang out with friends.

15. Beiramar Bridge – SLURL

Lovely connection bridge connecting the log homes with the stilt homes. Loads to discover around here.

Have fun exploring.

VWBPE 2022 Call for Sponsors

The VWBPE organisers are calling for sponsors for next year’s 15th annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference (VWBPE). The conference starts on 31st March through until 2nd April 2022 and the theme will be Phoenix Rising. This conference is unique, completely online and will be free for anyone to attend.

Since 2009 the Rockcliffe University Consortium has managed the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference (VWBPE) with the support of well over 70 volunteers from the US, Canada, and Europe. Hundred’s of residents have attended over the years for the annual VWBPE and some of the former CEOs of Linden Lab.

VWBPE 2022 Important Dates

• 10th January 2022 – Presentations CFP Closes
• 14th February 2022 – Exhibits, Immersive Experiences CFP Closes
• 14th February 2022 – Sponsorships Close
• 31st March – 2nd April 2022 – 2022 VWBPE Conference

It’s worth mentioning that there will be many unique opportunities including promotion of your products and services. Be a event supporter, volunteer at the event, host a presentation, provide trails or samples showcasing your products.

Your participation will help to:
* build community through extension of learning best practices to practical application of those ideas and techniques;
* provide networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and
* provide access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education.

Play > Explore > Engage > Immerse > Learn

To make this conference a success, we rely on the support of sponsors who, like you, understand that education is faced with inordinate pressure to make the best use of new immersive technologies in a way that is sustainable and accessible even within limited budgets, available to both instructors and students.

You will have unique opportunities to contribute to the conference including promotion of your products and services, participation in micro-burst Q&A sessions, and ongoing brand identification through our proceedings and video archives.

Please spread the word about VWBPE 2022 happening in Second Life next year.

New East Regions Arrive On Fantasy Sub Continent

East regions arrive on Fantasy sub continent

This weekend a new batch of SSPE regions have arrived on the east coast of the Fantasy sub continent. The latest regions start from SSPE2756 to SSPE2765. There are roughly 18 or so regions remaining or so complete the Fantasy sub continent surrounding coastline. At the current development rates the Fantasy sub continent could be done before early December 2021.

The Moles have been adding new Fantasy Linden homes in recent weeks on the west coast and it’s now starting to look really good. Over the next 4 weeks or so more Fantasy homes are expected to be built and new areas to explore.

The Chalet sub continent southern coast regions have arrived during the past month and soon hundred’s of houseboats are expected to fill the empty areas. Soon the northern side development of the Chalet sub continent will start and it’s going to be great once that’s done. I would imagine completion could be done before 2022 starts.

More updates will be posted soon.

The Drax Files Radio Hour Ends After Seven Years

For anyone that does not know yet Draxtor Despres has ended The Drax Files Radio Hour after seven years of podcasting (321 podcasts) about Second Life/Linden Lab happenings. In recent years viewers have declined which is not good news from 2, 000 listeners per week down to 9 listeners roughly. Over the years I have enjoyed listening to The Drax Files Radio Hour because of the many interesting topics/big news that were covered.

Draxtor has covered the TOS changes back in 2014, oculus rift, Sansar, creations for Parkinson’s and featured many guests over the years like Philip Rosedale, Dennis Harper, Pathfinder Lester etc. Rod Humble departure was pretty big news and when Ebbe Altberg become CEO. The shut down of cloud party, closure of SL Go, the start of the hypergrid, mesh developments, project bento, VR developments, the production of Paradise Lost, Lab Chat, OpenSim grids growth and much more.

Draxtor posted the following on the show website recently….

My friends: i decided to end this podcast. we started way back in 2014, shortly before ebbe altberg came in. we had over 2000 listeners per week. we are down to 9!

I don’t mind. i am happy that i can cancel myself in fact because we churn out over 150 videos with second life stories per year, not counting the feature length work.

That should be enough should it not? listen to my short announcement and tell me what you think. thank you for making my second life awesome every day!

Draxtor is working on an upcoming documentary about virtual cultures in pandemic times which sounds exciting and I think when that gets released in January 2022 that will be popular. Draxtor produces over 100 videos per year for the official Second Life social. Recently Draxtor has been hosting the Second Life Book Club which was been very succesful indeed.

Well done Drax for all of the amazing podcasts over the years.

New South Coast Added To Fantasy Sub Continent

This week the southern coastline has been added to the Fantasy sub continent in Second Life and now it’s showing up on the map for the first time. The newest regions are highlighted in red from SSPE2746 to SSPE2755 and the blue arrow on the right hand side is where more regions will be added to fill up the coasts around the sub continent.

Below is the Fantasy sub continent map as of Tuesday 9th November 2021 featuring a brand new west coast line that includes hundreds of new Fantasy Linden homes. The long blue line on the right hand side is what’s coming next with hundreds of more SSPE regions arriving very soon. I think the plan is for the east side coastline of the Fantasy sub continent and the west side of the Chalet coastline to be finished before 2022 starts.

Work will be starting very soon on SSPE2750 and in nearby regions.

I will post more updates on my blog when further big developments happen. Stay tuned for that.

SL Christmas Expo 2021: Bloggers & Vloggers needed

The SL Christmas Expo 2021 is right around the corner now with a three weeks left to go until the big opening. The event organizers are now looking for official SL Christmas Expo V/Bloggers for the event who love the Christmas / Holiday season. Successful blogger will get early access to the SL Christmas Expo regions first before they open to the public and will receive official press releases etc.

It’s a great opportunity for those that truly want to showcase the magic of the Expo regions and merchant creations. The team are looking for Home & Garden, Fashion, Kids / Youth, Breedables and more general bloggers.

• Blogger Applications – Apply Here
• Volunteer Applications – Apply Here

The team will contact successful bloggers who are successful after reviewing it to see if they meet the expo requirements. This may take days or weeks to hear back.

The SL Christmas Expo 2021 starts on 3rd December through until 14th December 2021 in Second Life. The theme is The 12 Days Of Christmas – Giving The Gift Of Hope To Children With Cancer.

Stay tuned for my blog coverage of the SL Christmas Expo next month.