The BelliHub!

Last week Patch Linden announced that the moles/the lab have been working on the new BelliHub. The BelliHub features some interesting things such as demo homes, information links, hangout games area, the events center and more.

The BelliHub is a place to hang out and discuss all things Bellisseria. This is a good step in the right direction and it would be lovely to see more regions like these in the near future.

If you have not visited the BelliHub regions yet it’s definitely worth checking it out and have a explore around. It’s open to the public.

* BelliHub

Announcement from Patch Linden reads the following below…..

Posted Wednesday at 09:23 PM
Announcing… The BelliHub!

For months, we have been working behind the scenes to provide all of Bellisseria (and Second Life in general) a place where they can go to find information regarding Bellisseria, meet up with residents living in Bellisseria and have all of their questions answered.

Today, we are pleased to release the BelliHub!

BelliHub features:

* Information: Links to pages with details on things like how to get a home, Premium membership, using the land tools, the Bellisseria covenant, etc.

* Bellisseria Events Center: where members of the Bellisseria Performers Group can mark their events on the calendar for all to see.

* Demo Homes: Finally a place where residents can rez and walk around all of the currently released home themes and models.

* Hangout: A games area for residents to hang out and interact.

The BelliHub and BelliDemo regions are a resource for everyone who wants to help prospective new Linden Home owners, or just hang out and discuss all things Bellisseria.

What do you think of the new BelliHub and BelliDemo regions ?

Advertisement

8 New “SL20B Peach” Regions Arrive On The Grid

8 New “SL20B Peach” regions (1-8) have recently showed up on the map in Second Life south of the “SLB” regions. These new SL20B regions are closed for public access and are showing up as purple for now.

It’s expected the new “SL20B Peach” Regions will merge with the “SLB” regions within the next month or so as preparations for Second Life 20th birthday celebrations start ramping up.

It’s pretty exciting seeing the birthday regions coming together. There are other nearby SLB Planning regions etc nearby so maybe we might see some new visuals soon on the map.

First preview of the new SL20B Peach Regions location

New SL20B Peach Regions Arrive

I will post more on SL20B soon on my blog. Stay tuned for that.

Second Life Main Grid Regions – March 2023 Update

Since the start of January 2023 it appears the Second Life Main Grid total size has slightly declined again according to the Second Life Grid Survey economic metrics (as of 19th March). The cost of living (higher inflation) could be affecting these grid numbers now and the stats could get worse/better in the months ahead.

Private Estates in Second Life have dropped by over 50 regions since January 2023. This decline could be worrying if this continues for the next three months. Hopefully we will see some positive net growth soon in Private Estates.

Linden Owned regions have been steadily been increasing this year. No major theme releases so far for Linden Hones (it’s been quiet lately). More Linden Owned regions are expected to arrive through 2023 over at the Bellisseria continent.

Maybe more growth could come from SL20B scheduled for mid June where I’m sure there will be more press about Second Life. SL Mobile launch later this year may bring in tons of new residents. The lab could help with land costings with more benefits for Premium Plus members.

---

Second Life Main Grid size as of 19th March 2023.

• Total Regions: 27, 617
• Private Estates: 18, 324
• Linden Owned: 9, 293

---

Second Life Main Grid size as of 1st January 2023.

• Total Regions: 27, 659
• Private Estates: 18, 370
• Linden Owned: 9, 289

Next update will be published in June 2023 on my blog to see what’s changed during the first 6 months of 2023.

What are your predictions for 2023 in terms of the grid region numbers ? Feel free to comment below.

SL20B Announcement

For anyone that has not heard the news about SL20B yet the lab have officially announced details on when Second Life 20th annual birthday celebrations will take place.

The SL20B celebrations opens to the public on Thursday 22nd June through until Tuesday 11th July 2023. There will be “20 fun-filled days of live music, performances, shopping, and amazing community exhibits!”.

The SL20B theme is Our Fantastic Future. “The cornerstone of this idea is what we would define as eco-futurism including sustainability, a focus on our environment, and the next generation of our world”.

* Applications are open for SL20B Music Fest which will be held from 22nd to 24th June 2023. Deadline is 9th April 2023.

* Applications for performers are open for SL20B. Deadline is 14th April 2023

The lab will open more applications for more SL20B roles very soon. Stay tuned for that.

Virtual Verse One Still Currently Unavailable

Since the beginning of February 2023 Virtual Verse One formerly known as SLuniverse.com has been offline. If you try to visit the website it redirects to cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi.

The message says “This page is currently unavailable” then below that it says “If you are the webmaster for this site, please contacr your hosting provider’s support team for assistance”. Snapzilla (SL Pics) is not working either.

Back in early January 2023 Cristiano Midnight was recovering from a serious medical condition. The site came back online for a while and since the start of February 2023 it’s been not available again. Virtual Verse One Forums was used by alot of residents from the Second Life community featuring many topics to do with Second Life and the metaverse.

VirtualVerse.One (formerly SLUniverse) has an active Discord server here: https://discord.gg/0hljC7t3rCEdFMCA

I think many are hoping now that Cristiano is still in good health and that he will make a full recovery soon. When the time is right I’m sure Virtual Verse One will come back online again.

I hope Cristiano is okay and gets well soon.

Virtual Verse One Offline

I will post more updates soon on my blog if I hear anything newer.

Second Life User Daily Concurrency – March 2023 Update

The Second Life user daily concurrency levels for March 2023 so far have been averaging between 28, 000 (min) to 52, 000 (max). The levels seem to be stable at the moment with the median figure between 36, 000 to 43, 000. It’s expected that the concurrency levels will drop slightly during the summer months and then rise in the winter like in previous years. We will have to see what happens this year.

* Will it surpass 55, 000 or 60, 000 at peak during 2023 ? It’s not reached these levels for some time. It can happen though with enough interest and commitment staying logged into Second Life.

March 2023 Second Life User Daily Concurrency Levels – as of 13th March

• Maximum: 46, 000 to 52, 000 – (average)
• Median: 36, 000 to 43, 000 – (average)
• Minimum: 28, 000 to 30, 000 – (average)

Data supplied from the Second Life Grid Survey. I will post more updates as 2023 goes on.

SL Mobile Initial Release Late 2023

Linden Lab has confirmed that SL Mobile is being developed and that the initial release is planned for late 2023 with limited functionality to start of with with more functionality being added after.

Apparently the core development of this product started in October 2022 built upon Unity. SL Mobile will be compatible with iOS and Android devices. The lab have been working on the graphics, avatar rendering, rendering edges and more.

Second Life Mobile – First Look Preview

Sounds very exciting and I would love to try out SL Mobile when it’s in beta later this year. Hopefully the lab will update the Second Life community on a regular basis on the progress.

Linden Lab Rolls Out Biggest Last Name Refresh

On Tuesday 28th February Linden Lab announced another roll out of new Last Names for Second Life residents. This new batch is the biggest last name refresh to date I believe which removes some of the older last name options with new Last Names from everyone’s suggestions submitted to the lab recently.

The lab throughout 2023 will add/remove Last Names from the main names pool. The suggestions form can be found here for future Last Names.

There are some really good ones like Blossom, Whiskers, Foxtail, Sausage and more. Here is the full list of New Last Names below…

• Jeon
• Foxtail
• Varela
• Kealoha
• Primdashian
• Spicy
• Costanza
• Gupta
• Softpaw
• Vandervoort
• Tordenskjold
• Peabody
• Whiskers
• Quack
• Pixelbottom
• Blossom
• Bork
• Nightingale
• Sausage
• Fibble

Please spread the word. Thanks 🙂

Do you have any favourite Last Names listed in the main names pool ? Got new ideas for new Last Names ? Feel free to comment below.

SL Living Expo 2023 Opens 3rd March In Second Life

Visit the new upcoming 2023 SL Living Expo Relay For Life mega event which officially opens to the public on Friday 3rd March through until Sunday 12th March 2023. This event will be replacing the Home and Garden Expo apparently.

There is loads to look forward to including a art walk, decorating contest, music & performances, fun and games along with a vehicle show. Lindens will be at the SL Living Expo with some new special exciting events including bowling with the Lindens, dinner with the Lindens, Linden Auction Items and much more.

It’s not known if we will hear more about the Premium Plus Linden Homes at the SL Living Expo but it would be nice to hear the ETA on them. During the concierge user group meeting last week one of the Lindens mentioned that Linden Lab is actively working on the 2048 Linden Homes and they have some neat features. Guess the Moles/Lindens are sorting out some bugs/technical issues.

SL Living Expo is one of the Mega Events of Relay For Life of Second Life, which is part of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life fundraising.  The SL Living Expo strives to bring together how we live, work and play in Second Life while raising awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. 

Spread the word about the new SL Living Expo starting this weekend. Yay.

One Billion Rising 2023 Cancelled In Second Life – Returns In 2024

Saffia Widdershins recently announced that the 2023 One Billion Rising annual event in Second Life has been officially cancelled for this year due to real life commitments.

Next year in 2024 One Billion Rising event in Second Life will be returning if everything goes to plan. Saffia will be stepping back from an organisational role after ten years.

Here is the full blog post below….

It’s with great sadness that I have to tell you that One Billion Rising has been cancelled for 2023.

Although some of the team are very willing and able to stage the event this year, others of us have been overwhelmed by real life and other commitments. In view of this, it seemed best to cancel OBR 2023, and instead look ahead to a magnificent return in 2024.

I apologise to people who may have started preparations – the delay in informing people about this news is my entirely fault, and not anyone else’s.

For me personally, after ten years, the time has come to step back from an organisational role – although I do hope I will be able to attend and enjoy the event in 2024 and beyond.

Best wishes
Saffia Widdershins