This started as a free notecard I pass out in SL, but Cris suggested I transfer it here and convert some of the landmarks to SLURLs. Since the original note was written in 2006 and revised before casinos were outlawed, I've done a 3rd revision to reflect the current situation in SL.
Please, anyone who has anything to add or changes to suggest, speak up. I wrote this to help new residents, and anything that advances that cause is welcome. (Specifically, I'm unclear about the current state of games like Tringo and Slingo - are they considered gambling or skill?)
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HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN SECOND LIFE (PART I)
One of the most common questions new residents ask is "How do I make money in Second Life?" It's an important question because there is no single pre-set way to earn money and it's difficult to do many things without at least a little starter cash. Here are a few tips and ideas:
**NETWORK!
What you must do if you want to make money here is to, first, be patient. Experiment with a few of the methods that sound like fun and find what you enjoy the most. Then stick with it a while to build your network of friends as well as your expertise. You'll find that making money depends as much on your network as it does on your skills -- for customers, for opportunities and tips on getting better.
You'll also find that the more a venture pays, the more difficult it probably is. That's kind of like real life, huh?
Warning: There are some scams in Second Life designed to take advantage of new people. For example, the green dollar sign objects that promise to give you free money if you place them around the grid. These are nothing more than a pyramid scam and are against the Terms of Service. You can get into trouble using them, both with the Lindens and with property owners. Also, there are groups which claim to be for the benefit of new members but charge for entrance. The only people making money there are the group founders.
Gambling is not legal in Second Life due to U.S. Federal Law. If you are offered the chance to gamble, just say no. People can get banned very quickly for this.
I'm going to list ways to make money, in approximate order from easiest to most difficult. The rewards will (usually) scale inversely:
1. Buy Lindens from Lindex. That little blue button in the upper right with the white "Lquot; is for purchasing Lindens. You'll need to have payment information on file with the Lindens, of course. That interface will auto-update the US$ price for any amount you enter before you select "Buy", so play with it if you wish. There is a very small surcharge for buying $L. As of the date this is written, you can buy $1000L for $4.08 US.
2. Money Trees. If you are under 30 days old in SL, you can pick Lindens off of money trees for free. Be aware that there are some groups/individuals who have organized farming these things so it might be hard to find any that have money on them. If you can get $5 to $10L off one tree, you've done well. Click your "Find" button and in the "Places" tab enter "money tree".
A central directory to most known money trees in SL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Garmisch/51/211/168
3. Camping. This has become popular with some new residents because it involves nothing more than parking your avatar on a dance animation or a camping chair and walking off. But the monetary return is very low – you’d probably have to camp for most of a day to earn $50L. It’s boring, tedious work and won’t expand your SL horizons. Further, there is talk about revising the way SL’s Search function works which would remove traffic as the prime indicator. The more traffic a store gets, the higher they’re listed in Search. Once the importance of traffic is reduced, look for camping to go away.
4. Games. It's possible to make money in SL by playing games. There are several popular ones like Tringo, Slingo and so forth. These usually cost nothing to enter (small donations are considered polite but not required), and if you know how to play Bingo or Tetris, you can figure them out pretty quickly. Some of the pots can get fairly large. Be sure to give part of your winnings back to the pot if you take the big jackpot - it's customary. Remember, you want to build networks too. Look under "Events" in your Find for a listing of games.
5. Contests, raffles, money balls. Most clubs run frequent contests for which they have a cash prize. The contests are for various categories like "Sexiest Avatar", "Best in black", "craziest look", etc. The best way to win one of these is to keep attending the same club long enough to make friends -- friends vote for friends. Work on getting yourself a nice skin, some prim hair, and a few different clothing outfits. They will improve your odds of winning appearance contests.
A few stores around Second Life have random money balls that give a few Lindens to shoppers - if you stick around long enough you can pick up a couple dozen $L for yourself. Also, some stores have "Lucky Chair" drawings. If your first name matches the random letter drawn, you simply sit in the chair to win the prize.
6. Services. The demand for services in SL is not that high, with a couple of exceptions. Here is where your personal network can pay off handsomely whether you want to run events, provide club security or become an escort. How successful you are depends a great deal on how many people you know. Of all the services residents can provide probably the most reliable one is running events. You'll contract with the owner of a club or venue who will pay you a set fee for each event you manage -- normally dance contests, games and so forth.
* Some stores are hiring good-looking avatars to pose in their outfits to get shopper attention (you might get free clothing this way). Search for "modelling" or shop around at the larger SL malls and look for other residents posing in stores to find your job leads.
* FlipperPA Peregrine is offering a finders' fee to anyone who brings him advertising for SLTrivia.com. You get a 15% commission on each advertiser you bring. Contact him for details.
* Cristiano Midnight offers a 25% commission rate for advertisers you can bring to SLU. Easy money
* Social Research Foundation is one of several RL organizations in Second Life who offer money for participation in research and surveys. You can either use the search tool for "surveys" or "research" to locate an opportunity, or you can teleport to: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tully%20Low/245/235/231
and avail yourself of their information, sign up, and start earning some income.
*DJ - do you have a Shoutcast server and a wide selection of music? Do you have a radio presence? Again, the secret of success is in building your network, but there are DJs who make money while they're doing what they love the most.
* Escorting: It may appear as a glamorous, sexy way to roleplay in Second Life but be aware that the market is glutted with people looking to make fast money this way. You need to be uninhibited and not easily offended because you could be asked by clients to roleplay things you don't find appealling. In most clubs, the escort has a right to refuse.
If you aren't shy and are determined and patient enough to try it, you'll need a good skin, a nice shape, hair, clothing and scripted genitals -- all of which add up to some serious $Lindens. Then you'll want to join a club or escort agency when you start because freelancing makes a tough job even tougher. The club/agency will take a percentage of your fee, usually around 10%. And in the end you're still competing against a large number of people in SL who do the same things for free. Only the very best will succeed at this one, and getting started is not free.
Please, anyone who has anything to add or changes to suggest, speak up. I wrote this to help new residents, and anything that advances that cause is welcome. (Specifically, I'm unclear about the current state of games like Tringo and Slingo - are they considered gambling or skill?)
======
HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN SECOND LIFE (PART I)
One of the most common questions new residents ask is "How do I make money in Second Life?" It's an important question because there is no single pre-set way to earn money and it's difficult to do many things without at least a little starter cash. Here are a few tips and ideas:
**NETWORK!
What you must do if you want to make money here is to, first, be patient. Experiment with a few of the methods that sound like fun and find what you enjoy the most. Then stick with it a while to build your network of friends as well as your expertise. You'll find that making money depends as much on your network as it does on your skills -- for customers, for opportunities and tips on getting better.
You'll also find that the more a venture pays, the more difficult it probably is. That's kind of like real life, huh?
Warning: There are some scams in Second Life designed to take advantage of new people. For example, the green dollar sign objects that promise to give you free money if you place them around the grid. These are nothing more than a pyramid scam and are against the Terms of Service. You can get into trouble using them, both with the Lindens and with property owners. Also, there are groups which claim to be for the benefit of new members but charge for entrance. The only people making money there are the group founders.
Gambling is not legal in Second Life due to U.S. Federal Law. If you are offered the chance to gamble, just say no. People can get banned very quickly for this.
I'm going to list ways to make money, in approximate order from easiest to most difficult. The rewards will (usually) scale inversely:
1. Buy Lindens from Lindex. That little blue button in the upper right with the white "Lquot; is for purchasing Lindens. You'll need to have payment information on file with the Lindens, of course. That interface will auto-update the US$ price for any amount you enter before you select "Buy", so play with it if you wish. There is a very small surcharge for buying $L. As of the date this is written, you can buy $1000L for $4.08 US.
2. Money Trees. If you are under 30 days old in SL, you can pick Lindens off of money trees for free. Be aware that there are some groups/individuals who have organized farming these things so it might be hard to find any that have money on them. If you can get $5 to $10L off one tree, you've done well. Click your "Find" button and in the "Places" tab enter "money tree".
A central directory to most known money trees in SL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Garmisch/51/211/168
3. Camping. This has become popular with some new residents because it involves nothing more than parking your avatar on a dance animation or a camping chair and walking off. But the monetary return is very low – you’d probably have to camp for most of a day to earn $50L. It’s boring, tedious work and won’t expand your SL horizons. Further, there is talk about revising the way SL’s Search function works which would remove traffic as the prime indicator. The more traffic a store gets, the higher they’re listed in Search. Once the importance of traffic is reduced, look for camping to go away.
4. Games. It's possible to make money in SL by playing games. There are several popular ones like Tringo, Slingo and so forth. These usually cost nothing to enter (small donations are considered polite but not required), and if you know how to play Bingo or Tetris, you can figure them out pretty quickly. Some of the pots can get fairly large. Be sure to give part of your winnings back to the pot if you take the big jackpot - it's customary. Remember, you want to build networks too. Look under "Events" in your Find for a listing of games.
5. Contests, raffles, money balls. Most clubs run frequent contests for which they have a cash prize. The contests are for various categories like "Sexiest Avatar", "Best in black", "craziest look", etc. The best way to win one of these is to keep attending the same club long enough to make friends -- friends vote for friends. Work on getting yourself a nice skin, some prim hair, and a few different clothing outfits. They will improve your odds of winning appearance contests.
A few stores around Second Life have random money balls that give a few Lindens to shoppers - if you stick around long enough you can pick up a couple dozen $L for yourself. Also, some stores have "Lucky Chair" drawings. If your first name matches the random letter drawn, you simply sit in the chair to win the prize.
6. Services. The demand for services in SL is not that high, with a couple of exceptions. Here is where your personal network can pay off handsomely whether you want to run events, provide club security or become an escort. How successful you are depends a great deal on how many people you know. Of all the services residents can provide probably the most reliable one is running events. You'll contract with the owner of a club or venue who will pay you a set fee for each event you manage -- normally dance contests, games and so forth.
* Some stores are hiring good-looking avatars to pose in their outfits to get shopper attention (you might get free clothing this way). Search for "modelling" or shop around at the larger SL malls and look for other residents posing in stores to find your job leads.
* FlipperPA Peregrine is offering a finders' fee to anyone who brings him advertising for SLTrivia.com. You get a 15% commission on each advertiser you bring. Contact him for details.
* Cristiano Midnight offers a 25% commission rate for advertisers you can bring to SLU. Easy money
* Social Research Foundation is one of several RL organizations in Second Life who offer money for participation in research and surveys. You can either use the search tool for "surveys" or "research" to locate an opportunity, or you can teleport to: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tully%20Low/245/235/231
and avail yourself of their information, sign up, and start earning some income.
*DJ - do you have a Shoutcast server and a wide selection of music? Do you have a radio presence? Again, the secret of success is in building your network, but there are DJs who make money while they're doing what they love the most.
* Escorting: It may appear as a glamorous, sexy way to roleplay in Second Life but be aware that the market is glutted with people looking to make fast money this way. You need to be uninhibited and not easily offended because you could be asked by clients to roleplay things you don't find appealling. In most clubs, the escort has a right to refuse.
If you aren't shy and are determined and patient enough to try it, you'll need a good skin, a nice shape, hair, clothing and scripted genitals -- all of which add up to some serious $Lindens. Then you'll want to join a club or escort agency when you start because freelancing makes a tough job even tougher. The club/agency will take a percentage of your fee, usually around 10%. And in the end you're still competing against a large number of people in SL who do the same things for free. Only the very best will succeed at this one, and getting started is not free.
