Blog

We are very happy to announce that this Wednesday, at 7pm, we will be featuring at TechSoup’s next Online Community Meetup  Jeska Dzwigalski, Director of Content for Wikia and former Director of community at Linden Lab  / Second Life.

Jeska oversees marketing, content and community development for over 165,000 active wiki communities, with over 2 million users. Previously, she spent 6 years at Linden Lab leading Community and Product development projects within the virtual world of Second Life. Visit www.Jeska.org and @jeskad on Twitter, for more info.

Jeska will do a brief presentation on Encouraging Community Collaboration, followed by guided discussion on that and other large community management challenges.

SF Online Community MeetUp is the free monthly gathering of online community managers, enthusiasts, and innovators to meet and discuss tools and strategies for building and managing effective communities.

We will be live-streaming the event in SecondLife at the Nonprofit Commons amphitheater (teleport link), and tweeting using #octribe (online community) tag.

See you all there!

Written by: rikomatic

At the Nonprofit Commons, we are devastated by the loss of life and destructive impact of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last week.  There is a vibrant and active Japanese community in Second Life, some of whom have come to our NPC meetings to update us on the relief efforts there.

Meanwhile, we are heartened to see that Second Life residents and organizations have responded to the tragedy through various fundraisers and virtual goods to help the people of Japan recover from this disaster. Here are a few that we know about.

Linden Lab, the makers of Second Life, are encouraging residents to contribute to Japan relief through the purchase of virtual teddy bears.  So called “Linden Bears” have long been a prized item in the Second Life community, typically only available directly from staff members of Linden who give them out.  These Japan-branded bears are available on their online marketplace here.  Each bear costs between L$300 and 3,000, which is the equivalent of about US $1 to $10.

In the Kowloon sim of Second Life you can purchase a number of nice items, the proceeds of which go to aid the Japan recovery effort.  Head to this teleport link to check it out.  New World Notes has info about other fashionable items you can purchase for your avatar that assist in Japan relief.

There are several other fundraiser and support events in Second Life happening over the next few days:

• Pacific Crisis Center: More than 400 brands come together to offer products, with proceeds going to disaster aid relief. Participating designers have created new and exclusive items with 100 percent or 50 percent of profits going to the AmeriCares charity to help in Japan and the Pacific. Shop, donate, enjoy.
• Japan Resort: Gather and discuss the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
• Radar Magazine Fundraiser: From March 16 to April 16, Radar Magazine will be hosting and sponsoring a series of events to help raise funds to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and pacific tsunami relief fund in conjunction with Red Cross. Events include a market with items from some the of top creators in Second Life, a special runway show featuring one-of-a-kind items, and an auction of items featured on the runway.

If you hear about others happening, please send them our way!

Written by: rikomatic

As the death toll rises in Japan from the devastating earthquake and tsunami last week, and the cost of recovery approaches astronomical figures, one small ray of light is seeing how various communities around the world have rallied to help this embattled country and its people. Even in the virtual world , people are opening up their hearts and wallets to help out.

Gamasutra reports that gaming company Zynga has released a several virtual items that players of their seven online games can purchase, the proceeds going directly to Save the Children Japan to help with relief efforts.  Zynga has an admirable history of using their social games as a means of collecting donations for various worthwhile causes, from Haiti earthquake relief, a children’s hospital and the SPCA. Check their zynga.org site for more info.

Meanwhile, Linden Lab, the makers of Second Life, are encouraging residents of their world to contribute to Japan relief through the purchase of virtual teddy bears.  So called “Linden Bears” have long been a prized item in the Second Life community, typically only available directly from staff members of Linden who give them out.  These Japan-branded bears are available on their online marketplace here.  Each bear costs between L$300 and 3,000, which is the equivalent of about US $1 to $10.

Radar Magazine in Second Life is also planning a monthlong fundraiser from March 16 to April 16, according to Examiner.com.  Head here for details on how you can help.

Other fundraisers and benefits look like they are in the works as we go to press.  For Second Life, search their calendar for upcoming events.  

Written by: rikomatic

As part of my duties as Community Manager at the Nonprofit Commons, I have the fun responsibility of bringing in new nonprofits into our virtual world space.  While we are always welcome to have visitors — which we have hundreds of each week — we really want groups to explore the full spectrum of what virtual worlds can do for them.

One of the easiest ways to do that is to set up a virtual office space in-world.  The Nonprofit Commons is fortunate enough to have four sims in our archipelago, within which we offer free office space for qualifying nonprofit / social benefit organizations. Check out our directory of the 145 groups that call the Nonprofit Commons their virtual home.

If you are affiliated with an organization interested in receiving free virtual space to develop your digital presence, head to our website to learn about the whole process.  It’s easy to get started, and we have several mentors and volunteers who can get you off on the right foot. 

While we welcome groups from a variety of sectors and causes, we have immediate openings in our Health and Eco Commons sims. So if you are a group that is concerned with health, wellness, disability, the environment, sustainable development and other related areas, you are especially invited to apply.  Others of course can register for a space, which we will provide on a first-come-first-serve basis.

If you have questions, please see our website, email nonprofitcommons@ techsoup.org or IM Rik Riel for details.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Written by: rikomatic

We got news that some researchers helping set up a new non-profit called “Travel for Change” are looking for participants for a “co-creation” workshop they are holding on March 9 in Second Life.  The purpose of the workshop is to conduct research in how workshops can be held in a virtual world, versus in a real life setting.

The workshop is on March 9, at 8am PST.  See their website for more information and click here for the teleport location in Second Life.

Written by: rikomatic