Building community

"If you rez it, they will come."

Or something that like — sure, you may've made a community building, but are you building community?

This page is all about best practices to optimize your Second Life locations with compelling content so they attract, sustain, and grow visitors. This is important whether you're running a business (like a lcub or store) or non-commercial venue. As Soft Linden aptly put it: "... building places, not spaces."

General tips

• Use Second Life's unique strengths - We're an interactive 3D world. Don't sell a T-shirt with your logo and expect that to be the end. To be forthright: at best, you won't stand out. At worst, you'll be derided by existing communities, then feel a tendency to blame SL for your lack of success — when infact, you haven't used the tools at your disposal (this page is about making those tools more obvious). For instance, if you're a watch company looking to promote, don't just put a flat texture on a wall: partner with a skilled content creator who can make an impressive -looking and -working watch. Or do something physically impractical, like an island made of a giant watch. If you look at the most successful Second Life marketing campaigns, they all used our unique strengths.

Related resources

• Success Stories - Real examples to be inspired by and learn from.
• Marketing Your Products In Second Life - "While these are suggestions for a resident fashion business, they're good advice for ANY retailer in Second Life."
• Stories from Second Life: Glenn Linden talks with Joni West of This Second Marketing - Includes topics like "Mistakes to avoid when creating marketing campaigns for clients in Second Life".