How do I use Landmarks?
You can think of Landmarks as being similar to Bookmarks or Favorites in a web browser. They record the three-dimensional position of a place inworld, so you can teleport back there conveniently whenever you want.
How do I create a Landmark?
Landmarks are easily created by selecting World > Create Landmark Here from the menus at the top of the Second Life® viewer. It'll appear in your Inventory window's Landmarks folder automatically, saved for future use.
Landmark names are created in the following format: parcel name, region name, coordinates. You can rename a Landmark if you wish; the actual destination is unchangeable, and will be shown after you double-click it.
What if that didn't that work?
If you get a message saying, "You cannot create a landmark here..." it means that the parcel's owner used the About Land window's Options tab to turn Create Landmarks. Some landowners choose to do this for various reasons, such as for privacy.
Landmarks are created fully permissive, which means you can give a landmark out to a friend or any Resident you'd like. Just like any other Inventory item, open their Profile and drag the Landmark on top of it, or if they're nearby inworld, drag the landmark onto their avatar.
Both the Communicate window and Search window's People tab will allow you to access profiles.
How do I teleport to a Landmark?
There are three basic ways to do this:
- In your Inventory > Landmarks folder, double-click a landmark. You'll see a new popup window that asks if you're sure you want to teleport, and displays a Don't show me this again checkbox. Click Teleport go to there. If you selected the checkbox first, double-clicking on Landmarks in the future will simply teleport you to them instantly.
- Also in your Inventory > Landmarks folder, and even faster; right-click a Landmark and select Teleport.
- From the World Map, click the triangle next to the My Landmarks field and select from any of them. It'll highlight the location on your map, so you can click the Teleport button below.
What happens after teleporting to a Landmark?
You'll see a black "Teleporting..." screen while teleporting to your destination. Depending on the Teleport Routing options (found in the About Land window's Options tab), you'll either land precisely at the Landmark's coordinates, nearby, or further away.
If you're not exactly at the Landmark's coordinates, a red beacon with a red arrow will guide you, showing you how far you are from your destination. You can click the arrow to make it disappear.
On Private Regions (also sometimes called islands), Estate Owners and Managers can choose to set up Telehubs, which are often used as specific teleport arrival points to facilitate navigation. For example, teleporting to an Estate with a castle may automatically place you at the front gates.
Why does My Landmarks on the World Map have so many duplicates?
Often, goods you buy in the Second Life virtual world will come in packaged folders, which will include a Landmark back to the creator's shop. It's their way of helping you find your way back. If you buy a lot of stuff from a certain creator, then there may be lot of Landmarks, all to the same place. An easy way to delete these is to go to your Inventory, search for the name of the Landmark, then click on each extra and press the Delete key. Then empty your Inventory's Trash.
Is there any way to sort Landmarks better? I have a lot!
Just like with any Inventory items, you can create sub-folders inside your Landmarks folder to categorize your Landmarks. Unfortunately, this sorting method is not duplicated inside the World Map's My Landmarks list, which simply sorts all your landmarks alphabetically.
You can also rename Landmarks and add descriptions by right-clicking on them in the Inventory window.
Didn't there used to be a way to add Landmarks in Search before going there?
Yes, a long time ago; around the time of Second Life 1.5, there used to be an Add Landmark button that let you collect a landmark before teleporting to a place. It was removed when later changes were made to the map system. This feature is still an open request, but we do not have a date on when it'll come back.
For related reading, check out: Why do Landmarks come in two different colors?