Possibly the most hilarious spam comment ever

Possibly the most hilarious spam comment ever

I found the following gem nestling within the Askimet folder of the main blog, and I’ve only just finished rolling around with laughter after reading it:

Hello I am so cock-a-hoop I initiate your snare instal, I unqualifiedly found you via misfortune, while I was looking on Aol for something else, Anyways I am here in the present climate and would just like to put thanks quest of a mythical post and a all tour moving blog (I also inclination the theme/design), I don’t have time to understand it all at the jiffy but I cause saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I set up time I inclination be destroy to look over more, Please do shut in up the tremendous being done.

Nope. Clearly not done laughing yet! Thank you, blabliblo6! XD

Oh, and here’s another (much shorter) gem, courtesy of isonsisee:

You will come thru it, believe me
Now I dont have to feel so intimated by science! this the world is your oyster 

It’s like The Tao of Spam. Oh hey… someone should curate that book!

IKON-ic eyeballs! (limited-time freebie)

IKON-ic eyeballs! (limited-time freebie)

Hi peeps! There’s a real treat waiting for you out there this weekend (and this weekend only)! Ikon Innovia has set out his new group gift at IKON: a set of gorgeous ‘Utopia’ eyes in pale mint and gold. If you’ve not heard of IKON before, then I assure you, you probably have! It’s the new name for Fashism eyes (and if you’ve been watching this blog closely you might notice that Mar’s been wearing Fashism’s ‘Sunrise’ eyes in the azure shade for some time now).

These are some of the top peepers on the grid, so you need to go grab ’em! The group is free to join, and each month’s group gift is set out in the store (pay attention now!) ONLY for the first weekend of each month, from 8pm SLT on the Friday to 8pm SLT on the Sunday. That means you’ve got until 8pm tonight (Sunday March 4th) to get these gorgeous eyeballs, so what are you waiting for?!

Make sure you join the VIP Group in the store (board is outlined in gold) and not the Subscribers Group (board is outlined in silver). Then, with your group tag activated, click the box on the floor to get your free gift.

I’ve put a quick screenshot behind the cut, so you can see what you’re looking for!

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The Absolute Beginners: Basics – The Camera Controls

The Absolute Beginners: Basics – The Camera Controls

One of the things I’ve noticed recently in Second Life is a lot of newer avatars that struggle to view things up high or down low, especially ad boards in stores. I see them walking right up to the wall where the board is, or flying to get up to higher boards, and I can only think that they’re either skipping the (generally good) basic tutorials at the Welcome Island they first arrive in SL at, or they just don’t understand them too well.

UPDATE: It turns out there are no tutorials when newbies first land in Second Life now. They arrive in a circular area with portals directly in-world, and have no guidance whatsoever!

One thing that all residents need to get to know and love is the Camera Controls panel. This is a little floater that you can move anywhere on your screen and it will help you no end in controlling your camera so you don’t have to fly up or walk into walls to see things. This post is a little tutorial on how to find it and how to use it.

If you do nothing else, then save this image to your computer where you can reference it until you grow accustomed to using the controls –

– and hop behind the cut for how to find the Camera Controls!

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Iberian elegance from PurpleMoon Creations

Iberian elegance from PurpleMoon Creations

Hi, peeps! Today I have a gorgeous group gifty to share with you. It’s a celebratory gift from PurpleMoon Creations, as thanks for the group reaching 12,000 members!

The group costs L$50 to join (paste this link into chat and click it to bring up the group join window), and gives you access not only to the in-store gifts, but also when you wear your group tag when making purchases it acts like a loyalty card, earning you points. You do have to spend L$1000 before the discounts kick in, but PurpleMoon takes part in a lot of the weekly offers (such as L$55 Thursdays and L$60 weekends) so if you shop there for those it’s worth being in the group, just to get your totals up!

The current gift in-store is this beautiful Spanish Lady Gown. And, if you check back through group notices you’ll also find the special edition Tears Me Not necklace and earrings set that Mar’s wearing with it:

Mar’s hair is from the freebie Susan pack by Exile at Savoir Hair. Her nails are cheapies from Love Soul. Her lipstick is from the free Neon pack by R.icielli. Her bracelet is a freebie from Inca Temple.

An important heads-up about scammers in SL

An important heads-up about scammers in SL

Hi peeps. I have an important post to make here, so please read it.

No doubt you’re used to seeing people spamming group chats with links to their stores, but there’s a new scam going around now. This was just posted in a large group:

GET 2000$L Instantly, Just Verify Your Avatar [URL redacted] Click, Verify, And WIN 2000$L !!! 

Of course it’s too good to be true. For one thing, the only verification your avatar should do is age verification on the official Second Life website. What you would be logging into at that link sent to the group is a scam site that will harvest your avatar name and password. Other ‘links’ that are being given out include things like, “Check out my items on SL Marketplace! [URL here] – They’re all adult, so you’ll need to log in.”

Yeah, right. You’ll need to log in to the link they give you, with your SL name and password. And guess what? Before you know it your L$ balance is zero (and any associated payment method, be it credit card or Paypal account, is cleared out) and they’re using YOUR avatar to spam the same crap to other groups, thereby getting YOU reported and in trouble (and probably ejected from all your groups and banned from a lot of land).

If someone posts a link to Marketplace like that, just open your own personal bookmark to Marketplace (one that you made, that you know is safe), or go from the official SL website, log in, and then search for their avatar name. If they’re genuine, you’ll see their products.

NEVER LOG INTO ANY WEBSITE OTHER THAN THE OFFICIAL SL ONE (or the official SL Marketplace) WITH YOUR AVATAR NAME AND PASSWORD. AND CHECK THE URL OF THE PAGE; THESE SCAM SITES LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE REAL SITES!

In short, be VERY careful out there. If you have clicked on a link, then log into the SL website and change your password immediately. Also change the password on the email account associated with that account AND any important websites that you used that email account for.

Stay alert out there, and make sure your SL account stays safe. Here ends your PSA for the day :)

UPDATE: Ironically, I have to disable commenting on this post, as – in the few hours since I published it – it has already attracted half a dozen massively long spam comments that my Askimet filter caught.

Hints & Tips: One user liked this – Make a creator’s day by leaving them a Marketplace review!

Hints & Tips: One user liked this – Make a creator’s day by leaving them a Marketplace review!

I got to thinking today about SL Marketplace and the fact that I see so few reviews being left on it lately. There was a time when good products, both old and new, were actually reviewed by those that bought them, but I just don’t see that these days, unless it’s an item that already has hundreds of rave reviews already.

Here’s the thing: a good review, no matter how short, is encouraging to a creator. Imagine ‘selling’ hundreds of copies of a free item you took the time and energy to make and put on Marketplace for no charge. You know it’s a great item (both because you made it and realised it was good, and also because it’s flying off the virtual shelves) but not one person bothers to leave you a review on it. Not one. No “Thanks so much for putting this great [thing] out as a freebie!” No, “Love it! 5 stars!” No thanks or feedback whatsoever.

I know, I know. I’ve been that Marketplace shopper: the one who loads up four carts one after the other, unpacks everything and then forgets (or doesn’t even think) to go back and leave a review for the items I liked. I know you’ve been that shopper, too. So why don’t we make a small change, starting right now?

Log into your Marketplace account, and go to your Order History page. Open up the last five (or ten) items that you bought in new browser tabs, then go to each one in turn and leave a review. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. Even a quick “Loved this, thanks!” and a click of however many stars you think it’s worth giving is enough. Especially leave reviews for items that have no (or very few) reviews at all. Do this a couple of times a week, and maybe between us we can turn the tide of No Reviews, No Feedback, No Encouragement for all those fabulous creators out there.

If you liked it, tell the creator, and tell fellow shoppers, too. You’ll be helping everyone out!

Those Little Questions: a general grab-bag!

Those Little Questions: a general grab-bag!

Hi peeps! Here’s another in my ‘Those little questions’ series, where I try to give answers to the questions in search terms that lead people to the SL for Nowt blog. There are no silly questions in SL. We all started out as complete newbies, and we all wondered the same things, so here I hope to help you out with some answers :)

You can find the questions on the old blog archived here, and a special Those Little Questions all about skyboxes here.

Today’s set of questions is a general grab-bag. Behind the cut you’ll find out…

– How can I find out my friend’s location in Second Life?
– How do I make a landmark in a building in the sky in Second Life?
– How do I remove the group name from above my head?
– Can you change the landmark on the picks in Second Life?
– What’s the busiest welcome area in Second Life?
– Can anyone teleport into your home in Second Life?
– I can’t get my underwear off in Second Life!
– Can I preview Second Life without being a member?
– I don’t have a house in Second Life. Where should I leave my avatar?
– Do I need membership to have a skybox in Second Life?
– Is it cheaper to rent land or have a premium membership in Second Life?
– Why can’t I send a gift from Marketplace?
– Can anyone see how much L$ I have in Second Life?

Hop behind the cut for some answers!

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De-noob for nowt: Duck eggs!

De-noob for nowt: Duck eggs!

Huh?

Duck egg blue, of course! It’s the colour of this pretty little freebie dress from Garage. In fact, Mar’s entire look here is absolutely free. Most of it is from stores on Marketplace, which is Second Life’s out-world shopping site, but a couple of items are limited-time offers, and one is a lucky board freebie.

Firstly, her shape is from this freebie skin/shape pack by Imagine, on Marketplace (at least, that’s what I think the store is called, going by the creator’s profile; sorry if I got it wrong!).

Her skin is the current group freebie at AL Vulo! (paste this link into chat and click it to bring up the group window and join – it’s absolutely free – then head to the store with your group tag active and click the panel inside the little wooden shed outside).

Her hair is a freebie from A&A on Marketplace, and you can find it here. It’s a lovely, loose little up-do with a colour-change barrette. This style will only be free until February 28th 2012.

Her shoes are from the lucky boards at Baby Monkey. Head to the store and wait until the first letter of your username (that’s the name you log in with, not the display name that you can change!) comes up on either the boards or the lucky chairs, then click or sit to win!

Finally, her eyes are a freebie from Virtual Diva, here on Marketplace.

I’ve put another pic behind the cut which shows off the back of the hairstyle, and the super-cute butt on this shape ;)

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