Wed 31 Dec 1969
Six— a number flanked by 5 and 7.
Six— a breed of superhumans in a Philip K. Dick novel.
Six— a boundary shot in cricket.
Six— a fine excuse for a party.
On June 23, 2009, Second Life turns 6 years old. Hey! This is your second half-decade! Now you’re *so* much more sophisticated than 5, but still hovering near the oven, anxious to devour the cake, and wondering what 6 has in store for you. Or, for that matter, what about 7? 10? 15? Where do the years go, anyway?
Since you’re never content with things as they are, your challenge is to show how you intend to make things in 5, 10 or 100 years. The Birthday theme this year is “The Future of Virtual Worlds” and we’re betting you have some pretty awesome visions to share of the future you’re building here. How will Virtual Worlds work? How will they look? How will they be part of everyday life? How will we learn, socialize and evolve in them? How will they affect your beliefs, and be affected by your actions?
Scenes from the growing event site…
Got an idea? Want to participate? Great! Once again, Linden Lab has set aside 20 regions for the Birthday celebration, and Resident organizers are busy carving it into parcels where you can build and share your particular future. The event infrastructure is nearly complete, and we think it will inspire you to great “heights”. It’s a little dark, and a little shiny. It’s a little inspiring, and a little dystopian. It’s decidedly 3- dimensional. Think in light. Think in concept. Look up. Look under. Look in and listen closely.
What you’ll need to do: Read about the event policies (below), and apply for a plot of land by filling out the application form. We have limited space to give away, so put some good thought into describing your exhibit idea in an interesting and forward-looking manner so we feel compelled to squeeze you in! Applications will be taken for 2 weeks.
In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we aren’t giving away any huge chunks of land or mountains of prims this year. Plot sizes are: 512 m2 (117 prims), 1024 m2 (234 prims) or 2048 m2 (468 prims). Got a cool idea but no time or will to build? This year we have small booths (15 prims) for those who just want to display images, signs, concepts or a simple object. Concept can be king!
We will be accepting your applications until May 20, will review them the week after that, and hope to have announcements going out to accepted exhibitors by June 1. You will have a full 2 or 3 weeks on-site to build. The event will open June 23, and officially run for a week, (though we will keep the gates open for a week beyond that so that plenty of people can come by for a visit).
The SL6B FAQ.
Q. What is the Event Maturity Rating?
A. The Second Life 6th Birthday Celebration takes place on the main Second Life Grid and is a PG event for Adults 18 years and older. The definition of PG within Second Life can be found here.
The current definition is:
“A Region may be designated PG so long as it does not advertise or make available any content that is suggestive of any (even mildly) sexual or violent themes, or references to social drug or alcohol usage.”
This event’s rating means the following are in effect throughout the event. This applies across the spectrum, from streaming media, avatar representation, exhibitor material and to conduct while in attendance or exhibiting.
* No depictions or incidents of violence or gore.
* No depictions or incidents portraying sexual activity or sexual suggestion.
* No depictions or incidents explicitly advocating or suggesting drug or alcohol use.
* No nudity.
Linden Lab and the Resident Organizers reserve the right to determine when an edge case is no longer PG.
Q. Why is the Birthday a PG Event?
A. The event is sponsored by Linden Lab, and in an effort to ensure a comfortable experience for every Resident, the whole of the event will be accessible to general audiences. Exhibitors may provide landmarks to Mature regions, provided they are properly marked as Mature.
Q. What other rules are there?
* No megaprims are allowed at Linden-Sponsored Events.
* No sales - freebies are okay as are landmarks to external areas.
* No hate-oriented material.
* No copyright or trademark infringement (includes real life or virtual name brands, logos, sounds or graphics that aren’t owned by exhibitor.)
* Prim limits are according to plot size requested and will be enforced.
* 1 Exhibit per resident/group
* Landmarks, Web content or Links provided must be relevant to the exhibit or exhibitor.
* We expect every exhibitor and attendee to adhere to the standard Second Life Terms of Service.
Q. Is there an official in-world group I can join?
A. Yes, if you would like to keep informed, please join the group “Second Life Birthday” in-world. That will be our primary means of internal communication with the community. Externally, please keep watching this blog for news updates, and the wiki as an information repository.
Q. What size plots will be available this year for exhibitors?
A: Plot sizes are:
512 m2 (117 prims),
1024 m2 (234 prims)
2048 m2 (468 prims).
Booth (15 prims)
You can select your desired parcel size in the application form. But the more flexible you are, the more likely you are to get a space.
Q: Can I come as a kid avatar?
A: Yes. Everyone is welcome at the Birthday festivities, both as exhibitors and attendees. We just ask that each individual, whether participating as an exhibitor or attending as a spectator, fully comply with our PG standards. This includes not only content on display but also Avatar representation. Essentially, if you want to run around in a short Avatar, a dragon avatar or a fire hydrant avatar, that’s fine, as long as it’s PG.
Q: Does that mean we can show pictures of kid avatars and adults together? What’s allowed?
A: We appreciate the fact that Second Life is a diverse world that includes a great many role-play families. As long as every exhibitor adheres to our general guidelines regarding content, there is no problem. We have no issue with photos of adults with children. We just ask that photos on display (in all areas) take into consideration content, context and perspective. Again, Linden Lab and the Resident Organizers reserve the right to determine when a case is no longer PG.
Q: We are a war role-playing group. Can I show and/or demonstrate my weapons?
A: This will be a little different in 2009. Exhibition of weapons crafted within Second Life are fine. Ultimately, a PG Birthday party isn’t the most appropriate place for demonstrating them. All places within the Birthday grid are “safe zones” without damage enabled. As an alternative, weapons makers may provide a landmark to an external location where their roleplaying and weapons use can be seen in action.
Q. Am I guaranteed a Plot to exhibit?
A. No. We have limited space. Our goal is to accommodate as many exhibitors as possible at SL6B within the space we are allotted. However, if an application conflicts with the rules or policy in place, Linden Lab reserves the right to decline a submission or request changes to existing exhibitions not in compliance.
Q. I am a Musician/DJ and would like to perform, will there be music this year?
A. Yes, we will be featuring both live performers and DJ’s from around Second Life! If you’d like to come and play, we invite DJ’s to contact Jewelkicker Spearmann in-world. Live Performers can contact Glimmer Silverstar.
Original post by communities@secondlife.com
