Annual Survey Results | Coming Soon - our stand at SLCE | Events & Announcements | New Locations

ANNUAL SURVEY RESULT

We are grateful to those readers who took part in our annual survey. The results were interesting and helpful. Thank you.

One reader commented that s/he'd like to hear less in The Gazette about the BBB and more about our users. We wholeheartedly agree! The whole point of the Events & Announcements section, introduced last year, is to give stamp-issuing users the chance to publicise their locations, events and activities. The section is steadily growing, but many are still not aware they can make The Gazette their own on request.

If you're nervous about writing for publication, just send a press release and your Editor will craft your announcement. The press release can just be a list of key facts – the when, where, what and why of your event etc. If you've made an event poster, include a copy of that too.

We've already implemented a second suggestion; to make it easier to leave a comment underneath each edition of The Gazette. Our software previously required an email address from people leaving comments. This is a basic anti-spam tool but, as many residents don't like to connect their RL email with their SL identity, it was a deterrent, even though the address was never published.

We've removed the requirement. As it leaves us open to spam, we've also changed our settings so that comments require approval before publication. Your comment won't appear immediately, but you won't be plagued with spam while you wait!

Other suggestions included:-

• I would love to have some cute interactive things. Survey questions of the week about fun silly stuff like that. Also would be fun to have goofy Belli horiscopes and such. Reading about other SL citizens and how they spend their time on SL always interests me. Particularly long time SL users, the everyday people.
• I would suggest making it easier to find the archive. I always have to scroll down to the bottom of the page to get to this weeks article. Maybe have a link right at the top of the main page the links directly to the most recent posting????

The first one supports the first suggestion mentioned - that we should write more about our users and less about us. If the reader who made the comment wants to volunteer to be our astrologist, we're all for a horoscope section! The second suggestion is puzzling however. The Gazette is an old-school blog (weblog), which scrolls down as new posts are added. The current edition is always at the top. Perhaps our respondent has bookmarked not The Gazette, but one specific edition from which s/he then has to scroll? In any event, if you find yourself lost. clicking on the header image at the top will always take you home.

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COMING SOON - OUR STAND AT SLCE

Teresa Firelight is in charge of its design and she and the rest of our team have been working hard on preparing our exhibit for the Second Life Communities Exhibition. At the time of writing, it's awaiting inspection and approval by Linden Labs. Subject to that, it should be opening soon at the Welcome Hub. In the meantime, by way of a foretaste, here is the video that will be playing at our stand there.

Thanks to Robert Rhodan for doing a great job with this video. We hope it will introduce many more SL residents, old and new, to the fun of role-play bureaucracy in our virtual world!

Video by Robert Rhodan

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EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you have one of our stamp terminals and you're having an event or would like to make an announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor, Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters and/or photos.

New Exhibit at New Kadath

We've recently expanded the Bellisseria display within the Maps of Second Life exhibit to include a chronological retrospective, as well as new maps donated by visitors. The larger format exhibit will only be temporary (six  other exhibits were removed to make room for it!) but for now it's displayed on the three southern walls of the Second Floor of the Lighthouse.

Here's your taxi

Juliana Lethdetter-DeCuir

Curator, New Kadath Lighthouse Art Gallery

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NEW LOCATIONS

Friendship City is home to a cyber city and traditional Japanese zen gardens. It's also the home of The Nines music club.

Kasada is a hangout originally founded as a german bikers' community in 2007, which closed in 2010. It reopened in 2020 and got a complete make over. It's now nature themed with a harbour and several nice places to relax, hang out and have fun. Rezz a boat and sail to the Blake Sea or just relax, have fun and meet others from all over the world.

The special Women about Women exhibition at the Black Tulip Gallery, which was announced in Events & Announcements last week opens on 18th February. The event will continue until 1st April. The stamp will be available from the opening day.

The final two new locations were actually in place for Valentine's Day, but the stamp applications were a little late, so sadly the stamps weren't placed in time. They're available now, however – and the stamps are very cute!

Lotus Flowers - Feel&Focus Gallery CDS Event: 15 Feb to 15 Mar
Friendship City - Neo Japan and Zen Gardens CA
Kasada CA
Black Tulip Women on Women Exhibition CDS 18th Feb to 1st April, 2024 NB: The stamp will not be available until the opening date.
Titania Valentine's Day BE Event from 14-29 Feb
Break-Up Room @ Bellisseria Commissary BE Event from 14-29 Feb

Please feel free to leave comments. We welcome feedback! The comment form asks for an email address but that's entirely optional. Just leave it blank if you prefer.

Comments

[Robert Rhodan]

Just 22 persons cared to respond to the Gazette survey ?!?!? I hope I am misinterpreting this figure, as I feel it shows a devastatingly low interest, which is hard to believe as we know there are many many many more readers out there eagerly awaiting each Gazette edition.