4 questions

Hello I just started Second Life and I have a few questions.

First if I want to rent a store in the mall how would I go about that? Would I have to find the owner and ask him or is there a way to send a request?

Second are there second life mafia that have ways to extort my business and try to get money from me?

Third How do I trade L$?

Forth I read about having the abilities to hold weapons and attack people with them is this possible?

1, 2, 3, 4

try using the search tool for the forums, you will find much more info than you will glean from those who choose to reply here (not saying the replies will be worthless, but it will be worth your time to research) and speaking of research....

try going in world, look around at malls and see how they want you to do it, and as for weapons again, research how they work...

Usually they have little rent boxes that you can pay. It's always a good thing to contact the owner though, and some require it. Personally I've never rented space, so that's all the help I can offer, sorry =(

No. There are griefers, but most places are generally safe from them. There is no way to hack into SL and steal your money or destroy your shop or anything. If there is, it's hard enough to do that no one bothers.

Yes, it's possible. You get it, and take it out of it's box if it came in one (Drag the name from your inventory to the ground, then right click and OPEN it. Then hit 'copy to inventory'.

Then find that item in your inventory, right click it, and WEAR it. Most weapons require mouselook, so hit M to go into that, then usually just click to shoot wherever you're aiming.

As far as I know, the only SLExtortionists are the ones in San Francisco.

Possible, yes, but also an excellent way to get abuse reported and suspended or banned unless you're in a roleplay sim.

Oh, and 3:

http://www.secondlife.com/currency/

You'll need to buy L$ or pay a membership fee before your limits will start to increase though.

http://www.secondlife.com/currency/describe-limits.php

just be aware the weapons only work in some areas, and unless it's a combat sim attacking someone can be filed as harassment

There are people who claim to be "mafia" they are always full of crap. Just ban them from your land and go on.

So are the 'police.' Unless they have Linden as a last name, they can be ignored.

I am guessing you are yet another TSO refugee (as I was years ago). WELCOME!

Any mafia groups here have no teeth. THey cannot "trash" your property as they could in TSO or do anything else to it UNLESS YOU SET THE LAND OPTIONS IN SUCH A WAY AS TO LET THEM.

Getting shot again its a question of land settings.

I strongly STRONGLY suggest you read up on what the land and group options are. An ounce of prevention is worth a TON of hassels.

Thanks guy by the way I bought a shirt but cant find it in my inventory. How do I wear it?

It may be in a box under Objects. Check this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzFNWkM0pWU

Ah ok...I thought the mafia question was a little odd.

Errrr, what is TSO?

The sims online iirc

Most questions have been answered but I'd like to respond to this one, because yes there ARE people (not necessarily mafia) who will try to extort money from you in various ways.

- If you are running a store, beware of using freebie product vendors (vending machines). They will often filter a cut, sometimes as much as 30%, to the person that made the vendor.

- When using ATMs such as SLX terminals, or vendors, be sure that there isn't an invisble prim hiding over it, to filter the money somewhere it's not supposed to go.

- Stay away from Hippiepay and anyone esle offering money in return for filling in surveys.

- Be aware that there are tools around that can capture textures on your products. Copyright fraud is an issue in SL that there's currently no real solution for.

- Business-in-a-Box is a ripoff. Most of the things you'll be trying to sell are already available for nothing in the freebie stores. The only way to make money is make your own stuff, and make it all either no-transfer or no-copy.

- Make sure the land where you hold your store is set to no-build and no-script for anyone but yourself/your group. Make it no-combat and no-push as well, to avoid weapons use.If you are renting a store in a mall you'll have no control over this so make sure the settings are already done that way before you agree to rent.

TSO/EALand is a very old The Sims Online game that will be closing forever on Aug 1. I expect we are going to see alot of refugees from there in the next few weeks/months.

The Mafia in TSO was a very real thing. Y'all can google for it but there were documented cases of the harrassment being taken to RL. Maybe not so much since the game became EALand but 5 years ago in the original TSO it was ugly. This would be a very rational question for a TSO refugee to ask.

Or they might like me ask other questions that would hit the average SL resident as odd. How do I eat so I dont die? Where is the bathroom? How do I walk?

Years ago I landed in the welcome area after somehow bumbling through the OLD Orientation Island to be met by a mentor who tried to get me away frm the rif raf by saying follow me. Well I tried I really did. But by the time I remembered how to walk I couldn't find her (totally different methods). I chuckle about it now but I imagine that mentor thought I was one rude SOB.

I also spent the first week in game logging in for 20 minutes or less every few hours because I couldnt figure out how to eat and was afraid I would die.

At least one SL game is a sad derivative of the original that came from TSO...Pizza. Alot of us that left TSO didnt miss TSO itself but we did miss Pizza.

They will also probably ask how to make money and we the residents of SL will likely take that as they usual question we hear. From a TSO refugee it means something different. IN TSO there were Money objects. Things you could do like Pizza or make Jams that paid you money based on your skill level and how many other people were doing it with you. They are asking directions to a money house to engage in something most TSO denizens spend an absurd amount of time doing. They are not asking for a handout

Just some info to help spot the refugees and help them in thier new Second Lives.

Nothing you listed qualified as extortion.

I second that.

Seriously, how could anyone extort anything out of you unless you gave up rl info?

Ahhh, ok, thanks Having played EQ for years, I can understand translating the thinking from one online activity (I don't like to call SL a game) to another.

In my case, I came from IRC to SL and was basically told it was a social/chat medium, but in 3D.

HAHA to late ont he survey one. But I expected somthing like that so I always give them false info and email adresses. Sorry [email]aaa@yahoo.com[/email]

First if I want to rent a store in the mall how would I go about that?
Would I have to find the owner and ask him or is there a way to send a request?

-- Let me add some notes here. You can look at the properties of any object you can click on. Highlight in edit mode, even if you do not have edit permission, and you can see who owns it, who created it, how many prims (individual pieces) it consists of and other stuff like that. We tend to look at object like this because there are buttons for the owner and the creator. Just click the button and it pulls up that person's profile. If all esle fails, you can right click an item and click more in the pie menu until you see "Inspect" and it will give yuo a list of all the individual pieces along with who made that piece and who owns it. You can then do a search (people) for the owner or the creator.

So why did I go through all that? Several reasons. 1st, if you see a place you want to rent there will be a sign of some sort saying it is for rent. whoever owns that sigh is the person you want to talk to. You can often negotiate price and/or prims allowed. Small booths are usually set at the lowest possible price, but the larger space you start renting the more you want to talk to the owner to get your best deal.

The second reason ... this is how you find out who made what. Like the bird you saw in a park? Find the owner, look in their profile and usually under picks or classifides they will have a landmark to their main store. This is useful for finding suport or updates for items you have, finding this you want to buy or even finding someone to asks questions. SL builders, for the most part, are friendly and helpful. The people who run the larger stores will be swamped and even then there are many who love to help.
If you have not found the building forums here, you really need to check them out. Good advice and mostly friendly people.


Second are there second life mafia that have ways to extort my business and try to get money from me?
-- Nope. Scammer and cons,but that's about it.

Third How do I trade L$?
-- Link already given.

Forth I read about having the abilities to hold weapons and attack people with them is this possible?
-- There are a lot of different weapons. From the basic cub or bullet that work on damage enabled land to cages to orbiters to things that make you stick your head up your butt or guns that shoot watermellons and cows. Most combat oriented places have a combat system they use. These are add ons that keeps track of health, experience, specific allowed weapons and shields or whatever that place uses. In the wild (open areas, shopping malls, your typical random place) most everything is disabled to prevent griefer attacks. If you want to chase your friends around with a pie thrower or a chicken gun, have fun. Any attack can be reported harassment and abuse so make sure what you are doing is consensual.

And speaking of Abuse Reports, your name may be the target of a few as a slur against gays, especially if you give some one a reason to be pissed off at you. Just saying. If you feel like you have to have have, keep it; but since you are just starting, it is easier to start another avatar now than after a few months in and the one you have gets locked.

Trans Siberian Orchestra? sorry - couldn't resist... back to my corner...

Real Mafia or just wannabees wearing a tag that says Mafia?

digital thugs

Far more effective griefers than are on the grid here

Now THAT I understand