In a previous post regarding $$ raised, Jason left a comment asking if the money we received was in Linden dollars or US dollars. We felt this topic required further clarification, so here’s a short explanation of how money works in Second Life:
Linden dollars are the virtual currency in Second Life – they facilitate the Second Life economy. (Linden Labs is the software company that developed SL.) Linden dollars are used, as in the real world, to buy and sell property, merchandise and any items built and developed by avatars in SL. Linden dollars do have a real world exchange rate. It fluctuates based on the market, but is currently stable at approximately $250 Linden dollars to the $US dollar, according to the Second Life Currency Exchange. Check out the Second Life Wikipedia entry for more on the Linden dollar.
To date, we have raised $1500 Linden dollars, donated by friends in the Nonprofit Commons community. While our office was free of charge, that money will go toward maintenance costs for the space. It is our hope that at some point, we can raise enough L$ to make a dent in real world dollars for our nonprofit. However, right now our focus is more on just establishing our presence, networking within the NP community and raising awareness.
Thus far, Waxalka has used the money to upload images for the space. Each photograph and each poster image (text) cost L$10, as well as each slide of the Powerpoint presentation. Waxalka will continue to use the donations to upload more media, and to work with Sara and Frank when they return. The reminder of the funds will be transferred to whoever they decide should manage it.
You may be surprised to learn that it is very possible to make real world money in Second Life. A recent Philadelphia Inquirer article explains how. The 21-year old featured in this article makes $2,000 a month creating machinimas (videos) for SL virtual clients. Wow!
