The Painted Palace at S&S Gallery of Fine Arts

S&S Gallery of Fine Arts has an exhibit that acts like a catalogue/directory of some of the artists it represents

The Painted Palace is a brightly coloured building in which you can see representative artworks from some of the many artists who exhibit at the S&S Gallery of Fine Arts.

Touch any of the works of art on display and you will receive a landmark to view that artist’s work that is currently exhibiting in the gallery.

The representative artworks will change often in the vibrantly colourful building of the Painted Palace.

SLURL to The Painted Palace at S&S Gallery of Fine Arts

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Wanderstill at Ode

I had to dive into my landmarks folder as I was introducing a friend new to Second Life to some of my favourite places when I remembered that when I was  new, I relied on blogs to tell me where nice spots were.

So tonight I want to share some screenshots of place that anyone who is familiar with Second life will know but new folks may not.

Wanderstill at Ode is described as Immersive Art Experience but the thing I always remember about it is that the place is carpeted solidly in acres and acres of wildflowers that stand shoulder high. Colour irrupts all around you creating a very photogenic sim. Numerous machinima have been made that feature this build by Random Calliope

Dance balls are dotted about and there are loads of quiet corners to chat and admire the environment. The mood is romantic, but if you are not here on a date, who could not take pleasure in the environment?

SLURL: Visit Wanderstill

Blogging tips

Strawberry Singh has written a well structured tutorial for Second Life Fashion Bloggers. In Fashion Blogging 101 Berry covers such issues as choosing a blog host, choosing a photo sharing site, having a disclosure policy, naming your blog, writing for the web, your relationship to and expectations of Second Life designers, giving credit, increasing traffic and using social media. The post comprehensively covers the topic without being so long winded you lose interest.

Still on the topic of blogging over on Outspoken Media 5 Lisa Barone has put together fresh take on blogging. In Old Blogging Rules Killing Your Readership Lisa Barone lists some key practices that may no longer work.  These writing practices include some of the golden ‘rules’ that have become almost sacrosanct in the blogging community. Rules such as Good bloggers post daily, keep it short, link thoughtfully, chase page views and are an authority are all tossed out the window.

New Toulouse Bayou

I found myself over at New Toulouse Bayou and started to take some tourist snaps.

Apparently New Toulouse Bayou is based on the American city of New Orleans, at the turn of the 19th century and its surrounding environs in Louisiana.

There are Aligators so take care.

That said there is lots to discover down by the shoreline.

I would not like to camp out here at all.

Don’t wear good boots you will ruin them as the ground is very water logged.

The foggy dank banks hold an abundance of wild life.

Walk up the hill and you will encounter more substantial buildings but they  still evoke a distressed and worn feel.

I loved exploring this sim I am sure if you have not been before you will too. Just watch those crocs!

SLURL for New Toulouse Bayou

Designers asked to think of the consumer

Over on A Passion for Virtual Fashion Harper Beresford, Business Manager and blogger for House of RFyre has developed A Consumer Wish List

As I read it through I found myself agreeing vigorously particularly when read #10 as my pet hate of touched up vendor adds.

“Do not touch up your ads in any way that will misrepresent the item you are selling on the vendor. That means if your prims are out of place, fix them before you sell it, not in the photo. If you have artistic photos in your store, that is where you can do the artwork. I like seeing interpretations of the outfit but when I look at the vendor, I want to know what I am purchasing without filters or airbrushing”

There is  one more item I would add to the list. I would like to know if a product has multiple layers. I would like more designers to offer multiple layers as I like mixing outfits and often multiple layer option will swing the sale for me. This request may fall into the realm of good business practice but would love to see this type of information clearly displayed.

Of course Harper Beresford’s Consumer Wish List is fashion centric but in the case of buying other things, particularly for the virtual home. I would like to see full descriptions of a product. Key for many people is the number of prims and if it has poses etc. You would be surprised how many vendors do not have this information clearly displayed on their vendors.

Lack of information on products is a pet hate. Basic questions like number of prims are often simply not answered in product display information. If the items are part of a set what is actually included? For instance, if  looking a full dining room suite on display is the fruit bowl in the middle also included? If there are not display versions to be seen I would like to know the answer to questions such as do plants flex in the breeze, or are they static? Are they single prim sculpties or multiple prims? When you walk around some of the home and garden stores there is a never ending list of such questions which run through my head. Lack of information must lead to many lost sales or disappointed purchases.

There is a long and interesting comment thread on Harper Beresford’s Consumer Wish List post, including a suggestion to form a merchant group that follows consumer friendly practices. I hope it happens and is well publicized. If this group develops from thoughts aired in the post this is certainly one of those blog posts that shifts things towards the better in Second Life.