MadPea auction raises L$1.6+ million for LLK and Kenya school

A purpose-built entertainments area has been built for the MadPea event, with auction boards placed around the dance floor and stage
The purpose-built entertainments area built for the MadPea Charity Auction in aid of LLK and the Nakuru School construction project

The weekend of the 25th through 27th September marked the 2015 MadPea Charity Auction to help further the work of Live and Learn Kenya (LLK) in building a school in Nakuru, Kenya, where young children will be able to receive an education (you can read my background article on the event here).

The weekend featured live entertainment throughout, provided by 22 entertainers and live performers, at a specially constructed stage and location over Stargazer Bay, and gave people the opportunity to bid to spend time with a host of well-known Second Life residents and  Linden Lab staff, and to gain special goodies in the process.

Over 60 people had signed-up to participate in the auction, with boards placed around the stage area, which included a beautifully crafted model of the school in Nakuru, Kenya, which has been under construction since 2014, with the first phase having opened in January 2015.

RAG Randt's scale model of the Nakuru school construction project, which featured at the MadPea auction event
RAG Randt’s scale model of the Nakuru school construction project, which featured at the MadPea auction event

Some amazing opportunities were on offer to winning bids – shopping and spending time with Xiola Linden, gong to an event with Simon or Rider Linden or getting one-to-one LSL tutoring from them; time with some of SL’s top creators and special gifts from them, and more.

In all, the event raised a stunning L$1,667,762 (approx. US $6671) through bids and donations by the time the final hammer fell.

The highlight of the weekend was the live auction, where many of those offering their services / time / selves were up on the stage and able to talk about what they’ve been offering, help encourage the bidding and even adding to their lot.

Kess Crystal was kind enough to pass me details of the bid amounts, which were topped-out by an incredible L$150,000 offered for 2 hours with Queen Pea Kiana Writer and input on a MadPea upcoming game!

Celebrity
Amount Raised
Celebrity
Amount Raised
Kiana Writer 150,000 Callie Cline 87,000
Alexa Linden 50,001 Bryn Oh 45,000
Kess Crystal 41,000 Xiola Linden 41,000
Arduenn Swartzmann 40,3000 Isla Gealach 35,000
Draxtor Despres 31,500 Tab Tatham & EvanKeel Resident 30,000
Jessica Lyon 30,000 The Arcade Team 30,000
Inara Pey 30,000 Simon Linden 28,000
Levio Serenity 27,000 Saffia Widdershins 26,666
MadPea Resident 26,000 Ren Enberg & Quai Franklin 25,000
Roman Goode 19,000 Jo Yardley 18,000
Kush Zepp 16,000 Bcreative Wilde 15,000
Chloe Seljan 15,000 Eku Zong 15,000
Sina Souza 15,000 Canary Beck 15,000
Aeonix Aeon 14,000 Josie Anderton 14,000
Dusty Wasp 13,500 Brique Topaz 12,000
Sabbian Paine 11,000 Poulet Koenkamp 11,000
Cacilia McMasters & Ava Jhamin 11,000 Mericat Ireland 10,700
The constructions set and the stage beyond, just before the MadPea auction opened on Friday, September 25th
The construction set and the stage beyond, just before the MadPea auction opened on Friday, September 25th
Celebrity
Amount Raised
Celebrity
Amount Raised
Johannes1977 Resident 10,000 Kara Trapdoor 10,000
Lisa Brune 10,000 Rider Linden 10,000
Dita Lamour 9,000 Harpet Beresford 9,000
Caitlin Tobias 8,000 Tracy Redangel 7,750
Sufferingfrom Lockjaw 7,000 Toxic Darkmatter 7,000
Imre Bellic 5150 Anderian Sugarplum 5,000
Angela McKeenan 5,000 Ayla Barzane 5,000
Esme Capelo 5,000 Gabrielle Riel 5,000
Harter Fall 5,000 Panda 5,000
PinkRyne 5,000 RacerX Gullwing 5,000
Yelena Istmal 5,000 Jake Vordun 4,050
Jenica Penucca 4,000 TerryLynn Melody 4,000
Seductive Dreamscape 4,000 Irrie Ember 3,000
Trinity Yazimoto 3,000 Twostep Spiritweaver 3,000
Leetx Resident 2,000 Winteru Resident 2,000
Synitry Resident 1,500 Maggie Mae Bhaktiguru 1,369
Chris Blackheart 1,200

In addition, there were some lots of goodies, which collectively raised L$25,400, with donation boards also available throughout the weekend.

Commenting on the event, Kess Crystal from the MadPea team said, ” I cannot help but feel immense happiness and pride at this outcome. I’m so proud of everyone was has been involved, and in the Second Life community, all of whom have proved yet again that when we come together with a common goal, we can achieve such great things.

“When I actually sit back and let it sink in that generations of children will have an education because of what we achieved at the weekend, I am humbled beyond words.”

Bique Topaz (r) - Brique
Brique Topaz (r) – Brique Zeiner in the physical world – of LLK / Feed  A Smile, with young students at the opening of the first phase of the LLK Nakuru school in January 2015. The MadPea auction will now help further the work in building and equipping the school

I was only able to spend brief periods at the event on Saturday and Sunday, but the atmosphere while there was tremendous, and it was great making new friends (/me waves to Levio 🙂 ). Special thanks to everyone who took part as auction lots or bidders, etc.  Very special thanks to Jo Yardley for her incredibly generous bid for my time  – I’m looking forward to the film project!

Most of all: congratulations to the MadPea team, to Brique, LLK and the children of Nakuru school – current and future!

Help build a school in Kenya via the MadPea auction in Second Life

Help build a school in Kenya "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela
Help build a school in Kenya through the MadPea charity auction: “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela

The 2015 MadPea Celebrity Auction kicks-off at 08:00 SLT on Friday, September 25th, and runs through until around 20:00 SLT on Sunday, September 27th.

Over 60 people have signed up for the auction, including Alexa Linden, Simon Linden and Xiola Linden. Everyone putting themselves forward is offering something special for anyone winning the bid on them, be it time spent with them or a special award or activity or other unique opportunity.

The aim of the event is to raise money to help further the work of Live and Learn Kenya (LLK) in building a school in Nakuru, Kenya, where young children will be able to receive an education.

Organised by Brique Zeiner, LLK is perhaps more familiarly known in Second Life by its Feed A Smile programme, which is also run in-world by Brique under her SL name of Brique Topaz.

A purpose-built entertainments area has been built for the MadPea event, with auction boards placed around the dance floor and stage
A purpose-built entertainments area has been built for the MadPea event, with auction boards placed around the dance floor and stage

Feed A Smile provides nutritious warm lunches for over 400 children every day, paid for entirely from donations. Over one-third of this money comes directly through donations made to Feed a Smile from within second Life.

LLK’s broader programme includes finding sponsors to finance the education of children in Kenya, helping to provide them with everything they need: uniforms, shoes, text books, school supplies, etc. The organisation also provide medical and dental care for children, including check-ups and vaccinations. 100% of the donations received by LLK are transferred directly to Kenya to care for children, provide education, medicine, food, shelter and foster care. Nothing is lost to salaries, fees or administrative costs at LLK.

The events area includes a replica of the Nakuru school under construction, which will gradually complete itself over the course of the weekend as donations are received
The events area includes a replica of the Nakuru school under construction, which will gradually complete itself over the course of the weekend as donations are received

The school construction project is one of the most ambitious programmes LLK has undertaken. Each room at the school costs some US $19,000 to build and equip. However, the first elements opened in January 2015, and work is continuing – and will go further with the help of Second Life residents. With some L$ 1.1 million raised for LLK in the 2014 MadPea Charity Auction, the hope is that this year will raise even more.

The live auction will take place between 08:00 and 16:00 SLT on Sunday, September 27th, but the auction boards will be open to bidders from 08:00 on Friday, September 25th, and will remain so throughout all the entertainment leading up to the live auction activities.

At the time of writing, the entertainment schedule stood as follows. All times are SLT, and as always, there might be last-minute changes and updates – so keep abreast of the latest via the MadPea blog:

Time
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
08:00
DJ Kess & auction boards open DJ Panda DJ Crusier  – LIVE auctions start
10:00
Max Sabretooth live DJ Deepert SL Radio Live LIVE auctions
11:00
Leannan Wolfgang live DJ Deepert SL Radio Live  LIVE auctions
12:00
DJ Esme SL Live Radio Max Kleene live  LIVE auctions
13:00
DJ Esme SL Live Radio Paradise Lost movie screening LIVE auctions
14:00
DJ Kess Josie Anderton live LIVE auctions
15:00
Sandia live Max Kleene live LIVE auctions
16:00
DJ Ned SL Live Radio DJ Arc DJ Mex Thorn SL Radio Live
18:00
Angela McKeenan live DJ Panda Anek Fuchs live
19:00
Zara Fiasco live Miah Shamen live Twostep live

The Second Life residents offering themselves, their time, etc for auction include:

Dusty Wasp, Trinity Yazimoto, Josie Anderton, Anderian Sugarplum, TeenaMarie Bressig, Sina Souza, Aeonix Aeon,  Maggie Mae Bhaktiguru, Toxic Darkmatter,  Twostep Spiritweaver,  Johannes1977 Resident,  PinkRayne,  Mericat Ireland, Aayla Barzane, Tab Tatham & EvanKeel Resident; Roman Godde, Brique Topaz, Inara Pey, Isla Gealach, Canary Beck,  Esme Capelo, Saffia Widdershins, Draxtor Despres,  Jessica Lyon,  Kiana Writer,  Kess Crystal, Arduenn Schwartzman, Callie Cline, Caitlin Tobias, Freestar Tammas, Garnet Psaltery, Synitry, Leetx, Imre Bellic, Tzaryna Gracemount, Levio Serenity, Leannan Wolfgang, Dita Lamour, Tracy Redangel, Harper Beresford,  Cacilia McMasters & Ava Jhamin, Winteru9, RacerX Gullwing, Kara Trapdoor.

Continue reading “Help build a school in Kenya via the MadPea auction in Second Life”

Lab Advises: update your Second Life payment info

secondlifeOn Wednesday, September 16th, 2015, Linden Lab issued a blog post advising people  who use a credit (or debit) card to make payments directly to Linden Lab, to update their Second Life payment information.

This is due to the company transitioning to a new payment system. The advice is particularly pertinent for any users who have not recently added or updated their payment method as the post notes:

Second Life is transitioning to a new payments processor for credit cards. If you use a credit card for Second Life payments and have not added or updated your billing information since July 7, 2015, we strongly encourage you to re-enter your information to avoid any potential disruption of services. If you use PayPal or Skrill for Second Life payments, no action is needed.

Updating your payment information is relatively simple:

  1. Login to your Second Life account at SecondLife.com.
  2. Click Account and then Billing Information.
  3. Under How You’re Paying, select the payment method of your choice.
  4. If you wish to re-use the same credit card already filed directly with the Lab, you will need to Remove it first, and then re-add the details.
  5. Make sure you also indicate to payments which are to be charged to the card by clicking on the Change option and checking the required check boxes.
To update / re-use card information filed with the Lab, you will need to Remove the existing card details first, add (or re-add, if using the same card) details of your card, and then make sure you select the payment options for which the card is to me used by clicking the Change link and checking the option(s) you wish to use
To re-use existing card information filed with the Lab, you will need to Remove the card details first, and then re-add them. When adding card payment information, make sure you also define the payments which are to be charged to the card through the Change option.

When you have updated your payment information, you should see a banner notice at the top of the Billing Information page telling you this is the case.

As noted in the Lab’s blog post, you may notice a small authorisation charge made against the card you register. This is a common means of authenticating billing information, and the charge will be reversed / cancelled by you bank of credit card issuer, so the money is refunded to you.

It is not clear exactly when the transition to the new payment system will take place / be completed (or indeed, if it has already been completed). However, if you do have a credit / debit card registered with the Lab which you have not recently updated, it would be best to do so sooner rather than later to avoid any possible hiccups with payments.

Related Links

Halloween photo call to help promote Second Life

secondlifeLinden Lab has launched a photo call in the run-up to the Halloween season in October, and it is one with a slight twist. rather than offering cash prizes, selected entries could be used to help promote Second Life Halloween activities, etc. to residents via e-mails and banner ad campaigns, and perhaps even social media.

The photo call announcement reads in part:

Do you like to dress your avatar up in costumes – travel the haunted spots all over Second Life, and generally run amok during this time of year? Why not show off your fun with images?

Share your pic on our Official Flickr Page with the tag “SLHalloween2015” so that we can see all of your amazing works. You may submit as many as you like between now and September 28th, 2015.

We’ll showcase the chosen image(s) in an email to Residents, as well as in some banner campaigns. We’ll let the chosen image creators know via Flickr and ask for an avatar name for the credits.

An example of the use to which images submitted in the 2015 Halloween photo call might be put (image courtesy of Linden Lab)
An example of the use to which images submitted in the 2015 Halloween photo call might be put (image courtesy of Linden Lab)

There are obviously some basic requirements for entries to be considered – they should be appropriate for audiences of all age ranges; they should be taken in-world and free from additional text and logos, for example. The Lab also suggests taking a picture that tells a story might help make an impression.

This isn’t a contest per se, and shouldn’t be taken as such. It is, however, an opportunity for users to get into the Halloween spirit and perhaps have their avatars immortalised n a Second Life campaign.  Those wishing to take part should, as the announcement notes, simply submit their images with the SLHalloween2015 tag to the official Second Life Flickr group.

So – happy snapping!

Lab adds “Latest Photos” to the SL blog

Latest Photos Inworld - the new addition to the blog contents page of the Second life website
Latest Photos in Inworld – the new addition to the blog contents page of the Second life website

Ciaran caught this ahead of me, but there is a new addition to the Second Life Community website Blogs tab. Entitled Latest Photos in Inworld, it displays – as the name suggests – thumbnails of the photographs selected by Xiola Linden from the Second Life Flickr pool to appear as the Inworld blog Second Life Pic of the Day.

The pictures can be seen in a number of ways.You can, to start with, either click on an individual image or on the View All link in the lower right corner of the banner. Both of these options will open a pop-up window which displays either the selected image or (View ALL) the most recent image posted as the Pic of the Day. You can then use the thumbnails under the main image to display other photos in the window, or use the arrow buttons on either side of the thumbnails to step chronologically backwards (right) or forwards (left) through all of the selected images contained in the blog.

Clickin on a photo (or the View ALl link) in the banner display of images will open a pop-up featuring the photo / the first photo in the series. You can then use the lower section of the window to step forward and backwards through the available images, or use the Inworld link, top left, to display the images as they are listed on the Inworld blog page

In addition, with the pop-up is displayed, you can click on the Inworld link in the top left corner to go directly to the InWorld blog, where you can scroll through off the selected pictures, or you can click on the “Second Life Pic of the Day” link to display the selected image in its original blog post.

Also, in the lower right corner  of the pop-up window are three buttons: a thumbs-up, allowing users to register their liking of a picture, together with a moderation button and a download button. Obviously, you have to be logged-in to the Community website to use the buttons, but the thumbs-up is a nice way of showing appreciation for the images shown.

Right now, the capability is only available on the Blogs tab, but while chatting with to Xiola about it, I learned that the capability to display images in this way might be extended elsewhere within the Community website. “We’re hoping to turn it on in forums as well,” she said. “But we have some technical points to address, so I am looking into work-arounds for them.”

Quite how this will work will be interesting. I imagine that trying to order and stream images so that they make some semblance of sense when displayed in forum headers or the main Forums tab of the community website (if that is where they’ll appear) isn’t that easy. But if it could be done, it might be a visual means to help draw people to forums threads on things like in-world destinations, fashion, etc. In the meantime, why not check the SL Blogs tab and have a look for yourself?

Lab ends VAT charges on Premium subscriptions

secondlifeIn a further more to sweeten Premium memberships, Linden Lab has announced that with immediate effect, those Premium members who have traditionally have had to pay VAT on their membership subscriptions will no longer have to do so.

The announcement is coupled with a reduction in the Monthly billing plan for Premium from US $9.95 a month to US $9.50, and reads in full:

Being Premium comes with many perks, including a weekly L$ stipend, more privacy with a Linden Home, exclusive gifts and experiences, and now, live chat with the Concierge Support team at Linden Lab.

If you missed your chance to take advantage of our recent 50% off monthly Premium Membership offer – there’s no reason to worry! Now, we’re reducing the standard cost of a monthly Premium subscription to just $9.50 a month. Enjoy all the benefits of Premium Membership for less!

We will also no longer charge VAT for Premium subscriptions. If you live in a region where VAT applies, this means an effective savings in some countries of more than 20% below what you would have previously paid!

VAT payment were introduced by the Lab in 2007. At the time, there was a widespread  – and mistaken – belief that the Lab were having to pay VAT as a result of holding offices and European (notably Brighton, UK). Further misconceptions were voiced (and sometimes still are) about the Lab charging VAT “unnecessarily” on the grounds that they no longer have offices within Europe.

However, as Forbes noted in 2014 when changes were being made to the basic requirements, the EU has, since 2003, always levied VAT against the delivery of electronic services (which Second Life is) from non-EU countries, including the USA. The difference was that prior to 2007, the Lab opted to absorb the VAT charges rather than passing them on to their European customers – at last until things reached a point where it was no longer economically viable for them to do so.

With immediate effect, those Premium members previously liable for VAT on their subscriptions will not longer have the charge passed on to them by the Lab. In addition, the monthly billing plan for Premium is reduced to US $9.50 a month
With immediate effect, those Premium members previously liable for VAT on their subscriptions will not longer have the charge passed on to them by the Lab. In addition, the monthly billing plan for Premium is reduced to US $9.50 a month

With the announcement, it would appear that  – in part – the Lab is once again willing to absorb VAT charges, and in doing so, offer a very credible benefit for EU members who may have been put off upgrading to Premium as a result of the VAT surcharge.

Speaking as an EU resident, I’m more than happy to see my annual subscription reduced from US $84.00 to the standard US $72.00. Together with the perks and bonuses recently introduced – such as the move of Premium live chat support to the Concierge team, this is precisely the kind of creative thinking by the Lab which could go some way to making Premium membership more popular among some sections of the existing user base.