Creating Your Own Second Life Group

If you're interested in connecting with people in Second Life (SL) and can't find the right group, feel free to create your own group. Creating your own group means that you have to pay the fee to create the group and then be responsible for managing the group. Groups are as much work as you choose to make them. Say you set up a new clothing store in SL, and you have a few fans of your designs. By creating a group and getting customers to join it, you can send members messages when you're having a sale or when new products are available. After you pay the start-up fee, no other fee is required to run a group or send messages to its members.

Before creating your own group, you should do two things.

Join and learn. Join a few groups like the one you're thinking of creating and see what you like or dislike about them. This research will help you make a better group of your own.

Research. Do a search for any group that might be like the group you're thinking of creating. For example, creating a Cancer Survivor's group is a waste of money if one already exists.

To create a group, follow these steps:

1. Choose Edit --> Groups.

This opens your group list.

2. Click the Create button. If the Choose button is gray then you already have too many groups and you'll need to leave one before you can create a new one.

3. Enter the name of your group in the top text field. Remember that others will be using their Search to find your group so make the name descriptive.

For example, if you collect antique typewriters, you might want to call this group something like Antique Typewriter Collectors.

4. Add any texture or image in your inventory to the Group Insignia box, just like when adding a profile picture.

5. In the Group Charter Box, enter the charter of the group you're creating.

A charter tells the world what your group is about.

If you have a Web site related to the group, you should put a link to it here by pasting in the page's URL address.

6. In the Group Preferences area, enter what settings you would like the group to have.

For example, you might want the list of members shown in the groups list and on the Web so people can find it when they search for keywords such as typewriter. If you want to charge people to join the group, you set the Enrollment Fee here. If you want your group to be free, just leave it at $0.000.

Consider charging for group membership to make your membership more exclusive. If you're running a private club, for example, you might want to charge people for joining. If someone has to pay for membership, they're more likely not to join in passing but to really want to be active in the group.

7. Click the Apply button.

You see a message giving you the cost for creating a group.

8. Click Yes to accept the cost of creating a group.

You new group is created, and you can begin finding other members.

You group needs to have three or more members, or it will be closed by SL after 24 hours, and your money is not refunded. This stops people from creating joke groups that clog the search. Be sure you have a few friends who will join your group right away so it won't be deleted due to lack of membership.