Hosting In Second Life

If you're looking for a way to earn money in Second Life one possibility is to become an events host at clubs. There are numerous reasons why this can be a good choice, not least because its a  great way to meet people in Second Life and of course make new friends.

Whilst hosting is not difficult it does need a few basic skills. These include being able to engage with people and keep them entertained, as well as being personable. Owners of venues may also expect you to carry out certain duties, such as sending out group messages, setting up and managing contest boards, possibly changing streams for DJs, using gestures, and adding visitors to the venue's group.

Although none of these duties are difficult to learn and most venue owners will explain them to you, below is a run through of how to do these hosting tasks.

Setting Up A Shoutcast Board

A Shoutcast board essentially tells visitors what DJ is preforming at the venue, what song was previously played, and what song is presently playing. It also provides a quick and easy way for DJs to set up their streams. Whilst the venue owner would have already set up the board a host may need to change from one DJ's stream to another as well as add a new DJ's stream.

If a venue owner wants you to do either of these functions they should add you to the board as a manager. It is always worthwhile to make sure they have done this before your first hosting shift because they often forget.

To add a DJ's stream to the board:

1/ get the url of the stream from the DJ

2/ Right click on the board and select 'Edit'

3/ Under the Contents tab double click on the radio notecard

4/ In the notecard type the DJ's name followed by '=' followed by the url of the stream.

Click 'Save' then leave edit mode.

The instructions for this can be obtained in Second Life by clicking on the board and selecting 'GetDJ name' from the menu. You will then see the following instructions in main chat. I have also typed out an example in chat for clarity.

 To change the Shoutcast board from one DJ to another:

1/ Click on the board which will bring up a menu on your screen.

2/ from the menu select 'Radio' and keep selecting 'Next' until you see the number that correlates to the DJ's stream (see below for an example). Now click on the button with that number.

Setting Up A Contest Board

There are a number of different makes of contest boards available in Second Life but they mostly work on the same principles with only one major difference. One kind of board is operated through commands in main chat, and the other kind is operated through a menu system. The example here is menu driven. If you need to operate one with chat commands the venue owner should tell you what you need to do, but this will broadly be the same as a menu driven contest board.

As with a Shoutcast board it is just as well to make sure the venue owner has given you permissions to manage the board before your first hosting event, as this is often overlooked. Also, make sure the owner has given you the contest prize money.

To operate the contest board:

1/ Click the 'Manage' button then click on 'Settings'

2/ Now click the 'Event Name' button to set the name, (for example, 'Best In Black')

3/ The 'Win Mode' button will allow you to choose from between one to three winners

4/ Once these basic settings have been added you can click on the 'Start' button to begin the contest and pay the board the prize money.

Towards the end of the event you will need to manage the contest by opening and closing voting, and announcing the winner. To do this click on the 'Manage' button again and use the menu that will appear (see below).

Now that the technical side of hosting has been dealt with, there are a few easier tasks to be aware of.

Sending Group Messages

About 15 minutes before your event begins you should send out  a group notice so members know it is about to begin. To send a message:

1/ Open your groups folder

2/ Click on the venue's group name and then on the 'Info' button (see image below).

 3/ A window will open with all the group's information.

4/ Click on the 'Notices' tab at the top of the window (see image below)

5/ A new window will appear where you can add information about your event, such as the DJ's name, times and anything else that may be relevant.

The above image shows typical information added to an event message. The red area is where the name of the event is entered. The green area is the main body of the message and shows the name of the DJ, time of the event and a few extra frills etc to make it more enticing to the recipients. If you can make these messages upbeat, so much the better.

The blue area is where you add the landmark for the event. Simply drag it from your list of landmarks.

6/ Click the 'Send' button and the notice will be sent.

A host usually sends two messages; one fifteen minutes before the event and a second half way through.

Greeting Visitors

This is a fundamental task of a host - there is nothing worse than going to a venue to find the host does not even do this. Try to position your camera so you can see everyone in the club as well as the entrance. Using a radar system can help too. It can also be a good idea to wait until a new arrival has rezzed before greeting them so they are aware that you have done so.

Adding Visitors To The Venue's Group  

Every now and then throughout an event a host should invite visitors to join the venue's group. To add someone to the group:

1/ Right click on their avatar

2/ In the menu that appears click on 'More' until you see the option 'Invite'

3/ From the new menu that appears select the group from the list and click 'OK'

If you can't see the visitor's avatar:

1/ Open your list of groups

2/ to the right of the list click on the 'Invite' button (see image below).

3/ This will open the resident search window which gives you the options to search on an avatar's name, to search nearby residents, or to search through friends. The search area is highlighted in red in the image below.

Once you have chosen the relevant search method and added the relevant avatar/s by clicking on their name/s from the search list, you can click the 'Send Invitation' button (highlighted in green). Your group invite will now be sent to the appropriate club visitors.

Announcements

Depending on the club, you may be asked to make announcements relating to the venue, such as encouraging visitors to go to any stores on the sim, announcing upcoming events, and encouraging people to tip the DJ and the venue. 

One thing a host should never do is ask visitors for tips for themselves. Whilst the Host may ask venue goers to support their DJ with tips, the DJ should do the same for his/her host. It is also worth keeping in mind some clubs like to take a percentage of hosts' and DJs' tips.

This is essentially what is involved in hosting at a club or venue. Hopefully this hasn't given the impression that there is always something club owners are expecting from a host, because this certainly is not the case. What good club owners essentially want is for their hosts to have fun whilst making sure everyone else also has a good time.

Once you have taken all the above on board, the most important thing to keep in mind is to have fun. If visitors can see you are enjoying what you do, they are a lot more likely to have a good time too.

Hosting At Chilly Bear

If you now feel fired up to become a host, grab yourself a tipjar and contact Midge Larkham about working at Chilly Bear. We'd love to see you and your friends there.