Resident Support Guide
Searchable reference for SL Mentors — FAQs, landmarks, scripts, and tips for helping new residents.
No results found. Try a different search term.
Premium Plus has a checkbox during signup — if ticked, you pay more ($20.75/mo annual or $29.99/mo monthly) but receive the L$650/week stipend and L$3,000 signup bonus. If unticked, you pay less but get no stipend or bonus. Annual billing saves significantly across all paid tiers.
Two different questions, so let's take them in turn.
💰 Buying L$
The easiest way to get L$ is to buy them. Use Me → Buy L$ in the viewer, or the LindeX on secondlife.com. The exchange rate floats with supply and demand but sits around 250 L$ per US$1. LindeX is the only official exchange — buying L$ from third-party sites violates the Terms of Service and can get the account banned.
📅 Free L$ if you have a paid membership
Paid memberships include a weekly stipend paid automatically. See the Membership tiers FAQ for full amounts — in short, Plus gets L$150/wk, Premium gets L$300/wk + L$1,000 signup bonus, and Premium Plus (at the higher price point) gets L$650/wk + L$3,000 signup bonus.
💼 Making money in SL — the honest version
This is where mentors often need to gently reset expectations. There's a widespread myth — particularly among newcomers arriving from social media ads — that Second Life is a place to make easy money. It isn't. SL does have a working economy, but the reality of earning in it is more sober than the advertising suggests.
Activities that pay very little: fishing, gem collecting, "greedy" games, camping chairs, money trees, low-end tip-jar hosting, and entry-level modelling. These exist, and some residents enjoy them as hobbies — but as an income strategy, they pay pennies per hour and are not a realistic path for someone who came here hoping to earn.
Where the real SL economy is: residents earning meaningful income are almost always creators — people making something other residents want to buy.
Where to sell: the Marketplace (widest reach, Linden Lab takes 10%), or an in-world store on rented land (keep 100% but customers must find you). Most successful creators do both.
Honest caveats to share:
Other earning options (supplementary, not a livelihood): paid event staff roles (host, DJ, security) pay around L$200–L$500 per event at most venues; Skill Gaming requires 19+ and approved regions; land rental businesses require capital to buy the land first.
The "SL = easy money" myth is strongest among newcomers arriving from social media ads. Be gentle but honest — it's kinder to reset expectations early than let them spend weeks on fishing hoping it'll add up. If they're drawn to creation, point them at the Marketplace to see what sells and at free Blender tutorials as a starting point.
Never accept or solicit L$ from residents as a mentor. If a resident reports a failed purchase, direct them to Help → Support Portal → Billing.
Short answer: no — not directly. LindeX purchase limits exist to prevent fraud and money laundering, and they rise automatically over time as the account ages and builds a purchase history. There is no self-serve way to raise them.
📊 Checking the current limit
Residents can see their own limits and remaining balance on the LindeX economic limits dashboard:
💰 Rough sense of scale
US$500 / 30 days.US$2,000 / 30 days.US$1,000/day and US$3,000/month or higher.These figures are indicative — LL doesn't publish the exact formula, and limits scale with account age and purchase history together.
📝 If a resident needs more
Don't dismiss the resident's concern out of hand — land purchases and large one-off buys genuinely can push against the limit. But for most newcomers, hitting the cap in week one is a sign to slow down, not to raise it. A useful gentle framing: "a little patience gives someone more time to window-shop and learn what they actually want." Flag the second-account option if they have a concrete need now.
LL reference: Linden Purchase Limits forum thread (older post, but still reflects current policy).
The WORN tab in Inventory is the fastest way to identify what's missing — open their inventory, click WORN, and look for the folder path next to their body parts and clothing.
This is a bake fail — your avatar textures haven't loaded properly.
Ctrl+Alt+R)The quickest fix is the Avatar Welcome Pack — direct them there first, then follow up with the steps above if needed.
Usually caused by inventory not fully loading or high sim lag.
If a HUD seems lost, try Avatar → Avatar Health → Reset Skeleton & Animations and relog.
You can put together a solid, modern-looking avatar without spending a single L$. Here's how:
42 groups; Premium up to 70.Items are rarely truly lost. Work through these steps:
Land ownership in SL is tied to your membership tier. Here's what each tier includes — or point residents straight to secondlife.com/land for the full overview.
The main options for having your own space:
A note on security orbs: Most security orbs use range, not parcel boundaries, so a neighbour's orb can affect your parcel or even nearby Linden waters and roads. If a neighbour's orb is reaching into your land or onto a public route, file an abuse report — Linden Lab will act. Note: Linden Homes have built-in security with parcel-only enforcement, so this issue is mainland-only.
Teleport failures are common under high server load.
ASL (age, sex, location) requests and requests for social media or phone numbers are increasingly common, especially from younger residents for whom this is a normal part of online life. Handle it without irritation — their online culture is different to ours.
Gently discourage sharing real life information with strangers online — but if they want to do it, you cannot stop them. Your role is to model good practice, not to police behaviour. If it becomes persistent or uncomfortable, use the CLARA method or disengage politely.
This is increasingly common and can be demoralising — especially if you spend hours helping people every day. Try not to take it personally: for many newcomers, particularly those arriving via social media, distinguishing real people from AI online is a genuine challenge in their daily lives.
Newer internet users, especially those who arrived via YouTube Shorts or Instagram, are used to encountering bots and AI on every platform. Polished, helpful typing in full sentences can pattern-match to their experience of AI. It's not usually an insult — it's uncertainty.
If you spend a lot of time mentoring and hear this repeatedly, it does wear you down — that's a valid response. You're not obligated to keep engaging with someone who is being rude or dismissive. It's fine to disengage and move on.
Ctrl+Shift+S.As a mentor, do not intervene directly with griefers — report only.
If someone is pushing you — use MoveLock — it anchors your avatar to a spot, preventing others from pushing you around.
Ctrl+Alt+P (PC) or Command+Option+P (Mac). Note: doesn't auto-release on sit/teleport — disable it manually before sitting or TPing to avoid snap-back.An Abuse Report (AR) is the official way to report a resident or object to Linden Lab for violating the Community Standards or Terms of Service. Only Linden Lab can take action — mentors cannot.
Ctrl+Shift+S (PC) or Command+Shift+S (Mac) to capture the screen.You can or could remind residents that ARs are not instant — Linden Lab investigates in their own time. Blocking the offender is the fastest way to protect themselves right now. Also note: filing a false or malicious AR is itself a Terms of Service violation.
Skill Gaming is different. Games whose outcome is determined by skill — not chance — are permitted under SL's Skill Gaming Policy, but with strict requirements:
There are two different situations here — a resident whose avatar is invisible to others, and the shortcut that intentionally hides all avatars.
Avatar invisible to others (unintentional):
Ctrl+Alt+R on PC, Cmd+Option+R on Mac).All avatars hidden (intentional toggle):
There is a shortcut that hides all avatars in the scene — including your own. This is useful at crowded events to let vendors and objects rez more quickly, but it can confuse residents who trigger it accidentally.
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 4 Mac: Shift + Option + Command + 4 — press the same combination again to bring all avatars back.If a resident says everyone has disappeared including themselves, this shortcut is almost certainly the cause. It's a toggle — one press hides everyone, the same shortcut brings them all back. Remind them it hides all avatars, not just theirs, and is commonly used at busy events to improve performance.
This is one of the most commonly asked questions from new residents. Handle it professionally and without judgement — adult content is a legal and fully supported part of Second Life.
Before pointing or taking a resident to the Adult Hub, you must ask them directly if they are 18 or over and wait for an explicit confirmation. Do not proceed until they have confirmed this in chat.
Remember: behind every avatar is a real person. Approach adult conversations with the same care and respect you would expect in return.
Never assume age. The confirmation must come from the resident in chat — this protects both them and you. If they decline to answer or seem evasive, politely end the conversation on this topic.
Yes — adult content including sexual interactions is a legal and fully supported part of Second Life, but it comes with clear rules:
Always confirm the resident is 18 or over before directing them to adult areas. See the Age Verification script for the exact steps.
If a resident is new to adult interactions, remind them that consent is essential — ask before initiating anything, and either person can withdraw at any time without pressure. Behind every avatar is a real person with real feelings.
Lots of newcomers arrive from YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram ads and assume SL is a game. Don't contradict them with “It's NOT a game!” — that's a jarring first exchange. Offer a softer framing they can grow into.
Match the framing to who's asking. A gamer wants a game comparison. Someone browsing social media wants a social framing. Someone curious about creativity wants the builder framing. Pick whichever lands best.
For game-seekers, some concrete destinations:
Open with their name, in the first line. “Hi Emma, welcome!” lands differently from a generic “hi” in a room with ten other people — they know they're being spoken to, and it anchors their identity here from the first line.
A lot of the “silence” at landing points isn't mentors being quiet — it's newcomers not realising which of the ten people on screen is addressing them. Leading with the name removes that ambiguity instantly.
Be present and friendly, but don't pounce. Asking “what do you need help with?” the moment someone arrives is the shop-assistant-at-the-door problem — most newcomers don't yet know what they need. A warm greeting is enough to start; requests for help follow naturally once they've had a minute to look around.
Slow down. Ask one question at a time. Mirror their pace — if they're typing slowly, don't flood them with walls of text. Identify one goal and focus on it entirely.
If they can't articulate a goal, offer concrete options: explore somewhere new, customise their avatar, find people to meet.
It's always better to say you don't know than to give incorrect information. Misinformation causes real frustration — residents trust mentors. Point them to the right resources and follow up if you find an answer.
If you need backup, always call for support in a discreet and calm way. Do not put resident names in group chat or Discord — we do not name and shame.
Describe the situation briefly — what happened, where, and what you need. Do not paste chat logs. Sharing chat logs can itself breach the Community Standards. Moderators and Moles are experienced enough to assess a situation from a short description and their own observation.
If a situation is upsetting or stressing you, there is no reason to stay. Fly up, TP home, or log off. Problems are temporary. You are a volunteer — you are not obligated to endure difficult situations.
As a Mentor and member of Second Friends for Life, you can send new residents a group invite directly. There is also a physical group joiner near the landing point for desktop viewers. Always ask before sending the invite — don't assume everyone wants to join.
Click Copy to copy the link, then paste it directly to the resident in chat.
External resources to share with residents or use yourself. Click Copy to copy the URL for pasting into chat.
The SL Mobile app (Beta) is available free on iOS and Android. It offers a streamlined Second Life experience designed for touchscreens — but it works differently to the desktop viewer.
Key differences:
Current limitations vs desktop:
If a new resident seems confused by controls or missing features, always ask whether they're on Mobile or Desktop first — the experience is quite different. Mobile residents arrive at Campwich Woodland Cabin or the Mobile Learning Center, so they may need directions to get to you.
The Abuse Report and Block options are available on Mobile but accessed differently to the desktop viewer.
From IM or Nearby Chat:
From Friends or Nearby People:
Linden Lab has expanded the number of places where new residents can begin their SL journey. These fall into two categories: mentor-supported areas (where we operate) and third-party areas (run independently by other organisations).
Mentor-supported areas (our scope):
Third-party starting areas (not our responsibility):
These third-party areas have their own hosts and moderators — or none at all. We are not invited there in a mentor capacity, and they are not invited to ours. You're welcome to visit as a regular resident, but if a newcomer says they started somewhere unfamiliar, don't worry about it — just focus on helping them where they are now. Linden Lab is monitoring retention across all these areas to see what newcomers respond to best.
On PC, newcomers are randomly assigned to one starting area with no interface to discover the others — so wherever they land is likely the only one they'll ever visit unless you direct them elsewhere. On Mobile, the app shows all starting areas clearly on the home screen.
A five-step framework for nonviolent communication and de-escalation with difficult residents.