Stylecards № 1

Any new adventure begins with a sense of trepidation combined with a sense of excitement. As Issue № 1 launches Stylecards as a quarterly fashion and lifestyle magazine in Second Life, the trepidation was mostly alleviated by publishing Issue № 0 as a test of processes and skills in early February. The excitement comes from positive feedback from others who were curious about the magazine’s concept and want to collaborate on future issues, and from knowing what lies ahead for the coming year.

This first issue of Stylecards is meant to set the tone for things to come, and I’m thrilled by what we have in store. Each issue is expected to have at least three pictorials of around 8 – 12 pages, plus a travelogue and other features. Along those lines, this issue holds pictorials of Venus Diamandis visiting Mother Road, Ayodele Soyinka in Eden, and Paola de Melho in the studio, along with a travelogue for the Storybook sim, and items of decor to liven up any office.

It’s a wonderful time to be in Second Life. Celebrating the twentieth anniversary last year, Linden Labs showed it’s not resting on its laurels and announced several improvements to appeal to newbies and veterans alike. The introduction of the Senra avatars is intended to help new residents get a handle on their inventories, and creators have a new tool in Physically-Based Rendering, or PBR, to aid them in making items appear more lifelike. Personally, I think the addition of images to inventories is the best development yet, even if I lament the scarcity of images from the creators themselves. One development still in the works is the mobile client which is currently in beta testing. If it works as well as it did in the demos, it could be a real game changer.

While putting one or two issues together on one’s own isn’t too difficult, Second Life has such a varied and talented population, Stylecards aims to highlight that. To that end, we’re hiring. Specifically, we’re looking for models, photographers, and writers. To make it worthwhile, we plan on paying people for their contributions, though the details are still being worked out. Feel free to send me an IM or a notecard for more information, or stop by the Stylecards offices in Cloudville.

Last, but not least, Stylecards is looking for advertisers. While I’ve been happy to spend my money on this new adventure called Stylecards, it’s only sustainable in the long term with advertisers to ease the financial burden of production. Advertising rates are available elsewhere in the magazine, but we can also work out the details in IMs or via notecards.

I hope you enjoy Stylecards № 1 as much as I do, and look forward to future issues.