This article is an excerpt from
a book to be published this Spring
by Pollywog Press.
| Title:
| The Merchant's Guide to Shop OnRez: Selling virtual goods online
|
|
| Author:
|
Pollywog Gardenvale
|
|
Publisher:
|
Pollywog Press
Available Spring 2008
|
|
|
Last revised 12/14/2007
This lesson was written for people who already have a Shop OnRez store set up in Second Life, but would like to have more than one store. It is understood that you have a kiosk and a store inventory that you can spin off as a separate storefront.
Second Life allows you to have up to five alternate avatars associated with your account, and these can be used to create additional Shop OnRez stores. You might think of them as your store managers—each will manage the dropbox for a different store.
For example, I need three different stores: one for a garden shop, another for a hat shop, and one for magazines. I don’t want people who visit my store to have to sort through lath houses and hats just to find something worthwhile to read.
Each alternate avatar is associated with a unique e-mail address and assigned a first and last name. Because the name of the store owner appears under each item listed in your Shop OnRez store, you should plan ahead so the names make sense. It takes a lot of work to change it later, so it’s better to get this right the first time. If you don’t have enough e-mail addresses available, you can use gmail or hotmail to create a new one for each alternate.
I decided to name each of my alts after the store they will manage. Then I gave them the same last name so they will all be one happy family. (And also so there will be less for me to remember.)
Note: The OnRez Viewer is recommended but not required to follow the steps in this lesson. Click the link to download the viewer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The first step is to create your alternate avatar, or fleet of avatars, as the case may be. (To save an extra step later, it is recommended that you use the Second Life site, rather than a third-party portal.)
Go to the Second Life website and follow the on-screen instructions to create a new avatar and register the account. The password will be sent to the new avatar’s e-mail address.
- Make the the avatar’s First Name the same as the store name,
and use the e-mail address you set up for this identity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.
|
On your desktop, open a browser window and Sign in to Shop OnRez with your primary identity.
|
|
|
2.
|
In the right navigation panel under Account Tools, click Manage Your Identities.
|
|
|
3.
|
At the bottom of the Identity Management screen, click Add New Identity.
|
|
|
4.
|
Enter the First Name and Last Name of the new avatar, and click Add Identity.
Your alternate identity is now associated with your Shop OnRez account.
Note: If your alternate cannot be added to your account, go ahead and continue to the next step.
When you come to Step 4, make sure to complete the extra step.
|
|
|
|
By now, your alternate should have received a welcome message and password by e-mail.
|
|
|
1.
|
Check your alternate’s e-mail to get the password.
|
|
|
2.
|
Log in to Second Life with your alternate identity.
|
|
|
3.
|
Now find your way back home and go to your Shop OnRez kiosk.
|
|
|
Here's the extra step we told you about! If your alternate already has a Shop OnRez account, it must be removed before the alternate can be added to your account as an additional identity. If this applies to you, do the following:
| 1. |
As the alternate, click the bottom panel of the kiosk to display the Shop OnRez website inside your viewer. |
| 2. |
In the right navigation panel under Account Tools, click Manage Your Identities. Find the name of your alternate and click Remove. When prompted to confirm, click Remove. |
To verify your alternate identity, do the following:
|
| 1.
|
At the top of the kiosk, click the Account button. Then on the menu, click Verify.
|
| 2.
|
When notified that your identity has been verified, click Awesome. When asked if you want to add your alternate to the account of your primary identity, click Yes.
|
|
|
Back on your desktop, the Shop OnRez window should still be open. (If the session timed out, you will have to sign in again with your primary identity.)
|
|
|
1.
|
On the My Home tab, in the left navigation panel under Seller Tools, click Getting Started.
|
|
2.
|
On the main page under Start Selling, read the instructions for first step, “ Put items in your dropbox.” Then, click Get a dropbox!
|
|
|
3.
|
Under “ Deliver a dropbox to your avatar(s),” find the name of your alternate and click Send me a dropbox.
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.
|
When your alternate receives the dropbox and notecard, click Keep for each.
|
| 2.
|
Read the notecard and follow the instructions to edit the dropbox properties.
|
| 3.
|
Follow the notecard instructions to prepare your inventory items and submit them to your Shop OnRez store. On the General tab, make sure to enter the name of your store in the Name box.
Note: Because your inventory is still owned by your primary identity, you will have to either transfer them to your alternate, or better yet, create a group with shared permissions.
You'll learn how to do that in the next lesson.
|
|
|
|
Back on your desktop, the Shop OnRez window should still be open. (If the session timed out, you will have to sign in again with your primary identity.)
|
|
|
1.
|
On the My Home tab in the left navigation panel under Seller Tools, click My Storefronts.The new storefront for your alternate identity is now in your list.
|
|
|
2.
|
To see your new storefront, click View.
|
