Will Ross here. Welcome to The Traveling Avatar’s Quick and Dirty tips for a Better Second Life. On this show we discuss tips and tricks for the game Second Life, created by Linden Labs. Today’s episode is “Do Spend It All In One Place.” Avatar fan’s favorite places to spend money.

Every few shows I try to spend my time talking about where to go in Second Life instead of tips on how to behave when you get there. A few shows back I asked for some places that you folks liked to visit, and I was surprised at how much you guys like to shop! So, in honor of that, our first episode will be all about shopping!

A good friend of mine, Alyssa Kanahoe, suggests that I check out Minx Shoe Designs (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shepherd/23/65/108).  Now, I can in no way give my personal endorsement on this store as I searched high and low and didn’t find a single samurai sword, race car, or video that would have violated the Comstock law. The whole place is filled top to bottom with women’s shoes. Now, I really don’t know who would have any interest in a store full of pumps, boots, heels, and something called a “slingback” but I suppose... huh…it feels like we just lost 51% of our audience…weird.  Anyway, if shopping for shoes is your thing, run a search for “Minx Shoe Designs” or just hit the web site for the SLURL.

Annabelle Marquette, our builder for the upcoming Traveling Avatar Freebie store, and the coolest little Neko in Second Life suggests Mischief (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Illusion/109/118/39) as a good place to shop for both men's and women’s clothing. It’s definitely low lag and has a huge selection of women’s clothing, shoes, and even a few skins.  It also rezed faster than any of the locations visited for this episode—another bonus. The island also includes Rising Phoenix Designs, which I’ve got at least one t-shirt from already, and Wig Out a massive prim hair store. Search for “Mischief” or jump on the website for the URL.

Long time listener Gator Brown suggested that I check out Free Dove (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gallii/116/49/33) if I was looking for freebies.  Looking around I can definitely say it’s one of the more organized freebie stores, and it contains quite a lot of good information for new players along with the loot. It was also the first time I visited a freebie store without seeing anyone wandering around in their registration-day suit. So that's good too. Search for “Free Dove” or check out the link on the web site.

Finally, listener Dirk Spear wrote in to suggest that the shopping on MIA Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/MIA/159/83/30) as a good place to get rid of a bad linden infestation. MIA stands for Men in Action, the flagship store of the island, which had a nice selection of men’s clothing. The architecture on the boardwalk shopping area is really cool and a welcome change to the flea market vendor style of most malls in Second Life, and the store that stuck with me most was High Time, a store full of working watches and clocks that I’d probably buy in real life if I could afford them. Search for “MIA Island” or go to the web site to get the URL.

That’s it for this episode! Stop by the website at QuickAndDirtyTips.com to check out my Twitter Page, if you want to leave a comment. Send your feedback or question to secondlife@quickanddirtytips.com, and the comment line is 206-888-6975, that’s 206-888-mysl. The Traveling Avatar’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Better Second Life is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network, so be sure to check out other great shows like Legal Lad, Mr. Manners, and Grammar Girl, at QuickAndDirtyTips.com. 

So until next time, remember, freebie stores are the methadone that helps treat an acute shopping addiction.