GOING PRO IN SL

How do you turn your Second Life into a real life career?  Though she's written about creating SL machinima and solar eclipse simulcasts, this blog has been rather sparse of Aimee Weber lately-- but that's partly due to the copious commercial projects the avatar fashion designer and metaverse experience crafter has been developing in recent weeks.  Most notably, she created the immersive Second Life space showcasing Warner Brothers' artist Regina Spektor, for Millions of Us, the new virtual world production company from former Linden staffer (and pal) Reuben Tapioca.  Since so many Residents must be wondering how they too can convert their SL talents into their paying gig, I asked Aimee to offer advice on turning passion into profession.   All that and an interview with LL Vice President Robin Linden on the subject, after the break.

The Next Step - Second Life Professionalism

by Aimee Weber

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Intro to Advanced Business in Second Life, my name is Aimee Weber and I will be your professor today. To attend this class, you should already have an impressive mastery of at least one prerequisite skill in SL including scripting, building, texturing, terraforming, or project management. I know many of you are quite the hotshots in one or more of these areas, but today we will address the time honored question of  "How can my skillz pay the billz?"

Going professional in Second Life may seem like the start of a dream job. You get to tinker with the bleeding edge of 3D internet technology while at home, in your pajamas, and possibly drunk. But before you quit your day job, you're going to have to make some changes in your perspective on SL and how you present yourself to the virtual world.

Now I know from talking to many of you that these changes don't sit well with the fiercely libertarian nature of the Second Life demographic. You guys don't want to DANCE for the MAN, and that's fine. But try to stick with me here and maybe we can strike up enough compromise between being a free-wheeling beatnik and a corporate tool to get the bills paid.

Get some solid work experience

When a client is considering you for a project, they're taking a great risk in terms of money, time, and even reputation. It's therefore upon you to make them feel as comfortable and safe as possible choosing you for the job. Nothing accomplishes this like a proven history of achievement with a sea of happy customers in your wake. While your status as SL-Foo Grand Master Ninja will aid you greatly, you should focus on demonstrating a few other professional traits:

Finish Your Projects - This stream-of-consciousness we call a virtual world is littered with half-finished experiments and muses. While many are technically brilliant, they will likely give the impression that you're not a "follow-through" kinda person. Go ahead and take the extra steps to finish a project, document it, package it and maybe even market it. This tells employers that you're willing and able to stick with them from start to finish on a project.

Meet Your Deadlines - You would be shocked at how much a deadline can change your perspective on work in Second Life. SL can be fun when you have all the time in the world to tinker and experiment, but now people are adjusting their schedules around your promised delivery date. You'll need to learn to prioritize and if necessary, learn to let go of low-priority features. I know some of you want things to be just perfect, but a project that arrives a month late is far from perfect. You can still take breaks to play World of Warcraft, watch Doctor Who, or look for Butterflies Gone Wild websites, but now you must budget that time!

Get experience, no matter what - You ask the Zen Master how you can get a job without experience, and how you can get experience without a job? The Zen Master says, "work for free." While Midnight City was (and still is) a non-profit project for me, it has been invaluable in proving that I'm capable of managing a large scale project. Charitable organizations like Relay for Life can also provide high profile opportunities to spotlight your work and to get gleaming recommendations. Just remember, even though you're working for free, don't act as if you are working for free. The objective here is to get a reputable organization to vouch for your talent and professionalism, so make sure that's what they see!

Market yourself

Doing all the right things won't help you if nobody knows you're doing all the right things. Increase your visibility. Prospective employers are not looking for modesty, they need to know what you've done in the past and what you can do for them in the future.

Build a Portfolio - Prospective clients are prepared to pay you money to do work for them, so don't start your relationship by making them work to learn about you. You should have a nicely organized portfolio that includes descriptions, photos, testimonials, and client contacts from your past projects. If your work has appeared in the press, be sure to include links.

Get a website - I won't say that this is essential, but it's a tremendous help in creating the perception that you are a stable entity in the industry. Having the website could also increase your Google visibility associated with Second Life and may land you the occasional contract deal right off the street. If you can't afford a website, consider entering yourself and accomplishments on the Second Life Historical Wiki.

Network - Now I know many residents are self proclaimed recluses and the idea of networking feels unnatural, insincere, or downright painful to them. The truth is, the more people you can stay in contact with on a regular basis, the more opportunities will likely come your way. This is a fact of life. If attending the occasional virtual mixer feels like torture, consider hiring somebody a bit more boisterous who can act as your agent while you continue your monastic pursuits.

Operate as a Business

Now this part I hate with a capital 8. But if I can do it, you can do it ... and by that I mean if I HAVE to do it, you damn well had better do it! Seriously though, real world organizations have a standard process by which they get things done. You will always be in a stronger position if you can integrate yourself into their process rather than being a confusing exception in their corporate flow control. That means yummy paperwork!

Proposals - Can vary widely depending on the task at hand, but most will include a statement describing your client's problem, your solution to the problem, a breakdown of cost, your needs/requirements, and some amount of self-promotion describing why you are the best person for the job.

Invoices - Don't be taken off guard when a client requests an invoice! Microsoft Word and Excel provide templates for invoices, so take the time to familiarize yourself with them.

Presentations - You may be asked to give a telephone or live presentation and that means public speaking! Once again, if you're shy, consider teaming up with somebody who can do a good job wheeling and dealing in front of a crowd.

The Second Life Developer Directory

When real world corporations approach Linden Lab about projects, they are normally directed to the Second Life Developer Directory. This directory lists Second Life residents with a proven track record of professional success in SL.

But how does one get on this list? Linden Lab's Vice President, Robin Harper had this to say:

"I think the best way to get on the list is to send in your name and skill set, and a great portfolio -- pics, happy clients, etc. It also really helps to be able to show that you are able to work on a 'professional' level. That is: you are ready to manage things like deadlines, invoicing, milestones and progress reports."

When asked to elaborate on professionalism, Robin went on to say:

"You might find that you need to do RL presentations, so public speaking skills and salesmanship are also critical. I think setting expectations is part of being professional. People need to know what they're getting into, and you need to be realistic about what you can promise In the long run that makes everyone a lot happier!"

So ... you sure you wanna do this?

Nobody knows what will become of this budding new platform or if grooming a career in Second Life is a fruitful endeavor. If the phrase "get rich quick" finds its way into your thoughts about Second Life, I recommend you run away very fast. Second Life professionals work very long, hard hours and many have been doing this for years with only moderate payoffs. I'm not trying to discourage anybody. Instead, new residents looking for instant gratification in the world of Second Life business should try to maintain more reasonable goals.

However, If you have talent, patience, passion, and just a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder, there may be some great opportunities waiting for you in Second Life. I leave you with this quote from Robin:

"Second Life is getting a lot of visibility lately, as you know. If someone is serious about building a developer business, this is a great time to get involved."

Class dismissed!

View Aimee's studio site here.

Comments

[Frans]

Great post Aimee, and so true.

*Goes back to work on the portfolio*

[Andrew]

Highly relevant post, thanks!!

--runelogix Au

[Trinity Serpentine]

Werd.
In all seriousness, I've taken a couple of pages out of your book of business, Aims. Networking is essential and so is the operation of a business. Working for free is a must as well. Kudos. <3

[Fizik Baskerville]

I’ve been asked to add to this, from the perspective of someone who employees people from Second Life.

1) Set realistic expectations – if you have specific timescale limitations and salary expectation set this out before you are commissioned.

2) SKYPE – the power of communication is key. Invest in a SKYPE account.

3) ALT – consider using an alt account, or offer to work under an alt for the project. RL identity - just about everytime, if you're asking for $$$, you will be expected to submit an invoice. This will normally mean divulging and taking that step back into the RL from your SL experience.

4) IP - The projects IP will belong to the client or the IP of the agencies client

5) Proactive – Don’t rely on forums or the user made services. Most of the people who are actively working – as Aimee said – have developed a network. We don’t use any of these services; we work from recommendations and people who take the time to contact us. If you build/use a website, it wont necessarily mean they will come and employ you. Get out there looking for work!

6) The SL developer directory – Only a few of the companies listed on the SL develop directory are RL companies. The rest are freelancers. Unless you are forming your own design company - I’m presuming for this article you’re offering your services as a professional designer, if that’s the case make sure you have a resume lodged and in the design agencies listed. List yourself honestly and accurately, don’t try and bluff you’re a RL design company or bigger than you are. If you’re a single person in a bedroom, be honest and say that, if not you will soon be found out.

7) Bricks’n’Mortar – for large-scale projects, a client will be looking for accountability, a professional track record and in some cases professional indemnity insurance. Learn to step away from projects that may be too big for you.

8) Expectations – there is a gulf between hobbyist design and professional design. A professional designer is defined by being able to work within a brief, deliver on the brief and add value to the project.

Timescales are tighter and more aggressive. Remember in your private time, you have forever to make what you want. In the professional design world you’re on a strict deadline.

9) Build your Rep – be prepared to take on work that will build your reputation.

10) Don’t quit your day job – we’ve been asked time and time again about this subject. Currently commercial activity in SL is in its infancy. Try to strike a balance between both. (for now anyway).

11) RL Design vs SL Design – A lot of SL design and the in-world dynamic does not translate and crossover into the RL design industry. Be prepared to learn something new and add value where it’s needed. Use your understanding to add value, not as a way to dictate and step aside from your own ego.

www.riversrunred.com
www.spacethinkdream.com

[Hiro Pendragon]

Good article, Aimee!

A few more tips I can toss out:

1. Eat your own cooking.
A freelance writer told me, last fall, that any business where you don't use your own product will inevitably fail. If you're not passionate about what you do, and make products that you yourself would and do use, then your heart's not in it.

2. Make them sign a contract first.
Don't get burned by letting clients talk a big game and then come up short when it's time to pay the piper. Negotiate everything first so you're not left with hard feelings later.

3. Don't isolate yourself.
You may be the best, biggest, and smartest, but if you're not helping to promote other developers and their projects, you'll find yourself quickly unable to find help when you most need it.

4. Work with the best.
Find the people you admire in SL, and try and work with them. You will learn new skills, make good network connections, and have better results.

5. My personal rule of success in SL:
Make something no one else has made, or make something better than anyone else.

[Forseti Svarog]

I enjoyed that article Aimee. I thought I would pipe in as well from a different angle: the services world can be tough -- organization and discipline can protect you:

- before you start a project, document your deliverables and due dates, and have your client officially sign off on this document before you start (ideally build it into a contract). This can prevent so much trouble down the line.

- Be as careful as you can afford when choosing initial clients. In the services business, reputation is critical (obviously). Select clients with whom you think you can have a good working relationship. Be willing to pass on a project if red flags start popping up in your head.

- You don't always have to give IP rights to the client, but if you want to keep IP rights, be prepared to change your pricing. People will not pay as much if they know you have the right to resell. Make sure everybody knows who will own what *before* you start.

- Ask your client up front if you can use images or video from the project in your portfolio. (Some will require approval for anything before it goes up publicly.)

- you should be prepared to do a mix of fixed-price projects and hourly projects to be competitive. Fixed price projects can be dangerous if you underestimate the work, so think very clearly about all the time a project will take across all the roles you might play. It may take you the first few projects to get your bidding levels and hourly estimates correct ... don't beat yourself up if you underestimated the work but rather focus on doing a great job and, as aimee said, getting it to the finish line.

- keep your standards high. Your reputation is created not only by word of mouth, but by the work people see and/or use. Even if it means a project turns unprofitable, it is in your interest to put forth the best effort possible.

- keep regular lines of communication open with your client during the project... whether you email them a status update on a regular basis, or pick a regular weekly time to have a conference call... communication is critical.

- when designing, put your client's interests first. For example, if you are a builder, the key is to focus on the needs and goals of the client, not your own artistic vision or agenda.

One could go on and on... if you do decide to take the plunge, good luck!

[Merrick Sterling]

Aimee, you asked me contribute. It would seem that after reading everyone's comments, there is very little left to say. Great advice has been provided, now if aspiring SL developers will only follow it right?

I do have a handmade sign on my wall at home and at work..it says:
"Be innovative...Everyday"

Does that help? lol

[Oz Spade]

I suggest the following advice:

- Wear pants. Even though you might not like to wear pants (honestly, who does?), companies like it when you're wearing pants. And if you decide not to wear pants because they can't possibly tell that you aren't at that moment, don't suddenly announce "IM NOT WEARING PANTS".

- In conjunction with the above... just because they can't see you, doesn't mean you can type one handed during a meeting. Well, I'm sure you CAN, just don't.

- Detach any dongs before going to a meeting. Unless its green and shiny, then they'll just love you all the more.

- Don't "orbit" your employer. Business people only like to fly in high-class jets with atleast one hot flight attendant on board. And lots of booze.

- Leave anything like "Started a blog with pictures of nude avatar's asses" out of your portfolio. Not everyone appreciates fine art.

Follow the above and you'll be on your way to success! Or something like that.

[Frans Charming]

Oz, put your pants back on!

[slplayer]

se a different NEXT gen engine like a lot of major companies are looking at. SL is small time compaired to the power of other engines and their liscenees or people using them for industry quality film production and professional architects. That engine, I won't say. It isn't this pathetic Linden that doesn't use ANY of the industry standard tools.