Post number 201 - Looking back

This blog was born on the 1st of June 2007, 4 months and 26 days ago, and this is post number 201... a good time to look at all what I've done in SecondLife since.

I started with the goal of making money easily, using camping and banks. Simple plan, just a matter of how long I could camp and how much I could get out of the bank. I quickly learnt how find good camping spots, and how to re-configure the Second Life client to avoid being disconnected after 30 minutes of idle time.

While camping, I met people who are now good friends and who teach me a lot. I particularly think of Josephina Bonetto, who is now running Club Josephina. Jo also suggested to create a group to share ideas and good camping spots with other campers. I made it, and we are now 82 members in "Free Money from JohnLight Raymaker". Campsite sharing continues to go on, I regularly post good adresses to the group, and some other active members do it as well. It even happend that I used the group to find new campsites for myself ! I also decided that when I will get the 1'000'000L$, I will give it to one of the members of the group.

Jo also suggested to create an alt, a second avatar so as to be able to camp more, using my spare computer. I knew later than some SL players are running up to 8 avatars simultaneously ! When I met Jo, she was envisaging to buy a small piece of land to be able to change clothing in a quiet place... Not only she made it, but she is now running a night club and renting appartments !

As my wealth was increasing, I lost nearly all of it (10'000L$ by that time) when Ginko bank collapsed. This has been hard period, and I one lesson I learnt was to keep a separate reserve in a safe place. Since then I keep 10% of my total earnings apart. At this point an other important people comes in the story: Stroh Bing. He was kind enough to put me back on track, with a gift to compensate for what I lost in Ginko collapse !

Another problem hit the camping community at the same period: LindenLab made gambling illegal in Second Life. As gambling was a main source of income for camping operators, the number of campsites was strongly reduced, as well as the payrates and maximal earnings.

Another important people in my story is Arbitrage Wise, CEO of JT Financials, and SL Capital exchange. Apart from giving me very interesting inside views of a SL bank, he gave me 5'000L$ to invest on SL Capital Exchange ! Until now my results as a day trader are not exactly good, these 5'000L$ are now worth... 3'800 L$. Ooops. I'm still looking for better investment strategy.

More recently, I organized two contests to animate the little commuinity that is forming arount me and this blog. This was a good opportunity to reward friends I met through the group. They are way too numerous now to be all mentionned here, and I don't want to make any jealous... I won't cite bad people either, I'm in a positive mood right now.

To close this mini restrospective, I can say that what started as a purely economical quest turned into a passionating human adventure. It had up and downs, I met all kind of people, we exchanged views and ideas. I want to warmly thank all of you, who made SecondLife part of my Real Life...

And now, turn towards future, and see how to get this million Linden Dollars !

PS: Genie, you're the sweetest person I met in SL, I could not finish this post without talking of you.

GUEST POST from Stroh Bing - New type of campsite directory

Here is a post from Stroh Bing (thanks again) about a place located in Ratmaw (183, 33, 451)...
This should help you (and me...) to find good campsites easily.

"Hey Campers!!

Stroh Bing here with a new way for us to make sure
no campsite sits empty....

The Freemoney Group has it's very own camp bench..

Not just any campbench, we got the biggest one
in SecondLife.. AND It has links to camping benches
all over SL.

If you need a place to camp, drop by and check out
the globes on the wall..

If you find a new place with camping sites sitting
empty, you can make a land mark and drop it on
any globe that is labeled "drop camping landmark
here"

Coming soon are free avatars to get rid of noob
skins that many campsites operators do not like..
Camping gear.. etc..

Don't let good camp sites sit empty!!!
Don't let Free Lindens go to waste..

Camp On!!"

The t-shirt your Second Life avatar wants !

Look at that ! Stroh Bing made this t-shirt for me today, and I'm sure you are all jealous now... It's so good that I don't know what to say.

The "JohnLight Raymaker" marking in the back makes it unique, as well as the serial number on the front side !

If you want your own, IM Stroh Bing... but he will increase the number each time, so I'm the unique number one camper !

Stroh sell these t-shirts for 150L$ (500 L$ full perms)

Week-end post - Family camping - New type of pad

It's saturday, let's have some fun and personal information. I found today a new very quiet campsite, offering many 3L$ / 15 minutes, the limit is not known yet, but they allow at least 18 L$.

This picture has been taken there, after fellow campers and readers Genie Denima and Stroh Bing joined me.

Stroh is the insect. We had some good contact with the campsite owners, who were still putting things in place.

There is also a new kind of camping device there. They look like standard camping mats, but while camping, the avatar is kneeling, like praying. Will religion get into camping ?

GUEST POST from Stroh Bing - To boldly camp as none has camped before..

JohnLight Raymaker

Has become an icon of the camping scene.
He has brought a certain nobility to it that is hard to understand.. For some reason I was proud to be camping next to JohnLight..
And in the end he was giving the money away!

Then the darkness came..
What more can you say about Ginko..

But then a Ray of Light.

Along The camping trail I have been fortunate to have found 2 great financial institutions that have helped me accumulate and safeguarded my savings.

L&L Bank & Trust - www.myllbt.com
Who have an excellent interest rate, and CEO

and

SL Capital Exchange - www.slcapex.com
The best Exchange on SL, and managed
by Arbitrage Wise.

I have decided to put JohnLight back on track with the second Ray of Light donation of 10,000 L

Live Long and Prosper

Ray of Light Founder
Stroh Bing