About Telehubs and Infohubs


In Second Life you used to be charged not on how much land you had, but on how many resources you used. You could be charged for creating and keeping prims, or for teleporting. There was a regular maintenance fee/tax for objects that were created but hadn't been deleted, so I've heard that residents who had high-prim builds would temporarily delete them before "prim-counting day". (I don't know if that is true - I wasn't there - I read it on the net.)

 Most residents also had to pay in order to teleport. (There were ways to get around this). You couldn't teleport from place to place, but only to other residents or to a telehub. Telehubs were set up in different locations, and residents would teleport to a telehub close to their destination and then walk or fly to where they wanted to go. Ryan Linden designed the original telehub and called them "perches" with the idea that they would all be up in the air, but since residents sometimes fell off, the elevated telehubs were soon lowered to the ground. Eric Linden and Alberto Linden continued to improve the design, and the term "perches" was changed to "telehubs" after Phoenix Linden started calling them "telehubbies".These telehubs had kiosks that distributed free Linden content, world maps, and places for resident to put ads.  
Telehub Map from Stillman Telehub, 12-13-2005, from the Second Life Wikia - the red pins mark "Points of Interest" rather than telehub locations. You can see that Second Life was still relatively small then.

 Linden Lab had hoped that areas around telehubs would become commercial areas and that the outskirts would become residential while the telehubs would become social areas.  This being Second Life; however, residents didn't do what was expected. While areas close to the telehubs often became crowded with stores and ad farms, people usually didn't hang around to socialize.  One of the problems was that the concentration of people and buildings near the telehubs caused lag.

On November 27, 2005 Robin Linden, writing in the old Second Life Blog, announced the decision to remove the telehubs and replace them with Point-to-Point teleporting. Most residents were happy; however the landowners who had paid a premium for the land close to the telehubs were not. Eventually Linden Lab agreed to pay a refund to any of those property owners who requested it. 


Some of the Infohubs on the World Map are official Linden Infohubs, and others are infohubs that are being supported by residents. You may find spots on the World Map where a landowner has put up a floating signboard that looks like an Infohub symbol in order to get more traffic, but these are not official. I know of no active Linden Telehubs, but there are some telehubs on private estates. The Waterhead Infohub is a remodeled telehub.
Waterhead Infohub, formerly a Telehub
You can still get models of three of the old Infohubs from the Free Bazaar at Stillman. Two of the models are rather plain, but the Waterhead model still has a freebie board, working clock, and a place for residents to place ads.
The new infohubs were now intended to be places where residents could set a home point, and where they could meet other residents and socialize. New infohubs have been built as Second Life expanded.  Many infohubs have tutorials and other information for residents, or they may have a nearby NCI infonode (smaller version of the information at the Main NCI locations). Many infohubs are being maintained by residents, so there is a tremendous variety of build from infohub to infohub. During my visits to collect slurls and landmarks I found most of the infohubs had visitors, with a mixture of new and old residents.

You can find a list of Infohubs on the Second Life Wiki. I have put an annotated list below.

If you are curious about what these Telehubs looked like, you can visit the Waterhead Infohub, or you can get a package of three different telehub models at the Stillman Bazaar.
This is the poster I made for the Tourist Information Office. It shows an old telehub on the top, and the Waterhead Infohub on the bottom.
This is what an infohub symbol looks like on the World Map. Check the box near the symbol if you want to see infohubs when you are exploring.


Here is a list of infohubs on the Mainland I got from the Second Life Wiki, with my notes. If the landmarks don't work, just put the sim name in the World Map, and look for the symbol. You can also just put "Infohub" in the space on the World Map. You can get a copy of a notecard with Landmarks in the Tourist Information Center in Cecropia.

GENERAL:

Ahern
 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ahern/28/28/41


Hanja in Gukyeol
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//21/23/10


The Old Teen Welcome Area in Card
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Card/256/6/40


Old Governor's Mansion in Clementina http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Clementina/184/123/61


Mahulu Infohub near Mount G'Al Volcano - you can take a balloon ride from the roof!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mahulu/58/193/85


Mauve Infohub -
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mocha/73/210/41


Miramare in Nova Albion /Barcola
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barcola/254/40/24


Chalet Linden in Wengen snow area - one of my favorites! - Lots of winter activities there.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wengen/24/210/86


MODERATE:

Korea 1 in Korea1 - There is a teleport board listing "Sister Cities and Friends" - although some locations seem to be out of date.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Korea3/223/248/24


Scenic Ambat
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ambat/91/209/59


Barbarossa Ferry Terminal & Infohub - pick up a free sailboat!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/189/65/24


Bear Dream Lodge in Bear - Weasels and watermelon critters, and bears, oh my!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bear/37/28/101

Boardroom Infohub and Conference Center
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Boardroom/147/77/22

Braunworth Infohub - refurbished industrial ruins
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Braunworth/87/165/179


Castle Valeria - I find the castle a bit gloomy; the other side of the island is more cheerful.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Castle%20Valeria/205/191/77

There is a twin to Castle Valeria, the Baronial Castle, located at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Baronial%20Castle/48/63/23

Degrand Infohub - little island with lighthouse - if you have a boat you could sail from here. There are interesting underwater features such as the Lost Treasures of the Sunken City in Sarante.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Degrand/65/210/23


Hau Koda - Bay City Municipal Airport - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hau%20Koda/68/60/25


Helfell InfoHub - Fuerte de San Phillipe nearby is also a Linden Public Area - if the drawbridge is up, touch it to lower it.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Helfell/138/119/47


Hyannisport Infohub - in my opinion one of the most beautiful of the Infohubs
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hyannisport/110/77/29


Hyles Swamp in Hyles
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hyles/33/32/21


 Iris Moth Temple - Linden Historical Site
 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Iris/201/124/29

 Isabel Infohub  - the very popular Shelter is just north of here
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isabel/40/100/57


Moose Beach Infohub
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moose%20Beach/147/86/22


Pooley Stage
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Borrowdale/100/117/40


Waterhead Welcome Area - This is a recreation of a telehub. You can get a copy of the original telehub model at  the Stillman Bazaar.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Waterhead/34/128/26


Zebrasil Infohub, billed as "The village in the shadow of terrible volcano!" The volcano goes off about every hour and is quite nice. Explore under the sea  nearby for wrecked ships.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zebrasil/128/128/23


ADULT: (I found these crowded and boring)

Arapaima Safe Hub -
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Arapaima/241/146/21


Nelsonia Safe Hub
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nelsonia/125/147/21


Oritz Dam Infohub
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Oritz/233/144/21


Listed as 'Former' or 'Inactive' (These were more interesting and worth visiting)

Anzere Infohub - By the Confederation of Democratic Simulators  - a virtual democracy
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Anzere/80/50/124


Calleta Hobo Railroad Infohub - this whole area is fun to explore
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Calleta/128/206/27


Hanson - this Infohub was converted to parkland, but there is a gingerbread cottage and sled ride over the bridge and up the hill, and also penguin/moles.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hanson/142/87/99


Murray Infohub - this was rebuilt in 2010 and has many sims to explore nearby. Look for the ghost town and the vehicle testing tracks - also, beware of landsharks...Free sailboat at the dock - or an innertub if you're not that adventurous.
http://maps.seconslidw.com/secondlife/Murray/111/40/30


Plum Welcome Area - Preserved old Welcome Area, including the notecards...
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Plum/73/250/46


Ross Memory Bazarr @ Ross Infohub - lots of interesting things here.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Samoa/50/47/58

Violet Infohub - always seems to be some kind of argument going on when I am there, but very popular...
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Violet/157/95/26


Warmouth Infohub - the Nerditorium
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Warmouth/42/143/95

Olive - Great Second Life Railway Station, with frequent trains - take a trip!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Olive/224/184/41


Periwinkle Station - go down the stairs to visit a lovely garden and rest area. There are some freebies on a floating gazebo.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Olive/224/184/41


Those are all the Mainland Infohubs I know that are open to all residents. Have fun!


Free copy of Waterhead Telehub

 Most of this information was taken from the Second Life Wikia which has photos of some of the early telehubs. I wasn't there then, so if you were, and I've got something wrong, please let me know. 

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