Welcome back to this week’s Tip of the Week. I just want you to know upfront that though it’s called Tip of the Week, I don’t really expect 52 tips in a year. I’d say half or three-quarters would be about right. There are times when it’s just not possible. Just so you know.

Okay, now, this week’s tip.

The Signature Command HUD menu has an “offer keys” button, if you’re the sub. If you’re the sub’s owner, you will instead see “take keys”. Sometimes it’s not so obvious what these buttons are for.

You need to know that you have unlimited keys to give out.

They are for any of the following situations:

• if you just set a new owner via the “manual add” approach. That is the new owner is not near you, and hence was not there to receive your set of keys (which would have been the case if you had added by choosing the name off the list on the menu). So, you will have to manually “offer” your full set of keys to this owner next time you meet him, or otherwise he will have to say “/1.” and then “take keys”.
• if the owner’s keys stop working for some reason. Could be a stack heap error on the key. Could be an Second Life asset server issue (or it could be the subbie being naughty swapping out of a locked situation!). In any case, the owner can get a new set by hitting “take keys”.
• if the sub has to run re-setup on the toy, or when the sub has updated to a new version, including Release Candidates. Each setup generates a new coded key made to run with that particular set. In these situations, the key held by the owner will be outdated. Again, he has to take a new set of keys.

Now it’s also helpful to know what “take keys” and “offer keys” are not.

They are not for giving away to random strangers. They won’t work unless the keyholder is also your owner.

So you can add them to your owner list. If you did, they would have your keys, and be your owner, and now they can lock you (remember that you cannot be co-owner with another owner). Now, if they did run away with your keys, it doesn’t matter, as you can simply remove them from your owner list. Having the key without being an owner is useless. And they can’t come back to grief you later. This is a double-security thing.

Only if you are Slave Circle and above (currently for gag owners only) will you have a problem, as the option to remove your owner is taken away from you, if you are “locked down” (as opposed to being simply “locked”). But achieving that Circle, as well as giving ownership, is totally the sub’s choice. And even in that scenario, there’s still a way out, but it isn’t that easy. That’s altogether another story.

So, for now, have fun!

Lulu Ludovico.