Hi Emily. There's supposed to be a way to sign up without giving your credit card info. I gave mine when I signed up, but went into my account and made sure I had the free account and that I wouldn't be charged the monthly fee for a premium account.

If you have a credit card on file with the game you can use it to buy Linden Dollars, the worlds currency. A lot of people don't bother since they don't need any or can make some inside the virtual world.

I bought $10 worth of L$, so I'd have enough to go to one of the "In The Round" shows which cost L$750 or around 3 real dollars. By the way, the show was amazing. I saw Bob DiPiero ("Blue Clear Sky" - he's a great entertainer, but doesn't have the best voice), Tim Nichols (Live Like You Were Dying), Bob Morrison ("Lookin' For Love"), and Jim Collins ("It Just Comes Natural"). They talked about how some of the songs were writeen and how they got to where they are today. To me, it was well worth it. Last night I saw the free Sunday Writer's Night show which is always a treat.

http://www.codysongs.com
http://www.soundclick.com/toddcody
http://www.myspace.com/toddcody