Why do some volunteer language learning communities in Second Life die out and others remain? What affordances of virtual learning and teaching resonate with students and staff? Is there something in learner backgrounds that makes Second Life an appealing learning site to certain individuals but not to others? Jean-Paul DuQuette will explore these questions and others in his examination of Cypris Chat, an English language learning community founded in 2008. Utilizing nearly a decade of ethnographic participant observation, numerous interviews with learners and staff, and recordings of both formal and informal learning interactions within the community, DuQuette will present an analysis underlining the primacy of socializing, affective motivation and and the importance of learner histories. He will also situate Cypris within an adaptation of Wenger, White & Smith's (2009) "digital habitats" framework for successful online communities and suggest solutions for perennial challenges for technology stewards and group leaders within the greater Second Life community.