#sl noob

[demoslnoobie]

Beginner's Tutorial - Second Life - Customizing Your Avatar !

Beginner's Tutorial - Second Life - Customizing Your Avatar ! was created to assist individuals in the process of starting Second Life and creating a avatar....

This is one of the most thorough beginner tutorials I’ve seen.

[demoslnoobie]

“...it’s like trying to tell a stranger about Rock N Roll.”

The line is from the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic” but trying to explain Second Life is the same. Second Life is a lot of things to a lot of people so explaining it to a person that’s never experienced it can be difficult in real life and sl.

It came to mind today outside of SL at work when in casual conversation I pointed out that a lot my skills in using a gimp came from things I developed for Second Life. To most people “skills” in a “game” consist of gathering resources and taking those to make a predetermined item. In Second Life we can take things we make using a gimp (ie Photoshop or my beloved Paint Shop Pro), 3d modeling software (Blender, 3Ds Max), any number of posing and animation software to create things and load them into the world for personal use and/or selling. There are other skills that can be used and honed in sl as well including marketing, business management, djing and just about anything you can think of using in rl.

But if sl was all about skills it would be....boring.

The big question I always ask a new resident is “What have you always wanted to do in rl but wouldn’t or couldn’t?” This opens Second Life and gives a direction. Some people always wanted to fly but never could. Some people want to live in a certain time in history or role play something. Some just want to meet people and party while stuck at home. There’s something for everyone and some people do more than one thing or as the years go by (like me) get involved in a lot of different things.

Now money can be a factor. This doesn’t mean that there’s nothing great that’s free in sl because that would be lie. Everyone that helps noobies knows this site and I’m putting it down for those that don’t: https://fabfree.wordpress.com/  .  Clubs often have paid contests. There’s midnight mania boards and lucky letter boards and lucky chairs (adn for example always has a ton) all over sl. Let’s not forget group gifts at places like Gizza. The marketplace alone has a ton of good freebies (I buy Ls and I still look for cool freebies) There’s always a few free hunts going on in sl (http://huntsl.com/).

See the world through sl! Meet people from all over the world! I’m American but most of my friends in sl aren’t American; some of my closest friends are from Sweden, Portugal and Brazil.There are many people in sl that develop places related to their homelands. Universities hold online classes in sl (my besty Revy first came to sl for a class.) Japan has had a lot of influence on sl; common things you’ll hear in sl such as neko (short for nekomimi which translates to cat ears in Japanese) and gacha (short for gachapon which would be like a gumball machine in the US) found its way from Japanese sims to mainstream SL.

Want to meet the love of your life? It’s possible but don’t get your hopes up. A lot of people that come to sl hoping to find true love wind up disappointed. I’ve known, in 7 years in sl, 2 couples that met in sl that moved onto rl marriage. I’ve known much more people that get married in sl (weddings are a big industry in sl, not as big as sex furniture but it’s up there), break up and start over again within months along with people that cheat on their sl spouses using alts. If you become an exception and find true love to me it’s a beautiful thing because it’s so rare in sl.

So, in conclusion, what do you say to someone to explain Second Life? Tell them, like rl, it’s what you make it.

[demoslnoobie]

GET OUT! Places for noobies 1, The Shelter

To quote Axl Rose, “Welcome to the jungle, we’ve got fun and games, we got everything you want honey. we know the names...”

For a new resident SL can be a scary place. You pick a starter avatar and your thrown out into a whole new world where you don’t know the rules and barely have an idea how to even move. You might get a pop up with a bite request or asked to join a group out of the blue, and this is just in the first 5 minutes. If you’re an average person (I wonder how an average person would discover sl but that’s another topic) some of the things that can be discovered in sl can be shocking but wait! There’s a shelter that helps adapt to the rages of the wild web world we call Second Life, namely the Shelter.

The Shelter provides many things to new residents including a helpful staff, games, events, changing rooms and a place to set as home. As far as places to first come in sl I’d say this is a good starting point. You’ll find a wide array of SL society at the Shelter including humans, vampires, and furries; many experienced SLers more than willing to help (including a certain blogging gynoid.)

Most likely you’re first taste of dancing and djs will come about at the Shelter. The main area is made for it and everyone on the dance floor will be more than happy to teach you to dance. This is actually a good thing not only for dancing but understanding animations in sl.

Regulars at the Shelter come in a wide range from all over the world and ranges in experience in sl. You’ll find a lot of good chat on many subjects ranging from what’s happening in rl to things in sl.

Established in 2004, the Shelter is still one of the nicest places to get your start in Second Life with some of the friendliest people on the grid. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isabel/44/223/81