What I wish I knew before my second life
I have only been in Second Life 16 days today – seems much longer then that. I had a terrific mentor and guide as I began my new life, Kathy Schrock/Kathy Dryburg. Currently I am making a list of the things I wish I knew before I dove in. And what would I do differently if I started again? These ideas will be put in a presentation for teachers about to embark on their secondlife.
Here is my working list
- Some vocabulary – Avatar, SIM, Linden, prims, SLURL, sandbox/building
- encourage them to take there time in orientation
- A list of things to see and do and how to get there
- How to use the menus, search, maps, friends lists and join groups – If you just dove in without a guide you could feel very lost indeed
- How to change your appearance
- I would encourage new teachers to keep some notes about who they have meet and where they have been – teach them about landmarks
- I would recommend setting a time limit for a visit- it is easy to get stuck in SL
- Go in each time with a goal; learn to build something, attend an event, meet someone new. This way you find that you are growing and learning not just wondering about
- Go with a friend – plan to enter SL together, attend events, play in the sandbox, visit a place, go shopping
- How to find a place of your own if you feel the need
Your thoughts…
If you have been to Second Life what would you add to the list? If you have never been what type of questions might you have?
Please add your thought to the comments, thanks!
PS: A special thanks to the others who have given me a hand and helped me feel welcome and at home; KJ Hax, Existential Paine, Victoria Gloucester, and Fleet Goldberg. Please forgive me if I left anyone out my first days were overwhelming and I lost track of who I met. Hence my suggestion about taking notes.
4 thoughts on “What I wish I knew before my second life”
Hello Beth! Wonderful meeting you yesterday! You have come up to speed extremely quickly, love what you have done with your place. It’s awesome to see you helping others get up to speed too (MacsMom and Pia). The only thing I would add to your list is to be sure to “pay it forward” – which you are already doing! I find the most addictive part of SL to be the joy of helping someone new experience an ‘aha!’ moment, much as I do in my K-4 computer lab every day. It’s SO easy to make SUCH a major contribution to someone else’s SL experience … and if enough people come on “pay it forward” too, just think what we will be able to achieve!
See you in-world!
-kj-
Hi Beth,
I would add the following:
Read the all the second life blogs. That’s a great way to learn who’s who and what everyone is doing in SL.
By the way, you met my avatar, Kristy Flanagan, on Saturday at the educator’s sandbox. You showed her how to remove the group name. I didn’t know who you were at the time but it turns out that we’re neighbors. I’m up in Boston area.
See you in-world.
Hi Beth,
I happened to pick up your blog posting about Second Life from a Google alert. Right now, I’m about halfway through the book, Second Life: The Official Guide, by Philip Rosedale with contributions from several veteran second lifers.
I’d encourage everyone to read this book before beginning your journey in world. I didn’t realize what a wealth of information and freebies I had at my fingertips in Orientation Island and Help Island. Now, that I’ve ventured outside those areas, I can’t return. I agree with your suggestion about approaching the metaverse with a particular objective which saves you from countless hours of idle exploring. For example, I’ve participated in a salsa line dance, danced on a dance pad and earned a few Linden dollars, but at the end of the day, did I come away with something tangible?
Great advice. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Beth!
I agree with KJ, one has to “pay it forward”. I have created the “K-12 Educators” group that any educator can join so we can easily indentify each other by the group over our head. In that way, we can share common thoughts and problems and brainstorm together!
Kathy Schrock (Kathy Dryburgh)