Filed under: Newbies, Interviews, Resident Snapshot

This is the seventh in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Rigrunner is another lad who volunteered to answer questions for me, having heard about the interviews over the NCI channel. His favorite place in Second Life is Devilfish Mall, in the Dahlia Sim. Rigrunner's favorite things to do in Second Life revolve around music and interactive builds.

Second Life Name? Rigrunner Rang
Second Life Age? 63 days

Where did you hear about Second Life?
A friend referred me.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?
Well, [I] had heard a lot of hype about it, seen it on TV, etc ... so [I] was bored one day and gave it a shot.

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)
I came via [the] secondlife.com site.

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?
I never got to see all of it, but the vehicles were fun.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?
Yeah, from what I tried it was user friendly, however, when I first came in - everybody was foreign - it would have been nice to meet someone who could have talked me through it. Also, I've never found a way back. I never met a mentor in orientation; just a lot of naked people.

Yeah, since then I've been to NCI, did the movement class at charles benjamin centre (fleche xeno). Now I'm sorted. :)

If Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?
Well, I never expected camping to make money. And I expected more of a focus on educational and entertainment things, rather than clubs and pornography. What education I have found has been fantastic, but initially it was difficult to find. The focus on fashion here is immense!

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?
I like the interface. [I] would like to be able to organise [the] friend list and minimise [the] Inventory. I wouldn't mind having the chat a little smaller, too. Another change I'd like to see in Second Life is a change up on the search - many results aren't relevant.

Filed under: Newbies, Interviews, Resident Snapshot

This is the sixth in a series of interviews that will be conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Tagging new residents for study is no easy task. They're fast and startle easily, especially when you mention questions, interviews or snapshots. This week's crowd was particularly skittish, and we had to put out a more general call. We got three responses. You'll be hearing from the other two on Friday and Monday. Glitchez, however was the first to respond.

Second Life Name? Glitchez Shilova
Second Life Age? 5 days

Where did you hear about Second Life?
On a blog.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?
"An immense 3-D Virtual World."

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)
Normal; [standard entry].

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?
I had read a little bit on Second Life from the blog, [so I] didn't need it.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?
[It] wasted time, [but was a] good support.

If Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?
Griefers, but that adds to the "suspense" of SL. You never know when they [are going to] strike :-D

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?
[I] like its organised structure.

Filed under: Newbies, Interviews, Resident Snapshot

This is the fifth in a series of interviews that are conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into Jermiah at my favorite haunt for picking up strange avatars - the Isabel Infohub. He told me this about his avatar's current look: "Call me old fashioned - but I wanted to look like the gay angel in Barbarella!" He was an engaging and enthusiastic interviewee.

Second Life Name? Jermiah Hax
Second Life Age? 18 days

Where did you hear about Second Life?
I saw news item on the TV and then read about it in a magazine article - then I sent off for the book from Amazon.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?
Really it was to see what all the fuss was about in the media.

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)
Standard entry.

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?
Learning to fly - it was really tricky. Still, that's why I got the wings - now I feel like I should fly!!! LOL

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?
It's a bit hit and miss - I got more help once I'd experimented and looked around SL for a bit then I went back [to Help Island Public], I had more questions then.

Do you remember anything about camera controls from the orientation process?
No - I didn't pick any up then - I've since discovered by accident - and I still make mistakes - but it doesn't matter - it's all fun!

If Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?
It's great fun - I was interested because I'm a psychologist and I wanted to know how people reacted to each other here. People are amazingly civil - not a suprise I suppose- and very liberated too.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?
I like the way the place looks - I like the ease of using the mouse and keyboard, but its all still very jerky.

Filed under: Clothing, Gadgets, Shopping, Newbies

The GNUbie store is the brainchild of Jai Nomad who has been a Second Life resident since July 2003. The place is simply packed with L$0 and L$1 items, with consistently high quality. The two level building houses the work of residents both recent and far-from-recent; even the venerable Toy LaFollette still has her work displayed here.

For the most part the store is laid out in such a way that even folks who have a little trouble with their camera controls can still use it fairly well and there is a wide range of interesting goods to be picked up here, some of which can be modified, and many of which are transferable.

A selection includes: telescopes, churches, hair and clothing, jewelry, ornaments, vehicles, whole avatars (robots, birds, and others), games and skins. Not only is this a fantastic way for new residents to flesh out their inventories, but also a great way to learn a bit about how the items are made. Also, it's refreshing to be able to modify and therefore customize freebies somewhat.

Following is a list of some of the well-known and not-so-well-known folks who contributed items to be sold or given away at the store:

• 7 Deadly Prims - Raven Callisto
• Artilleri - Antonia Marat
• Canimal - Canimal Zephyr
• Gurl Six - Six Kennedy
• Hose Queen - HoseQueen McLean
• I&K - LisaAnna Juniper
• Mirada - Washu Zebrastripe
• Panache - Zyrra Falcone
• Birdworx - Psyra Extraordinaire
• Sea Shack Surf Company - Emma Gilmour
• Shiny Things - Fallingwater Cellardoor
• SinSation - Sinnocent Mirabeau
• Terra Aeronautics - Cubey Terra
• Tete a Pied - CJ Carnot, Roslin Petion
• Wilted Rose - Rose Columbia