Filed under: Newbies, Interviews, Resident Snapshot

This is the 17th 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.

I bumped into Lilla at the Shelter, where she was dancing with some other residents, both old and new. Being Danish, she wasn't sure that her English would be good enough, but it was more than good enough for her to communicate.

Second Life Name? Lilla Biedermann

Second Life Age? 46 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)

Danish Television. There have been a number of spots on SL.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?

Curiosity, mostly. My best friend (a rabbit in Serenity Woods) invited me to give it a try.

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 (Linden orientation).

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?

Setting up/changing avatar appearance - but soon after that I got a shape/skin from someone I met, anyway. I went through orientation really quickly. Too quickly. Then tried to get back, and I couldn't. I also remember that there were friendly people there to answer questions, but I didn't know enough to ask any at the time. Some people told me about the Shelter, and that helps, but I don't always understand all the slang and special terms.

Do you remember anything about camera controls from the orientation process?

No. I learned it later, at the Shelter.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?

It was a lot of information all at once, and hard to take in - which is why I left - so I could go back later and learn more. Then I couldn't get back! I wish I had known that I couldn't return. If I'd known I would have at least taken notes. So many different words, SL, TP, rez. There is so much to learn before you can start to learn! Everyone forgets that, when they try to help, we don't know the words they are using.

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?

I didn't really know what I expected. I was told about how beautiful the graphics are, but it still amazes me to see them. It's amazing to see the beauty, the creativity, the fantasy. What I find strange is that so many places are so empty - except for the people who don't talk (camping chairs/dance mats). Everyone else is just so friendly and helpful, though, and nobody tells you that your English is lousy. They really try to understand and be friendly.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?

Sometimes it would be nice to log on and be hidden from my friends. Of course, they IM me anyway, and then they know that I'm online. Sometimes I just want to be online without feeling like I'm being watched.

I also don't like it that some places are so damn laggy!

Oh! One more thing. I've got a bike - a motor-cycle. I can't actually rez it on the roads. So what are the roads actually for then? Sometimes finding places where you can actually rez something is hard.