I will be posting this diary once or twice a week at different times of the day until NN09 to give more people a chance to read & bookmark.
Why You Need This Diary
You're interested in participating in Netroots Nation 2009 (August 13-16) on Second Life because you're unable to be there in person, but you also don't want to feel like a self-conscious newbie.
Getting Started in Second Life
For the most part, this diary does not deal with the actual mechanics of Second Life. Its main purpose is just to get you feeling more comfortable, and keep you from looking like too much of a newbie.
However, if you are new to the idea of Second Life, and would like to know how to set up your account and get started, Moody Loner has done a wonderful series of illustrated diaries that will lead you through the process step-by-step. Start by downloading the Second Life application, then click on these diaries and let MoodyLoner guide you through it.
How to Second Life Part 1 - Creating Kossack Fullstop
How to Second Life 2 - Kossack Fullstop at Orientation Island
How to Second Life 3 - Kossack Fullstop at the Optional Move Tutorials
How to Second Life 4 - Kossack Fullstop at Large
How to Second Life Part 5: Freebies with Kossack Fullstop
Disclaimer
I am not affiliated with Netroots Nation, and this is not an official NN communication. I just thought I'd help some people avoid some of the problems I had when I first started on Second Life.
I've collected a bunch of links to places in Second Life below, with some representative images. These lists are not exhaustive (not even close). These are just a few places that I've run across. I have no affiliation with any vendor linked here. I'm just passing on links so you have a place to get started. (PLEASE NOTE: Many of these locations will also offer items of an explicit, adult nature. Adjust your browsing accordingly, especially if you're logged in at work.)
Once you're set up in Second Life, clicking on any of the links below will teleport your avatar to that location in Second Life. If you haven't gotten yourself set up in Second Life yet, they won't do anything. You can download the Second Life application here.
Introduction
One of the first things you'll notice when you sign up for Second Life is that there are an awful lot of people walking around with awesome-looking hair and clothes, and realistic-looking walks, while your hair and clothes look like they were designed by a three-year old who hasn't learned to operate a mouse, and you walk like an epileptic duck.
No matter how you fuss with your hair and clothes, you will not be able to make them look as good as the people around you who have been on Second Life longer than you have. There's a reason for this: those people aren't using the Appearance tools built into Second Life. They have acquired entirely new bodies, skins, hair, eyes, clothes, and walks from various vendors in Second Life.
One sure way to mark yourself as a newbie on Second Life is to use built-in hair, clothes, and walks. Fix those three things, and you'll look like an old hand in no time.
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Freebies & Dollarbies
But don't worry. You don't have to spend a lot to upgrade these things. In fact, you don't have to spend anything at all. The Netroots Nation welcome center (link below) offers a few free avatars (with clothing), as well as several NN09 T-shirts. Many other places and organizations offer freebies, as well.
There are also scads of "freebie malls" where newbies can pick up all kinds of free stuff, from clothing to hair to skins and bodies, and walking animations. Once you settle into the Netroots Nation area, one of the first things you should do is visit one of these "freebie malls".
Newbie/Freebie Malls:
Sarah Nerd's Freebie Paradise:
http://slurl.com/...
NOOB Island:
http://slurl.com/...
Freebie Heaven:
http://slurl.com/...
Freebies Beach:
http://slurl.com/...
Amity Island:
http://slurl.com/...
Freebie Dungeons:
http://slurl.com/...
Freebies World:
http://slurl.com/...
Freebies from Places/Organizations in Second Life:
Netroots Nation Welcome Center (free T-shirts and avatars):
http://slurl.com/...
Space Frontier (free Orphans of Apollo T-shirt):
http://slurl.com/...
Alt7 Alternative Indie Music Dance Club (free T-shirts and hoodies):
http://slurl.com/...
Blackhearts Cafe 80's Dance Club (free jacket):
http://slurl.com/...
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Currency in Second Life: The Linden Dollar (L$)
Most of the items at "freebie malls" are either free or are L$1 (one Linden dollar). Lindens are the currency of Second Life. You can purchase Lindens from within the application, or on the Second Life website. You will have to sign up with your credit card or Paypal information on the website before you will be able to purchase Lindens inside the application.
The real value of Linden dollars is variable, but generally, you can think of L$1 as approximately US$0.005... that is, about four or five thousandths of a US dollar. Right now, as I write this, you can purchase a L$250 item in Second Life for about one US dollar. To put that figure in context: you'll likely pay somewhere around L$50 to L$100 for an average shirt or jacket for your avatar at most vendors (though bargains can always be had if you're willing to hunt for them).
But, like I said, you don't actually have to spend money to keep yourself from looking like a total Newb. The stuff at the "freebie malls" isn't necessarily of the absolute highest quality, but it's still leaps and bounds better than the built-in stuff in Second Life. And always check for freebies and dollarbies in vendor shops, too. Most stores offer one or two things for free or nearly free.
Now, if you do decide you want to drop a few pennies into the pot to get some excellent accoutrements, read on.
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Why Does Everyone Look like Sailor Moon on Crack?!
Probably the second big thing you'll notice about appearance in Second Life is that most of the women seem to look like underaged, glittery, Japanese anime prostitutes (one thing that isn't apparent in the image above is that this avatar's shoes and dress both emit a seizure-inducing, blinking sparkle, what is commonly known in Second Life as "bling"). If you're into that sort of thing, you should have no trouble finding all the glittery shoes and lingerie that your heart desires. If, like me, you're not anxious to walk around looking like an underaged, glittery, Japanese anime prostitute, you'll want to know where you can locate some other types of clothing.
Most of these links (but not all!) are directed primarily at women, partially because that's what I'm most familiar with, but also because this really is primarily a women's problem in Second Life. Average male attire consists of jeans and a T-shirt, and this is not hard to find. Women, on the other hand, are often immediately turned off of Second Life because they see the overwhelming ubiquity of stripperwear, and think Second Life is nothing but a virtual sex game.
With the caveat that all clothing in Second Life is fairly body-hugging just because of the nature of how clothing is rendered on the avatar's body, it is possible to find alternative, professional, and casual attire for your avatar.
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Alternative, Punk & Odd Stuff
If you are into punk/goth/alternative or just plain oddball stuff, here are some places worth checking out:
Sprawl:
http://slurl.com/...
UK Couture:
http://slurl.com/...
UK Couture Menswear:
http://slurl.com/...
Neo:
http://slurl.com/...
Concrete Flowers:
http://slurl.com/...
Kosh:
http://slurl.com/...
Punk's Finest:
http://slurl.com/...
SK Designs:
http://slurl.com/...
Sanu:
http://slurl.com/...
Felidae (Shopping Area):
http://slurl.com/...
Paper Street Soap Company:
http://slurl.com/...
Grim Bros.:
http://slurl.com/...
DG Finest:
http://slurl.com/...
Casey's Creations (costume shop):
http://slurl.com/...
Kikai (costumes & profession outfits):
http://slurl.com/...
Lovers of the weird and wonderful should also keep an eye on this blog:
Absolutely Amazing Second Life Discoveries:
http://sldiscoveries.wordpress.com/
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Professional & Casual Attire
If your tastes are more conservative or professional, you can also find suitable business, business-casual, and casual wear at places like these:
New Vidal Men's & Women's Business Clothes:
http://slurl.com/...
Promethium:
http://slurl.com/...
SF Designs (women):
http://slurl.com/...
SF Designs (men):
http://slurl.com/...
Kikai (Free business suit & pumps box, other suits, men's jeans (also free pair mens jeans)):
http://slurl.com/...
Adelebsen Isle:
http://slurl.com/...
Lost Dreams:
http://slurl.com/...
Clothes Sim - Men's:
http://slurl.com/...
Sprawl:
http://slurl.com/...
UK Couture:
http://slurl.com/...
UK Couture Menswear:
http://slurl.com/...
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Hair
If you want fabulous hair (and hair is a bit of a status symbol in Second Life), you can find high-quality hair at these places (definitely check out Diversity, where newbies can actually get a nice high-quality hair of their choice for free):
Diversity Hair (free hair of your choice if your avatar is less than 30 days old):
http://slurl.com/...
Armidi:
http://slurl.com/...
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Animations: Walking, Sitting, Flying, Posing
Finally, you may want to spring for high quality body animations (walking, sitting, flying, etc.). You can, of course, find some animations at the "freebie malls," but the truly realistic ones are going to cost you some money.
I've only included one animation vendor link below because it is, by far, the best one I've found, for three simple reasons:
- High quality.
- Ease of use.
- Ability to purchase in multi-animation packs, or separately.
Point #1 is self-explanatory, so let me start with point #2: ease of use. Animations (or Animation Overrides, or AO's) can be very complicated things. Some may require the purchase of an entirely separate bit of code script that must be customized by the user before the animation can be used. The animations sold by the vendor below do not require you to do anything but "wear" the animation, just as you would wear an article of clothing. Easy peasy.
Point #3 is important because it means you can buy your avatar a top-notch walk without having to pay lots of money. This vendor offers huge multi-animation packages based on various "personality" themes, and if you really want to go all out, you can buy the whole package. But, you can also just pick out one walk that you really like and buy that walk for about as much as you'd pay for a shirt or jacket.
Again, I have no affiliation with this vendor, but it's the only one I'm linking to, because it's the only one I can absolutely, unequivocally vouch for. That's especially important with animations because, unlike clothing, you don't always know what you're getting with animations until after you've purchased them. Will they be complicated to use? Who knows! With this vendor, I can tell you from experience that you will get an animation that is high quality and easy to use.
SE Motion Studios
http://slurl.com/...
Note: the little "discs" on the floor in front of each display are what allow you to try the animations on. Just click the disc, and choose "Pose". Your avatar will then float above the disc and perform the animation (these posing discs are pretty common in Second Life). You can use the right and left arrows on the posing disc to switch from one animation to the next.
If you want to buy an individual animation (as opposed to the whole package), try the animation on by posing on the disc, then purchase it by clicking on the posing disc instead of the wall display. (For example, the walking animation shown below is L$150. If this avatar wanted to purchase just this walk, rather than the entire package of animations that this walk is normally bundled with, she would simply click on the posing disc and choose the purchase option.)
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Helpful Hint
Here's a helpful Second Life shopping tip:
Sometimes vendors give you your items in a "box". If you try to wear this box, you will literally WEAR THE BOX, rather than the clothing inside the box.
If you get a "boxed" item, you will need to "rez" the box (i.e., drag it from your inventory out into the "world" where a box (or box-like item) will then appear. Then you can click on the newly rezzed box and choose the "Open" option, which will give you the option of copying the box's contents back to your inventory.
Not all places in Second Life allow "rezzing". It can be frustrating to purchase a "boxed" item only to discover that the store you're in doesn't allow you to "rez" the box to get your item! Don't despair. Just teleport to a place where you know you can "rez", and do it there. If all else fails, I know you can "rez" at Sprawl, and their upstairs area is usually pretty empty, so you'll have a bit of privacy, too.
Sprawl:
http://slurl.com/...
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Conclusion: Now You Rock
Once you've got new hair, new clothes, and a new walk, you'll no longer have the stank of a newbie, and you'll be able to wander around Second Life without feeling self-conscious. Many Second Lifers also purchase fancy bodies, skins, and eyes, but you can really get away without upgrading those. They'll make your avatar look even more realistic (or more awesomely unreal, if that's what you want), but you won't necessarily be pegged as a newbie if you stick with the ones built into the Second Life application.
Always remember, you can use the Search button in Second Life to find the things you're looking for. Desperately want a pirate costume? Just search for "pirate costume" and you're off.
So, that's my little tutorial on how not to look like a dork (or an underaged, glittery, Japanese anime prostitute) on Second Life. My recommendation is to get yourself set up in Second Life at least a week or two ahead of Netroots Nation. This will allow you to spruce up your avatar and get familiar with the mechanics of Second Life before you have to negotiate the mechanics of participating in Netroots Nation on SL.
Feel free to add me (Hyperbolic Monday) as a contact. I am a relative newbie myself, but I'd be glad to help if I can. Maybe some more experienced Second Lifers can put their ID's and favorite links in the comments, as well.
Happy Virtual Trails!
