It's all about learning; the rest is technology: promoting active learning
My first steps in Second Life
The next MUVEnation task is as follows:
Please share here your stories about your first hours of life in Second Life. Reflect on your experience: How would you describe your first steps? What were the technical issues, if any? What did you feel about the avatar you chose? What was orientation island like? Could you find help as needed? Where did you go? Did you speak to other avatars? What would improve the experience, if anything? What previous knowledge and skills helped you?
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How would you describe your first steps? What were the technical issues, if any? What was orientation island like?
As usual I was impatient to try and just went on my own. My first steps in Second Life were in October 2006. My computer was not really up to the job and that meant that when the screen froze I did not know whether it was me, my machine or the program. I rushed past orientation island not realising that I could not return once I left. I think I tried a couple of things there but when I started I had a place to go so I was keen to get there and not hang around a place where I would not know the people there. At that time you could not use audio in Second Life without a great deal of additional complications downloading a separate program so most people just used text which I found rather easy. Moving around was difficult, even just walking when I would overshoot where I wanted to go.
What did you feel about the avatar you chose?
I am really irritated by having to have another name and even more irritated at having to learn a whole new set of names for people I already know! I tried to make myself look as much like myself as possible and I have never been tempted to change into a dragon or other exotic creature or even to try out the male side of myself! Perhaps it's because I don' t play in SL. I always go there for a work-related reason so can't be bothered to camouflage myself. I must admit though that my proportions in SL are more ideal than real!
Where did you go? Did you speak to other avatars?
I went to Edunation because I know the people who run it and I know some of the residents who have properties there. Eventually I went to Morocco and a few other places but I have never been into random travelling and usually like to go to a place which I have heard about for one reason or another. People tend to be friendly in those places. Sometimes I have been out to more public areas, for example clothes shopping, and there interactions are more awkward. I don't strke up conversations when I am out shopping in RL with other people who are browsing the blouse rails so I don't do it in SL either.
What would improve the experience, if anything? What previous knowledge and skills helped you?
I think that time has improved the experience. I now have a better computer and the SL program is much better so newbies now probably have a much better experience, even the impatient ones, than I did. I gather orientation island is much more comprehensive than it used to be. Of course I could just try it by setting up a new username but I am an infrequent visitor to SL up to now so starting over with a new avatar sounds like just too much hard work right now. One of the places I wanted to visit was Language Lab and there I signed up for some teacher training. There I got a lot of very good practical help in some of the practical aspects of moving around, using notecards and so on. A very long time ago I tried out Active Worlds so I was not completely new to the idea of virtual worlds.
My advice to newbies would be not start alone but to make sure that you try out SL at the same time as someone who knows a little bit more than you. If only because so many places in SL are simply empty if you wander around aimlessly.
Please share here your stories about your first hours of life in Second Life. Reflect on your experience: How would you describe your first steps? What were the technical issues, if any? What did you feel about the avatar you chose? What was orientation island like? Could you find help as needed? Where did you go? Did you speak to other avatars? What would improve the experience, if anything? What previous knowledge and skills helped you?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How would you describe your first steps? What were the technical issues, if any? What was orientation island like?
As usual I was impatient to try and just went on my own. My first steps in Second Life were in October 2006. My computer was not really up to the job and that meant that when the screen froze I did not know whether it was me, my machine or the program. I rushed past orientation island not realising that I could not return once I left. I think I tried a couple of things there but when I started I had a place to go so I was keen to get there and not hang around a place where I would not know the people there. At that time you could not use audio in Second Life without a great deal of additional complications downloading a separate program so most people just used text which I found rather easy. Moving around was difficult, even just walking when I would overshoot where I wanted to go.
What did you feel about the avatar you chose?
I am really irritated by having to have another name and even more irritated at having to learn a whole new set of names for people I already know! I tried to make myself look as much like myself as possible and I have never been tempted to change into a dragon or other exotic creature or even to try out the male side of myself! Perhaps it's because I don' t play in SL. I always go there for a work-related reason so can't be bothered to camouflage myself. I must admit though that my proportions in SL are more ideal than real!
Where did you go? Did you speak to other avatars?
I went to Edunation because I know the people who run it and I know some of the residents who have properties there. Eventually I went to Morocco and a few other places but I have never been into random travelling and usually like to go to a place which I have heard about for one reason or another. People tend to be friendly in those places. Sometimes I have been out to more public areas, for example clothes shopping, and there interactions are more awkward. I don't strke up conversations when I am out shopping in RL with other people who are browsing the blouse rails so I don't do it in SL either.
What would improve the experience, if anything? What previous knowledge and skills helped you?
I think that time has improved the experience. I now have a better computer and the SL program is much better so newbies now probably have a much better experience, even the impatient ones, than I did. I gather orientation island is much more comprehensive than it used to be. Of course I could just try it by setting up a new username but I am an infrequent visitor to SL up to now so starting over with a new avatar sounds like just too much hard work right now. One of the places I wanted to visit was Language Lab and there I signed up for some teacher training. There I got a lot of very good practical help in some of the practical aspects of moving around, using notecards and so on. A very long time ago I tried out Active Worlds so I was not completely new to the idea of virtual worlds.
My advice to newbies would be not start alone but to make sure that you try out SL at the same time as someone who knows a little bit more than you. If only because so many places in SL are simply empty if you wander around aimlessly.
Comment
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Comment by Helen Keegan on November 11, 2008 at 9:09am -
Hi Anne, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I very much agree that it's a good idea to try out SL with someone else - it helps to be able to compare notes/share tips... and empathise! During those moments when, for instance, your avatar isn't rendering properly, or your avatar is experiencing 'mobility problems', it helps to be able to laugh about it ;-)
When I first started using SL, I used to go to a wifi cafe with a friend and we would take our laptops and go 'in-world'. We had great fun exploring, and learnt a lot in the process! We even started blogging about our experiences/discoveries: http://troubleandslife.blogspot.com/
Unfortunately, though, after some time it became apparent that to try to maintain both a RL and a SL was exhausting - so like you, I know go into SL purely for work-related events... always fun though!
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