How long have you been here?

[Tari Landar]

Consider it idle curiosity on my part, I'm weird, I like reading these things 

So, how long have you been in sl? Or, if you'd prefer, when did you first visit/join sl? 

 

My first visit was in 2004, it was boring, confusing, and I knew no one. I left, not long after I joined, maybe a few months (no longer have that av, it got deleted by LL years ago). I came back in 2006, stayed a while longer, but still knew no one, still found it to be odd (I was one, back then, who compared it to other places..games if you will..and had way more fun in those places, yes I was a TSO junkie  ) I came and left on and off throughout 2006, but by 2007 realized other places were still more fun and spent the majority of my free time, in those places.  I deleted that av myself when I left, saw no reason to keep it around, honestly didn't think I'd be returning.

Came back for good in 2008, and have been here ever since. It was much more fun by then, way less confusing, and I actually knew people here, that helped tremendously.  

 

[Myra Wildmist]

I've been here since oct 25, 2010, Tari. I found SL frustrating and confusing at first, but I'm pretty social and SL is very social, too. I met some nice people who helped me out and I made it through the initial rough patch. I've been here ever since. I love it.

[Alwin Alcott]

my first account was rezzed 11-11-2005 ( still around)

[Jeny Howlett]

Since 8/14/2007. My 10th RezDay approaching soon ^.^ Actually i miss the old good times. We all have these fancy avatars now, but the fun is gone. I played for 5 years a row , then quit for 4 and came back in august last year.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Jeny Howlett

[Parhelion Palou]

I first visited in early 2005 but just looked around a bit and left. I tried again in early September 2006. My goal was to build things and do some scripting (especially automated vehicles). I caught the SL bug and have been here ever since.

[Ina Fairport]

My first avatar rezzed in September 2006. I loved SL from the very first beginning. 
That first account did not stay long. I was playing with the avatars in the library of my inventory and I did not know how to get back to my original ava..nobody could help me.
So after three months in SL I already had my second account and deleted the first one

In March 2010 I left SL and deleted my account. I was too busy in RL.
Half a year later, September 2010 I was back with Ina

I still love SL but I agree with Jeny that the fun of the good old times is gone  Instead of a virtual world SL has become a RP game. Well, that is how I feel it.
But that is life. Nothing stays the same. Everything is always changing.

 

 
 

[Kotelle]

I created my first account in 2005 or 2006, I dont really remember. Guess she is still alive, but I don't remember the credentials to this account. I stayed around 5-6 months and left, mostly because it was disappointing - not many people from my time zone, at least not where I used to hang out, difficult to make any L$ when you are a newbie with no skills and not perfect english etc. And it was ugly

Second try was around 2009. Also around 6 months and gone, mostly because lack of time. This one is now deleted. 

My current avatar was created in January 2016 and since that day I have been pretty active and quite happy about SL. Finally found out how to solve many issues and I started to learn more things. 

[Jae Villa]

I started in 2006 as Jae Corinthian. After a year I moved to a new account Jae Villa and my RL partner joined me for a couple of years. I stopped playing in 2009 when my last blog post shows I'd probably only been logging on once a month for about 12 months. 

Then 2 months ago I got a new laptop. I started trying to remember what apps I needed to install and suddenly thought about Second Life. I signed in and started to explore my old stomping grounds, finding over half still in existence. I discovered mesh bodies... and then I was hooked again!

 

 

 

[Cindy Evanier]

Feb 2009 and have only had an enforced 1 week break due to being in hospital.  Thanks to lumyia even 2 HD deaths haven't been able to disrupt my love for SL. Though these days my time is split between SL and our opensim region.

[Tari Landar]

I really like reading things like this. It's interesting to learn about folks' "history" on sl so to speak.  Sometimes knowing just a bit more about people can help shed light on subjects too-which is something I also find fascinating. 

I'm also still in the midst of trying to decipher my instructor's current nearly incoherent discussion topic in one of my courses which has me banging my head on a proverbial wall atm. Distractions are nice sometimes  

 

[ChinRey]

My first SL account is long gone and I'm not sure exactly then I created it. I think it was 2004 or 2005 but it may have been a little bit earlier or later.

My current stay in Second Life started in May 2013.

[Amanda Crisp]

I originally came here in September of 2005 and have been in SL continually ever since, altho I have retired my original "Main" after running into a very determined Stalker with about 20 alts that LL was and is able to do very little about. I understand why LL has issues dealing with people who are that determined..., and walking away from that big Inventory was a better decision than dealing with the Griefer-of-the-Week.

I came over in a mob; a bunch of us moved here from a dwindling and now-defunct MMORPG - so I had the advantage of having an immediate group of friends to do things with.....

I spent a LOT of time in my early years in roleplay-sims and on the periphery of Club Work (my longtime Partner is really into Hosting and DJing here in SL)

These days I DJ and socialise more than anything.  

SL has been a place for me to decompress (my RL career was a real pressure-cooker and involved metaphorically herding cats) and I was lucky enough to find someone here that kept me "logging on regardless" since the first month I was here ;-)  That's been over a decade now.......

Post-Script:

SL has also helped me recover from a RL Mishap.  I suffered a stroke some years back and although speech and physical therapy in RL have done wonders - I was very self-conscious about talking to people or even going out in public for a couple of years (when people hear you slur your speech, see you have issues getting about and assume you're drunk or mentally handicapped, its humiliating).  I had always been one of those Type-A over-achievers, and suddenly I was "limited".....SL was my place to be "normal" while I was working feverishly in RL to recover from the stroke-related deficits, and that did my self-image a lot of good. I'm much better now and working full-steam ahead in a new career; but I monitor the "Shockproof" stroke support group even today; there are more of us out there,,,,

“Scars are not injuries. A scar is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole.” 
― China Miéville

Edited August 6, 2017 by AmandaKeen

[Phil Deakins]

December 2006. My cousin's daughter introduced me to it, and that was fortunate because I had someone who already knew their way around, so I didn't face the learning curve that those who arrive on their own do. A month or so later, we'd started a business together, renting out skyboxes, and nothing has tempted me to leave SL since then.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my time and experiences in SL. I no longer have an SL business, and I have nothing in particular to do inworld, but I still log in often, and mostly just stand in my skybox, usually doing nothing - almost waiting for something to happen. It's weird. Or maybe it's me who is weird, but SL has been such a big part of my daily life for so long that I've no desire to turn it off for good. Nothing has yet replaced it for me.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Phil Deakins

[Cindy Evanier]

1 hour ago, AmandaKeen said:

SL has also helped me recover from a RL Mishap.

I should have added similar to my post.  3 years ago I had a still undiaghosed incident which they think is likely MS but until it happens again they don't know.  Anyway, after having to learn to walk again, its left me unable to walk far, needing a wheelchair on some days, fuzzy vision when tired and fatigue that can hit like a wave at any moment.  SL means I can dance, DJ, fly, communicate with people any time of the day and night. Basically feel normal. 

[ChinRey]

57 minutes ago, Phil Deakins said:

and that was fortunate because I had someone who already knew their way around,

I too would probably have stayed longer the first time if I had known somebody there or at least met somebody I could communicate with. But I was dropped right in the middle of a huge shopping mall, I couldn't figure out how to get out of it, everybody else there seemed to be in the middle of an oyster imitation contest and the only information I could get out of it all was that I ahd to give them my credit card number and spend a handful of dolalrs on a proper avatar before I could go out among other people.

[Amanda Crisp]

13 minutes ago, Cindy Evanier said:

I should have added similar to my post.  3 years ago I had a still undiaghosed incident which they think is likely MS but until it happens again they don't know.  Anyway, after having to learn to walk again, its left me unable to walk far, needing a wheelchair on some days, fuzzy vision when tired and fatigue that can hit like a wave at any moment.  SL means I can dance, DJ, fly, communicate with people any time of the day and night. Basically feel normal. 

SL is great......here we don't just walk correctly - we can fly ;-) *Hugs*

[Ceka Cianci]

I started with a few friends from an online artist group we were in on Mirc on july 31 2006,.The group was kind of a mixture of artists and role players called Darknest.It was a fun place to goof around and also  get or give answers for any photoshop questions or show your work to see what other artists thought of it..It was a place where you could put of sexy art and people not give you a hard time..

It kind of got old after awhile and a few of us were looking to expand our horizons some..Not that I was this awesome artist or anything,because I wasn't..I just loved photoshop and also a lot of their art and some fun role play..hehehe

I remember saying in chat,I wish there was something where we could do this and this and this and this  all in one place and bring things to life more..

Someone said,there is,ever heard of second life?

I said no..

They posted the link and I went and read the page..From the page it looked like some tropical place from what I could tell and buying islands..Sounded like a lot of investment to start..

They said no,that's just if you want to get all invested in it..there is one woman that made like a million dollars there..

I was like,In and online game?!

They said yes,you can make money there doing all kinds of things..They told me a list of things and that we could make free avatars that won't expire..

I was like Ok I'm gonna try it out..Then a few others went in with me..One guy had a char already,so he went in also..

 

Annnyways,

My first day in I remember landing  on Orientation Island..I believe that place is gone now..once you left it you could not go back to it..

I remember hitting the spawn point and seeing a lot of the same looking people everywhere..All dressed the same and walking around like zombies with the duck walk..

Then this voice that was like something out of the movie ,The Island directing everyone around or something like that,it felt creepy..Then everyone following this path..

The controls were all goofy and I started to get really frustrated..

It doesn't take me long to feel claustrophobic online even though I'm not claustrophobic in RL..

I think I spent a total of about 15 to 20 minutes on orientation island before I had to get the heck out of there.. I  didn't care what anyone was saying about it getting better or anything..once that feeling gets in motion,i'm outta there.. hehehehe

It really really really felt like the start of the movie The Island to me.. I think that made me really leery..

My friends came back in the group and group IM'd me telling me that was only the start point so you get to know how to work things..

I was like,maybe I'll try it again in a couple of days,but right now it just creeped me out..

So in a couple of days I went in again and was back on orientation island and asked where they were,because I didn't see them anywhere..They ported me to mainland,which I guess they were trying to do before but I didn't pay any attention in my fit I was throwing that day... hehehe

once I got to main land and started to see a lot of neat things and finding out stuff we could do and things we could get for free..I loaded up my inventory with all the free I could see..

Big mistake that took me forever and a day to clean from my inventory..

I noticed a lot of the nicer things I would have to pay for..so I read up on what premium was all about..I ended up going premium the first day back,then getting some land and a mansion and a place where my friends and anyone from the Mirc group could come to when they first got here..I made the group darknest and sent it to the channel so they knew where to go and we would port them to the house..

once I moved out I kept the place so they could still have a place to live..I think it was two years before everyone had moved on and the place went empty..

That's about all I remember..

I guess in a way it really was kind of like the movie the island..It got really exciting once I got out of zombie land..hehehehe

Wow,I kind of dragged that out didn't I? herhehe sorry.

 

 

Edited August 6, 2017 by Ceka Cianci

[LittleMe Jewell]

My initial account was in March 2007 and I created Lil in July 2007.  Soon after, Lil became my primary account, though I do still log my original account in now and then.  She is mostly just kept alive to be the second group member for my land.

I did take a mostly break from roughly 2010 until early this year.  I say 'mostly' because I did still log in every few months or so during that time, but didn't really stay inworld long or do anything other than clear out group notices and IMs.

Edited August 6, 2017 by LittleMe Jewell

[Ivanova Shostakovich]

10 hours ago, Tari Landar said:

Consider it idle curiosity on my part, I'm weird, I like reading these things 

So, how long have you been in sl? Or, if you'd prefer, when did you first visit/join sl? 

 

My first visit was in 2004, it was boring, confusing, and I knew no one. I left, not long after I joined, maybe a few months (no longer have that av, it got deleted by LL years ago). I came back in 2006, stayed a while longer, but still knew no one, still found it to be odd (I was one, back then, who compared it to other places..games if you will..and had way more fun in those places, yes I was a TSO junkie  ) I came and left on and off throughout 2006, but by 2007 realized other places were still more fun and spent the majority of my free time, in those places.  I deleted that av myself when I left, saw no reason to keep it around, honestly didn't think I'd be returning.

Came back for good in 2008, and have been here ever since. It was much more fun by then, way less confusing, and I actually knew people here, that helped tremendously.  

 

   I remember seeing your name around here and there.

[Karen Kondrad]

Nov 2006 , spent most of my first day stuck in a wall .... lmao

Then some chick rescued me  , made me all pretty ,,,,then tried to sell me , hahaha

[Tari Landar]

That initial "orientation area" was rather odd..fifty million(ok probably more like maybe 5-10 at a time, lol) people all looking the same..the basic ruth, lol. I saw very few people actually going through the process, most were messing with their avs...but I was a tad sad I could never get back there. I also found that odd. "Why would they make a place you can't go back to, just look at all the people there that, clearly, need help".  The very first place I went to was...a freebie place, lmao. I think I stayed there for a few days before I even bothered leaving too. Mostly because I had nowhere else to go, and at least there were always people there. There were stores too, but mostly, freebie places (I later learned it was actually a "mall" of sorts..and it no longer exists, hasn't since about 2009, I think.

Good times

It's fun "reliving" people's first days here   

[Venus Petrov]

Venus rezzed on Feb 18 2007 and she's my primary avie.  I have an alt I created for a property group who never gets inworld (poor thing).  I recall reading an article in late 2006 about SecondLife.  It piqued my interest but a couple of months passed before I logged in.  My original computer was not capable of representing the inworld environment without waiting many minutes for things to rez. Still, I figured everyone had the same experience and I was curious enough to stick it out (through several more computers) and I'm happy I did so.

I've met a handful of wonderful people I happily call 'friend'.  What more could one ask of a world where people can so easily come and go?

[Cindy Evanier]

11 minutes ago, Venus Petrov said:

I recall reading an article in late 2006 about SecondLife

It was reading an article that got me here in 2009 too.  Trash Sunday paper article about a woman who was divorcing her RL husband because he was hooking up with men in second life.  I had never heard of SL before and thought omg that is too hilarious not to check out. I wandered the orientation area a while.. maybe 3 days of confusion before accepting a tp to freebie dungeon.  I went wild there

[Jeny Howlett]

5 minutes ago, Cindy Evanier said:

It was reading an article that got me here in 2009 too.  Trash Sunday paper article about a woman who was divorcing her RL husband because he was hooking up with men in second life.  I had never heard of SL before and thought omg that is too hilarious not to check out. I wandered the orientation area a while.. maybe 3 days of confusion before accepting a tp to freebie dungeon.  I went wild there

Now this is interesting... I discovered SL through an article too. It meantioned being able to do all things imaginable and my curiousity lead me here

[Conifer Dada]

I started in September 2006.  My early experience was not encouraging, all sorts of weird grey shapes around and it all seemed very small, just one little island - Orientation Island - It took me a while to discover the rest or the Grid and how to explore it.  Everything was very confusing but there was just enough interest to keep me trying and I've been around ever since. What kept me here for the first few years was being able to build stuff.

I did try to join SL earlier on, after seeing a news feature about it on BBC.  I remember visiting the website and being unable to log in to SL - I didn't even realise that I needed to download the viewer, I thought it all worked from the website!  So I gave up on that occasion.