Getting started....

[QuintessaLovelady]

Hello I am new to SL less then a week and I have no idea where to start in the virtual world. Was told to start working on meshing myself up but there's a problem it's all so expensive. I don't know if this is the right area to ask this but i've looked in the inworld employment didn't see anything that I would qualify for nor do I think the "noob" look would really get me far. So my question is how to get lindens without using RL money? I just simply don't have enough to spare so looking for other ways. Any suggestions would be wonderful. Thank you.

[Rolig Loon]

Hi, Quintessa!

Welcome to Second Life.  It would be nice to have some money in your pocket, I agree, but it's not truly essential.  As a matter of fact, it makes a lot more sense to wait for while before you think about spending L$ on things in world, especially if you are on a tight budget.  The basic avatar that you get as you sign up and log in for the first time is fine.  You'll look like a newbie, but we were all there once.  When you do get some money in your pocket, you'll be able to fix that.  Until then, just explore, see what's out there, meet people cautiously, and get comfortable with how to move around.  Practice your basic skills.  Visit Caledon Oxbridge University (or any of the other top-notch tutorial areas) and get some specific knowledge about aspects of SL that seem most important to you right now.

THEN think about getting L$ in your pockets.  By far, the easiest way to do that is to buy L$ on the LindeX.  Yes, you can look for work in world or (if you have an applicable skill in RL) you can start making things to sell or places to perform.  As you have already noticed, though, that means making an investment in your avatar, clothing, and other things.  It also means getting a good feel for how SL's economy works and how your own special skills might help you fit in.  And that takes time.  So, buy some L$ to start.  You can live like a Queen on less than L$5000 ( about $20 US ) if you shop wisely.  Look for freebie shops or low-cost items in the Marketplace (always get DEMOs first if you are buying clothes, though) to stretch your bankroll. Even as you gradually fit into the economy as a creator, performer, landowner, or whatever, it will almost always be true that you can earn more money for your time in RL than you can in SL, so treat your creative time in world as a hobby or vacation fun.  Don't think of it as a way to make a living.

One last thing .... there are lots of resources for beginners.  You have already found these forums.  Ask questions in the Answers subforum when you want to know how SL works (or why it doesn't seem to), and ask anything else wherever it seems appropriate. And don't mind the occasional wise clown that might rub you the wrong way. Aside from the forums, start reading articles in the Knowledge Base (tab at the top of this page).  You can usually get the basics there even before you ask detailed questions here.

Welcome again.  Have fun.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Rolig Loon

[811Lord]

“You don’t try to build a wall, you don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say I’m gonna build the biggest baddest wall that’s ever been built. you say, I’m gonna lay this brick, as perfectly as a brick can be laid, and you do that every single day, and soon you have a wall. It’s difficult to take the first step when you look how big the task is. The task is never huge to me, it’s always one brick.” – Will Smith

Rolig Loon is right when she says: "You'll look like a newbie, but we were all there once." Every tree needs time to grow, you and your Ava too. Every Ava looked like a newbie at the beginning (and many still after years).

And yes, unfortunately everything costs in life, but looking chic is primarily a question of wanting, and the time and work that you invest in it. You can spend a lot of money, but chic is not a question of money. What I have in my inventory, my Ava ... that's 5 years it has grown. Bit by bit, like the wall that grows from every single brick.  Welcome to Second Life QuintessaLovelady!

Edited March 10, 2020 by 811Lord

[Lindal Kidd]

Hi @QuintessaLovelady, welcome to Second Life!

There are many resources to help you learn about SL...the Knowledge Base here on this website, the helpful videos made by Torley Linden and available on YouTube, and resident-run help areas like Caledon Oxbridge University and New Citizens, Inc.

As Rolig says, having a mesh body and the latest mesh head, hair, and clothes is nice...but it's quite possible to assemble a very good looking avatar without them.  I'll send you a notecard with landmarks to a lot of free places when I'm in world.

[Brockland Burner]

Get my account on my android  phoned