My first impression of SL and making friends!

[shesdelicate]

Hi friends

My name is Millie and I am new to SL, so I thought I’d make a post to share my experiences so far and see if I can make some new friends along the way. Sorry if this is TLDR worthy.

How I was introduced to Second Life:

Simple, I was randomly recommended a YouTube video of a Gamer trying out Second Life! So I thought I’d give it a shot and here I am.

Day one thoughts: 

⁃ Why does my avatar look like one half of the high profile celebrity defamation case going on right now? (IYKYK)

⁃ Clearly MS Paint sponsors this game, evident by the low-res bulletin boards littering the place. 

⁃ Free stuff is just a trap of confusing files and boxes. 

⁃ Thank goodness for YouTube! Sorta. 

At this point I had bumped into every surface I came across, downloaded 30 of the same free top and almost called it quits. But thankfully, the greeter in the room reached out and made me feel okay with being such a “n00b”. Greeters/helpers - you all rock! 

I followed the signs and arrows and finally did my first teleport! I joined a social room with lots of people… and dogs. Of course I was immediately drawn to the virtual animals in game. Cute wagging tails and pixelated floofs? I’m HOOKED. 

p.s. I’m sorry to anyone wearing an animal avatar that I may have tried to pet that day! 

After listening to some people on voice chat complain about other avatar looks, troll each other, and lots of spicy language later I almost gave up. But then I got my first private message! Of course I know how the internet works so my first instinct was to be skeptical of anyone and everyone, but spoiler alert - this guy just turned out to be super friendly and helpful. (Without giving away their username, it was slang for “hr0ny man”, so don’t judge my skepticism.) 

This person took me on a tour of where to find the best free avatars, heads, and skins! Then they invited me back to their apartment to get dressed. Which I finally did thanks to them having the patience of a saint and not laughing at me for freaking out at the accidental nudity that apparently comes along with dressing oneself. Cue lots of frustration and laughing at myself for about what felt like an hour and I was finally dressed. 

Then I was invited to stay and watch a movie. No, for real! They had a working “TV” with YouTube and other streaming things just hanging out on their virtual boathouse. Was this about to be a Netflix and chill situation? 

Nope! We just watched a slightly awkward, low-budget drama with a couple of awkward love scenes. Which of course made me hide my newly installed eyes and laugh like my parents were in the room with me or something just as embarrassing. 

Then I got to meet my first “creep” for lack of a better term. He mentioned his “roommate” has a dog, so obviously I said yes when he suggested he summon said roommate and dog. All was well and only slightly suspicious and catfishy at first. Then I got my first request to “voice chat” for pay. I’ll leave the juicy language used to your imagination. I declined, as that’s not what I’m here for. But no offense to anyone that is. Get that Linden coin! 

I went exploring a bit more and completely wrecked my avatar once I was left to my own devices. Thankfully stranger number 3 was just as helpful as stranger number 1 and got me semi back on track. But at this point it was like 3 am and I only had one nap that day so I had to GO. 

Dreams of flying into trees and missing eyeballs later, I decided to give it another go. 

Day two thoughts: 

⁃ Is $12 worth it to not have to get accidentally naked in public trying to change clothes? Yes. 

⁃ Where are all of the dogs and why have they suspiciously disappeared? 

⁃ Why is this guy with his pickle out standing so close to me? 

After shelling out the big bucks for a premium membership (yes, they sunk their hooks into me almost immediately and bled me dry) I spent all afternoon trying to repair the damage from the mistakes I made the night before. 

When my avatar was half decent and only missing her shoes, I went out exploring once more! I met lots of friendly people and a couple not so friendly people. 

For anyone curious it was an immediate private message asking to be my boyfriend and “crying” when I said no, because that’s literally not how relationships work. Then spammed with compliments of my avatar, invites back to their luxurious beach, and told repeatedly he was a millionaire in real life and wanted to buy me everything I could ever dream of. And then immediately called a gold digger when I replied with my wishlist taking them up on their offer of buying me things instead of their offer of “romance”. Hey, maybe it’s tacky but I knew this persons game.

(If you’re feeling extra nice, here is said wishlist lol - https://marketplace.secondlife.com/wishlists/shesdelicate)

Thankfully the friendly people outwieighed the negative and I had a lot of fun dancing, shopping, and chatting! I’m still trying to find my confidence when it comes to initiating or jumping into the conversation. I appreciate when others take the first step and message me, then it’s practically impossible to get me to shut up lol. 

I still don’t know how to decorate my house (a few random boxes are stuck in the floors/walls) and shoes are still next level, but I’m sure YouTube can help me figure something out. All in all - I really enjoy SL and hope to make many friends while I’m here! 

Just a quick get to know me: I have a family cat and two dogs, I’m going to school for programming (I’m not very good at it yet), I love all things Disney, most shades of pink, Hello Kitty, Studio Ghibli, chocolate snacks, my favorite game is Animal Crossing, I enjoy crafting/making, reading, going on adventures, and taking naps. If you want to be friends feel free to message me in game! 

Username: shesdelicate 

TLDR: Saw a YouTuber play SL, signed up and ran into a bunch of people and things but eventually met some helpful strangers along the way. Now I’m hooked and want more friends!

[Owl Dragonash]

Welcome to Sl and thank you for sharing your first few days with everyone. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders and that will defiantly get you far in sl!

[Suki Blossom]

Welcome to sl! It can be confusing at the start - But once you know how everything works and when you have some cool people to hang out with it's absolutely enjoyable!

[Persephone Emerald]

Welcome to SL. You're post is a delight to read. Keep us updated, if you'd like.  I'm sorry some of the guys you ran into were so pushy, but thank goodness that "roommate with a dog" didn't turn out worse. 😆 If you still like SL well enough before your next premium subscription payment is due, you might consider going for the annual subscription, since it's much cheaper in the long run. I'm assuming you got a Linden Home, which is a great way to have a place of your own without having to pay weekly rent. 

YouTube videos can be very helpful for figuring out how to do things in SL, where the best sales are, ideas on how to decorate, etc. Joining groups that advertise free stuff, such as "SL Frees and Offers" and "Fabulously Free" are good too. Female friends will likely be able to tell you where to get good skin, hair, clothes, etc. better than guys can. For instance, if you join Blueberry, open their Free Store Credit gift in their group notices, and go over there before 2 pm today, you can get some great clothes with $L 500 in free store credit. The free store credit is good for 3 weeks after you activate the card, but their 50% off sale is supposed to end soon. You probably won't be able to walk into the store, but you can cam inside to shop from the adjacent region.

Finally, don't worry if you think your avatar doesn't look perfect or if everything seems a bit confusing and overwhelming at times. Take your time. Have fun. Don't spend too much money. And Demo any mesh bodies, heads and clothes before you buy them.

Edited May 15, 2022 by Persephone Emerald

[Orwar]

   That was an interesting read, thank you for sharing. On the forums though, please don't change the text colour to black - some of us use the 'night mode' and it becomes really difficult to read black on dark grey (the 'automatic' colour changes to a soft off-white for us instead!).

   I'm glad to hear that you stuck around in spite of the initially steep learning curve and oddities of SL, my first time was quite wild as well; especially the first neighbours I had once I'd gotten myself somewhere to live. Though 'pervs' are by no means uncommon, I'm convinced that the majority of people in SL are quite decent for the most time (although counter-intuitively the ones who go clubbing often seem to be 'on the prowl', so I usually advise people against going to such places if they're looking to make friends - also because the obnoxious gesturbating* and braindead chatter in Nearby Chat tends to make me space out almost immediately after arriving)

   *SL term for using a lot of, and usually spammy/noisy gestures.

   Generally it's quite easy to find people to help you, either in-world or on the forums, so don't be afraid to reach out if you need anything - and never hesitate to ask questions; SL is complicated, even those of us who've spent the better part of a decade on the grid still learn new things all the time. 

[AnnabelleApocalypse]

Ahhh this takes me back. Welcome to SL! Sounds like you had an eventful first few days. 

I second what others have said. Take your time and ask around if your confused about some aspect of updating your avatar. Mesh bodies and heads can be particularly confusing and it really helps to get demos and ask peoples opinions before splashing the cash. This forum is a good resource for that!

Also, don't be put off by the pervs and the crazies. Just like RL, SL is full of all kinds of people, but in my experience, most people are nice decent folks. Often socially awkward, but nice. 

And if not, that's what the "block" button is for. 

 

[Bagnu]

6 hours ago, shesdelicate said:

Hi friends

My name is Millie and I am new to SL, so I thought I’d make a post to share my experiences so far and see if I can make some new friends along the way. Sorry if this is TLDR worthy.

How I was introduced to Second Life:

Simple, I was randomly recommended a YouTube video of a Gamer trying out Second Life! So I thought I’d give it a shot and here I am.

Day one thoughts: 

⁃ Why does my avatar look like one half of the high profile celebrity defamation case going on right now? (IYKYK)

⁃ Clearly MS Paint sponsors this game, evident by the low-res bulletin boards littering the place. 

⁃ Free stuff is just a trap of confusing files and boxes. 

⁃ Thank goodness for YouTube! Sorta. 

At this point I had bumped into every surface I came across, downloaded 30 of the same free top and almost called it quits. But thankfully, the greeter in the room reached out and made me feel okay with being such a “n00b”. Greeters/helpers - you all rock! 

I followed the signs and arrows and finally did my first teleport! I joined a social room with lots of people… and dogs. Of course I was immediately drawn to the virtual animals in game. Cute wagging tails and pixelated floofs? I’m HOOKED. 

p.s. I’m sorry to anyone wearing an animal avatar that I may have tried to pet that day! 

After listening to some people on voice chat complain about other avatar looks, troll each other, and lots of spicy language later I almost gave up. But then I got my first private message! Of course I know how the internet works so my first instinct was to be skeptical of anyone and everyone, but spoiler alert - this guy just turned out to be super friendly and helpful. (Without giving away their username, it was slang for “hr0ny man”, so don’t judge my skepticism.) 

This person took me on a tour of where to find the best free avatars, heads, and skins! Then they invited me back to their apartment to get dressed. Which I finally did thanks to them having the patience of a saint and not laughing at me for freaking out at the accidental nudity that apparently comes along with dressing oneself. Cue lots of frustration and laughing at myself for about what felt like an hour and I was finally dressed. 

Then I was invited to stay and watch a movie. No, for real! They had a working “TV” with YouTube and other streaming things just hanging out on their virtual boathouse. Was this about to be a Netflix and chill situation? 

Nope! We just watched a slightly awkward, low-budget drama with a couple of awkward love scenes. Which of course made me hide my newly installed eyes and laugh like my parents were in the room with me or something just as embarrassing. 

Then I got to meet my first “creep” for lack of a better term. He mentioned his “roommate” has a dog, so obviously I said yes when he suggested he summon said roommate and dog. All was well and only slightly suspicious and catfishy at first. Then I got my first request to “voice chat” for pay. I’ll leave the juicy language used to your imagination. I declined, as that’s not what I’m here for. But no offense to anyone that is. Get that Linden coin! 

I went exploring a bit more and completely wrecked my avatar once I was left to my own devices. Thankfully stranger number 3 was just as helpful as stranger number 1 and got me semi back on track. But at this point it was like 3 am and I only had one nap that day so I had to GO. 

Dreams of flying into trees and missing eyeballs later, I decided to give it another go. 

Day two thoughts: 

⁃ Is $12 worth it to not have to get accidentally naked in public trying to change clothes? Yes. 

⁃ Where are all of the dogs and why have they suspiciously disappeared? 

⁃ Why is this guy with his pickle out standing so close to me? 

After shelling out the big bucks for a premium membership (yes, they sunk their hooks into me almost immediately and bled me dry) I spent all afternoon trying to repair the damage from the mistakes I made the night before. 

When my avatar was half decent and only missing her shoes, I went out exploring once more! I met lots of friendly people and a couple not so friendly people. 

For anyone curious it was an immediate private message asking to be my boyfriend and “crying” when I said no, because that’s literally not how relationships work. Then spammed with compliments of my avatar, invites back to their luxurious beach, and told repeatedly he was a millionaire in real life and wanted to buy me everything I could ever dream of. And then immediately called a gold digger when I replied with my wishlist taking them up on their offer of buying me things instead of their offer of “romance”. Hey, maybe it’s tacky but I knew this persons game.

(If you’re feeling extra nice, here is said wishlist lol - https://marketplace.secondlife.com/wishlists/shesdelicate)

Thankfully the friendly people outwieighed the negative and I had a lot of fun dancing, shopping, and chatting! I’m still trying to find my confidence when it comes to initiating or jumping into the conversation. I appreciate when others take the first step and message me, then it’s practically impossible to get me to shut up lol. 

I still don’t know how to decorate my house (a few random boxes are stuck in the floors/walls) and shoes are still next level, but I’m sure YouTube can help me figure something out. All in all - I really enjoy SL and hope to make many friends while I’m here! 

Just a quick get to know me: I have a family cat and two dogs, I’m going to school for programming (I’m not very good at it yet), I love all things Disney, most shades of pink, Hello Kitty, Studio Ghibli, chocolate snacks, my favorite game is Animal Crossing, I enjoy crafting/making, reading, going on adventures, and taking naps. If you want to be friends feel free to message me in game! 

Username: shesdelicate 

TLDR: Saw a YouTuber play SL, signed up and ran into a bunch of people and things but eventually met some helpful strangers along the way. Now I’m hooked and want more friends!

Anytime you need help, I will help. I remember what it was like to start. It's a difficult learning curve. So many things to learn. You make from your SL experience what you want it to be. It really is quite amazing. And remember, you're not alone. People will help you, just like you said they did. Just be careful with who you trust. 

[Polenth Yue]

Given your interests, you might want to visit Raglan Shire, where the tinies and dinkies live. Most are small animals (a lot like the Animal Crossing style of avatar). Artwalk has just started, so there's a lot of art on the hedges to look at. This is the welcome center: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Raglan Shire/105/196/59

The group "Bellisseria Citizens" focuses on Linden Home stuff. I'm assuming you picked up a home from your comments, so this will help you meet your neighbours.

In big events, the next up is SciFi Con, which starts on 18th May. Even if you're not huge on science fiction stuff, you might want to have a look around to see what big events can be like. That will have displays, shops and parties. The website will have the location when it opens: https://www.scificon.org/

Do pay attention to what the viewer shows you on the opening screen and the message as you're logging in. That can include links to current events and locations. There's also the destination guide: https://secondlife.com/destinations

I hope you continue to have fun in Second Life!

[Katherine Heartsong]

Welcome and congrats for keeping going! The first few days/weeks are often filled with challenges and frustrations as things appear to go wrong such as turning invisible, trying BOM and looking like you're wearing two faces, figuring out the differences between the various ways objects (in those orange boxes) get "rezzed" and their content appear (there are at least three standard ways!), understanding the difference between "Adding" a piece of clothing versus "Wearing" it, let alone dealing with the inevitable flood of creeps that attach themselves to newcomers.

Just keep going, ask for help here on the forums or in-world, be curious but cautious, etc. Once you get hooked, you'll get really hooked

Edited May 15, 2022 by Katherine Heartsong

[KyrasCorric]

It's nice to see these feel good posts from new users. Let's just hope that things can improve from here. Keep your head up, you'll keep finding good people with the positive attitude your giving right now!

[Persephone Emerald]

Btw, check out the free group gifts at Jian and Rezz Room for free pets.

[shesdelicate]

Thank you so much everyone for the good advice and kind words. And an extra thank you to those that messaged me in game.  Day 3 has been fun so far, I spent way too much money on furniture and have chatted with lots of new people! 

[Bagnu]

I looked at your profile. Your pic and your AV look quite polished. How did you manage to accomplish that look in 3 days? It's also quite impressive to have a wishlist of 4 pages in 3 days. How did you manage to work on your AV, meet people, and browse MP in that short amount of time?

Edited May 16, 2022 by Bagnu

[Sprout Evergarden]

Welcome to SL.

Tthis place is crazy people let there id go nuts so be ready with the bleach eye drops (figurative not literal) mops people here are decent but keep your guard up for the creeps

 

[shesdelicate]

1 hour ago, Bagnu said:

I looked at your profile. Your pic and your AV look quite polished. How did you manage to accomplish that look in 3 days? It's also quite impressive to have a wishlist of 4 pages in 3 days. How did you manage to work on your AV, meet people, and browse MP in that short amount of time?

Haha, because I've had no life the past 3 days. It was the weekend so I spent all of my time on SL. I got my avatar and head from freebie groups people took me too, and I just took a screenshot of that for my profile pic once she looked nice. I cleared out most of my wishlist from a sale today, all of the items were from the same shop. I guess getting sucked in took me no time at all but also all of my time!

[animats]

Welcome! Congratulations on surviving your first week.

Useful hints:

• Arriving in SL is not like starting a game. It's more like arriving in a new city. You will probably have some bad experiences at first. There are places for new users which offer a more gentle experience - Firestorm Help Island, New Users Inc, London City, etc. The Linden-provided social islands are like real world bus stations, full of losers and jerks.
• Save what you're wearing. Open the T-shirt menu, and one of the options is "Save As". That lets you save your avatar and current outfit. Then you can go back to that outfit later. You can save lots of different outfits. Have at least one good outfit saved in case you mess up.

Hey, at least you're not in debt to Tom Nook.

[Caroline Takeda]

Entertaining writing style.

Ever thought about blogging?

[colleen Criss]

Welcome to SL. Your experiences took me back to when I was a noob, 14 yrs with some breaks here and there. I still fall out of the sky and wear boxes and I still mess up my avatar. I've laughed out loud at myself to the extent it brings my family to see what's going on. Enjoy your SL, have fun , don't take things too seriously and ignore the creeps.

[shesdelicate]

6 hours ago, Caroline Takeda said:

Entertaining writing style.

Ever thought about blogging?

I haven’t actually! I feel like I’m just a rambler when writing but I appreciate your comment.  

[Cali Souther]

Welcome to Second Life! 

 

[Caroline Takeda]

17 hours ago, shesdelicate said:

I haven’t actually! I feel like I’m just a rambler when writing but I appreciate your comment.  

It lacks method of course, but it shows talent.

[Mishlait]

If you wrote a blog about your experiences with SL, I would totally read it, loved your writing style and made  you me laugh and remember my noob days.

Sadly, SL as a HUGE learning curve in my opinion. Over the years I invited multiple friends from my RL and none of them stayed because they got very frustrated. Staying with clothes on and avoiding to get harassed by trolls was too hard for them , and I can't blame them. I was lucky enough to be mentored by a veteran resident, and also my natural stubbornness helped tons, so I manage to enjoy SL over time. I hope you do it as well, once you get the hang of it it's quite fun!

[niko89bg]

Hey, welcome to SL! The start is kinda rough but eventually everything is cool. 

[inez920909]

I got a kick out of your post.  No TLDR needed, I read the whole thing!  You seem like someone I would totally love to hang with.  I hope you don't mind, I'm going to shoot you a friend request!  Animal crossing is one of my faves as well ❤️ I'm also a seasoned vet in SL so I'm happy to help you with anything you need! 

Edited May 23, 2022 by inez920909