Any UK based players still around? Looking to connect.

[Shadeuk22]

Hello,

I haven't logged into SL for many years (2015). I recently reinstalled it to see if there were any people to socialize, connect with, or more (if that comes), as it has been a challenging few years to do that outside of the internet. It appears it has changed a lot since I was on last, which I expected, a lot of old hangouts of mine no longer exist, existing friends I had are gone and the world feels quite empty nowadays, at least from what I've seen since I have reinstalled.

I'm not very active I will admit, I work 12-hour shifts both day and night and when I am not doing that I am probably on a game of some sort, but it would be nice to have a reason to log into SL when time allows.

I am a UK player down in Cambridgeshire, I'm now 33 years old (yeah even I was shocked when I saw my last login date, I was 25 then haha)  is there anyone who wishes to connect with me? I am open to connecting with anyone from anywhere but the time difference and my non-existent work-life balance (joys of emergency service work) mean it would be quite difficult to talk to some parts of the world so the UK would be preferred.

I enjoy talking, hanging out, trying new things (sometimes) meeting others, and making connections. I will treat people the same on here as I do in RL, I mean at the end of the day that is me right? Also if it's your preference you can message me instead on the forums.

This is probably a shot in the dark since SL appears to be massively dead in most cases now compared to what it was, even looking through the forum here, it's not very active it appears and some topics are so old, but got to ask right?

Thanks for reading.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Shadeuk22

[Resi Pfeffer]

On 12/3/2023 at 4:03 AM, Shadeuk22 said:

so the UK would be preferred.

Welcome back

Whole europe is in your timezone or close to. You shouldnt narrow it down by insisting on GMT, let alone your 12 hour long day and night shifts.
To me it looks like, with your time schedule you are set to meet people from all over the world at any time.

My best advice is to hang a places that reflect your interests. If you are into cars, try the SL drifter scene, if you like to dance, pick one of the thousand clubs in SL, if you like to read the bible - im sure, there is also a group or a community for, and so on...

If you hang with like-minded people, the chances to split ways or to run out of things to talk about, is way less likely than just connecting with another person that also doesnt do anything  else than just "connecting".
 

[Zalificent Corvinus]

On 12/3/2023 at 3:03 AM, Shadeuk22 said:

a lot of old hangouts of mine no longer exist, existing friends I had are gone and the world feels quite empty nowadays,

On 12/3/2023 at 3:03 AM, Shadeuk22 said:

SL appears to be massively dead in most cases now compared to what it was

There's been no mass extinctions since 2015, the number of people on SL now is not that much different to 2015, what's changed is the way people use SL.

Shopping malls are dead, shopping events have taken over.  You think SL is empty, but try going to a "Shop & Hop" during the first few days.

 

Your problem is you've been away for 8 years, and expect everything to be the same when you return.  Same hangouts, same people, same activities. Your plan to "connect" based on logging in from the UK has some flaws, timezones are less important than what TIME one logs in, a Brit who finishes work at 11pm, and gets home and logs in at midnight, would have a hard time connecting with most other Brits, and would have better luck connecting with East Coast Yanks, who log in about the same time.

There's also the slight problem that you provide no info about what kind of stuff you are into and about, hell we've seen bots with better profiles, haha.

And as mentioned by somebody else, if you DO keep UK office hours, all those Euro folk across the Channel, are only 1 hour ahead of Real British Time, so put on your best red frock coat, and tricorne hat, grab your musket, fill your thermos with tea, and...

"O're the hills and o're the main, to Flanders, Portugal and Spain..." ( and these days, realistically, Germany and the Nederlands )

 

On 12/3/2023 at 3:03 AM, Shadeuk22 said:

This is probably a shot in the dark

The forum certainly is, since about 99.9999 % of SecondLifers don't even know it exists. Put on your spiffiest new avatar ( tell me you're not walking around in noob island issue from 2013 right? ) and go looking for trouble, visit the Shop n Hop, or find a club that plays music you like. And update your profile with something more sociable than "I'm a returning SL expat from 2015 with no friends, pity me", people don't CARE than you been away 8 years, they want to read what you are about.

 

/me joins the parade...

 

 

[Polenth Yue]

I'd suggest visiting the Winter Wonderland. You can get a HUD and find snowflakes for prizes on your own and play snowball fight games if a few other people are around. I've seen people starting these games all day.

The shop and hop isn't really a group activity, but each shop has a free gift and it'll knock out any ideas you have that nobody is around.

There are so many winter events running right now. Autumn and winter are usually packed. It tends to be summer that's a bit quiet. This blog post rounds up a lot of that stuff and links to the destination guide at the end for more: https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/14567-joy-to-the-grid-join-us-for-these-2023-holiday-events-and-activities/

Without any details on the stuff you like, it's hard to recommend other things. Your icon here means maybe scifi? In which case, I'd suggest joining the SL Sci-Fi Con group. The con proper is next year, but it'll mean you're there to be reminded.

Delete your current profile stuff and replace it with a bit about the stuff you like. Look at other people's profiles and see what groups they're in. If something seems to be relevant to your interests, join the group. They won't all work out, but you'll find new communities that way.

[InnerCity Elf]

Hello! 

What everyone said, join groups that match your interest and see if there have been any recent group notifications sent, or follow the group chat while you're on, check out the destination guide, go to events, and such.

I'd also argue that this forum isn't dead at all, and in a sense even more active than many other forums I know that look super active but have a much less useful activity, lots of new people who come, post a line or two one or three times, and then disappear, to never be seen again.
Whereas here, of the relative few who post, many post often or regularly, exchanging info, or just chat and joke around, some really put in lots of time to help out people with their SL know-how, and over a bit of time, you can find favourite posters, credible posters, like-minded souls, maybe even friends, or parasocial acquaintances, ... or people that rub you the wrong way, too, keeping things interesting and fun ahah.
I've been perusing this forum on and off over the years, and there are always enough people whom I "recognize", no matter how long I've been absent, to make it feel like a "return to home" of sorts. I perceive the forum population as very willing to help with info about any SL topic one could think of, even those who may appear to newcomers as of a very tough love kind. If you happen to meet someone whose name you recognize from the forum in-world, I'm sure most would be happy if you IM to say hi, I know I would, and my SL Halloween highlight this year was when I met someone who'd posted on the forum, while I was trespassing (trick-and-treat-eventing!) on their lawn. 🙂
And don't forget that forums also tend to have a high number of readers-only, too. 
So, it might be a shot in the dark, but maybe not. I hope you'll have fun, and will find what you are looking for, in any case!

[zZzJeizezZz]

On 12/4/2023 at 5:41 PM, Zalificent Corvinus said:

There's been no mass extinctions since 2015, the number of people on SL now is not that much different to 2015, what's changed is the way people use SL.

Shopping malls are dead, shopping events have taken over.  You think SL is empty, but try going to a "Shop & Hop" during the first few days.

 

Your problem is you've been away for 8 years, and expect everything to be the same when you return.  Same hangouts, same people, same activities. Your plan to "connect" based on logging in from the UK has some flaws, timezones are less important than what TIME one logs in, a Brit who finishes work at 11pm, and gets home and logs in at midnight, would have a hard time connecting with most other Brits, and would have better luck connecting with East Coast Yanks, who log in about the same time.

There's also the slight problem that you provide no info about what kind of stuff you are into and about, hell we've seen bots with better profiles, haha.

And as mentioned by somebody else, if you DO keep UK office hours, all those Euro folk across the Channel, are only 1 hour ahead of Real British Time, so put on your best red frock coat, and tricorne hat, grab your musket, fill your thermos with tea, and...

"O're the hills and o're the main, to Flanders, Portugal and Spain..." ( and these days, realistically, Germany and the Nederlands )

 

The forum certainly is, since about 99.9999 % of SecondLifers don't even know it exists. Put on your spiffiest new avatar ( tell me you're not walking around in noob island issue from 2013 right? ) and go looking for trouble, visit the Shop n Hop, or find a club that plays music you like. And update your profile with something more sociable than "I'm a returning SL expat from 2015 with no friends, pity me", people don't CARE than you been away 8 years, they want to read what you are about.

 

/me joins the parade...

 

 

 If someone after 8 years without playing was as supberb as you definitely I wouldnt come back. 

You sound like an old granny that hates foreigners. 

 

[PheebyKatz]

10 hours ago, zZzJeizezZz said:

 If someone after 8 years without playing was as supberb as you definitely I wouldnt come back. 

You sound like an old granny that hates foreigners. 

 

Ah, finally someone love the foreign. Come with me to Russia, I show you Peterbourg, we have pirogi.

11 Time Zone, more than rest of stinky Europa. No supremacists, we are far better than all of them.

Bring much money. American Dollars, please. If need gun, I sell you gun. We drink much.

[Livi Evergarden]

On 12/4/2023 at 5:41 PM, Zalificent Corvinus said:

Your problem is you've been away for 8 years, and expect everything to be the same when you return.  Same hangouts, same people, same activities.

As someone often in contact with returning residents I can vouch for this 100%! 

I have had breaks away from SL myself, and when you come back after a year, it does indeed seem like SL as a whole is dead. Most of your LM's are dead, and those that work, where there was a lively banter and party 24/7 are void of people. Your friend list is mostly vacated by offliners. When you think about places where there were "Always" a crowd and go there, there isn't a crowd, or it's a different crowd from then. 

SL is a living organism and the world continues while you are gone. And just like first time when you joined, and had zero people to talk to, you will have to once again build up a network of friends. When you have been back for a while, you aren't going to the destination guide to find out what to do, your friends are sending TP's or IM's telling you where it is happening right now. 

One concrete example of a UK based place is Tanya's Coffee Shop. There are usually people in UK daytime hanging out there. Welcome back. Don't give up, just because the world moved on, while you had your back turned ❤️

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]