Welcome to our world Rod. I sincerely hope you view Second Life for what it truly is, a Second Life to many of us, not just a game. In fact, you could call it a mix of a social network with a gane like quality, I guess. It is more than words can say. To truly understand SL, one must emerse in it and live it through your avatar as if it were a living dream.
I am a former EQ player and when it became laggy and less fun through some of the enhancements (shadows, etc.) I and my family of 4 left EQ for a competitor. I won't mention DAOC here.
My kids play SIMs and love it. My wife and I "live" in SL. So, I ask that you listen to the residents' input and truly be responsive to our needs so we continue to live part-time in our second lives to get away, for a time, from the real life stresses.
In the words of my people: Qapla'
QatanI
the KAG Elint commander bringing Klingons to SL