It's nice to find people who understand. Don Heider, associate at the Journalism School at the University of Maryland and Kim Gregson, professor of Journalism, Park School, Ithaca College, talk in a three way audio interview about Second Life at the Online News Association annual meeting in Toronto.

The Shelter gets a positive mention (and so it should!). A lot of territory gets covered, what Second Life is, anonymity (and the lack thereof), Second Life as a virchspace extension of the physical world, physical world extrusions of brands and businesses into Second Life, CSI:NY, Linden Lab's business model and more. Not 100% complete (it would be much longer for one thing) and not quite totally correct, but still well worth listening to, especially if Second Life is a bit opaque to you.

This is the 18th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I've known Psyra pretty much as long as I've been in Second Life. Always a welcome sight and quite often a visually impressive one. His custom bird creations and avatars are well... extraordinary.

Second Life Name? Psyra Extraordinaire

Second Life Age? 1,129 days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)

Light roleplayer, artist; I have an interest in birds and fantasy critters and doing things in SL other people have not done.

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)

Hmmmm, tricky one. I don't usually think of 'favorites', usually pretty even on that line and that would be a *lot* more than one. So I'd have to get away with saying Torley [Linden]... since in the early days when he was new we hung around, and that hasn't really changed, though the hours have. He's still given me ideas and things to work on every so often. Secondly, most of the members of the Grendel's Wanderers group, which usually are constantly bombarding me with ideas. :D

As well as Flea Bussy and the Grendel's Children group of course.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)

Definitely Flea Bussy, we're partners, we literally work together, creating the prims, shaping them, connecting them as two different people for one av. So avatars we make quite literally have multiple creators.

Then there's Piper Zuhal, our "top scripter" that helps get everything functioning right. Starax Statosky, of course.

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why? (A brief overview of all the things you like to do.)

Building, some scripting, sound effects, gestures, and some music. Building birds. Scripting birds. :D Snagging/mixing sounds for birds, etc...

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?

I rarely attend them any more, but usually the big causes like Relay for Life, Cancer Awareness, I'll still get involved with those ... My real life keeps me too busy to really get out and socialize or 'network' these days. I'd love to get to an SLCC some day.

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)

Well, until recently (read: yesterday) voice-only was a problem as I did not have a capable sound card that was actually full duplex (meaning Sl voice has not worked for me until, well, yesterday). Until then, it was about the only factor. The only other factors would be probably mood ... I'm just not comfortable at solemn or "overly serious" events.

I'm not a crowd person .... so i tend to avoid things that are really really popular - with the exception of Relay for Life and similar causes. Things that involve lots of wide open sims, I'm OK. Things that involve packing into a little auditorium, I'm not quite so OK.

This is the 18th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I bumped into Footsy Furse at NCI South in Hamnida. She was willing to talk in detail about her early experiences and was able to articulate them clearly and distinctly.

Second Life Name? Footsy Furse

Second Life Age? 23 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)

Read about it in a newspaper article.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?

It was in a serious broadsheet newspaper, and it sounded fun - the main emphasis was on shopping (for clothes, etc.). The girl who wrote seemed to have produced an avatar that looked like herself - glamorous rl and sl pictures side by side.

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)

Standard entry (Orientation Island/Help Island)

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?

Aside from finding a new shape for my avatar, I didn't find Orientation Island very helpful.

The first impression I got of Help Island was that it gave me some open space to escape into and experiment with my avatar without being pestered/chatted-up!

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?

Orientation Island was a bit simplistic. I moved on to Help Island quickly - maybe that was a mistake because of my inexperience.

What I did do, though was to buy some books.

Firstly the "official" Linden SL handbook - not for beginners - its more like an intermediate level (who wants to know about advanced scripting when they have only just joined ?) and it misses out a lot of fundamental stuff that you need to know early on such as how to use the pie!

Second: "A Beginners Guide to SL" - much better - written for beginners, but strangely concentrates too much on building.

Third: "Designing for SL" (by Rebecca Tapley) bought it a few days ago via Amazon - by far the best book of the three - concentrates on building/molding your avatar before introducing building. I have to say an excellent book.

My first impressions of Help Island didn't hold up when it came to Help Island Public. It was more violent than I expected - and rather juvenile. I thought the kids had a place of their own, but it was obvious just listening in to conversations that most of the avatars were driven by male teenagers. Especially on the crowded central platform - lots of testosterone showing off.

I was surprised by the amount of griefing there and I didn't know what to do about it or how to defend myself.

I was attacked almost every day by a giant mesh tin can, that "captured" me and dragged me around and eventually dumped me far out to sea. I almost abandoned SL after a few days of that.

When I asked Helpers there for advice I was laughed at at first, mainly by the other avatars around. My main impression of the helpers there was that the helpers were not too interested in newbies! I found a much better place to get help a few days later.

The place I go for Help is Fishermans Cove (NCI Beach). It just seems to attract a nicer, more mature bunch of avatars.

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?

None in a gaming sense - I'm not a gamer. I was expecting it to be more mature. Also the whole net seems to be rather fragile. [Prophetically, the simulator crashed at this point and it took us some time to get logged back in and connect to each-other again]

There are some very nice, very helpful people around. It's just pot luck whether you bump (no pun intended) into them. I would like to send very special thanks to one avatar - Afon Shepherd - who has been consistently good and mature.

One thing I cannot yet comment on is the social life in sl because of the limitations of my technology (Slow PC and connection) I haven't had any yet, and I think that is a shame.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?

The pie menu is ok - it's just that there doesn't seem to be any explanation anywhere of how it works. The books I mentioned earlier do not explain it. and I can't open/download many notecards. [There's a notecard bug going around at the moment, readers - hopefully fixed in an upcoming release]

[Footsy had a couple more things to add]

I think it has terrific potential - but the technology (not just mine) is not there yet e.g. I read in the books about the the very small prim limitations, etc. Presumably Linden are working on a much more robust and less limited SL mk2 ?

I have met so many people form so many other parts of the world that I would not have got to interact with in such a small timeframe.

This is the 17th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Laetizia's a forthright, outspoken and interesting Second Life blogger, whom I have been running into increasingly of late in various venues. You can trust Laetizia to speak her mind - so I decided to contact her to let her do just that.

Second Life Name? Laetizia Coronet

Second Life Age? 297 days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)

Fashionistas I guess, with my shop, and bloggers, and volunteers. In no particular order.

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)

I guess it'd be Blue Linden for his efforts, and he is not biting back his thoughts. I am really not somebody who is into admiring/loving celebs.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)

Right now? Booperkit Moseley. Everyone loves this hair (the one I have right now), and it's rare to see specific African-oriented products. She does great work and she inspired me to start a shop in African ethnic stuff (coming soon!)

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why? (A brief overview of all the things you like to do.)

Clothing creation, building and texturing - preferably with custom made textures. Especially the texturing, I am graphics oriented!

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?

Live music, and discussions. They are very much real life activities both of them. I can't be bothered with watching 30 animations dance!

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)

Not other people. Technical, yes, as I am on a PC that's no longer up to par. Ethical, yes, wouldn't go to certain clubs (you won't find me in a KKK sim, in some pornographic niches, or Gor for that matter), and mood of course.

This is the 17th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I bumped into Lilla at the Shelter, where she was dancing with some other residents, both old and new. Being Danish, she wasn't sure that her English would be good enough, but it was more than good enough for her to communicate.

Second Life Name? Lilla Biedermann

Second Life Age? 46 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)

Danish Television. There have been a number of spots on SL.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?

Curiosity, mostly. My best friend (a rabbit in Serenity Woods) invited me to give it a try.

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)

Standard entry (Linden orientation).

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?

Setting up/changing avatar appearance - but soon after that I got a shape/skin from someone I met, anyway. I went through orientation really quickly. Too quickly. Then tried to get back, and I couldn't. I also remember that there were friendly people there to answer questions, but I didn't know enough to ask any at the time. Some people told me about the Shelter, and that helps, but I don't always understand all the slang and special terms.

Do you remember anything about camera controls from the orientation process?

No. I learned it later, at the Shelter.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?

It was a lot of information all at once, and hard to take in - which is why I left - so I could go back later and learn more. Then I couldn't get back! I wish I had known that I couldn't return. If I'd known I would have at least taken notes. So many different words, SL, TP, rez. There is so much to learn before you can start to learn! Everyone forgets that, when they try to help, we don't know the words they are using.

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?

I didn't really know what I expected. I was told about how beautiful the graphics are, but it still amazes me to see them. It's amazing to see the beauty, the creativity, the fantasy. What I find strange is that so many places are so empty - except for the people who don't talk (camping chairs/dance mats). Everyone else is just so friendly and helpful, though, and nobody tells you that your English is lousy. They really try to understand and be friendly.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?

Sometimes it would be nice to log on and be hidden from my friends. Of course, they IM me anyway, and then they know that I'm online. Sometimes I just want to be online without feeling like I'm being watched.

I also don't like it that some places are so damn laggy!

Oh! One more thing. I've got a bike - a motor-cycle. I can't actually rez it on the roads. So what are the roads actually for then? Sometimes finding places where you can actually rez something is hard.

John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Go, and Charlie's Chocolate Factory, spent 30 minutes in Second Life on August 20^th, answering questions about his upcoming film, The Nines. The movie plot explores the intersection between the real and the virtual, while the promotional methods are heavily using transmedia to engage fans into alternate reality games. August announced that he is hoping to release a version of the movie that would allow fans to re-edit it.

The premiere for the The Nines is set for August 31^st in New York and Los Angeles, and September 28^th in Austin, TX.

Our host, in the shape of avatar JohnAugust Tomorrow, greeted the handful of media guests in a replica of his real-life home, also used as movie set for The Nines. Regarding the autobiographical aspects of this film and his past creations, August offered, "Honestly, a lot of my work has big autobiographical elements. This is just a little more honest about the source". The atmosphere was informal and pleasant, although there was a lingering feeling of surreal coming through from the light outside. Looking around, apart from furniture and beautiful artwork on the walls, all objects seemed to hide a story or clue, waiting to be unveiled by a keen eye.

The conversation revolved around virtual mediums, how August would have integrated the Second Life medium had he known about it earlier, etc. He explained, "I was more of World of Warcraft addict, so I didn't do a lot of socializing online. But I definitely found myself getting lost in the world." He ventured that a good place for Second Life in the production of a movie would be in creating better storyboards and pre-visualizing scenes. August was also enticed by the possibilities of machinima, but he was swamped with questions before he could expand more on these thoughts.

For those interested in participating in the alternate reality game, Metaversatility, the company who brought The Nines to Second Life, offers some hints as to where you may wish to start. There are clues in the YouTube trailerof the movie, on the movie blog, inside the house on the Meteversatility sim, and in various forums and blogs around the web, tagged with "look for the nines". Exclusive clues have also been revealed on UGO.com and Comingsoon.net.

The Blog

The First Clue

About the Movie

This is the 16th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I bumped into Olmia while I was doing some photography at the ABC Island sandbox tower. She was fun to talk to, and I was able to talk her into telling us a bit more about herself.

Second Life Name? Olmia Tenk

Second Life Age? 98 days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)

I am a nympheas, as the nympheas in Monet's paintings.

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)

Torley Linden. I read the Torley journey in the morphing of the avatars from senior to juniors. As a way of saving and regenerating himself he gained a second life. I also read Wagner James Au and China Tracey and Tateru Nino.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)

The builders that created the Greenies House. Good taste, excellent build, fun and fantasy.

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why? (A brief overview of all the things you like to do.)

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?

I've been to piano concerts, Heath. I've been to Rockit by Wolfie, I've attended building tutorials, I've been to the info session for Artist Residency by Aust Council for the Arts. I've been freebie sourcing :)

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)

For now, nothing. Maybe something nasty has to happen for me to reject it. Or if you mean anything beyond my means, that will be time and broadband caps.

This is the 16th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into Glitch at the Ross Infohub, an excellent build by the talented Jessica Ornitz. He didn't run away when I tried to ask him questions, like the previous three I'd approached.

Second Life Name? Glitch Balut

Second Life Age? 29 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)

A year ago, I guess, from a blog.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?

Eh... Well I really don't know. I didn't think my computer could run it.

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)

Standard entry.

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?

Free stuff, like demo cars.

Do you remember anything about camera controls from the orientation process?

No. I think I missed it.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?

No, it was good.

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?

Well, I was expecting lots of people, and there are - what I wasn't expecting was the Lag of Death.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?

It could be better, but it could be a lot worse too. The whole "ASWD" movement vs chat thing. If you use "ASWD" to move around you can't move and chat at the same time.

This is the 15th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Otenth's typist came into Second Life out of boredom but was totally charmed by the creative potential. Otenth founded the First Friends Church of Second Life (Quakers) and owns the residential sim Wyre.

Second Life Name? Otenth Paderborn

Second Life Age? 270 days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)

Neo-Victorian (Caledon) and religious (Quakers and Unitarian Universalists); immersionists; non-RPers.

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)

Ordinal Malaprop. Creative, clever, witty, slyly sarcastic, generous. We haven't met, but I love getting to know her via Twitter.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)

Several, and instead of picking just one, I'll raise up two clothing designers: Yuriko Muromachi and Skye Qi, both of whom do fantastic Victorian outfits. Muromachi gets slightly higher marks for making both women's and men's clothing.

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why? (A brief overview of all the things you like to do.)

I like building. It's a great way for me to express visual creativity. I don't have the skills to create textures of the quality I seek, so I mostly buy them, but prim building is an infinitely entertaining challenge, rather like a puzzle. How do I get the building or other object I want with the most efficient use of prims? What can I get a prim to do? How do the prims and the textures I have available work best together?

I intend, in that ever-distant "someday", to learn how to write scripts rather than just altering or cannibalizing them.

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?

Dances -- not discos with strangers, but dances with people I know -- for the conversation and community building.

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)

Yes to all. There have been times I have left an event because of the lag (either mine or the sim's); I wouldn't attend an event in a Gorean sim, because I disapprove of slavery in any form, and I wouldn't attend events based on violence; and of course, as an introvert, there are times when I don't want to be in crowds, even in SL; the presence of specific other people would keep me away rarely, if ever.

This is the 15th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into Audrey at the Hanja Welcome Area, on the Southern Continent. The place is a clone of the big Welcome Area at Ahern. Audrey was happy to answer my questions.

Second Life Name? Audrey Baroque

Second Life Age? 10 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)

On the net, from friends.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?

Curiosity and a sense of adventure ... wanted to see what it was all about.

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)

Standard entry.

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?

Just being able to walk around and meet friendly people. They were all so friendly ... and meeting some helpers along the way!

Do you remember anything about camera controls from the orientation process?

No.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?

I think it is still a scary proposal to "enter Second Life". If there was some kind of tutorial on what it really is???...and why we have to accumulate these things [scripts/textures/etc] ??? We don't really know how the world works, but that is exciting!

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?

I think it is very much like RL....as I say...strange things can happen and beautiful things mostly do...just depends on your orientation I guess.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?

Ha!!! Those maps...I don't get it? are they useful??? As a newbie I hate being shunted to crappy places...! Some better way of finding things!

This is the 14th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Pavig Lok is a charming individual with a fascinating turn of phrase.

Second Life Name? Pavig Lok

Second Life Age? 346 days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)
I'm a hobo in secondlife - we're independent and self reliant - don't like everything commercialized, very pro creativity etc. It doesn't mean we're anti-money, just when we do decide to buy something we want perms so we can tinker with it. Also I guess all the hobo folks have an appreciation of craftsmanship - people think of hobos as bums, but originally they were homeless itinerant workers. We all network on anything that's free, and have an appreciation of designers who leave perms open - mis Tateru's shoes for example are the same brand as mine, no transfer but mod and copy.

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)
Ah - well everyone loves Auntie Bev (Beverly Montgomery) at NCI, [she] is very sweet. Mis Beverly is just a very maternal figure over NCI, she makes people feel at home and puts a human face on the place - being so warm I think helps newcomers connect through their avatars (which can be initially alienating) to the human element - that there are people on the other side. That's an important lesson early on in SL - it comes to everyone in some catharsis eventually that secondlife is emotionally engaging and true culture, but the initial resistance folks have to that idea ... well Bev breaks that quicksmart.

Lemme think, Mis Tat, Ordinal, Orhalla Zander king of the hobos - well, he ain't no king, just a kooky old guy in a barrel.

As far as celebrities go it's too small a pond to really have celebrities to look up to here, we're all peers.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)
A lotta people I love for that, and all for the same reasons.

Mis Ordinal - her stuff is thought out in the minutest detail, yet elegant and not overfeatured.

Tooter Claxton for his amazing detail (and sometimes somewhat slapdash but well realized) stuff. I love Tooter in that when he gets an idea he literally throws it together with a complete punk DIY attitude and it comes out perfect for what it is.

Arcadia Asylum of course - we grew up together, and she is ridiculously prolific. She did a few thingummies for us at Greenies, too, which was lovely.

Oh and probably Fade Dana - cause when she makes a helmet it's textured on the inside as well (apart from the fact that it's prim perfect).

Oh and the Grendel's Children guys ... Flea Bussy - amazing :P

Dammit, there's so many builders I respect.

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why? (A brief overview of all the things you like to do.)
Well, I love exploring and building I think - and the social aspect is important. I script a wee bit as well but only cause I have to - if I was better at it I think I'd enjoy it more. I kinda like taking sensibilities or the solidity of RL things and translating them in here - sometimes they turn out different, but I like to bring in the "specific weight" like a sense of solidity and realness.

Exploring sl these days is a sure invitation to existential nausea - folks have brought in some of the ugliest and most tedious elements of real life, for lack of imagination over what they could have here. So just exploring piecemeal often doesn't bring a lot of joy - most of the places I go where imagination is alive I find through recommendation - there's a bunch of artists and creators that drop me a notecard every now and again about what's up - and the hobos usually know what's worth seeing. I think in sl it isn't about finding the place as much as finding like minds - when you find your people you also find the places you are comfortable being.

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?
The occasional discussion is lovely - there's a philosophy group I attend when it syncs up. When I was younger I did the run of costume parties dragging all my friends and making props and dressing them but I haven't done that for a while :)

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)
Erm - time - um interest - of the "event" events I've attended a lot of the really populous ones are technically challenging (due to bandwidth considerations) for me. Many of the sl events I think aren't up my alley as well. I'm no longer a dance fiend like I used to be.

This is the 14th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into TaraKiss completely by accident in the Dublin Sim. She came looking for fun in Second Life, and with the expectation of it copupled with this attitude she has succeeded in finding it.

Second Life Name? TaraKiss Sewell

Second Life Age? 48 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)
A friend told me about it and urged me to join.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?
Well, I read a little about it on the Internet, and my friend said it is fun, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)
Standard.

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?
Trying to control my avatar. *LOL*

Do you remember anything about camera controls from the orientation process?
No, I was shown that later by someone I met on here.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?
I didn't dislike anything ... I thought it was fun to learn.

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?
It's much bigger than I expected ... and I was (and still am ) amazed at the variety of things you can do and see on here.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?
It's simple, straight forward, pretty easy to use ... I like it easy :)

If you've ever had to post transcripts and share information from a meeting/event, you know how much pain it is to come up with a structure that is still readable later. I usually end up spending hours concatenating sentences to make chat less shattered by random interjections. Well, no more pain!

I was extremely happy to see the new, little tool from Kisa Naumova - Chatlogs. Not only does it render your boring text-only transcript in colors, but it also has a neat graphical way of indicating speakers by pulling their SL profile picture into the web document. In addition, it allows you to use the Leeds Metropolitan University server to deposit your logs and tag them appropriately. This has the potential of creating a neat repository of open knowledge from all sorts of events.

(more after the break)

Now, some downsides:

1. It does occasionally take a long time for your chat to load. Even the one where I interviewed Kisa and only the two of us were present took about 3 minutes to come up.

2. Your profile pic may or may not be found. Mine wasn't initially, although I do have one in SL. Kisa was kind enough to do some back magic to help the system along.
   
   

3. You cannot edit your post once it's up. You can, however, bother Kisa and she will perform the edit for me until chatlogs gets an upgrade. Naturally, this approach doesn't quite scale.

Kisa plans on improving the current service and she appreciates your feedback. Another future direction being considered is a way for people not in SL to parse the chat taking place at an inworld event while it's happening.

While raw transcripts are not a replacement for those where a human being edits out the irrelevant content, this rendition at least makes them easier to consume. As far as I'm concerned, I plan on posting full interview transcripts connected to my posts on the Chatlog page from now on, in addition to my version of the story on SL Insider. Right now, here's the full conversation I just had with Kisa.

This is the 13th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I find Marianne McCann to pretty much be an average child. She has "my mommy and my daddy, my sister Robin (Howe) and my brother Pygar, I also have a nana, and aunties and uncles, too."

"Nearly every night me an my siblings and parents are together. At least at the end of the evening for tuck in." She loves school and going on camp. In some ways, though, she is a child star, excelling at building in Second Life, and displaying fantastic organizational talents, as she did during the Second Life Third Birthday.

She says,"For me, I jes wanna see people knowing dat us kids is okay, for the most part.You'll find most of us are pretty normal, when you get right down to it." I certainly found her to be a delight to talk to, and, yes, to be a normal little girl, albeit a particularly intelligent one.

Second Life Name? Marianne McCann

Second Life Age? 533 Days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)
Well, I'm a child avatar. I dun tink there's exactly a label for it, especially, cus some terms have become kinda tainted. I usually use "Second Life Child" or "Inner Kid".

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)
Hmn... there's a lot to choose from. I'd probably go with Robin Sojourner, though, cuz she is both a mentor and a friend. She is amazing and brilliant, an also someone I love tons.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)
Well, like many, I'm a fan of Starax's works. Though lately I've become fond of Light Wave's Greenies sculptures, and Arcadia Asylums amazing freebies. There are sooo many great content creators, though. Hard to choose!

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why?
Oh, I LOVE to build. Workin on dis island has been a joy. I've made most of dis playground we're on ([Livingtree Sim]). There's someting special about building with my mind all the time. Anyting I can imagine , I can make! Mostly, I design things I liked as a RL kid, or that I wish I had as a RL kid. I kind of like to have that frame of reference that reality gives me when working on stuff.

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?
Well, I always attend the fireworks shows here ([Livingtree Sim]), but I have to, because I run them. But I like to go to art shows, and sometimes concerts and things with my family. I also really really like some of the kid specific events and stuff. They just had a big Summer Camp, but I hadda miss it . And you have school, and other things.

I attended HardKnock Elementary last year. It's just like a RL elementary school, with classes, and recess, and a cafeteria, and so on. A lotta folks dun know about the kid stuff out there, because people always think kids = gross stuff. But what you'll find is a lot of stuff is almost amazingly normal.

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)
Well, for one thing, a lot of places are now banning short avatars an child avatars, so dat keeps me away. And I'm obviously not going to attend events in clubs or bars ... and mature themed places and events are right out [*grin*]. Mostly I don't try to limit myself, but I'm not going to go to a place where I'm not welcome.

This is the 13th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Jiwagirl Jie has come to Second Life for reasons other than those mentioned by other new residents: she comes to explore, but hopes to find forests, parks and nature reserves instead of the urban crush of buildings that is the norm for Second Life.

Second Life Name? Jiwagirl Jie

Second Life Age? 31 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)
I heard about it from a member of 2nd life.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?
Actually I mentioned it to my husband, and then he saw the article on 60 Minutes and decided to have a go on it, and once he was floating around, I thought I'd join him. So we sit in the same room next to each other, on 2nd life on our own computers!!

Which portal did you come through, if you did not come through the standard process? (for example, "The L Word", NBC, Azure Islands, Mainland Brazil, Big Pond, NMC Campus, Anshe Chung Dreamlands (chinese), Second House of Sweden, etc)
Maybe we came through Bigpond, because that's our provider.

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?
Well, I remember being outside a large building, we went inside and there were lots of people there. We milled around, and went up some stairs but couldn't enter the room at the top. Then we went outside and milled around, and flew a bit. I didn't learn about anything. No-one interacted with us.

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?
I find it very difficult to 'get' anywhere that is interesting. Most of the spots I go past are private and don't let you in. Once I saw my husband in a nice nature place, but I've never been able to find it.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?
Not too bad really, but the map is useless. [It would be good if LL could] somehow provide some way for newcomers to orient themselves in SL, to know what their options are and where they can go for particular services. I just feel completely lost here. I would like to be able to choose where to go, ie, what kind of environment.

This is the 12th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I met Indira Bekkers out in Our Virtual Holland 3, one of the sims in which she has an eponymous fashion store. Appropriately, she is a fashion designer, specialising in elegant rather than outre clothing; she also like to dabble in building and scripting. She especially adores Second Life because she "learned so much in so little time and got to know people I would never have met in RL."

Second Life Name? Indira Bekkers

Second Life Age? 147 days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)
I'm a fashion designer and have 2 fashion stores at this time. I also like to build things (buildings and smaller things, like furniture) but I don't sell those, then I do some scripting when I need it for building. I belong to the community of Our Virtual Holland, where many small businesses get a chance to make a start in SL, we share our knowledge and experiences.

Because I have different skills, I find myself helping other people very often. I started here as one of the first 'pioneers', I like to see all the creative things people do here and we come together weekly for a community meeting as well. It started as a small Dutch community, but is growing and now we have people here from other parts of the world as well.

I was invited to send a business proposal to start a small business here, which was granted with a piece of land to give it a try ... So I joined the starting group to be able to build here. Later more people joined to start a business or art gallery here as well and as we got to know each other, we grew closer. I was making clothes for myself for some time and wanted to see if I could sell them, even when there was so much competition.

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)
One of them is Gal Canning, he is great with scripts and taught me almost everything I know now about scripting, he is into puzzles and games, not for gambling but just for the fun. Then there is Irwo Merlin, he has a very special style in building in SL, and has taught me some tricks which would have taken me ages to find out myself, also a very funny guy to spend time with by the way.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)
I really like the works of Amethyst Jetaime, she is a professional builder and really does magic with prims and textures. She turns a complete sim into a little paradise or anything she wants.

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why?
My passion is designing clothes, but I also like to build very much, I like to combine every aspect of SL. [I like to create] business outfits and exclusive/stylish fashion, not the sexy stuff I see a lot in SL; I do a lot of custom orders as well. [As far as building goes,] it's just what gets in my head ;)

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?
I don't attend events very often, but when I go, it's about fashion most of the time.

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)
Lack of time :) And when I can help someone, I prefer to do that instead of attending an event.

This is the 12th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I had a few troubles finding an interview candidate today. Some of them got evasive or skittish when we started asking the questions and ran off before we could finish. Luckily, I met Milo at The Shelter in Isabel, dancing with another new resident by the bar. He kindly agreed to answer my questions.

Second Life Name? Milo Littlething

Second Life Age? 8 days

Where did you hear about Second Life? (Be as specific as you are able.)

Well I think initially I heard it from my friends in IRC but I didn't try out it yet. Years later I read article about it in newspaper and thought that should give it a try.

Which aspect of orientation do you remember best?
Only thing I remember well are those video tutorials.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?

I didnt like the chat tutorial - it was too confusing and the objects didn't respond well. I liked the videos though. They were cool.

Do you remember anything about camera controls from the orientation process?

No, there were lessons? lol

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?

Yes, business around owning and renting land is much more confusing that I first thought. But good thing is also that I didn't expect that here is so much music. And live performances!

How have articles about Linden Lab and Second Life affected your experiences and participation in Second Life?
Well, all I can say that I started playing because I read local newspaper article but besides that I don't think there has been any effect.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?
A big minus is that its too hard to stop your avatar's animations if it gets looped. Usually I can stop it locally but it keeps going to other players.

I like the easy and clear placement of the core features at the bottom of my screen.

I don't like that there is no "log off" feature that would take you back to character selection/login screen.

This is the 11th in a series of largely demographic interviews that are conducted with established residents, to find out more about them and their involvement with Second Life, and to contrast the differences between their views and experiences and those of the newer residents. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Mecha's a charming, witty, intelligent, warm and kind person who devotes a lot of time to helping new residents. She's frequently a gothloli with a gigantic bunny-decorated hammer, but she has plenty of other visually impressive avatars, too.

"People tend to stick with one avatar and stay with it. SL would be a far more interesting place if people thought outside the box.. (or became a box)."

Second Life Name? Mecha Dinosaur

Second Life Age? 416 days

Label your subculture in Second Life. (Can be all the cultures you're involved in, or some part thereof.)
Newbie helper, Scripter, Shapeshifter.

Do you have a favorite Second Life celebrity and why? (This could be a Linden you like, or perhaps someone well known in your community, etc)(Content creators are covered in the next question.)
Phillip Linden, he is the end boss. Obvious stuff is the thought and idea to create SL. But he's also managed to keep if afloat for several years, where other startups faltered and died.

Do you have a favorite Second Life content creator (scripter, builder, artist, machinima, music, etc), and why? (Anyone whose work you personally like.)
Decomposing Monstre, he builds a good portion of the W-hat builds. What he and W-hat build is creative, imaginative and tends to break stuff typically made in SL.

What do you prefer to do in Second Life as regards content creation (scripting, building, artistic, machinima, music, OR NONE, etc), and why?
I go in cycles, but out of it all I gain the most enjoyment from helping people new to SL. One less person prone to bulldozing into people makes a happier SL for everyone.

What sort of events (if any) do you prefer to attend?
Town Hall Meetings, meetings held by the various security groups within SL.

What would prevent you from attending an event? (Technical, ethical, mood considerations, other people, etc)
Town Hall Meetings are pretty difficult to attend to due to the main sim and the surrounding sims being packed, but it's always interesting to hear what some people say that's not in the offical logs.