In my last post, I discussed creating and refining your avatar. One of the main points of that post was to mention my belief that it's best to find friendly, helpful faces before tinkering too thoroughly with your appearance. Certainly, your mileage will vary, depending on your personal acumen and temperament. However, if you do decide to follow my advice and search for help, there is one place in particular (besides the official Help and Welcome areas) that you may want to visit: The Shelter.

The Shelter is mainly run by Travis Lambert, who resembles Family Guy's Brian the Dog. Travis is kind and generous, and fun to be around. Here you will find a big pile of freebies, a dance floor with a line-up of residents dancing in-sync, a second floor upon which many events and games are held (see previous posts here and here), and most importantly, newbie-friendly residents who love nothing better than to help you get started on your Second Life. I well remember the confusion I experienced when I first logged in, and the daunting task of figuring it all out. I think I can safely say that had it not been for the help and kindness shown by the amazing folks at The Shelter, I may not have stuck around long enough to realize the potential of SL.

That's my recommendation, and I'm sticking to it. Part of what keeps SL a fun place in which to play is the continuing efforts on all our parts to treat newbies well, and educate them on proper behavior; The Shelter is the first place a new user ought to visit. Next Newbie Tip: Exploring the Inventory.

P.S.: although it's obscured by a big table, the bottom part of the large sign on the back wall reads 'Welcome Home'. See? That tells you everything you need to know.