1. Actually, some people believe that their first life is actually their second life to make it even more complicated :)

Posted at 3:49PM on Jun 4th 2007 by Yo Brewster

2. I don't have a "second life." There is only, as far as I'm concerned "life." Sometimes, in life, I sit at my laptop, and turn on a software application called "Second Life." I then use that application to create other software applications and converse with acquaintances I've made. "Second Life" isn't any less "real life", nor is it a second existence in another reality. It's no different than the time I spend building model airplanes, backpacking or watching football games on TV. It's just one more thing one does in life.

Posted at 4:20PM on Jun 4th 2007 by Luciftias Neurocam

3. There is only one reality. Realism is more a function of the perceiver than the perceived. We can speak of the realism of a virtual life to the same degree as the realism of a physical life. This is especially easy to do when we study notions, such as presence, range of action, field of perception. Even if we delve in fuzzy notions of impermanence to differentiate real life from the virtual one as in Second Life, we find that there is no difference. In both cases, existence is impermanent albeit the time scales are different. After thinking deeply it is difficult not to admit that the boundary between Second Life and Real Life is really fuzzy whatever differentiating property we decide to focus one. So it make total sense to speak of first life instead of real life. This is because BOTH first and second lives are REAL LIFE.

Posted at 5:23PM on Jun 4th 2007 by Moriz Gupte aka Ramesh Ramloll

4. I have to go with Real Life, because it already has RL and irl associated with it. FL might cause confusion.
:-)

Posted at 5:29PM on Jun 4th 2007 by gando

5. The first time someone said "FL" to me, I thought that she meant Florida. "RL" is much clearer.

Posted at 6:09PM on Jun 4th 2007 by Zyzzy Zarf

6. REAL LIFE ALL THE Wa..... hmm actually, Linden Labs did put "First Life" tab in our profile.

But of course, Real Life is what they need to reword it to. I haven't heard anyone says FL at all.

I've heard Real World. (pun intended)

Posted at 12:15AM on Jun 5th 2007 by Nacon

7. RL!! (still the more real experience, but only just!)

Posted at 2:42AM on Jun 5th 2007 by Sven Ogre

8. I use RL because FL can come across as the abbrev. for Florida, and FL also seems to be the common abbreviation for First Look (referring to the First Look SL Client software)

Posted at 4:34AM on Jun 5th 2007 by Neural

9. often I refer to the time I spend, and the stuff I do using the internet as my "online life" and that includes SL, and usually use "real life" to refer to the rest

if I for example, spent some of my time practicing circus arts, and some other times I was doing stuff "normal" people do, I would probably say I have a "circus life" and a "normal life"

Posted at 4:35AM on Jun 5th 2007 by TigroSpottystripes Katsu

10. I call it Real Life, but that label doesn't mean that my work/fun in Second Life is imaginary. It's just a label everyone understands and uses.

Posted at 6:12AM on Jun 5th 2007 by Cyn Vandeverre

11. First Life, Second Life, and if you are a member of a role playing sim, you have a Third Life!

Posted at 11:56AM on Jun 5th 2007 by Sidney Aster

12. I use "first life" in my blog but "real life" or RL in most informal conversation (keeping in mind that FL = Florida in most contexts, as someone mentioned). I hope this means I'm not dogmatic about it. :)

Posted at 12:16PM on Jun 5th 2007 by Veronique Lalonde

13. As a one month old SLer, I've been pondering this nomenclature myself. Our profiles call it 'First Life' & I'm fine with that, because as you describe, the 'reality' of SL has been one of the most eye-opening things for me about SL! But then there's issues of confusion being understood by others if I write FL instead of RL. I guess it depends on your take on & mindset in SL - for some it's an extension of their RL, but for others it's a totally different fantasy-only life.

Posted at 7:14PM on Jun 6th 2007 by sk8rat Snook

14. Actually, "RL" is used by people that still have such a thing. "First Life" is used by people that are so sucked into Second Life that they've forgotten about the outside world.

At least... that's my initial take on the controversy.

Posted at 12:21AM on Jun 7th 2007 by Tenshi Vielle

15. I use the term First Life because it seems a logical counterpart to Second Life and because I don't see that one is more 'real' than another. I don't get any confusion with Florida, partly because Florida doesn't come up in my conversations much, but mainly because I use the abbreviations '1L' and '2L', which everyone seems to understand.

Posted at 8:52AM on Jun 9th 2007 by Carolyn Saarinen

16. I never joined SL on the premise of role-playing or wanting to be something different than I am. I looked at my avatar as an extension of myself, just as an IM name. I think SL's success with the masses will rest in how it will compliment people's existing lives, just as other 2D Internet spaces assist in helping people better themselves and expand their lives via email, commerce sites, education, etc. Actually I really don't like the name, Second Life, as it has a negative connotation that someone is avoiding their first. And I've seen that to be true. I know individuals who have abandoned their families and friends to create a new life on the Linden Lab Servers. Let me ask you this? Which one is really real? Which one requires oxygen? Which one requires food, water, and personal hygiene? Which one has to earn money to pay for the electricity that powers your computer so you can enter SL? That is your Real Life, your first life, the other should just be an extension of that, not a replacement.

Posted at 9:50PM on Jun 16th 2007 by 1time Daehlie