This is the third in a series of interviews that will be 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 met Roisin Hotaling as she was tinkering about with some goodies in the NCI's Kuula sandbox. She was good enough to answer my questions, and found the process to be fun and interesting.

Second Life Name: Roisin Hotaling
Second Life Age: 33 Days

Where did you hear about Second Life?
I have a blog on a popular blogsite, and one of the folks whose blog I read posted about SL. I didn't open an account right then, but when a friend mentioned it in early June I decided to check it out.

Why did you decide to try Second Life?
Curiosity, mainly. I had heard about people making money here and about companies in RL setting up sims, and although I didn't expect to have the skills needed to make money I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Do you know which portal you came through? (for example, standard entry, "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?
Learning to walk, and figuring out how to touch things to make things happen.

What did you like/dislike about about the orientation process?
It covered the basics, so that was good. I didn't like ending up with freebie stuff I won't use and had to get rid of later.

How did you go with your camera controls after orientation? Did you find that tutorial helpful?
Yes, although it definitely takes practice. If I'm shopping I have to set a time limit, or I'll make myself seasick. It is nice to be able to set up a view with the camera controls.

Is Second Life different to how you expected it to be, in what way is it different?
It's far more expansive than I expected, with more to do than I ever dreamed. I have found some very interesting people, including the gentleman who has provided a great deal of instruction and hints and helpful tools. Having a mentor is a huge help.

What do you like/dislike about the user interface for Second Life?
It seems to be getting better. There are some things in Preferences that I don't understand, that I haven't a clue what they're for or what the effect of changing them would be. Sometimes I see hints for reducing lag and try to implement them if they don't seem to dull the experience. I like all the options I have for communicating, and being able to see the minimap so I can tell when there are people nearby. Love the audio streaming. And I tried Voice Chat for the first time today. [Voice chat] went pretty well. My mentor has been using it for a while, so he was able to guide me. I have mixed feelings about it in terms of how it affects the "fantasy" aspect of SL, though. My mentor has been having some hand pain in RL, though, so voice is easier on his hand.