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.

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.

This is the seventh 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 see Dustbin regularly at my office hours in Hallasan. I originally met him on what I think was his first day in Second Life. "I am a Second Life Mentor," he says, "I have been since I was about 90 days old I think. It has been a great experience. I have met people that are great artists just starting out in SL, it is incredible watching them progress quickly to making new and unique things."

This is the second 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 Apex Benelli at The Shelter in Isabel. Like most Sheltered folk he was welcoming, and he was prepared to answer questions about almost anything (however, I just couldn't get his password out of him, darnit!)

There are a lot of factors that make new Second Life residents hang about long enough to 'get it' (whatever their personal and individual version of 'it' is, in Second Life).

Chief among these are a peer group, and the right assistance, information and answers at the right time. The Shelter in Swinside, and its slightly younger sister organization, New Citizens Inc. in Kuula (usually just lovingly referred to as The NCI) are the primary providers of those functions.

Only the most hardy of asocial souls manage without a peer group. Just having people to talk to with some commonality of experience, makes you stronger and more resilient. Both of these establishments provide opportunities for that in spades.

The focus of the two groups is divergent and complementary. The Shelter (led by Travis Lambert) is more focused on social interaction, game-shows, dancing and the like. The NCI (led by Carl Metropolitan) focuses more on information resources, tutorials and classes.

Both organizations maintain safe spaces in-world. Each has a set of rules for behavior and people who break those rules or are rude or cause distress to others will be ejected. The new resident in Second Life is well-advised to visit both and see which suits them more.

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.