Nineteen Years Ago ...

 

 It was nineteen years ago yesterday, December 17, 2006, in which I went to a place online one of my Internet friends had been bragging about. For some time, she had been talking about the fun she had on Second Life, showing some pictures of her appearance there. So when I finally got high-speed Internet, I would check out two places online, World of Warcraft and Second Life. 

 

These days, I hardly ever go about Warcraft. But after nineteen years I still get on almost every day. Much has changed. It's owner Linden Lab has gone through a number of CEOs and being bought up. It's gone through a number of developments such as mesh and PBR. It's long past what's considered it's golden age when it was shiny and new. A whole generation has passed, people leaving from losing interest or dying, and new people getting on. But Second Life is still here and continuing to thrive. 

 

It's become my main audience as a writer. But I still continue enjoying the places I see, the events I come across, and of course there's the people I meet.  There really isn't a reason to stop. 

 

So baring some unforseen disaster, I'll still be coming on, and writing about, this wacky but wonderful virtual world.  

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan.  

Eighteen Years ago ...

 

My avatar would be considered old enough to vote, and legally a mature man in real life.

 

It was eighteen years ago today, in which yours truly first came to this virtual world, December 17, 2006. I had only recently gotten high-speed Internet, finally getting off the old "dial-up" telephone modem. So I was free to check out two places online my friends were talking about: World of Warcraft and Second Life. 

Today, World of Warcraft has become more or less a happy memory to me, still around but no longer the king of MMOs that it used to be. But Second Life is still very much around and I'm still very much going. As any parent can tell you, a LOT can happen in eighteen years, and it has. A year later, I had a number of friends and found my purpose here: online journalism. And over time, my path has taken me to a few communities, many friends, and a couple years ago a loving SL wife. Second Life has also changed much, going through a number of CEOs and being bought up, going from prim building to mesh and then other forms of mesh, the Lindens went from involved with the residents to hardly involved to somewhat involved again. Corporations and celebrities would take an interest early on, but then began to leave. Over time, the residents would change as well, new ones coming in constantly, and older ones leaving due to real life or dying. 

So what does the future hold? Baring a catastrophe of some kind, Second Life will be around for years to come. And me, baring an accident or some other medical emergency, I'll continue to be around for a few years more. But retirement is several years away, and once that happens I'll have my physical and financial health to think about. But that's in the future. In the meantime, I'll still be coming on to support my friends and SL family, and write about this virtual world.

 

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan.  

Seventeen Years Ago ...

 

On the evening of December 17, 2006, yours truly first came to this virtual world. I had just gotten a cable modem, and was finally able to leave the slow "dial-up" behind, So I went to check out two places my online friends were talking about, "World of Warcraft" and "Second Life."

 

Seventeen years later, I've long left Warcraft behind. But I'm still going around Second Life just about every day. A lot has changed over time. The prim avatars have changed to mesh, as well as the way people go about getting one. CEOs have come and gone. There's Bellisseria. There's Linden Lab getting a new owner, and more. But after my first year, a few things have remained the same. I'm still writing away about this virtual world, and I still have a circle of friends that keep me going back in. 

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan. 

"T'was The Night Before Christmas," SL Style

 

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the box, people built houses with doors that had locks. The Mods were complacent, all snug in their chairs, with dreams of tomorrow without any cares.

When out on the roof there arose such a clatter i sprang from my build to see what was the matter...   the moon on the flat of the fake sandbox sand... told me the mods all had it in hand... when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a flat color skinned man on a flying case of beer... he was dressed all in lace and wearing a tube... i knew in a moment it must be Saint Noob.

As the 6-pack roared by in it's three sets of pairs... Saint Noob started dropping his default prim squares... and i heard him exclaim as the mods had him banned... "Count on my ALT coming back to this land!"

 

From Clarence The Cross-eyed Dinkie (binghamton Resident) 

Sixteen Years Ago

 

 

It was December 17, 2006 when yours truly first came to this virtual world. I had just gotten a cable modem, finally leaving the slow "dial-up" behind, and I went to check out two places my online friends were talking about, "World of Warcraft" and "Second Life."

Sixteen years later, yours truly has left Warcraft behind. But still going around Second Life practically every day. Much has changed over time from Lab CEOs to mesh to Bellisseria to the Lab's getting a new owner. But after my first year, a few things have remained the same. I'm still writing away about this virtual world, and I still have a circle of friends that keep me going back in. 

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan.

Fifteen Years Later

 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," goes an ancient proverb. Every one of us in Second Life, no matter how experienced, had their own beginning. It was about fifteen years ago, on December 17, 2006, in which yours truly first came to this virtual world. So what were these first few days, with no money and uncertainty about lay ahead, like?

Read more in Extra.
 

Christmas Tales From Second Life

When out on the roof there arose such a clatter
i sprang from my build to see what was the matter...  
the moon on the flat of the fake sandbox sand...
told me the mods all had it in hand...

when what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a flat color skinned man on a flying case of beer...
he was dressed all in lace and wearing a tube...
i knew in a moment it must be Saint Noob... 

as the 6-pack roared by in it's three sets of pairs...
Saint Noob started dropping his default prim squares...
and i heard him exclaim as the mods had him banned...
"Count on my ALT coming back to this land!"

Binghamton Resident

* * * * *

Another Christmas Carol -

Be good and build your snowman

And it was that time of the Year again.

"Be good Children!" the old man said

"As you know, once in a year, the Xmas Glider arrives to gift you with sweets and all the good things!

But remember, only those who dutifully build their Snowman and deliver it in time will receive the Xmas Glider's blessing!"

The old man raised a warning finger.

"Those who deny are not safe for the Xmas Glider will come and bite their nose!

And this is why you see so many red noses in winter."

And that was the truth.

Sidonie Carlberg

Cartoon of the Day

Picture from Lem Aiko (LemonPledge Resident). I forgot about this picture from New Year's Eve until I was looking over some notes. Better late than never. On the other hand, they wouldn't be the first to torture a noob for that long.

By Bixyl Shuftan

SLife and Times: Banned For Looking Odd

If you've been in Second Life for a while, you've seen avatars of all kinds. Some make an effort to stand out from the crowd. Others try to fit in. And then, there are those odd-looking avatars that look like the person didn't know how to design a look well. They're often newbies, though some are older. While often, these avatars are simply new, it's also the look favored by some griefers and trolls. When one such avatar found himself banned from a club before he took a few steps inside, he blogged about it. The result was a debate on just how should such avatars be treated.

Read more in People.

Second Life's Entry Areas: Learning And Social Islands

When yours truly decided to check out Linden Lab's new starting avatars for Second Life, the method done was to do so with a new alt, and as a result discovering the starting locations for newcomers, Learning Island and Social Island, had changed. So what are this new areas like, and how do they compare to previous first areas for newbies? This reporter took a large number of pictures to give you the readers a good look.

Read the article in Places.

Linden Lab Announces Music Fest Schedule, Two Costume Party Events

Xiola Linden posed in the Linden blog yesterday June 13 about the schedule for events sponsored and arranged by Linden Lab for Second Life's anniversary. First of all mentioned was the shopping event organized by Linden Lab going on until June 26. Then she mentioned their Music Fest.

We are going to rock the Grid with three days of music - from Italian Opera to full on Psychedelic Rock - and you won’t want to miss out on that. Our 3rd Annual Music Fest is coming, and so much cooler than Coachella - literally, you can blast the air conditioning or fans from the comfort of your computer! Details about lineup and location to come - but be sure to save the dates, get your tail feathers ready to shake, and find those ‘rock on’ bento gestures for the show!

The event takes place over three days, Friday June 23 to Sunday June 25, with four hours of music each day. On June 23, the action takes place from 11AM to 3PM. The location and lineup were not given out yet.

But this wasn't all. Xiola announced a couple "costume party" events for the anniversary, "Come As You Were," a "noob" avatar themed party, and a "Masquerade Ball." Both will be at the "Cake Stage" at the SL14B grounds.

We will be hosting two costume parties inworld - Come as You Were, and a Masquerade Ball. We all come into this (virtual) world as total n00bs, and the Come as You Were party is a nod to those days of yore - whether it was yesterday or over a decade ago. Put your best Ruth forward, as there’s a costume contest and a L$5000 prize on the line! We’re also hosting a Masquerade/Masked Ball - where mystique and intrigue are sure to reign supreme! There is also a L$5000 prize for the best at the ball! Both parties will take place at the Cake Stage in the SL14B Community Celebration Regions - stay tuned for details once those locations go live! Those Regions will also be home to where you can pick up a special commemorative avatar and bonus gift from the Lab. 

Xiola also mentioned the resident-run SL14B, and posted the link on the Destination Guide to SL14B events, and asked residents planning any other special events for the anniversary to contact them about it.

For Xiola's post in full, Click Here.

Reader Submitted: "A Peculiar Morning in Second Life"

I logged into SL with my admin avatar this morning as I usually do, when I need to get something done.

I landed on the Welcome Island, sat down on a comfy bench and proceeded to make some payments, when a newbie approached me and asked for help.

"How do I change my clothes?" He asked...

To make a long story short, I ended up giving him a two hour crash course on SL.

My admin avi is a female because it was made by Sikiu Torres (Shinya Tandino) and my new friend commented what a beautiful girl I was...

He then told me he was from the Middle East and told me not to worry because he was an atheist...

Lastly, he made it clear that it was ok for me to talk dirty to him.

I logged off.

Frolic Mills (Juan Delago)

Nine Years Later

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," goes an ancient proverb. Every one of us in Second Life, no matter how experienced, had their own beginning. It was about nine years ago, on December 17, 2006, in which yours truly first came to this virtual world. So what were these first few days, with no money and uncertainty about lay ahead, like?

Read more in People.

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at Furry Fashion. What to do with noob avatars abandoned after day one? Obviously this huge wolf thinks they make great chew toys.

By Bixyl Shuftan

SL Enquirer: "New to Second Life?" Several Newcomer Helping Places.

So what if you want to invite a friend to Second Life, but won't always be around to help him or her out? Or perhaps you haven't yet gone to Second Life but are interested, and came across this article while looking for information. Well, one place for help is "The Shelter" at Isabel  (26, 249, 86), which was created to help out newcomers. But this isn't the only location where newbies can get help. Second Life Enquirer's Ladylovedr Resident did a look around and found several, such as NCI, Virtual Ability, and more.

Read Ladylovedr's article (here).

Cartoon of the Day

From the very beginning, people have checked out Second Life, only to quickly loose interest on day one, for whatever reason, and not show up again, leaving their avatars behind. So what happens to these abandoned avs?

Taken at the Australia sim,

By Bixyl Shuftan

Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One – The Hipster Fair

DrFran Babcock has another installment of her new Fashion collumn "Be a Noob, Just Don't Look Like One." This time, she heads to the Hipster Fair, where almost every shop has a freebie or near-freebie. If you're a newcomer, or like shopping on a pinch-penny budget, this is a place to check out. So what did our intrepid reporter find?

Read DrFran's article in Fashion.

New Feature – Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One

Today our inventive reporter DrFran Babcock starts what could be a new feature, depending on reader feedback, "Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One." DrFran offers a few tips on how to get one's avatar to look stylish with a few quality freebie goods.

Read DrFran's article in Fashion.

Learning Island: Second Life's New Starting Area

Everyone new to Second Life starts out at a place just them. Over time, this has changed from the beach islands from Second Life's heyday to high tech buildings, to last year's simple tutorial and portal. First impressions do not count for everything, but a bad one can be difficult to overcome. And with the first newcomer areas having only a ten percent retention rate, the Lab has been trying to find something better. Recently, Second Life Newser found out about the new place for those brand new to the Grid: Learning Island. So one reporter created an alt to check it out. So was it an improvement?

Read more in Places.

The New "Destination Islands" for Newcomers Compared to Previous Entry Islands

I recently heard about new "Destination Island" areas set up as the new entry point for newcomers. With the Linden Helper and Greeter Islands recently closed, this got my attention. I couldn't head over with my own account, getting a message saying the destination was "not available." So I decided to have a see for myself by creating a temporary alt, and logging in.

And the experience was … simple. One landed in a circular structure made of arches and pillars. The floor was white brick with the Linden Lab hand symbol in the center. Around the place were trees in the style of the Linden Realms area. One could walk for a short distance and fly around. There were a few other avatars around, mine taking over a minute to rezz. There was no music.

A window named "Tutorial" popped up, which had simple, basic instructions such as movement, panning the view, flying, chatting, adding a friend, and using search. There were several portals here, with names like "Popular," "Music," "Adult," "Editors Choice," etc. I chose one named "Roleplay." But this revealed a flaw in the Linden's intentions. The sim where the infohub was, a script called my avatar "too young," and I was ejected to another sim at random. This would be a very confusing start for a newcomer.

It certainly was a different entrance than my own initial experience to Second Life years ago in December 2006, over five years ago on Orientation Island. It was fairly well detailed, a beach island, and looked interesting and different compared to what else I had seen. At least it looked interesting once everything rezzed. And the music was nice too, as well as having appropriate lyrics, "If you bravely go, you can build a whole new wor-ld!" The brick trail I went on took me to several stations, which had me click on a Linden hand hologram for a notecard on how things worked, such as flying and chatting.

Trouble was, the lag. On my old PC, it took a while for everything to appear, and getting around was terribly slow. Not to mention I crashed frequently. It was more than a little frustrating. It took a total of a few hours of time inworld due to the lag and crashes before I had gone through the island to the place where one. Trying it again more recently (see below) I moved much faster, so perhaps it was the computer that made me so slow then. Other residents described other problems, such as those tacky-looking "noob" avatars (Click here for a list of Orientation Island experiences from New World Notes 2008).

In March 2010, Linden Labs made a change. Orientation Island was replaced as the entry point with the Welcome and Discovery Islands. Hamlet Au described them as being two years in development. He thought they were an overall improvement, but still didn't take care of some of the issues newcomers had with Second Life. Noting the high tech feel with the white roundish buildings, he called it "like walking into an Apple store that's selling Microsoft products." The biggest improvement to him was the place being a series of instructional rooms, which he felt kept newcomers from getting lost or confused.

Following a trip through here, there was an option to head to Discovery Islands, an open place with a similar high tech look. It had video screens for more instructions (often from Torley Linden). Hamlet Au thought while useful, he doubted most new users would recall "much of the firehose of information thrown at them."

Blogger Mickey Vandevere described her own experiences with Welcome Island. She found herself cloudy, or naked and bald instead of blonde and clothed, "I feel alone, and I'm not having fun. And I know what's ahead. A true newcomer does not."

Daniel Voyager has his own article about the new Discovery Islands. It was his opinion (in the comment section), "I think many newbies will get lost and most likely quit faster than in previous years. Changes are needed ASAP! " Others commenting on his blog, and in the Linden forums, that this needed more work.

On another note, there are public versions of Orientation Island and Welcome Island up (Orientation Island Public and Welcome Island Public), the former where I found moving around was much faster than my first experience (though the beach look had been changed into grassland). Perhaps newcomers are better off with these places than with the new bare-bones welcome area.

Sources: New World Notes, Daniel Voyager, Mickey Vandevere
Image of Orientation Island by Hamlet Au
Image of Welcome Island by Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan