by Michelle Semski

Created on: August 05, 2010

Introduction to Second Life

            Second Life can best be described as an online virtual world. Users, or residents, communicate via an avatar and can communicate in various different destinations. They may meet up with co-workers, friends, meet new people, build around them and even work for money in Second Life.

            Avatars are among the most interesting topic amongst users. Sometimes they are exact replicas of themselves, other people make an avatar that looks how they would desire to appear, others are completely random objects or animals.

            In Second Life, you can visit many different places. Some of these places are replicas of actual places, like the colleges and universities, others are original creations. Different communities provide activities for its visitors like scavenger hunts or social nights.

            With endless possibilities, Second Life is always populated with diverse users. They all have different needs or goals within Second Life, and have certain ways of getting these needs. With the participants I followed and interviewed I will display why they use Second Life and what they hope to get out of it.

Physical Space

            It should be made clear that people have a clear vision of what the physical world is and the virtual world, and there are ties and social rules that are very apparent in both. One basic occurrence is the sense of personal space and interrupting as being rude. If someone is standing in front of you chatting in a casual area and you barge your avatar into them, it’s considered just as in rude as if you were standing in the middle of an informal public place and someone ran into you, and they will let you know. In the physical world, running into someone could cause injury, or someone to drop something where as in Second Life no physical damage can happen, but it represents that same imagery of belligerence as it would in most cases of the physical world.

Building Repertoire

            The easiest way to build repertoire in a ballroom setting is to follow the rules. Some rules are made clear as soon as you enter the room. Examples in the Sweetheart Ballroom

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