Monday, November 05, 2007

Orientation as a Noobie & 1st Contact



I visitited Second Life's website http://www.secondlife.com/ and red about the tutorials of Second Life (SL) virtual world. From there I found an article concerning about real life Swedish Institute that had established some islands in SL. The goals are to present Swedish culture and travelling to all the visitors of the place. There was a website of the Swedish Institute's where one could start orientation into SL platform.

I registrated myself in the SL by the Swedish Institutes website and then downloaded the client software of SL as an interface. After installation I logged in the SL and started my orientation as an avatar. So...my name is not my real world name (Xxxx Xxxx) anymore but Aino Kanto. I am a slim female, blonde, smart of course. An avatar that looks pretty much like a human being. Well, I think I could try how it is to be a frog or a dragon.. (It is possible to change your outfit pretty pretty much if you only dare).

In the orientation island I red the instructions of SL basics and practised them, such as moving an avatar (walk, run, fly, teleportating), changing the outlook or outfit (clothes, shape etc.) and communicating with other avatars (chat, instant messaging, conference chat).

After learning about the principes of SL I walked over the bridge in to an another island of Swedish Institute and met a female avatar Violet1 Meili (my first contact in SL). She was looking the Swedish language class that should be started in the auditorium of the Institute. Because her question about the location and the class itself interested me as well I decided to help her...but first I needed to solve out how to help. I just simply started to chat with her and soon we were looking the class together.

There were not so many other avatars in the island but we asked if they knew about the class. After Violet1 noticed I can write swedish she got very interested in me. I told about Finland and a bit about my work and about my goals in SL. She told me something about her second life also and after some time something about her first life too.

Violet1 told me that in real life she is originally chinese but she had lived several years in Philippines but moved to Sweden where she studies for swedish language. She needed to practice expecially her written language so she was happy to meet me. So after while we added each other as friends.


We just could not find the Swedish class! At least we got the vital information from the website of the Swedish Institute: the class had started already some hours ago...and it was the last of all four lessons :(. So we had missed them all...what a pity!

Well, instead of participating Swedish class Violet1 wanted to show me her job in SL. She works as a classrunner (that is somehow similar to a mentor) in the Drive Through English as a Second Language SL School. She even gets some money for helping other avatars in the school. So she did "teleport" me to the school in SL and I introduced me to her collegues, teachers and even the principal of the virtual school. What a nice start in SL regarding my goals!

After some time Violet1 was really nice and helped me to find some new clothes for noobies (= newbies, new beings). There are several stores in SL where one can buy clothes and other objects for free or only for less than 10 L$ per item. She even gave me my first linden dollar so that I could buy a collection of different skins. The packet was meant only for less than 30 days old avatars.

I really think I was lucky to meet such a nice and helpful avatar as Violet1 is! :)

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