Ten Steps to Getting Started

Landing in Second Life, a virtual world, has been compared to arriving in a new city. It takes awhile to get the lay of the land, to meet people, to find places you want to go and things to do. It takes even longer to learn "the ropes" - the social behaviors and customs that set new-comers apart from long-time residents. With this in mind, here are ten suggestions to help you get started on Second Life Grid:

1. Register, create, and name your avatar. It will take some time to learn how to move and interact.
2. Go hang out at The Shelter (or one of the resident-run spaces for new members); make some friends, learn how to dance, and get help from the friendly staff and visitors.
3. Find and attend classes and events - you'll find them in the Event Listing on secondlife.com or in-world.
4. Subscribe and read periodicals, business blogs, mailing lists, and other public information about Second Life.
5. Try your hand at building in one of the public sandboxes.
6. Buy some land and settle down - buy or build a house and furnish it.
7. Join a group, go to meetings or events with members of the group.
8. Talk to residents about what they're doing in Second Life and what they like - and dislike - about it.
9. Think about your audience in Second Life and how to engage them.

This will help get you started. We recommend spending 10-20 hours in Second Life. Once you have the lay of the land, start thinking about your business and/or education objectives, learn from others how to create a sustained experience that engages your customers or students and meets your objectives. For assistance, look at How Organizations Use the Second Life Grid and Resources.