Learning to Function Effectively in Second Life

Second Life can be intimidating for some new members, especially those with little or no experience with online games or virtual worlds. For these people it can be difficult to know what to do or where to go or even how to get there.

Fortunately, there is a wealth of information and resources- both in Second Life and outside of it to help new members become comfortable enough with the environment that they can enjoy their experiences rather than worrying about the how-tos of functioning in Second Life.

One valuable resource within Second Life itself are the NCI campuses. Each campus has extensive self-paced tutorials, volunteers who are eager and willing to answer any questions new members might have, and regularly scheduled free classes to teach Second Life citizens how to function effectively (and even expertly) in Second Life

One of the most useful of these classes is the one hour Second Life basics course.

What follows is a description of how to get to the NCI Caledon campus and find information about the classes offered there

• After you log into Second Life, click on this link (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Oxbridge%20Village/60/133/29)

  • Clicking on the link will create a pop-up window allowing you to teleport to the NCI Caledon campus.

    

  • There is useful information, tutorials, and resources located around the perimeter of this building

  • Feel free to explore and learm

  • Caledon also offers classes teaching Second Life citizens a wide variety of Second Life skills. A schedule of classes is located West of the location pictured above

    • The handy compass on the floor should help you to know which direction to travel

  • The schedule of classes is posted on a wall outside of the room pictured above

  • An excellent first class for new Second Life citizens is the class "SL Skills: Intro to SL."

    • In this free one hour in-world class, you will learn how to use all the basic functions of your menus (e.g., camera controls, movement, communication, inventory, profile, building)

      • A basic understanding of these functions will greatly enhance your Second Life experience

      • Attending the class is also a good way to meet other people and start making friends

      • Note: The schedule of classes is constantly being updated, so the schedule you see below may have changed by the time you visit this location

  

  • If you click on the board for the individual class you will be given a menu of options

    • You can receive a notecard with

      • landmarks to the various NCI locations - including the NCI classrooms ("Landmarks")

        • Clicking on this link will give you a notecard with all the NCI locations and classrooms

        • Click "Accept" to view the notecard and have it saved in your inventory

      • A full schedule of all the classes offered at NCI ("Sch 06-29")

        • Clicking on this link will give you a picture of the schedule board pictured above

        • Click "Keep" to view the picture and have it saved in your inventory

      • The link to the NCI website ("NC Main W")

  

As you can see, NCI offers many classes beyond Introduction to Second Life. If you learn well face-to-face, taking these classes should be an extremely effective way for you to learn a wide variety of useful and fun Second Life skills.

If you prefer learning on your own, a wide variety of resources exist on the Internet.

Click here to learn how to join the Oakland University Second Life group

Click here to learn how to visit Oakland University's island.

Click here to learn how to contact other group members (this includes any group you belong to, including the Oakland University group)

Click here to learn how to create a landmark or set your home location

Click here for a listing of Second Life resources and guides