Launched in 2003, Second Life is an online 3D virtual world created by Linden Labs. Much like massively multiplayer games, Second Life provides an immersive environment for users to play and interact in. However, Second Life goes beyond a game, allowing residents to build and create their own environments; and interact with others from around the globe. For further information see the About Second Life page.
This resource provides an overview of the key features of Second Life, and some tips and tricks to get you started, including:
To create your account and prepare for your first visit to Second Life, follow the steps below. All who are intending to join us for Islands of jokaydia Events will need to follow these instructions!
Step 1. Check System Requirements!
Second Life has specific software and hardware requirements. If your computer doesn't meet these requirements, you may not be able to participate in Second Life effectively. Click here to check the system requirements page.
Step 2. Visit the Signup Section of the Second Life Website
Visit the Join Second Life Page on the Second Life website and follow the instructions. You will need to complete the signup form.
Complete the Registration Form: Add the required details to the final registration form (name, password, email address etc) and submit. Remember to use an email address you can access to verify your account and write down your password!
Verify Your Account: You'll need to check your email and verify your account before you can access the Second Life grid. Make sure you check your 'Junk Mail' folder if you have difficulties!
After you have completed the registration form, you'll be asked to choose some basic details for your avatar:
You'll need to choose a name for your New Avatar: You don't need to use your real name... be creative. Choose a first name of your own creation, and a last name from a drop-down list of choices.
As certain names reach a certain quota of residents,they drop off the list and new last names are added.
New users need to choose a basic setup for their new avatar. There are a number of male and female options on the website to choose from. (see pic.) Don't worry too much about this, as you will be able to modify and create your avatar later on.
Step 5. Download and install the Second Life client
Users need to download and install the Second Life software onto their computer. (About 25MB for Windows users and 62MB for Mac users). You must have this software installed in order to access Second Life. There is also an beta version client for Linux Users.
Step 6. Log in to Second Life and Start Exploring!
That's it! You're ready to start your Second Life.
Launch the Second Life software and login. You will arrive on Orientation Island where you you will be able to use the resources there to familiarise with the Second Life interface.
Whichever signup process you choose, you are very welcome to visit us on the Islands of jokaydia, where we provide newbie resources, immersive events and experiences, rental spaces and consulting on the use of virtual worlds in arts and education.
To visit the Islands of jokaydia in Second Life, simply use the following Second Life URL - http://slurl.com/secondlife/jokaydia/105/157/23. This will provide you with a landmark you can use to teleport directly to the jokaydia Landing Point.
You can also use the Second Life search tools to locate us - simply search for 'jokaydia'
You can also visit the Islands of jokaydia Island Directory for more information about our venues, locations and resident properties.
Once you're in Second Life - I'd love to hear from you! To get in contact, you can use the Instant Message tools built into Second Life.
Simply click on the Search button, and under 'people' search for jokay Wollongong. Using the Instant Message button at the botton of the People Search tab you will be able to send me a direct message.
Additional to the official Second Life signup page, there are two additional ways you can undertake the process of creating your Second Life account, as detailed below.
Method 1: Signup and Arrive at jokaydia!
SLurl.com allows users to setup Direct TP links to locations in Second Life and also enables users to signup and teleport directly to a particular location.
Alternative Method 2: Third Party SL Registration Pages
If you would like to skip the traditional Second Life signup process, you can try one of the services listed below, which are provided by various organisations using the SL Registration API. These customised signup and newbie services are sometimes a much better choice and offer orientation experiences that are far superior to the standard SL orientation area.
Note: These alternative signup will also take you through an alternative newbie experience which has been customised for their particular organisations. If you are planning to use these for workshops and classes, please check that the service is working properly and is appropriate for your participants!
Its important to understand the basics of Second Life pricing. Residents can join and engage in Second Life for free, however certain features require a premium account.
Basic Second Life accounts are free. A basic account will allow you to visit Second Life and meet its residents, you will have access to all the tools and events. To participate in jokaydia (or other educational) events you will generally only need a free basic account.
Additional Basic accounts cost a $9.95 (US) one-time setup fee.
Premium accounts (required for owning land) start at $9.95/month (US) and up. For more information about pricing see the Second Life website.
Second Life residents who wish to create a permanent home are able to rent or buy virtual real estate within Second Life. For more information and up to date pricing see the Land Store.
Educational Institutions, Government Agencies and Not for Profit Organisations are usually eligible for discounts on land purchase and fees. See the Catalogue here for further details.
There are a range of ways to connect and network with others who are exploring the educational possibilities of Second Life.
Second Life Groups are communities you can join and belong to inworld. They allow for communication and sharing between Second Life residents and are a great way to find out about events and activities in Second Life.
There are a range of interesting Groups in Second Life - including the following education specific Groups:
NMC Guests: A group for teachers discussing the practice, process, development, support of conducting courses or classes in Second Life. Focus is on pedagogy, practicalities, best practices, and assessment. See also: http://sl.nmc.org/wiki/Teachers_Buzz_Session
WebHeads: An open, vibrant and global online community of educators who are interested in the application of educational technology, and who meet virtually on a regular basis to share their findings and friendship. See also: http://www.webheadsinaction.org
Real Life Education in Second Life: This is a Linden Lab sponsored group for real life educators and academics using Second Life for real life education and research. Please use this group to find collaborators, ask questions, and share information about upcoming educational events.
There are a number of mailing lists for those interested in exploring the educational uses of Second Life, including:
SL Educators - "SLED" Mailing List: Linden Lab maintains an Educators Mailing List to keep interested individuals alerted to education opportunities and events in Second Life.
As well as mailing lists, there are a number of educational community sites estalished online including:
ARVEL SIG Ning: An American Education Research Association SIG for educators, scholars, and practitioners researching computer-mediated 3D communities.
Atlantis Seekers Ning: Join a Second Life for Learning. Our virtual underwater campus brings educators a rigorous intellectual playground.
Better World Island Ning: Better World Island in Second Life ~ interaction, awareness, sharing, activisim, and connection. Making the real world a better place.
Rez-Ed Community Ning: An online hub for practitioners using virtual worlds, offering access to the highest quality resources and research in the field to establish a strong network of those using virtual worlds for learning.
Second Classroom Community Ning: Second Classroom is a project to explore ways in which educators can create projects for students using immersive media such as Second Life, MMORPG and social networks to create authentic learning.
There are a range of challenges, issues and cautions which need to be considered when using Second Life, particularly in educational settings, including:
Adoption Issues
High-end technology requirements - requires a relatively fast computer with a good graphics card and broadband internet access.
The user interface isn't as easy-to-use as it could be.
Steep learning curve - there is a lot to learn to use the platform proficiently (although not as steep for gamers and the Net Gen).
Poor introductory experience - problems with Orientation Island, Welcome Areas and a lack of effective and obvious search tools make it difficult to find places, experiences and people of interest.
Cost - although basic accounts are free, the cost of paying for land - which is required for permanent structures - and 'rent' may be prohibitive for some.
Accessibility - as yet no technology to allow vision impaired people to enter.
Platform Limitations
Second Life is a "walled garden" as opposed to an open platform like the Web, and does not currently run on open standards (although there is talk of moving to open standards).
It is not possible to host your own worlds on your own servers (like you can with the web).
"Prim economy" - there is a limit to the number of prims - the basic building blocks of Second Life - provided per parcel of land.
There is a limit to the number of avatars that can cohabit an area at one time - around 50 - 70.
Assets aren't portable - they can't be exported or taken into other virtual worlds under the current terms of service.
No backup - you can lose everything - either as a result of technical issues or conflict with Linden Lab - with very little legal recourse.
Limited tools for importing from other 3D software programs.
Last names have to be chosen from a list of provided names. You can choose a last name, but only for a fee.
Technological & Performance Issues
Downtime is required every 2-3 weeks for grid updates.
Updated client software needs to be downloaded and installed every 2-3 weeks.
Problems with scaling as the population increases rapidly - infrastructure has difficulty handling influx.
Grid stability, reliability and performance problems, including lag (sluggish performance) and downtime.
Other performance issues resulting in inventory loss, problems logging in, difficulty teleporting, search not working etc.
Social and Legal Issues
Although Linden Labs allow a lot of creative freedom and take a hands-off approach to governance, residents must still abide by the Linden Lab Terms of Service and Community Standards. Residents cannot make up their own rules.
Linden Labs can cancel accounts - and any money in those accounts - at any time without reason or legal recourse.
Residents have few legal rights and very little legal recourse if things go wrong (money lost, inventory lost, locked out of accounts).
Griefers - the flexibility and freedoms that Second Life affords also allows residents to disrupt the experience of other residents.
Educational Issues
Institutional barriers - administrative (e.g. seen as a game and not suitable for teaching) and technological (network security).
Legal issues for institutions - indemnity, intellectual property rights.
Second Life is a proprietary service - this is an issue for some educators, but it's worth noting that platforms like Blackboard and Janisons are proprietary too.
Authenticity concerns - how do we know it's the student behind the avatar? (although same issues can apply to any type of online learning).
Students can be exposed to inappropriate content, although no different from the web.
Child protection and duty of care (for younger students).
Privacy and safety issues.
Since 13-17 year olds are confined to the Teen Grid it can be a challenge for classes that bridge the 18 year old barrier.
Will my firewall prevent me from accessing Second Life?
Second Life needs to connect to ports 443/TCP, 12035/UDP, 12036/UDP, 12043/TCP, and 13000-13050/UDP. You should configure your firewall to allow outbound traffic on those ports, and related inbound traffic. If you are having difficulty using Second Life, you should check with your IT support people and show them this article on the Second Life Knowledge Base - How do I configure my firewall?.
Alternative Strategies
Some educators in Second Life have experienced difficulties in running the Second Life client in institutional computer labs. One strategy involves running the Second Life client on a Flash Drive. See: Second Life on a Flash Drive at Penn State Virtual Worlds.
Best viewed at 1024x768px. Skin created by Jo Kay, based on template by Paul Gu. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License. The Islands of jokaydia, wiki.jokaydia.com and jokay.com.au are not affiliated with or sponsored by Second Life, Linden Labs, Linden Research, OpenSimulator, ReactionGrid or any of the platforms mentioned in this site under nominative use.