When I Got My Second Life

At the propitious late hour of 23rd of November, 2007 I was gifted a second life. Here, this world will know me as Fuego Forzane. Now time for the world to take notice. Amen!

(CLICK THE PICTURES TO SEE BETTER)

All the days of reading and researching culminated in me jumping into Second Life finally. I had attempted way back in February to register, but then my system requirements were not good enough. And today I was finally able to have the required set up and required time to take the plunge. In this blog, I attempt to account this exhilarating journey of mine in phases as and when I pass my days at Second Life. But yes, my first day at Second Life would remain pleasantly etched in my memory and would act as fodder for interesting tales to my grandchildren. I tell you, all the reading that you do about Second Life is ok, but its nothing in comparison to being there yourself with an avatar of your choice. The moment I got in, I squeaked like a kid, jumping all excited, desperate to share this excitement with someone. Meeting strange people, taking to them, befriending, arguing, exploring sights. No amount of words could express the adrenaline that was gushing in me.

(Someone who is already into Massively Multiplayer Online Role Player Games(MMORPG), would mock at my reaction. I agree i have never been exposed to MMORPG. So its an exciting new world for me)

So how did it all go, and how am I faring in this new world? How was my first day in my second life?

I went to secondlife.com where I was asked to register for free. I created a virtual id and then downloaded the required software that would be my client. No passport is necessary but you need a credit card of Paypal account to buy local currency.

I was told in the beginning that I would be taken to the Orientation Island, which as the name suggests is like a conditioning camp where you would get your bearings about this new life. It is here where you would learn how to talk to people, how to fly, wear clothes, attend events, drive cars and a host of other things.

The moment I was teleported to the Orientation Island, my eyes popped up looking at the breathtaking view around. I was in an island sorrounded by deep blue sea. I was being greeted with the sound of the waves from the sea. It looked all so real.
I kept walking, then started running too dazed to think about anything other than marvelling at this exquisite imaginary island. With green palms, verdant land, gushing winds, all looked so idyllic.

(Bird's eye view of orientation island)

Suddenly I find some movement. I realise they are some people here dressed smartly. I rush towards them curiously. Their names appeared hovering on their heads. The guys name was Travis Fegura. Holding a burning mantle, he was scampering for something. I introduced him and asked what was he was upto with the fire. He said he knew English so so. Then there was lady attractively dressed. But she didnt seem interested.
(First girl I met here)

Amidst all this I had failed to notice, to my utter embarrassment that I was wandering all over without clothes. Everyone else was clothed except me. But I did not know where to get them. I jostled for help.

(I couldn't find my clothes ;))

There was a gentleman who reluctantly heard what I had to say. "I need some clothes to wear. Can you tell me where to get them? I am new to Second Life?", was how I expressed my sorry state. "Didnt u get them before you got in?", asked the guy with concern. He mocked at me when I answered him at the negative. I kept approaching people without any luck. And then out of the blue a help screen popped up with options. And I found myself a list of options that if selected could equip me on my avatar. I chose a party wear and a new hairdo. I sighed a breathe of relief and went all over flaunting my new found attire. Suddenly I found people very approachable. It dint take me long to realise that it was my bday suite that was putting them off.

While mindlessly wandering through the roads and the buildings, admiring the island, I bumped into a live fashion show that was about to end. I later found that I could search for all the events that happen on a day and reach there at the stipulated time, if i wished to attend.

(Live fashion show I witnessed)

With all this rich experience and vivid imagery, i dozed off in my real world imagining the unimaginable possibilities Second Life can offer. Tomorrow I intend to visit my office, Sun Microsystems in Second World. I had written before in my post that Sun has a real estate in Second Life and dedicated engineers working on its product releases. Same is the case with host of other companies who have joined the bandwagon and sitting pretty.
I will soon get back to you with more updates. And more interesting to look forward to. I need to build a house, get a car, set up a business, ... I will soon share pics and news...

(What do u think about her..)

Bbye for now........



(I have written two more posts in the past on Second Life:

• http://mon-voyage.blogspot.com/2007/02/second-life-free-rein-to-imagination.html
• http://mon-voyage.blogspot.com/2007/11/its-strange-new-world-out-there.html)

Excellent introduction to second life..You will love it....

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Its a Strange New World Out There

One of my colleague's friend spoke about an acquaintance who makes a living on real estate business. But the real estate doesnt have a state. Its virtual.
I know all you readers have guessed it right. And you might sigh saying, "Oh! another article on Second Life. " I had blogged about Second Life long back in February. Since then, I have failed to keep track of its evolution. Only occasionally coming across it through some random articles here and there or on the Internet. Though I had seen it coming, today it doesnt seize to amaze me any less knowing about the kind of parallel economy it is driving along. Avatars are setting up businesses and making a living. Real estate resellers are purchasing land, holding it and auctioning it at higher prices. And people are actually scampering for their share of land.

There are two distinct types of land in Second Life: Mainland and Islands (or Estates). Mainland is managed by Linden Lab. Each Estate is managed by the Estate owner.

I am reading Making Your Mark in Second Life: Business, Land and Money by Taran Rampersad where the writer demystifies the realities of making profitable business in Second life. He provides ample business concepts, jargons and formalities that goes in Second Life real estate business corroborating it with live case studies. It tells you how to buy or rent a piece of land, how to get a fair price value, how to look for property on new servers, When to resell, how to weigh risks and reduce losses if any.

Prices fluctuate just as in real world with speculation. Land prices in second life dropped to as low as 6 Linden dollars per meter and have been as high as 13 Linden dollars per meter. Real estate that attracts more traffic(number of people) indicates how popular a place is and is thus more expensive.

The procedure of buying a piece of land is as natural as buying in the real world. Like determining the shape of the land. Is it a residential plot? If it is, your corporate building wouldnt fit there. If it a business area, your bungalow would be out of place. Are the neighbours around good enough to bear? You may want to go around and talk to them to be doubly sure of any doubts.

You will be intrigued to read instances like this. Some excerpts:
"The Mainland is zoned into two main categories: PG (parental guidance) and mature. Basically, in a mature simulator you can wander around naked and hop up and down while uttering curse words. You can do these things as long as you do not harass another user, and it is doubtful that the hopping up and down will offend anyone. PG is less easy to interpret, because one person's PG may be another person's X-Rated. Your discretion is strongly advised, and be wary—it's quite likely that no matter where you are, someone's mother is lurking and ready to pounce on what she considers deviant behavior.

One of the problems is related to zoning on the Mainland, the area managed and maintained by Linden Lab. For example, you might purchase a plot of land in a mature area that you consider residential, build a house, plant a garden, and decorate—then within a few moments someone could be erecting a mall next door, or even making smaller parcels of land next to you to sell advertising space for everything from textures to virtual escort services and outright pornography. It happens, it continues to happen, and there are no solutions that have been set forth regarding this at the time of this document being published."

Some flourishing self made businesses are:

Escape!
Escape!, run by Kya Eliot and Ferret Bjornson, creates ladies fashion as well as buildings (mainly medieval) and scripted items. Months of effort and 16-hour days have allowed Ferret and Kya to create many things and, especially with ladies clothing, develop a loyal following.


The wedding planner

Kande Knox has been running a wedding business full time within Second Life for at least a year. She started off as a supplier and creator of custom items for weddings, and eventually people started asking her to do weddings. These days, she provides mainly a service for people who wish to have their avatars wed, and this business keeps her occupied full-time. Since she reuses objects she builds and has built, there is little issue with item permissions.

The banker
Midas Commons is a reputable banker in Second Life who doesn't really use much of the Second Life skills in the context of business, compared to the other business discussed here. He, like other bankers, uses his real-world experience in combination with use of Second Life technology and finance to enable interest rates for accounts for other residents within Second Life, as do other reputable banks within Second Life.


These are the some the businesses out of hundred others handpicked to share it with you.


The book though is a delight to read, looked like the publisher was in a hurry to release it before the hype ebbs. A lot more details could have gone into it. But considering it is the first among the few books on Second Life, they would sell like hot cakes on face value.

But yes, defintely a good starter for someone thinking to start a business in Second Life.

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