SecondLife : Helping New Users : And The Destination Guide : How Important Is It ?

By Avatar JayR Cela

    Every now and then I find myself meeting a brand new user in SL, and it is always friendly to be as helpful and polite as possible. I know when I first arrived here back in 2005, I had know idea what to do. And I tended to be a sort of cling-on nuisance to any one that was nice enough to befriend me my first few months.
( to say the least ) LOL

    I think the most common questions are usually. What is Second Life ?  How do I do this or that ? What is there to do here ? At this point it may be a good idea to ask your new friend this question. What was it that brought them to SL in the first place ? Their answer to your first question directed towards them, should help you determine the best way to keep them interested in remaining here, just craft your answer accordingly.

     If they want to know how to accomplish one task or another, remember that most all new potential residents will more and likely be using the standard LL viewer. If this is the case I defiantly recommend that you explain to them how to open their User Dashboard, and watch all of the Video Tutorials, when they have the extra time to do so.

    This will save the both of you an awful lot of  time, and possibly some unnecessary  frustration. You may also want to mention that some of the tutorials are a bit outdated, but it is a good idea to watch them regardless.  ( You can always inform them of alternate viewer choices at a later date ) 

    The third and most important question noobs usually ask, is the infamous. What is there to do here in SecondLife ? Here is where you can really become the hero, and help to foster a good future relationship. Tell them about the SL Destination Guide, and teach them how to use it.

   This is probably the single biggest and best piece of advice that you, as an experienced Second Lifer can offer to someone just getting started. It is also a good way for anyone experienced or not, to keep from getting bored while they or yourself are spending time in this Virtual World we call SecondLife.

JayR Cela :_)