Second Life Orientation for GEO4190 Class

Introduction to Second Life

September 5 2012

Emin Sağlamer
Instructional Technologies Support


WHAT IS SECOND LIFE?

Open-ended MMORPG with free membership and integrated
content building tools operated by Linden Lab since 2002.


What is Second Life?

Persistent 3D virtual reality
First available in 2002



Users are represented by avatars
Avatars can take any shape or form



Text chat, voice chat
Real time communication



Has its own currency (L$)
Economy & Merchants



Free or paid membership options
Rent or own land



Login concurrency 70K at peak times


SECOND LIFE COMMUNITIES


Second Life is Creative Expression


Second Life is a Party: Second Life Birthday Celebration


Second Life is a Live Concert


Second Life is a Gallery Opening


Second Life is Fashion & Style


Second Life is a Wedding!


Second Life is Technology Convention


Second Life is a University Campus


Second Life is an Educational Platform


Second Life is Role Playing: Robots, Vampires, Furries


TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY – SAN MARCOS
IN SECOND LIFE

Our Second Life 2006-2012


BobCat Village


How did Texas State University – San Marcos get Started with SL?

Chronology
• 2006, Dr. Milt Neilsen, the director of ITS,
came back from an NMC conference
excited about using SL.

• August 2006: We bought our first
simulator.

• January 2007: Our virtual campus,
Bobcat Village, was ready for students
and classes.

• 2007: We joined the NMC Educational
Continnent.

• 2008: Second Life: In World Travel Guide
quoted us as one of the three educational
spaces worth visiting in SL.


Meet the Texas State SL Team

Second Life Team at ITS
•Emin Saglamer
– Manager, Archirect, Marketing

•Robyn Herry
– Architect, Digital Media Specialist

•Steve Lux
– Architect, Digital Graphics


QUICK SL ORIENTATION

Basic Skills


Second Life Client

SL Client
Splash Screen

• SL client runs on Macintosh
and Windows computers.

• If your lab computer's version
of SL tells you, you need to
upgrade, please ignore it. You
can still log in with the version
installed.


Terms of Service Agreement

TOS Agreement

Accept the TOS
• Before you can sign onto
Second Life, you have to agree
to the terms of service (TOS)
agreement as presented by
Linden Lab.

• You will have to accept the
TOS once however from time
to time Linden Lab will make
changes to the TOS and when
you log in you may have to
agree to TOS again.


First Arrival in SL

No more Orientation Island!


Navigate to Our Virtual Campus to Start Your Orientation

Notice the field at the top of your window that looks like a URL field for a web
browser. Type “bobcat village” and hit return in this field to teleport to our island.


Core SL Skills: Walking

Use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to make your avatar forward
and back. Use left right arrows to make your avatar turn.


Core SL Skills: Alt Zooming

Holding down the Alt key on your keyboard, left mouse click on various parts of
the fish tank to focus on details. Use ESC to go back to default view.


Core SL Skills: Alt Zooming

Holding down Alt and holding down a left mouse button click, drag your mouse
forward and back or use the wheel to zoom in and out. Move the mouse sideways
to rotate around your focus point.


Core SL Skills: Chatting

Type in the chat field located at the bottom left of your window and press enter to
say something in public chat.


Core SL Skills: Chatting

Say something to another visitor in the orientation area. Have a conversation.


Core SL Skills: Sitting

You can right mouse click and sit on most surfaces in SL. Some scripted seating
may also let you sit with a single left mouse click.


Core SL Skills: Sitting

To stand up, you must click the “Stand Up” Button located at the bottom of your
window right above the Move button.


Core SL Skills: Flying

Holding down Page Up key on your keyboard will make your avatar fly.
Holding down Page Down key on your keyboard will make your avatar land.


Second Life: Core Competencies

Navigation Vision Projection Communication Acquisition

Walk/Fly Camera Appearance Chat / IM Searching

Sitting Alt Zoom Attachments Voice Chat Linden $

Map Light Inventory Gestures Purchasing
Control
Teleport Snapshot Unpack Item Friends Land

Landmark Make Outfit Groups



Vision

Camera

Alt Zoom

Light
Control
Vision


CC: Vision: Camera

The Camera is Your Avatar’s Eyes

• Normally in SL the camera hovers above and behind the
avatar.

• Sitting in vehicles, or chairs will change your camera
angle.

• Edit->MouseLook allows you to look through your
avatar’s eyes.

• Tapping ESC key or View->Reset View will reset your
camera angle.

• View->Camera Controls displays a floating menu that
you can use to control your camera.


CC: Vision: Alt Zooming

Alt-ZoomYour Camera
Alt-zooming gives you the ability to view parts of the scenery
around closer and in more detail. It allows you to look at things
around you without having to move your avatar.

How to Alt Zoom
1. Hold down option or alt
2. Left click your mouse and hold your click.
3. Move your mouse around to observe the camera
movement.
– The point you click is centered in your client and
becomes your center of focus.
– Forward & back: zoom in, zoom out
– Left & right: rotate left and right

4. Now hold down alt + cntrl on your keyboard while
keeping your mouse left click and move your mouse
– Do you notice that the camera is now panning up and
down when you move your mouse forward and back?


CC: Vision: Light Control

Day Night Cycle
Second Life days consist of three hours of daytime and one
hour of night, meaning in a real-world 24-hour day, there are
six Second Life® days.

Sun Override
1. Go to World->Sun

2. Select the time of day you desire from the following list:
1. Sunrise
2. Midday
3. Sunset
4. Midnight
5. Estate Time (sets back to the default time)

3. Light settings will now be fixed until you changed them
back to “Estate Time”.

4. If you quit and re-launch, this setting will reset back to
default.



Projection

Appearance

Attachments

Projection


CC: Projection: Appearance

Default Avatars
These are the default avatars SL offers as of October 2010.


CC: Projection: Appearance II

Endless Possibilities for Your Own Avatar
Only a few samples from thousands of user created avatars available in SL.


CC: Projection: Appearance III

Edit Shape
Shape refers to anything and everything that changes the
shape and texture of the BODY of your avatar:
– Body Parts
• Shape
• Skin
• Hair
• Eyes
– Clothes
• Shirt
• Pants
• Shoes
• Socks
• Jacket
• Gloves
• Undershirt
• Underpants
• Skirt

To edit your shape:
1. Right click your avatar.
2. Select Edit Appearance from the pull-down menu.
3. The Appearance Window will come up.
4. Your avatar will turn and face you.

Your avatar will turn around
and face you.


CC: Projection: Appearance IV

Edit Shape
Shape is broken down into the following parts:
–Body
–Head
–Eyes
–Ears
–Nose
–Mouth
–Chin
–Torso
–Legs


CC: Projection: Make Outfit

Outfits
Outfits are SL’s way of saving the characteristics of your
appearance in a nice organized folder that you could come
back to at a future date.

To make an outfit:
1. Click the T-shirt icon on the right side of your screen
2. My Appearance Tray Menu will open
3. Select My Outfits Tab
• If this is your first time, the list will be blank but this is where
your previously saved outfits are displayed.
4. Click the Save As button at the bottom of the My
Appearance Tray window and save your outfit.
5. Your new outfit will now be displayed in the list of outfits
available.
6. Each outfit is a folder of items that represent your
avatar.
7. Click and expand the contents of the outfit you just
created.
• Do you see all the individual parts that come together to
form your avatar such as shape, skin, hair, shoes, shirt etc?


CC: Projection: Inventory

Inventory
Everything your avatar owns (be it appearance, vehicles,
landmarks, notecards, animations, snapshots, etc.) is stored
under Inventory.

There are two main folders under Inventory:
• My Inventory
– For your avatar’s use
– This is where everything you buy/get/take in SL goes.
• Library
– This is a set of reference items / freebies given to every
avatar by Linden Lab.
– This folder does not change from avatar to avatar.

My Inventory has the following top level folders:
– Animations
– Body Parts
– Calling Cards
– Clothing
– Current Outfit
– Favorites
– Gestures
– Photo Album
– Scripts
– Textures
– Trash



Communication

Chat / IM

Voice Chat

Communication


CC: Communication: Public Chat vs. IM

Public Chat Instant Messages (IM)
• It is public and everyone within 20 meters of your • Instant messages are private messages sent
avatar can see your public chat. between two individuals. No one else sees your
messages.
• Choose wisely between public chat and IM when
you’re communicating in SL. Ask yourself, does this • In SL Etiquette it is usually better to public chat with
conversation belong in the public domain or private the person if they’re in the same space as you are.
conversation. You can then later take the conversation to IM.

• Avoid getting into shouting matches with other • You will often get greeting IMs from people on your
avatars. friends list. This is how people network and build
relationships in SL.
• If someone is being rude to you, you can right click
their avatar and select Mute from the pulldown • Groups that you enroll in will also from time to time
menu. have Group IMs. The difference is with a Group IM,
everyone in the group that’s online will by default
will see what’s being said and may join in.

• Offline group members do not get a transcript of the
Group IMs.


CC: Communication: How to Chat in Public

How to Chat in Public
1. Simply type your message into the chat entry field
located on the lower left corner of your screen and hit
return.
2. Your message will be broadcast to anyone within 20
meters of your avatar.

Things to Know
• When chatting you will hear and see some avatars
typing on an invisible keyboard in front of them. This is
the default animation for someone chatting.

• Sometimes you may hear and see an avatar typing into
chat but never see their messages; That’s because they
happen to be just outside of your “chat ears” perimeter of
20 meters.

• If you’re engaged in a private and/or important
conversation, it is best to continue in IM.

• If someone is annoying you you can right click and
select Mute from the pulldown menu and you will no
longer see their chat messages.


CC: Communication: How to Chat in IM

IM with Someone
1. Right click the person closest to you and select IM from
the pie menu.

2. An IM window will appear that allows you to
communicate privately with this avatar.

3. Type your messages into the IM text entry field and hit
return to send them to the recipient.

Things to Know
• Instant Messages are private, no one else can see them.
• Chat Window has buttons for:
– Profile
– Add Friend
– Teleport
– Share
– Pay
– Call
• Chat window displays a picture of the person you’re
talking to.
• History of your conversation will be displayed above in
the IM Chat history panel.
• IM logs can be saved by the SL client but you have to
turn this feature on under Me->Preferences Menu.


CC: Voice Chat

Voice Chatting Best Practices
• Turn off your speakers.

• Use a headset with a built in microphone.

• Keep the headphone volume on the headset low.

• Mute your microphone when you’re not speaking.

• Configure your sound input and output with Me-> You will need a headset with a built in microphone.
Preferences ->Sound& Media Settings Window.

• Allow yourself some time to log in and test audio before
a meeting or class.

• Voice chatting works bet when people take turns to talk.

• Not every location you visit will have voice chatting
enabled.

• TXSTATE SL islands have voice chatting enabled at all
times.



Acquisition

Searching

Linden $

Acquisition Purchasing


CC: Acquisition: Linden $

Workshop Bonus
• Each attendee of this workshop gets L$3000.

Linden Dollars as a currency
• Linden currency exchange rate changes daily.
• The current exchange rate is roughly 260 lindens to one
US dollar.
• When you register with Second Life, you’re given 0
Lindens!!

Two ways to buy Lindens You Can Buy Linden Dollars from www.secondlife.com
• Buy them from the website:
– https://secure-web12.secondlife.com/currency/buy.php
– You will have to log in with your avatar name last name and
password credentials.
– You can use your credit card or paypal account.

• Buy them from the SL client by licking the L$ in the
upper right corner of the client.
– Requires you to set up a form of payment source at the
secondlife.com website first.

Or From Buy L$ Window Within the Second Life Client


CC: Acquisition: Purchasing

Why Buy Items?

How to buy items
• Right click and select BUY from the pie menu
• Right click and select Pay from the pie menu

Where to buy items
• Linden Lab does not sell content
• All content is created by SL users
• Search for stores under Search-> Classifieds Tab.

What to buy
• Avatar Related:
– Complete avatars, skin, clothes, accessories
• Gadgets & Vehicles
– Cars, sailboats, parachutes
• Buildings & Furniture
– Houses, office buildings, building components
• Online Meeting Implements
– Displays, projectors, seating for meetings
• Landscaping items
– Trees, hedges, walls, planters


Second Life Client: TXSTATE Instructors in SL

How to Stay afloat, How to Get Help


Happy Avatars

• Happy Avatars have happy people behind them. • Customize your avatar, let your mind explore.
Question your choices and see if they’re suitable for
• It is important to balance SL time with Real Life (RL) classroom use.
time.
• Go out and buy yourself a good skin, be ready to
• It is good to go to some events, meet people and spend 1000 to 2000 lindens. The good ones are
make some contacts. worth it.

• It is good to explore the grid especially the NMC • Analyze and question your avatar choices. Is your
Educational Continent to see what other educators SL persona ready to appear before a virtual class?
are up to.
• Use the Bobcat Village and TXSTATE II sims as
• It is good to keep the curiosity and be forgiving of much as you can to sharpen your skills in building,
the technology when things do not go as planned. exploring, communicating in SL.


Dealing with Griefers

If you’re on TXSTATE property:
• Ask the griefer to leave.
• If they do not leave and stop disrupting your activity
then send an instant message to “Troy Vogel” and
give me the griefers full name. Even if I am not
online, your IM will be sent to me through e-mail.
• For scheduled class meetings notify us ahead of
time so that we can be there to provide extra
security against impromptu attacks.
• You can reach me at 512-245-9929 during business
hours. You can also e-mail me at
es26@txstate.edu.

If you’re some place else:
• Stay calm and try to not get openly upset.
• If you’re attending an event try to notify the
organizer about the griefer. Griefer Attack in Second Life
• Use Help-> Report Abuse to report the griefer to
Linden Lab. Be specific about griefer name and
what was done.
• Teleport somewhere else and invite your company
to follow you over IM.


Spaces for GEO4190 Class Use

• TXSTATE Sandbox
– http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bobcat%20Village/37/12/301

• Virtual Field School Sim
– Instructors who complete this workshop are eligible to use this area for practice and R&D.
– http://slurl.com/secondlife/TXSTATE%20II/153/114/21


How to Get Help

Bobcat Village & TXSTATE II Campus issues
– Emin Saglamer (es26@txstate.edu) (SL: Troy Vogel)
– Robyn Herry (rh11@txstate.edu) (SL: Alexis Tokhes)


Virtual Field School Project


Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

Second Life Orientation for GEO4190 Class

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