Second Life: Freya Ophelia

I just got back from a frustrating day in SecondLife. When I first entered the world I saw Brim Iredell was also on but I could find no way to make friends. I tried to go to the help section but it crashed my computer….twice. So I decided to ask some other avatars and found out you can only befriend someone that is in your range of site. So I looked up Brim again but then I couldn’t figure out where in Second Life Brim was. So I’ve concluded either Second Life makes it rather difficult to make friends or I am befriending retarded. I assume it’s the latter. After I gave up on that I decided to begin conducting my interviews.

I found one of those stations where people get paid to sit in chairs. I figured, while I was interviewing, I might as well sit down too. After getting comfortable I found everyone in those chairs really isn’t in those chairs, they’ve gone off to do something and left their avatar. So that’s not really the best place to conduct an interview. But, the one person that did respond was rather cooperative…until they realized they weren’t getting paid for the interview. Then they seemed less inclined to answer my question. Frustrated, I teleported to a random place to do some exploring…and never got paid for sitting in my chair. Did I have to stand up first? I don’t know…

So after a failed befriending process, a failed interview, and a failed attempt to sit and make money, I transported to a land where a shiny turquoise motorcycle appeared next to me. Now this looked fun. I right clicked, chose sit, and BAM! It was like I’d been shot out of a cannon. Freya went flying high above the land and then plummeted downward again, only to be left in a crumpled heap right next to that damn motorcycle. Apparently motorcycles have the right to dismiss of people they don’t like.

I guess Second Life is no different from any community, virtual or real. There are rules to be learned and followed, and if you don’t know them/don’t follow them, it will most likely result in frustration and an unpleasant experience. It’s much like visiting a foreign country in the real world. Sure, you can read about it in a tourist book (or from Orientation Island), but until you are fully immersed in the culture there are certain peculiarities and customs you just wont know about.