Second Life Etiquette
July 05th 2006
Ok, now that I’m spending more and more time in Second Life I figured I’d post some helpful little lessons on basic etiquette in Second Life (SLetiquette?) as there has been some things happening that have been bugging me. As well some personal notes on things going on in world for me.
Plus, since there are lots of newbies coming in and I haven’t seen anything like this I figured I’d start the conversation. Hopefully others will add to it in the comments and we can get a good old fashion conversation brewing.
- Because Second Life is not a game, just because I’m “in world” does not mean that I can socialize the second I arrive. Patience is important.
- If you IM me when not in world, I get it e-mailed to me and will usually respond because I think it’s great that I can do this. But, don’t freak out when you can’t find me in world because of this. *grin*
- If we are friends in world you can find out where I am at any time and teleport there, but this is very bad form. Always drop an IM before just showing up. It’s the polite thing to do and you never know what you might be popping into the middle of. I had someone pop into the middle of a meeting the other night. Doh!
- Many people conduct meetings in world. Just tonight I was on the phone with someone while they showed me around some places. I had someone arrive to chat with me and I politely told them I was busy and couldn’t chat and they got it and said “talk to you soon” and I appreciate that. Please keep in mind that business is happening in SL. People are doing work and sometimes can’t just socialize.
- Linden Labs has not yet added a way to become friends with people unless you are both in world at the same time. I have a habit of jumping in, becoming a friend and jumping out. This sometimes leads to people seeing me, IMing me and then wondering why I left so quick. Now you know why.
- My current office in world (new one still being built) is just that an office. If the doors are open, come on in. If they are shut then perhaps there is a reason. Chill outside on the hammock or watch the movie of the week. I’ll be back soon.
- Second Life is all about community and thus chatting and just saying hi to people is highly encouraged. Just keep in mind that they might be shopping, building or just passing through and can’t chat at the moment. If they don’t say hi back don’t pester. But, also don’t get scared off from saying hello to the next person.
- Snapshots are great, but in case you don’t know, every time you do a sound goes off an your avatar will show that they are taking a picture to everyone. Most times this is cool, but it’s quite possible that the situation might not be appropriate. Just think before you snap.
As I said this is just a starting point in the hope that it’ll kick off some more comments here on the Blog so that we can all pool our knowledge and experiences.
See you in SL!
