inKLine Media

Birth of an Avi

By Bill Kaye

In many ways, I still consider myself a “noob” or newcomer to Second Life–the politically correct term by SL standards.  I joined SL a year and seven months ago.  It wasn’t until last December that SL really sank its teeth into my soul.  As I dwell on that year that has passed, much of it seems so distant.

Now that I have established somewhat of a comfort zone within this captivating alternate universe,  I can’t remember what it’s like to be a true noob, straight from the launching pad.  So last night I entered the skin of a noob once again, creating an alt–gasp–to go through the process.  This is the story of Mencken Hornberger.

Welcome Island seems a lot different than I remember it in 2011, but I’m not sure if that’s necessarily the case.  From what I remember, the old Welcome Island compelled me perform a series of exercises to complete before leaving Welcome Island in order to learn the basic functions of an avi.

The only familiar aspects of this Welcome Island are the circular architecture and the avis who are either hunched over and AFK or splayed like Da Vinci’s Human Anatomy while editing their appearance.  Other than that, the first terrain seems somewhat vague in its direction.

Signs line the walls, but I can’t make out more than a few generic phrases like “music” and “socializing.”  So I wander closer and this portal sends me, without warning, straight to The Shelter, one of SL’s cornerstone, noob-friendly establishments.

A few good Samaritans tried to help this placenta of an avatar, but answering the eternal question of

The Adventure of Mencken Hornberger

‘what am I supposed to’ posed a supreme challenge.  I imagine it still does for many of us, but I tried to reverse course and head back to the SL’s proverbial womb.

Unfortunately, I would learn that once I left this first launch pad, I would be unable to return.  I’ll never know where the other portals could’ve taken me.  I dwell on how my SL could have turned out if I chose another portal.  Was this some type of irrevocable decision I had just made?  I wonder how anyone could help me even if they wanted to.

As I try to get into the mind of a noob, I wonder how I learned to navigate this complex landscape of SL.  Quite frankly, I remember lots of trial and error, clicking items on a whim, endless exploration and diligent observation.  The Destination Menu, quite frankly, hooked me.  I found my hometown of New York City and felt at home, somewhat literally.

Since that time, I have come to realize that SL is teeming with exceptional resources and people who actively help and mentor noobs, but now I wonder how the noobs learn how to seek and utilize those resources.  Quite frankly, I wonder how they get past the landing pad.

That’s our goal here with Noob’s News: getting newcomers off the landing pad and involved in the community immediately.  It’s a forum where newcomers can access information and elders can dispense it.