Are alts necessary to operate in multiple social spheres?

There are probably as many reasons for having alts as there are players who have them...

In my case, I have two alternating Ceera accounts...

Ceera Murakami is my main, and the one I do business as. She is regularly inundated with green text messages relating to texture sales, announcements related to merchant or land groups, and occasional other messages relating to my business interests. It's almost impossible to roleplay with her because she is constantly being interrupted. And most of it isn't "rude friends who won't accept that you're doing something else". It's automated stuff caused by being very involved in SL.

Ceera Kitsune was created for roleplay, and to share the "Kitsune" surname with my SL Partner, daughter and brother. I log on with that account when I want to play with my friends or socialize, without the above interruptions. She's in very few groups, and her Friends list is only the people she roleplays with.

My profile for those two accounts in each case acknowledges the other, and explains that one is for work and one is for play. Which one I am logged in as gives a visual cue as to what I want to be doing, much as my clothing in RL could give you a clue if I was dressed for a business meeting or dressed for a night on the town.

Other alts are for adopting specific roles, or for testing specific circumstances. For example a male alt than can be used to test the fit of furnishings and doorways for avatars larger than my normal female size. I can also use that alt for when testing something requires two people interacting, like sales and permissions on item transfers.

And some of my alts are indeed for times when I want to be accepted as someone else entirely - as another of the fictional characters that I portray for my own amusement and that of my friends. I'm an actress. I like portraying a variety of roles in a believable manner. Those alts each have their own personalities and backgrounds, and they act and speak differently than Ceera does. One is a male who only acknowledges that his Player is male, for when I simply do not want people to treat me as a female. Believe me, there is a world of difference in how some people treat you based on their perception of your RL self, even if what you're doing has nothing at all to do with romantic encounters.

But any person who tries to get the least bit "personally involved" with any of my accounts gets told very clearly that they are dealing with a roleplay character, and that I never date in RL anyone who I befriend in on-line play. I don't lead anyone on, or use my alts to "fool" someone. If they want to roleplay with that particular fictional character for the fun of it, great. We both have fun. If they were looking for something more serious, they find out right away that they need to look elsewhere. I'm really not that much into romantic roleplay in SL anyway. I'm here to create and to build things, and to be an actress.

Just to expand on Ceera's romantic involvement point a bit more...

I think alot of people also create alts because they got romantically involved and it all went wrong so they are escaping from their second life with a second second life...

...if only it was that easy in RL *grins*

Of course the reality is you are always you regardless of what character you wear. Being an actress or roleplaying is a completely different thing - when you see a movie you may get carried away by the characters but ultimately you always know they are actors. In SL it's different - we tend to make the assumption that the ppl we meet are "real" and take them at face value rather than as representations of who the player wants to be. Maybe that's just me? Not sure what that has to do with alts though... Wait maybe your main character is an alt of your RL self?

I've met three of em? Am I counting right? I'm purty sure I've met Ryker, an I think *maybe* Abi?

Mari
(...who has enough troubles keeping RL an SL all sorted out without adding a buncha alt mes)

Ryker must have been at camp hardknock last summer he doesn't go out to much because he tents to get in trouble to much, afterall girls don't like being teased, I'm sure you met abi at authumn and winter camp, maybe you met anton at kidscouts, not sure but I think you did, might have seen abi there too.

Jumpy is your Alt?

I have three alts.

One is the co-owner of my group and keeps me from spending all of my Lindens

One is a newbie that I use to test scripts, security and weapons.

One is a secret work in progress and only two people know about that particular avi. That avi will likely work in a totally different social sphere.

I trust the people that know completely not to say anything.

"CX"

I was thinking the same thing lol.

I have 2 alts. The first was created to seperate finances from 2 different businesses I had at one time in SL. The Second was to escape the insane number of IMs, notecards etc I was recieving so that I could do product development for those businesses.

I have since closed both businesses. Alt #1 rarely logs in anymore. Alt #2 has gone tiny and started a business for tiny things. After 4 years in SL I just couldnt bring myself to mess with my mains appearance. The only time more than 1 is online at the same time is when I need to pass something between them.

LOL I often hang out with my alts... conversation is a little predictable though

I have two alts. My original alt was discovered by some friends and I can no longer slip around silently with her, much less build. My newest alt was born in March and is male...and I loves him. He has no friends other than my first alt and my main. He has maybe three changes of clothes and one pair of boots all of which all were freebies...I think I made two of his shirts. He has 3 hairstyles. His skin is white and he's so gothically beautiful, that he's unaproachable, LOL but women still hit on him and that's the wierdest feeling for me. I don't intend to add to his clothes, skins or hair beyond that. His inventory is absolutely nothing that we have not built. He rents a simple skybox by the week with 200 prims available and for the most part it's empty unless we're working on a project.

He is simply used for nothing more than developing classes and writing the class notes for the particular build I'm teaching. Then we transfer the notes for MoxZ to build a class model and teach it.

Or if I'm feeling particularly antisocial but want to see something on the grid, he's who I'll sign in. I'm very fond of my little guy although he's not really me.

Well, you usually don't "tell" people you are on your alt, that's kind of the point. You just 'aren't online'

I use alts for:

Groups as I need 2 members.

Groups as 25 aren't enough for me.

Testing, as an alt not in the land group is good for testing scripts.

Research and development in a peaceful environment, my im's go to mail so I keep an eye on that anyway, even when I'm not logged in at all.

LULZ Wrong Jump... Ain't any of you been the the alt party we had? (o.o)

Jumpand Fall << My Ganguro Alt. (^_^)y

Sure. You stick to that story.

I only have one alt.. and that is from my first time in SL over 2 years ago ( i tried to play for about a week and gave it up)...lol i have so much invested in this one I consider it my main and I feel comfortable enough to take her anywhere I want.

I didn't even try to log in with it when I came back because I figured it would be gone...but after thinking it had some money.. I decided to see if it was still viable and sure enough it was.

When I logged on a mall had been built around me and I was under the floor. and she was ugly as ever LOL. That is the only time I have logged her on.. but it is nice to have her in the closet should i ever need to take her out. LOL As of now I have no one I need to hide from so all is good in Alt land for me.

I don't have any alts. Geez, guys, isn't one of me enough?

Yes.

*I don't have an alt either.

I actually got romatically involved with someone so because they weren't furry I used an alt for our fun times, but I really found in the end I prefered being Tegg me than human me, so when it fizzled out, it didn't destroy my liking for my main

ばか!!! (>_<

/me was shocked to learn that my alt is a lesbian.

jk, she sits alone and offline, I've only woken her up a few times to test out modeling poses for photoshoots, so I dont waste my client's time in the booth.

another time we tried to bump pixles but she was terrible at emoting.. figures.

I hear they are hella useful for stalking and griefing other residents and their business interests.

Actually I am part of the minority. I have alts, but I use them for "standard alt things" in terms of someone to test scripts on, someone to check permissions, someone with a controllable "account balance" for keeping track of certain expenses, and for testing and using alternate clients. (like SLImageUpload.exe)

But my "main" account (this one) is just that.. my MAIN account. I use my account for everything from building, to playing, to sexxing it up, and whatever. I change my avatar, and that's what I'm "being" at that time. If I want to do sexy, latexy things, then I put on that kind of avatar. If I want to go play and explore, I put on that avatar. If I'm just building, I look different than if I'm visiting a big party event, and different still than when I'm talking with customers, or business contacts.

This of course, opens up "that can of worms" in terms of LL's crazy rules about child avatars.. because sometimes I am, and sometimes I'm not. In fact, MOST times I'm not. My home, is just that, it's my space where my stuff is. (though more and more I notice that I need a home less and less.)

I'm not in SL to "roleplay" a "character"... some people are, and I can dig that. Some people make "one account per character"... and maybe I should do that too.

But so much of my inventory from the last 2 years, is in "Winter Ventura's" backpack.. and it's hard to decide to make an alt for a certain type of play.... Since so much of my "cool stuff" is Winter's.. and no-transfer.

I am who I am.. and that's not always the same thing from day to day.

I do everything as "Me" as well. Even in RP , it's always Me in tht situation, reacting how I would normally. Any characters I assume still reflect my core personality.

Yes - alts are essential, particularly if you want to RP some kidnap, rape, etc., or hang around with those that do, and not let your husband know.... just one example.

Why? Why would someone who wants to concentrate on something without disturbances be happy being disturbed by IMs? You should try it - then you'll see how much of a nuisance it can be