Very new to SL

Hi I am very new to SL and so far I like it.
I would like some advice on where to go to meet people.Most area I have been to so far are empty.I tried the search option in SL, but again most area are empty.Would anybody be so nice and help a new lassie

Click on the search button and look up the events you will often find ppl there. Also on search on the all tab type in something that interests you and look at those places there you will find ppl who like what you do

easier still... open up the map, zoom in a little... click where you see lots of little green dots (just be wary of the the dots that looked stacked... often these aren't real people, but rather bots, created for various purposes, and they don't interact much.)

Good for you.

About the empty places:

there are roundabout 30000 "Regions" on the grid.
at peak hours there are maybe 70000 avatars online.
so, on average, there are two people per region.

or in other terms: for each club that has 40 people dancing there are 20 sims elsewhere that are completely empty...


now back to your original question, using search is a good idea, if you keep in mind that traffic numbers with 6 digits are pretty likely to be doctored (the owner is running a bot farm in the sky to appear to have more traffic). that happens more often than you think...

a good idea to find places is the showcase.
there's this link on top of each page of the sl website, leads you to a list of "cool places". If you don't find people there you might at least find something cool to look at.

that might actually take you into someone's home.

happened at our place the other day, some newb teleported right into our bedroom.
had about 10 seconds before our psyke kicked her out.

i don't really advocate that idea.

If you like live music then use the search -> events -> live music.

If you have any sort of land rights whatsoever, then try setting a landing point (About Land --> Options) somewhere outside of your house, and make sure Teleport Routing is set to "Landing Point". No more show-stopping crash-landings on your bed!

To Calantha: Welcome to SL!

I did not set a landing point on purpose, our plot is 15000m² and both my wife and me use the doubleclick-to-tp feature together with disable camera constraints a lot to get around... TP routing would so be a pain in the arse.

Welcome to SL and to the Forum!

Hi calantha, welcome!

Might I recommend NCI (New Citizens International) and the Shelter? I have not been there in ages, but both are very welcoming to newcomers and it seems like there is almost always someone there.

Also, Caledon Oxbridge is a welcoming point for new members and you are likely to find both friendly conversation and mentors/helpers on hand.

Does anyone know if GQ Start is still around? There's another spot you're likely to find helpful, friendly people.

To find these, touch the Search button in the bar at the bottom of your screen, then choose Places tab and type in the name.

In the same Search menu, you can also go to the Events tab as Windsweptgold suggested. There is a dropdown box so you can search for educational events or nightlife or other categories. The downside to the Events search is that it's frequently cluttered with spam for things that aren't really events, but you can find some real gems that way. (Tip - if the "event" lasts for three hours, and is advertised every 2-3, it is *usually* not hosted - but there are exceptions.)

If you have a particular interest, you could also search the Groups tab and see if there's a group that reflects that. If it's open and free to join, join it. Be aware that some groups are very chatty (but you can always close the box for that group's chat) and that others are mostly inactive. The Forum Cartel group is a group formed by people from these forums - it's very chatty and also a good way to find out about fun things that are going on while you're actually inworld.

Good luck, and welcome to SL!

EDIT: I just reread and saw that you're already using the Search, so that's great. I'll leave this alone, as it does suggest a few things to search for and it may help someone else down the line.

The Showcase is definitely a good idea, not only to meet people but to see some of the cool places that are in SL.

Events are definitely good - try to find the "real" events, though - not the so-called events where people are just spamming the events calendar with the same thing every hour. (see, some people feel there is money to be made and gaming the various systems, like events and traffic are quite common, unfortunately).

Especially look for live music - I tend to find those get to be very popular (and entertaining) - clubs with DJs can be, but those are often very laggy because of the number of people and the decor of the club.

I tended to find that once i had met a few people, they tended to invite me to the cool places, and the number of people on my friends list blossomed.

Good luck, and have a great Second Life!

There's a rackety old place called forum hangout. You might find a few lost souls there. I also know quite a few disreputable TPs. Try nude beaches - tons of people there. Seriously. They're coming out of the woodwork. Like mice on rice.

I generally click *near* where I see the dots, so I can see what kind of place it is first. Safer that way.

If you're the landowner you can ignore the landing point for intra-sim teleports.

Welcome to SL, calantha

I believe events for Relay for Life are still being held and with so many different Relay teams there are usually at least one or two a day. In Events search try using the terms RFL, or Relay for Life or even just Relay. Some of the events are really imaginative and lots of fun.

not if it's group owned land.

Funny. ALL my land is group owned. Check your roles and abilities.

A lot of people rent. PLEASE do not do the click the green dots thing.

I had people teleport in as a constant stream of unwanted guests when I rented. I paid for the 2 story flat, and basically couldn't use it. And a lot of people won't be very friendly should that happen. Some will laugh it off - some will see it as possible griefing.

Anyway - Just use search. Look for the places that have a high traffic number listed. A lot of the top places advertise in the classifieds. Look there, too.

Also a good tip is to click on avatars, click Profile and look on their Picks page in their Profile. Since those places are likely some of their favorites they just might be other people's favorites too.

One of the hardest things in SL is to fill up a sim. Usually that happens only at events, at top clubs, or top stores. So try to find some of those and you might find more people. Also maybe look for a popular roleplay area if you are into that stuff (medieval, battle, there are different types).

What do you like to do? That might help people suggest places.

I will send some landmarks your way if you want me to. Just let me know.

Calantha, the SL Left Unity Feminist Network has produced a "Newbie Woman's SL Survival Kit" that includes, along with a great deal else (including safety tips for noobs) some LMs to various places. You can find it online at:

http://womensresourcehub.wetpaint.com/page/Newbie+Woman%27s+SL+Survival+Kit

There is also a free in-world version of this which includes a few useful attachments; there are vendors for it at various places, or you are welcome to IM me in world for a copy.

And welcome to SL!

I stalk green dots all the time, and haven't have anyone complain since I started clicking *near* the dots instead of right on them. I'm more likely to end up in someone's bedroom because I got kicked off my plane by aggressive orbs.

Edit: scylla: your link doesn't work without a "?".

Absence of complaint is hardly a rousing endorsement or invitation. I can't believe people are encouraging blind teleports.

Oh hell. The link worked for me when I checked it, but . . . Add a "?" where?

(Can you believe I'm trying to help a noobie? )

When I show up half a sim away, they don't even know I'm there unless it's obviously a public place.

You learn something new every day.

Edit: scylla: anywhere in the URL, I usually add #? to the end.

Searching events - yes. Not what I did but I think it would work best.

Searching places - not so good. The problem is bots and camping make places look more busy than they are. Both of these things have recently had rules placed against most (or all - not sure myself, there are OTHER THREADS about it) of their uses, but it will take time for search to 'smooth over'. Plus, keyword spamming in search makes a lot of search terms useless... Unlike internet search engines, which no longer rely on keywords as a major factor, SL's search is still living in 1997...

Profile Searching - semi good. When you do start meeting people, scan their groups and picks. Go to the places in there. Some of them will lead you to other people, some of them will lead you to 'Picks camping' spots (places that give prizes to people who list them in their Picks...). With a little experience you will often be able to tell the difference before even visiting the place (hint; does the Picks text look spammy, or informative).


So far I'm just going off the original post in this thread so I don't know if the next idea was addressed or not.

That idea is, tell us a little about what you want to find in SL. Of course, your new to SL, so what you will want to find in the long run and what you think you want now are likely going to end up being different. But, its still a start.

Try a 3-things list. I always like sets of 3s. What are...

3 hobbies
3 things you'd like to know about but never tried in RL
3 things you know for sure you do not like

- with that info somebody here might have a similar entry in their personal list and be able to point you in the right direction.

I do this green dot clicking too...

And 9 times out of 10, somebody says hi to me. I say hi back. I tell them I'm exploring, and often I end up in a chat session with somebody friendly.

Only once did I have a warning blue message pop up telling me I'd landed in a place I was not allowed - and I think it was some kind of error. I TP'd and found myself at 1700m up, and I fell -through- a private area that I guess didn't have ban-lines to bounce me off of...

I -do not- usually do it on spots where I see just 2 green dots together. Some people, for some reason, don't like being watched when they get it on (go figure, who wouldn't want to be watched? ), so I make an assumption there to be safe. But if I see a cluster - odds are it isn't an orgy (and if it is... that might be a good thing), so I TP in.
- I say usually because there are some places where an obvious exception lies. Like a shopping center or what looks like the middle of a dance floor. But you kind of have to know how to visually guess the map before you start doing that.

I've only landed in a room with a sex bed once doing this... and well, Kitty didn't leave there with her clothes on (at least, not on in the right spots).


My 3 lists, in response to my post above:

Hobbies:
1. 3D art
2. History / Poly-sci
3. World music

3 things I always wanted to try:
1. Being a nudist ( )
2. Being an exotic dancer
3. Being a Neko
(and yeah, I've since locked on to all 3 of these in SL)

3 Things I know I don't want to try:
1. BDSM (got talked into it once in SL though, and it freaked me out for a good day after).
2. Combat-RP
3. Death-metal / acid rock (or whatever that ultra heavy stuff is called - it hurts my kitty ears. Which I know because I have a younger sibling who is obsessed with it).

- that's my list, which I put up to serve as an example. Someone who had some of those things in common would then be able to help me find them. Likewise, if you have any of the above in common and want help with it, IM me. My hobbies list though, while my RL hobbies, is something I have yet to find/explore in SL.