Newbie trying to understand...

Hey- I've installed SL three days ago and I'm trying to get acquainted. I understand that its a complete virtual world, but what should I do??

Any suggestions of good places to go to just meet people, chat, dicsussions? Everything advertised on the Events tab seems to be for clubs or prostitution. I'm just looking to meet some people and explore the world.

Plus, I don't really get owning land. Why would you need to own a house? I understand owning a store, but why a club? How do you make money if there is no cover charge?

Finally, what happens to my character when I'm logged out? Am I just sitting there lifeless or do I disappear? I ask this because I've come accross a group of characters grouped around a burning trash can, just sitting there lifeless. It was a little freaky.

Thanks!
Roadster

If you log out your character disappears. Occasionally, when you 'crash' your character stays visible to others.

What to do in SL? Meet people, make things, sell the things you make.

Owning land enables you to build on it and create a virtual dream home or club or whatever. Also if you are so inclined you can buy and sell land in the hope of making money.

Why would we want to do this? Well, we need to do things in a virtual world, it has to look nice and it's great to be able to shape your own little part of that world. After all, if we strip away all the colour and design, we could function as white dots on a grey graph paper grid!!!!

You could try the NCI at Kuula 40,175,28
or the Shelter at Isabel 51,240,80

Both are very newbie-friendly places. Why do people want houses? To retreat from all the craziness out there every once in a while. Plus you pick up a lot of free stuff along the way and it's nice to have a place to put it.

Why do people have clubs? Um, good question. To be popular?

The lifeless people around the trash can? Perhaps they were camping to earn money, or had gotten ejected from somewhere when they were away from their computers. Don't worry, you won't be like them unless you want to be.

haha not laughing at you just giggling these guys are "campers" they sit there to earn some lindens

the rest of the questions seem answerd but i just had to comment that was so cute in many ways and something that I asked myself when I saw a bunch of people just sitting and apparently doing nothing else the first times till i found a chair that was vacant and tried one out to see what they were all sitting around for hehe

good luck

try to stay on the starter island to learn the basics before you leave (although now there are places you can return to if need be )

One other thing to do in SL...............search events and from the drop down menu choose live music. The friendliest people in SL attend those events............plus you get some darn good music for free too.

You see avis sitting or dancing or doing some redundant animation and not talking then they are most likely doing what is called "camping".........they are trying to get a few lindens by "dwelling" somewhere. Problem is most park their avis and go off to do real life stuff and are not even at their computers..........lot of fun that is Everyone's camped at one time or another.......and as long as you contribute with conversation I think that's great. But when you leave your computer you are just dead wieght on the servers and taking up valuable space in a sim that could be full of inactive avis.

The New Citizens Institute (NCI) is great..................so is The Shelter. Search "places" for those two. You'll find lots of people there both new and old that will be happy to help you and answer questions. You might even find someone just like you and become best friends to go exploring with. Don't be shy............ask in chat for help.

I've come accross a group of characters grouped around a burning trash can, just sitting there lifeless. Ahh, campers!
You know, I would love that burning trashcan.
anyway, you need as they have already said, a newbie friendly place.
Also, my chapel lobby has vendors from the major newspapers and a redbull machine. So you want to come there too.

They have the burning trash barrels at Hobo Infohub in
Calleta 98, 214, 27

They advertise it as "Home for the Homeless" Free cardboard boxes.

And if you want to be a bum, I've seen a complete beggar kit at the Neko Mura free market at Tamna.

If the ugliest sim in SL contest hadn't been closed, I'd nominate that place.

Running around and seeing what everyone else was making was fun at first, but I soon tired of that.

I'd be gone by now if I hadn't bought land and started making things myself.

I beg your pardon! The Hobo Info Hub might be the funnest place on SL!

Sure, it's not pretty, but we have our pride.

BTW, virtually everything in the Hobo Pack is found on the Hobo Info Terminal hub, for free.

H.

My apologies, sir. I meant the free market where I found the begging kit was the ugliest place in SL.

I finally did visit the Hobo Info Hub yesterday, not by choice though - my sim wouldn't let me in and I kept getting kicked into the Hobo Hub instead at log-in.

I was kinda offended to be treated like I was homeless when I have a lovely castle! But if I had to be homeless, that's where I'd choose to live. You can't beat a place that gives you a free cardboard box and a dirty mattress!