Second Life Hints
Updated 03/11/08

Welcome to Second Life (SL). First and foremost, you must download the Second Life software to your computer. Once you have received the email from SL as part of the Avatar creation process, there is a link in the body of the email to get the SL software.

For Help in SL, Press F1. This will take you the SL website where you can search for help on the subject you desire.

Go to Orientation Island, for tutorial.

Go to any Public Help Island, there you will find information and several SL Mentors willing to lend a helping hand.

Getting Around:

Walking – Walking is the most basic for of transportation in Second Life. Simply press the arrow keys (when you are on the ground) to get around:

UP Forward
DOWN Backwards
RIGHT Turn to the right
LEFT Turn to the left

Running – To run, just press the SHIFT key while trying to walk. The same directions for the arrow keys apply.

Jumping – To jump either for joy or over an object momentarily press PAGE UP. If you want to jump forward or backward then do this while walking and you will jump in that direction.

Flying – Another great way to get around in Second Life is to fly. The neat thing is that you do not need an airplane, although it you have an airplane you can use it too.

There are two ways to START FLYING:

Click the FLY button on the bottom of the screen –or-
Press and hold PAGE UP until you are flying

Once you are flying the following keys will be used to navigate:

UP Arrow Fly Forward
DOWN Arrow Fly Backwards
RIGHT Arrow Turn Right
LEFT Arrow Turn Left
PAGE UP Fly Up
PAGE DOWN Fly Down

There are two ways to STOP FLYING:

Click the STOP FLYING button on the bottom of the screen –or-
Press and hold PAGE DOWN until your feet are firmly on the ground

Other Ways to Navigate – You can teleport to many locations on the islands by doing a variety of things:

SEARCH – If you search for something such as a popular place, location, object, or event, you can normally teleport to that location.
MAP – If you open the map by pressing the MAP button on the bottom of the screen.
1. Once in the map you can double click on the location you want to go and you will be teleported there.
2. If you have set up friends or landmarks, you can select them in the drop down menus in the upper right corner of the map. Then you can click on the TELEPORT button located in the lower right corner.
TELEHUB – There are several telehubs throughout the islands that can be used to go to specific locations such as Help Island or Freebie Island

How to Teleport (TP) – There are many different ways to teleport not only your self, but others as well:

1. Use a TELEHUB. There are several on different islands that go to various places.
2. Use a sign board. In some locations and buildings, there are signs and objects that if you click on them, they will take you somewhere else, such as another island, building, or floor in a building.
3. Use the MAP:
a. If you open the large MAP, you can double-click on a location and be TELEPORTed there.
b. If you select a friend from the drop down on the map, there is a TELEPORT button in the lower right corner of the map. Press it and you will TELEPORT to their location.
c. If you select a landmark from the drop down on the map, there is a TELEPORT button in the lower right corner of the map. Press it and you will TELEPORT to your landmark.
4. Use your INVENTORY. Landmarks are stored in your inventory, simply select one and its notecard will come up with a TELEPORT button on it.
5. SEARCH for something. If you search for a place or category and highlight a place, a screen on the right of the SEARCH window will have a TELEPORT button at the bottom of it following the places description.
6. Accept a TELEPORT from a friend. If another friend offers you a TELEPORT to there location, a window will open that says to “Meet me in ???” and you can select to TELEPORT.
7. Offer someone else a TELEPORT. If you select a friend on the COMMUNICATE window, you can click the TELEPORT button and send a TELEPORT offer for them to meet you.

Communication is a large part of the Second Life experience. There are two basic ways to communicate:

TEXT – If you click on CHAT on the bottom of the screen, you can text the people around you. A window will open on the bottom for you to type your message. You then can TALK it or SHOUT it by pressing the appropriate button next to it.

COMMUNICATE – If you select the COMMUNICATE button, a window will appear. In this window will be tabs for your friends, the history of the conversation NEAR ME (or LOCAL CHAT depending on version of software), and any IM conversations that you are in at the time. Each person you are talking to will have their own tab.

HISTORY – Next to the CHAT bar is a HISTORY button, you can press this and see a history of all of the conversation you have been privy too.

TRANSCRIPTS – If you would like to make a transcript of the conversations that you have had, simply select the HISTORY or COMMUNICATE buttons and select the NEAR ME (or LOCAL CHAT depending on version of software) tab. Once you see the conversation on screen, you can highlight it with your mouse or select the beginning of it, hold shift down and go to the end. Once the text is highlighted, press Ctrl C on your keyboard to copy it to your clip board. Open an instance of Word and Paste the text. You can than save and edit it if you would like.

GESTURES – There are several GESTURES that your Avatar can make. By selecting GESTURES in the lower right menu, a list of the available GESTURES will appear. You can Nod, Clap, Whistle, Flex you muscles, or even play Rock, Paper, Scissors.

VOICE – If you have a microphone on your computer, you can actually speak to other Avatars. There are two ways to do this:
1. Press and hold the TALK button on the bottom of the screen and then speak into the microphone while holding it.
2. Press your center mouse button and speak into the microphone while holding it down.
*You may have to ENABLE VOICE CHAT. To do this on the toolbar select EDIT then PREFERENCES. Select VOICE CHAT then choose your microphone and speakers.

You may lock your TALK button by pressing the PADLOCK symbol on the left side of the TALK button. This is advisable only if you do not have a lot of background noise.

Next to the TALK button on the left is another button that has two dialog bubble symbols in it. If you push this button, it will bring up a window with a listing of everybody near you with VOICE CHAT enabled. In this window, you can also adjust the VOLUME of the individual Avatars by highlighting the Avatar name and using the VOLUME SLIDER to adjust their speaking level.

*To hear other Avatars speak even if you do not have a microphone, you can ENABLE VOICE CHAT as above. You will then be able to participate in voice conversations, just type your responses/comments instead of speaking.

*Not all regions support VOICE CHAT. If your TALK button is grayed out, you will not be able to talk. If there are others, look above their heads. You will see a white dot if they have VOICE CHAT enabled. If no one else has it enabled, it probably is not supported. Also, if it is supported and you are not enabled, go to EDIT…PREFERENCES…VOICE CHAT… and re-enable it, you may have to disable then enable.

Watch the CONVERSATION on the COMMUNICATE window. There will be a tab with each Instant Message (IM) conversation you are taking place in as long as the NEAR ME (or LOCAL CHAT depending on version of software) tab. If there is something new in one of the CONVERSATIONS, the tab will blink to alert you.

Picking Up Objects – Another useful thing is to pick up an object and move it. To do this, move your mouse over the object and press and hold the CTRL key. While you are holding the CTRL key, you can move the object with your mouse. To release the object simply release the CTRL key.

Inspecting Objects – You can find out more about an object by right clicking on the object. Then select MORE and you should be able to INSPECT the object. This will show you a NOTECARD with information about the object including: who made the object, when, if you can copy it, a description, and other various tidbits.

Copying an Object – You can TAKE A COPY of many objects for your use later by right-clicking on the object and selecting TAKE A COPY. Depending on the options available for the object, you may have to select MORE before this option appears.

Other Things to do with Objects – Many objects have uses, if you right click on the object a menu will appear with your choices. Sometimes if you TOUCH the object it will open, give you a note card, or open a website.

Sitting – Many times, especially if you are in a meeting or class, you may want to sit down in second life. NOTE: While you are sitting, you can look around by pressing the arrow keys.

To SIT:
Pick out what you would like to sit on, this could be the ground, a bench, a wall, or just about anything else you would be able to sit on in real life.
Right click on the object.
Press SIT HERE on the selection wheel.

*If you sit on the ground, you will be sitting cross legged.

To STAND Back UP:
Click on STAND UP at the bottom of the screen.

A more laid back version of the SIT is to RELAX, this may be done on some objects like bean bag chairs. Just right click the object and if RELAX is an option click on it.

*** Be sure to stand up prior to teleporting, if you teleport while seated you will remain that way at your destination. You will be able to walk around, you will just always return to the sitting position. You must then log off and back on again to correct it. ***

Appearance – When you first sign up for Second Life, you choose a stock character. You will most likely want to change your appearance. To do that:

Right click on you and a selection wheel will appear.
Click on APPEARANCE.
Now you can change anything about you that you want. (It may run slow, so be patient.)

*If it does not appear anything is happening, it may have crashed. If this happens you need to restart second life.

Other factors in the way you look and act:

Your head will follow the mouse pointer, so you can look directly at other Avatars while talking.

If you sit inactive for more that 300 seconds, your Avatar will nod off. IF you are often finding yourself listening for extended periods of time and do not want to look bored, you can change this setting on the PREFERENCES menu. Select:

EDIT….PREFERENCES….GENERAL….Away Timer.

Money – The currency in SL is the Linden. There is an L$ counter on the top tool bar in the upper right corner. Lindens do exchange for US Dollars. You can trade them in on the SL website; you can also buy them there. There are several ways to get money in SL:

SURVEYS – By far the most abundant way of earning Lindens in SL is by filling out surveys. You can do this on Money Tree Island or through and ATM. Most of the surveys are safe but a couple of words for the wise. SCAMMERS can also post surveys. They may be trying to get personal information or your password. You will normally receive and abundance of SPAM from the surveys you fill out; you might consider an alternate email.

GET A JOB – Believe it or not, you can search the HELP WANTED ads and get a job in SL that pays in L$. You might write script, articles, build things, be a bouncer at a club, be a singer for live concerts, etc.

START A BUSINESS – This is a long process and will normally, just like in Real Life (RL) cost a bit of money, but an option none the less.

PREMIUM ACCOUNT – If you have a premium account you will get a weekly allowance plus free land. Of course this will cost you real USD to do.

How much are your Lindens worth? Just go to the Second Life website, http://www.secondlife.com and check the current MARKET conditions. Note: You may have to sign in to view as a resident.

Landmarks – You can set a LANDMARK of where you are if you would like any easy way to return there. Under the WORLD menu, select SET LANDMARK. You can then use your MAP or INVENTORY to return to that point. LANDMARKS are kept in you inventory and you can pass them to other Avatars for there use as a note card.

Daylight and Night – Normally the SL scene corresponds with your local time zone, so 10:00 pm it will be night and dark out and 10:00 am it will be light and daytime. This can be changed easily by FORCEing the SUN. To do this go to WORLD then FORCE SUN and select the time you wish such as NOON. This will then make it light out for you. NOTE: This is an individual preference, so it will not affect the people around you.

Time – The local time in SL is Second Life Time (SLT). SLT is the same as Pacific Daylight or Standard Time (PDT or PST). So if you are set for Pacific, no conversion is necessary.

External Links – If an object takes you to a website, it will open another instance of your explorer in a separate window. This will cause SL to run very slow so be patient.

Building – You need to find some tools to BUILD in SL. These can be found in several locations, just search around. The Business Exchange has some in its Library. Once you have tools, you need a place to build. This can either be your land or a public SANDBOX. To FIND a SANDBOX, click on Find or Search and select Places. Type in SANDBOX. Then TELEPORT to the area. Once there right click and select CREATE to start BUILDing. There are many tutorials throughout SL on BUILDing or you can use HELP.

SIMS are simple geometric shapes that you can stretch and manipulate into other shapes and are the building blocks for creations in SL. You can apply different TEXTURES to the SIMS to complete your creation.

SCRIPTING is what makes things in SL behave the way they do. It will allow an object to be animated.

Taking a Picture – Preserve the moment with a picture. Click on FILE the select TAKE SNAPSHOT. Options will come up for the picture size and you can then save it to your hard drive.

Some suggested places in Second Life to search for to get started on business and education information in Second Life:

Business Exchange
Be sure a go into the buildings, such as the Library. Information is all around.
Real Life Education in Second Life
Look around, there are several things to look at and learn about. There is also usually a SL mentor here and tutorials for SL.
International Schools Island
Once at ISI, look around on the map at the connecting islands and regions. The whole area is full of islands for educational institutions and organizations.
Be sure to explore the ISI towers, they is a wealth of information on education and business.
For more information on SL, be sure and check out the website, links there will help you with most questions regarding SL.


*Not every area or island in SL is friendly. Remember that it does attempt to mimic the real world. Not only are there bad areas in SL where your Avatar can get killed, there are plenty of SCAMMERS. If you recall from when you signed up for SL, there was not an extensive screening process.

• Click Graphics tab on the left side.
• Click on the Recommended Settings button at the bottom of the window.  SL will try to match the settings to your hardware configuration.  It's better but not ideal.
• Check the Run Second Life in a window if it is not already checked.  This will allow you to scale the window and work in other applications easily.

• Slide Quality and Performance to Low (Faster).  As you make adjustments, you can move it up to Mid if things run well.
• Uncheck Bump Mapping and Shiny and Basic Shaders.  This reduces the graphic processing.
• Check Avatar Imposters.  This will put a low detail "imposter" in place of highly complex avatars you meet.  This really helped me.
• Slide Draw Distance to the smallest amount.  It will only draw things very close to your avatar.  No processing things in the distance.
• Slide the Mesh Detail sliders to the lowest amounts, then add them back as you see fit.
• Select Sun and moon only for Lighting Detail.

1. Client - How fast your computer is processing the information from SL
2. Network - How fast is the information getting from SL to your computer
3. Server - Is the SL Server slowing down due to high load