Linden Labs has created the next Big Thing in its creation of a virtual reality in Second Life. Nearly 8.5 million people have created alter egos on this site. So how can you do some training and development research on this site while discovering what the hype is all about? Follow these simple steps to create your own account.

When you join, you create your own first name and choose a last name from a long list. You can then check availability of that screen name. The site warns you—choose your name wisely as you can’t change it later. Since I was creating my name for research, I felt it prudent to skip my first impulse to name myself Passion and instead ended up with Betsy Lundquist. Oh, well. So much for the alter ego.

You then choose an avatar (I did skip Girl Next Door and went for City-Chic, Female) which you can customize later by right-clicking on your avatar and left-clicking on appearance. If at first you show up in SL naked, close out of the program and re-enter from your start-up menu. The default location is under Programs>Second Life.

Once you receive the confirmation email, you connect back to Second Life and download the Second Life software. Second Life is not Windows Vista compatible just yet according to the website; however, I was able to get around with Vista just fine.

Once you’re in SL, you’re on an Orientation Island where you can “practice.” Walking is by the arrow keys and is a bit jerky. You can also click on “fly” on the bottom task bar and get a bird’s eye view of things. In Orientation Island, you can collect inventory that will help you later and learn how to teleport which is mainly how you get around Second Life. You can also teleport by clicking on the map on the bottom task bar, then double-clicking on a location or double-click on an event in Search. There is a billboard on the island that says Help Island. If you click on it, it allows you to teleport there where more experienced avatars can give you additional assistance. 

One of the most interesting features on the site was Search. The button is on the bottom task bar. Once you click it, it brings up categories such as people, events and groups. Events will bring up everything from classes to yard sales on slightly used SL furniture and clothing. If you’re using a basic SL account, you won’t have any Linden money. If you pay for the premium account (which I would wait to do until you’ve decided you’ll become a permanent SL resident), there’s a monthly fee and you receive a Linden allowance with which you can shop yard sales to your heart’s content.

SL is not really a role-playing game. It’s more a three-dimensional chat room. People hang out at night clubs here and transact business. SL actually has made one SL resident, Anshe Chung, a real-world millionaire through the sales of SL real estate.

Coldwell Banker has a location in Ranchero in SL…complete with lobby, planted palms and coffee tables. They’re also utilizing it to connect SL members to their real world with information on real real estate available and tips on how to list and sell a property. For SL fun, head to the rooftop and get a helicopter tour of available virtual real estate. They also have SL tutorials available.

The game-play can be a bit slow and jerky and moving the avatar can be frustrating. When you teleport to a new location, it takes awhile for all features to download like music or architectural features. While you can design your own building and furniture, the folks at Circuit City had IBM design their virtual site so it may be fun for the hobbyist, but it will take a lot of time. If you run into issues, troubleshooting with a basic account can be tricky as the main help available is an FAQ screen—and not any other support.

Of course, all may not be as it appears. One blog alleges more than 85 percent of created avatars have been abandoned and the most popular SL sites are free money and “kinky sex.” However, the screen shots of a virtual meeting IBM held back in October look promising for worldwide companies looking for more interactive and less expensive ways to conference without all being at one location.

Guys like David E. Stone have discovered ways to utilize Second Life for training simulations; but I believe it’s a bit down the path for most as a learning solution. But it is probably worth some of your time to see what the hype is about and imagine the possibilities!