This question comes up time to time since we have a few people on Second Life in recent months and it get a mention in the forums occasionally. So I thought I should put up a blog post to explain.
Second Life (SL) is an online 3D virtual world. For most of the time DSF members use it as more of a 3D chatroom than anything else, although we have not quite got around to using microphones yet. However there's more to it than that.
To get started in Second Life you need to visit http://www.secondlife.com , create an account and download the software. The account name you create cannot be your real name and will be the name you appear as in-world. Its also your login. So when you start Second Life on your computer, you will log in with that name.
You first appear in-world as a fairly generic human avatar. i.e. you are a human-shaped object. You can do pretty much anything a human can do in the real world and a bit more. So you can wander around SL, swim and even fly.
Anyone can buy (rent, really) "land" and build anything they like on it. So some people have chosen to build large areas which look like London, Paris, Vegas and so on. But you are not restricted to simply building real-world things and anything is possible - everything from fantasy woodlands to space stations.
So as you wander around SL, there is an odd mix of environment as you move from area to area.
DSF members bought some land and donated it to the DSF group. On this land we have built a tropical island complete with bar, hot tub, rock pool, dance floor, diabetes infocentre and so on. The atmosphere there is quite calm as an escape from real life or the busier areas of SL. Other diabetic groups have a presence in SL although they are largely unused, such as the Diabetes UK HQ which is almost deserted.
There are all kinds of groups and interests represented in SL and there are very few restrictions in place, although moves have been made recently to separate out all of the sex-related areas. Formerly, there were "mature" and "PG" areas and an "adult" classification has been added. The Teen Grid is entirely separate and inaccessible to adults. Its fairly safe to say that all interests are catered for in SL, even those which would shock the more broadminded.
Although money is not a requirement in SL, there is an actual economy at work here. The in-world currency is the Linden Dollar and can be exchanged for US Dollars at an exchange rate of about L$265 to USD$1. People do make money out of SL and one of the first known millionaires now has a business employing at least 10 people.
This means that there are a lot of shops around in various forms in SL. Almost anything can be bought from shoes to buildings. On the other hand, older and simpler items can be had for free. Some shops are set up specifically to provide only free items and I give out landmarks to 5 of these regularly to new users. Everything that is sold or given away for free has been made by a resident.
What many people spend a lot of time on, particularly early on is customising their appearance. Although you start out as a generic human, you can customise any part of your appearance. You can also buy or pick up free versions of body shapes, skins (incl. faces), hair, clothes, accessories and so on. There's even a tendency for some people to want to appear in world as furry animals ("furries"). So if you have ever wanted to be a 7ft woman with short arms, bright green hair and purple eyes or even wanted to be a walking, talking squirrel, you can.
Most people stick with the various freebies that you can pick up all over SL and there are blogs which can regularly point you to the latest and best. Its all down to taste as well of course.
So if this sounds it might be of any interest or if you are simply curious, go visit http://www.secondlife.com , create an account and download the software. When you're in-world you might want to contact some of our regulars. Their in-world names are mostly listed here:
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/forum/Blah.pl?b-99/m-1226833191/s-0/
DSF Island is in the bottom right hand corner of a region called Miniard. If you poke the map button while in SL, you can search for the Miniard region, find us on the map and teleport directly there.
Welcome to our world ;)
