The Genealogy & Family History Social Network
Social Networking in Second Life
When Second Life was first launched, many folks wrote it off as a game venue, for role-playing adventures like Dungeons and Dragons. But below the surface of fantasy and virtual reality, there are solid networking components.
(1) SL members can "friend" one another. The main benefits being: they are notified when friends login/logout; they can "instant message" their friends easily from the Communicate screen; they can quickly invite their friends to join them wherever they are in Second Life.
To friend someone in SL, put you mouse cursor over their avatar, right click, and on the pie chart menu, select Add Friend. The SL member will have to accept your invitation.
(2) SL members can join "groups." The main benefits being: they are notified when group events (like chats) will take place. Group chats are one of the more powerful virtues of Second Life, many of the benefits of attending a genealogy conference in RL (real life) without the travel expenses.
To join an SL group: when you visit an area in SL, you will often see an object inviting you to join the local group, or the group owner can invite you to join, or you can use the Search button on the bottom of the screen, select the groups tab, and search for groups you would like to add.
If you use the Search approach, you will get a listing of the available groups, select one, and there will be a button for View Full Profile. Click on the button, and on the full profile, under the image (upper left) there will be a Join button if the group has open enrollment. Some groups are by invitation only.
GROUP LIMITATION: Second Life limits members to joining 25 groups. You may leave groups at any time.
(3) SL members can share information by creating "notecards." Notecards are plain text documents that get stored in your Inventory. You can easily drag them onto your friends to share them, sort of like blogging. You can also attach them to a group notice and share with all group members.
(4) Tools exist to allow SL members to create their own newsletter. Newsletters are a way to get the communication benefit of groups, while reaching SL members who have hit the 25 group limit.
(5) SL has a scripting language, so that members can think of social networking concepts not yet present in RL (real life). If you have an idea, and are not knowledgeable in programming, feel free to contact me and we can work on it together.
While these seem like regular features you would expect in RL (real life), there's something about the virtual reality aspect of Second Life that really brings them to life. Rather than a static status update on a web page, you can be face-to-face with friends or new acquaintances discussing your favorite topics.
(1) SL members can "friend" one another. The main benefits being: they are notified when friends login/logout; they can "instant message" their friends easily from the Communicate screen; they can quickly invite their friends to join them wherever they are in Second Life.
To friend someone in SL, put you mouse cursor over their avatar, right click, and on the pie chart menu, select Add Friend. The SL member will have to accept your invitation.
(2) SL members can join "groups." The main benefits being: they are notified when group events (like chats) will take place. Group chats are one of the more powerful virtues of Second Life, many of the benefits of attending a genealogy conference in RL (real life) without the travel expenses.
To join an SL group: when you visit an area in SL, you will often see an object inviting you to join the local group, or the group owner can invite you to join, or you can use the Search button on the bottom of the screen, select the groups tab, and search for groups you would like to add.
If you use the Search approach, you will get a listing of the available groups, select one, and there will be a button for View Full Profile. Click on the button, and on the full profile, under the image (upper left) there will be a Join button if the group has open enrollment. Some groups are by invitation only.
GROUP LIMITATION: Second Life limits members to joining 25 groups. You may leave groups at any time.
(3) SL members can share information by creating "notecards." Notecards are plain text documents that get stored in your Inventory. You can easily drag them onto your friends to share them, sort of like blogging. You can also attach them to a group notice and share with all group members.
(4) Tools exist to allow SL members to create their own newsletter. Newsletters are a way to get the communication benefit of groups, while reaching SL members who have hit the 25 group limit.
(5) SL has a scripting language, so that members can think of social networking concepts not yet present in RL (real life). If you have an idea, and are not knowledgeable in programming, feel free to contact me and we can work on it together.
While these seem like regular features you would expect in RL (real life), there's something about the virtual reality aspect of Second Life that really brings them to life. Rather than a static status update on a web page, you can be face-to-face with friends or new acquaintances discussing your favorite topics.
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