If you want to visit the Baha’i Center, Gardens, and Lotus Temple in Second Life, and you have never used Second Life before, here are the basic steps for getting started.
Summary
- Which computer to use
- Getting started – the basics
- How to get additional training if you need It
- How do you get to places in Second Life?
- Visiting the Baha’i properties in Second Life
Which computer to use
You will need a computer. Either a Windows PC or a Mac will do, and it can be a desktop or laptop. If you use a recently-made computer with a good graphics sytem, you will have a better visual experience and smoother operations. If you have access to a newer Windows PC with an nVidia video chipset, you will have the best experience, although any recent PC or Mac can do quite well.
Getting started – the basics
The basic steps of getting started are as follows:
- Go to the Second Life website.
- Set up a free account (“Play for Free”).
- Select an Avatar.
- It is definitely best to start with a “Classic Avatar”.
- Don’t worry, you can improve your appearance later.
- Create a username and password, and keep a safe record of it.
- Follow the initial setup instructions on the website.
- At one point you will be offered a download of the “Second Life Viewer” program. Download it and install it on your computer, and then start it up and log in with your new user name and password.
- You will then be taken into the Second Life world to an initial learning area, where you can learn the basic skills of walking, talking and chewing gum at the same time.
How to get additional training if you need It
- There are various skills to learn to be fully successful getting around in Second Life. You can learn these gradually over time as you need them. Feel free to skip down to the next section and come back to these other training resources as needed.
- If you want to see a web-based preview/tutorial about how to get started, it is here: Preview / Tutorial of the starting experience.
- You can also get good help with learning additional skills at certain locations “in world” in Second Life, such as:
- Oxbridge University – Here there is an extensive self-paced experiential tutorial, as well as tutors and classes.
- Cultural Community Hub – Here we sometimes collaborate with others to offer group classes on getting started.
How do you get to places in Second Life?
There are several choices:
- One choice is to search for the name of the place in the search feature of the Viewer application.
- In Second Life, you can sometimes get or be given “Landmarks” to places. You’ll learn more about those as you proceed in Second Life.
- You can use web link URLs to places in SL, such as the location links in this guide, as follows:
- Open your Second Life Viewer program and log into Second Life.
- In your browser, click on one of the location links in this article, above or below.
- A special Second Life web page will open up for assisting you to get to the desired destination.
- On that webpage, click on the” Visit This Location” button, and if it asks, click the “Open Second Life” or “Launch Application” button.
- Go back to your SL Viewer progam, and you should see a “Place Profile” for the destination.
- Click on the Teleport button at the bottom of the Place Profile.
- You will then be teleported to that destination in Second Life.
Visiting the Baha’i properties in Second Life
- Once you can get around a bit “inworld”, come visit the Baha’i properties. You can get there by searching for “Baha’i” in the Viewer, or by using this link to the Baha’i Center, using the method described above.
- At either the Baha’i Center or the Lotus Temple, you can click on the “Interfaith Prayer Network” poster to get a “Notecard” with a schedule of Baha’i-hosted and Baha’i-supported activities.
- Note that times given in Second Life are usually given in Second Life Time (SLT), which is the same as the Pacific time zone in North America.
- Take a look around the Baha’i Center, stroll through the gardens, and visit the Lotus Temple. You may meet some Baha’is, spiritual seekers or curious visitors.
Getting in touch about Second Life
If you want to make an appointment for private mentoring in getting started in Second Life, or to find out about the current schedule of events or trainings, or offer to host activities, you can send us a message through the Contact page on this site. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible.