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Second Life: The Official Guide 2nd Edition

by Michael Rymaszewski (Author), Wagner James Au (Author), Corey Ondrejka (Author),
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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In this fully revised and updated Second Edition, you'll discover the very latest information about living in Second Life—from how to enter the world, get started, and get around, to the many exciting new ways you can earn real-world incomes, meet other residents, and enjoy all there is to do. Authored by Second Life experts with contributions from Linden Lab employees and Second Life residents, it's the perfect companion for anyone who wants to create his or her own reality in Second Life. Includes a CD.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0470227753
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0470227756
  3. Edition
    2nd
  4. Publisher
    Sybex Inc
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.5 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  8. Print length
    399 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Enjoy Your Second Life

This exclusive guide is your official gateway to Second Life, the wildly popular virtual world now inhabited by more than eight million residents. In this fully revised and updated Second Edition, you'll discover the very latest information about living in Second Life from how to enter the world, get started, and get around, to the many exciting new ways you can earn real-world incomes, meet other residents, and enjoy all there is to do.

Authored by Second Life experts and featuring contributions from Linden Lab employees and Second Life residents from around the world, this is the perfect companion for anyone who wants to create his or her own reality in Second Life. The book includes:

  • Avatar appearance: Create your look and find your voice.

    • Places to go: Take a grand tour of interesting Second Life locales.

      • Things to do: Enjoy the nightlife, the great places to shop, and the rich variety of SL communities.

        • People to meet: Who will you be in this wide-open world? Get a taste of the diverse social scene. Meet both famous and infamous residents and read their compelling profiles.

          • Start building: Create everything from sandals to spaceships, and beyond, thanks to expanded SL technology tools and tons of helpful tips.

            • Scripting basics: Make your projects move, talk, spin, and more-learn scripting directly from the creator of the Linden Scripting Language.

              • Create machinima: Learn to storyboard, design, and star in your own productions.

                • SL economy: Profit from the thriving SL economy and turn L$ into US$.

                  Learn how to meet and make friends with people from around the world

                  Experience Second Life's amazing destinations

                  Get insider tips for such things as managing your unwieldy inventory

                  On the CD
                  The CD provides textures, avatar templates, animation software, more than a hundred sample animations, machinima created in Second Life, and a host of resources to help Second Life residents, builders, scripters, and animators.

About the Author

Michael Rymaszewski is an award-winning author of more than 20 computer books, including Second Life: The Official Guide.

Wagner James Au is a journalist embedded in Second Life and runs the New World Notes blog.

Cory Ondrejka is CTO of Linden Lab and created the Linden Scripting Language.

Richard Platel has been a resident of Second Life and an LSL scripter since before the public beta in 2003.

Sara Van Gorden has built hundreds of things and works for developer Electric Sheep.

Jeannette Cézanne and Paul Cézanne run SecondSeeker.com, a blog that reviews interesting Second Life places and activities.

Benjamin Batstone-Cunningham helped start the Second Life Machinima community while working at Linden Lab. He recently founded Alt-Zoom Studios, a development agency in SL.

Aleks Krotoski is a long-time Second Life resident who writes about emerging community experiences in virtual worlds.

Celebrity Trollop runs Second Style Fashionista, a blog on Second Life fashion.

Jim Rossignol is a writer and editor focused on digital culture.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sybex Inc; 2nd edition (January 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 399 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0470227753
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0470227756
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Michael Rymaszewski

    Michael Rymaszewski

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    Michael Rymaszewski was born in Poland, grew up in Ghana, and spent most of his working life in Canada. He writes in not just one but two difficult languages: Canadian English, and Polish.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Mark Wallace

    Mark Wallace

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Author, journalist, and entrepreneur, New Yorker enjoying San Francisco, focused on the future of business, games, transmedia, and much more, as it strikes my fancy.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
94 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides a valuable overview and helpful resource for learning about Second Life. They find it an outlet for creativity, imagination, and play of all kinds. The book is well-written and easy to follow, making it a worthwhile read. Many readers mention that the tips and tricks in the book shorten the initial learning curve. However, opinions vary on whether the book offers good value for money.

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20 customers mention "Information quality"14 positive6 negative

Customers find the book provides a valuable overview and useful guide for new players. They say it covers everything they need to know about the game and can enhance their experience.

"As someone who is into the history of Second Life, this is a good historical read on how stuff used to be...." Read more

"...short on in-depth how-to's about Second Life, but it is strong on conveying the history, philosophy, and to some extent, the "feel" of Second Life...." Read more

"...I think you will find it to be a very helpful resource." Read more

"...Covers almost everything you'd need to know, and a lot of stuff you don't, like the obligatory chapter on the Linden Scripting Language, which most..." Read more

3 customers mention "Creativity"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's creativity. They say it provides an outlet for imagination and play.

"...This is an outlet for creativity, imagination, and play of all kinds...." Read more

"...This game takes a lot of time and patience but is fascinating." Read more

"Well done, interesting and a fascinating overview of the new world order..." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written, easy to follow, and interesting. They say it provides a comprehensive overview of the new world.

"...That said, it is well written and could make a user's experience more fun and less time consuming at the keyboard by spending some of that time..." Read more

"Fun! and helped a lot. Very comprehensive manual, easy to read and follow. Expanded my Second Life experience a great deal." Read more

"Well done, interesting and a fascinating overview of the new world order..." Read more

3 customers mention "Time saving"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for making their Second Life experience less time-consuming at the keyboard. They say it shortens the learning curve and makes the experience more fun.

"...If you're interested in Second Life, this book will shorten the initial learning curve...." Read more

"...written and could make a user's experience more fun and less time consuming at the keyboard by spending some of that time reading a book." Read more

"...CD was useful - providing some tools to use in world which were time savers...." Read more

12 customers mention "Value for money"7 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the book's value. Some find it useful and an enjoyable read for those interested in Second Life, while others consider it useless and lacking in depth. The tips and tricks mentioned are considered valuable by some readers. However, others feel the book lacks depth and is a poor introduction to the topic.

"...don't match the current version of Second Life, but I'd say it is worth the money if you like historical stuff." Read more

"This is a very poor introductory book. The single fact that it has no index is enough to rate it only one star. You cannot look up anything readily...." Read more

"...sharing a common outlook that makes the book an easy and enjoyable read...." Read more

"...Definitely not the meaty readfest I would expect from an "official" book...." Read more

Second Life: The Official Guide
5 out of 5 stars
Second Life: The Official Guide
Second Life: The Official Guide explores in minute detail every aspect of Second Life's rich, dynamic and colorful virtual world. The book explains how this world works, and offers wealthy information and practical advice for Second Life's new "residents".It describes the three-dimensional world's (the metaverse) geography as well as its social scene, explaining all in detail the written and unwritten rules. It gives practical information on creating and customizing an avatar, building objects, landscaping, scripting, inventory management and amazing possibilities in making money.It includes a tour of interesting Second Life locales, the profiles of successful Second Life residents, and fascinating in-world events.At the end of the book in the appendices there is important info on real life education in Second Life, a very extensive glossary unique to the metaverse (a must have), additional web based resources that supports and makes inworld life easy, and lastly some vital info on menu commands and functions.With its user-friendly approach, special typeface and layout, its easy to read and understand.The CD-ROM that accompanies the book features special animations, character templates, and textures created by Linden Lab exclusively for the book.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Félix
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good historical read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    As someone who is into the history of Second Life, this is a good historical read on how stuff used to be.
    There are some things that don't match the current version of Second Life, but I'd say it is worth the money if you like historical stuff.
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  • J.M. Jaco
    4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable overview
    Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    I've heard about Second Life over the years, but most recently with regard to successful applications in teaching, and particularly distance learning. When I checked into Second Life for the first time, it was quite overwhelming. Although, Second Life itself provides a wealth of information and orientation opportunities, it's still nice to have a book that collects a lot of the lore of Second Life in a convenient off-line format.

    The book is short on in-depth how-to's about Second Life, but it is strong on conveying the history, philosophy, and to some extent, the "feel" of Second Life. It is written by several people, so the book lacks a consistent "voice," yet every writer in the book is an enthusiastic participant in the Second Life phenomenon, sharing a common outlook that makes the book an easy and enjoyable read.

    And clearly that is what this book conveys: Second Life is a burgeoning phenomenon that may one day have wide-reaching implications that extend into Real Life. This is an outlet for creativity, imagination, and play of all kinds. Some people are even making real money within its virtual environs.

    Think of this book as a tour book that mentions some of the sights you can find when you visit, that warns of some of the "steamier" areas to consider, that describes standards of behavior and etiquette among the residents, and that unlocks some of the initial mysteries a new arrival is bound to face early on.

    If you're interested in Second Life, this book will shorten the initial learning curve. If you've been a Second Lifer for awhile and you're looking to master some of the more advanced elements of Second Life, such as building from prims and scripting, you'll find very little here to help you. Still, it will probably end up being a book every Second Lifer will want to read at least once.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Jay Rowe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good guide
    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I already knew most of the stuff from being in it and building things. My goal is to have a place that I can invite family from across the country to visit and check out family historical displays that I make (on OSGrid/ OpenSim).
    Helpful
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  • Eclectech
    1.0 out of 5 stars Largely useless fluff, very little useful information
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This is a very poor introductory book. The single fact that it has no index is enough to rate it only one star. You cannot look up anything readily. Much of the book is fluff: useless, even if sometimes interesting, information on the background of SL and its workings and its denizens. But it is very poor at explaining how to DO things in SL. Almost every time you want information on the specifics of how to do something (move, look around, build, buy, etc.) instead of telling you, it tells you to check the KnowledgeBase of SL itself. Two things wrong with this: you already have to have an SL account to do so, and the URLs given don't work. Further, terms and jargon are used before they are explained. This book is good example of why people who are close to a technical project should not be the authors of manuals for beginners. As "the official guide" to SL, this ought to be an embarasment to to those who wrote it and those who run SL.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Taran Rampersad
    3.0 out of 5 stars Kind of Useful Maybe
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    Sure, it aggregates a lot of the information on SecondLife in one book - but it lacks an index, it doesn't talk too much about land, building and graphics are run through at full tilt and a Who's Who of SL occupies plenty of space. This does not lend to good balance.

    The book seems more keyed to getting people to try SecondLife rather than helping people who have already started using SecondLife.

    That said, it is well written and could make a user's experience more fun and less time consuming at the keyboard by spending some of that time reading a book.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • B. Catsburg
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, must read for those interested in Second Life
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This is a good book. I got a lot of info out of it. I helps you on your first steps into the Second Life world. Examples in Chapter 8 on the LSL are helpfull.

    Downside is that there is no real alternative book yet on the market on the technical specifics on Second Life. Until that book arrives this book can be judged better against competition.

    Have fun reading,

    Bert Catsburg

    TheMarketingShop

    bert.catsburg@themarketingshop.nl
    3 people found this helpful
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  • CenVillager
    2.0 out of 5 stars Almost useless.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This book was a major disappointment.

    There is very little How TO info in the book if you are not planning to create objects and try to make money in the sim. If you are just a visitor who wants a pleasant time sightseeing and chatting with others, then this book will disappoint.

    A large part of the book is a tribute to selected SL residents who have made money in the sim. Nice for them, but who else cares?

    Another chapter describes interesting specific locations in SL. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the sites are obsolete and gone.

    Even if you are interested in learning scripting language to try to sell products in SL, there have got to be better instructional manuals out there than this.
    When I had real HowTo questions, the answer was rarely found in the book.

    I truly felt I had wasted my money in purchasing this book. You can learn as much useful info at the initial Help Islands and inworld tutorials once you enter SL.
    34 people found this helpful
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  • Caroline McMASTER
    5.0 out of 5 stars SECOND LIFE
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    I purchased this book about 2 years ago, and it helped me a lot when I first started playing in the Second Life virtual world. It is a great book for persons that need help when it comes to computers. I think you will find it to be a very helpful resource.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • K
    4.0 out of 5 stars メタバースの創生期が分かります。
    Reviewed in Japan on June 16, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    メタバース Second Life の解説本です。

    メタバースの創生期が、どのようなものだったのか。
    参考的な資料になります。ちなみに、すべて英語です。

    この本から分かるのは、メタバースの課題です。
    いまでもインターフェイスに課題があるということが分かります。

    VRヘッドセットが出てきていますが、どうなるのか。
    興味深いところです。
    Report
  • David Ericson
    1.0 out of 5 stars Not a "How To" Guide!
    Reviewed in Canada on December 24, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Good technical people are not the people to write guides for software. This has been true for the last thirty years and holds true today. They know it too well and presume we know what they know! This guide is more a description of what Second Life is all about than a guide. Why for instance, include a history. There is no clear concept of what they were trying to achieve by writing this alleged guide.
    The only items that were helpful were recommended places to go. The information in the book is already outdated and does not contain as much information than what is available by using "Search" in the game.
    I do not recommend this book to anyone hoping to learn how to get around and use SL.
    Report
  • Claud Stevens
    4.0 out of 5 stars second life stories
    Reviewed in France on January 2, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    les différents aspects de second life présentés par des personnages emblématiques de certaines occupations, de différents talents et des nombreux amusements offerts par ce vaste et agréable meta-world.
    Report
  • MLR
    5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This book is not only beautiful to look at and beautifully made, it is an absolute must for all those who want to start a Second Life. Packed with inside information and extremely useful tips, it shows you SL from the inside. Don't start without it! You'll discover why it's so important to linger on Help Island, how to make a fabulous avatar, and how to make the most of your new life... for free! Invaluable ressource. :o)
    Report
  • pjslasher's
    5.0 out of 5 stars SECOND LIFE BOOK
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    excellent book from starting out to just a brush up,well worth buying
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