This is the 18th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I bumped into Footsy Furse at NCI South in Hamnida. She was willing to talk in detail about her early experiences and was able to articulate them clearly and distinctly.

This is the 17th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I bumped into Lilla at the Shelter, where she was dancing with some other residents, both old and new. Being Danish, she wasn't sure that her English would be good enough, but it was more than good enough for her to communicate.

This is the 16th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into Glitch at the Ross Infohub, an excellent build by the talented Jessica Ornitz. He didn't run away when I tried to ask him questions, like the previous three I'd approached.

This is the 15th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into Audrey at the Hanja Welcome Area, on the Southern Continent. The place is a clone of the big Welcome Area at Ahern. Audrey was happy to answer my questions.

This is the 14th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into TaraKiss completely by accident in the Dublin Sim. She came looking for fun in Second Life, and with the expectation of it copupled with this attitude she has succeeded in finding it.

This is the 13th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Jiwagirl Jie has come to Second Life for reasons other than those mentioned by other new residents: she comes to explore, but hopes to find forests, parks and nature reserves instead of the urban crush of buildings that is the norm for Second Life.

This is the 12th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I had a few troubles finding an interview candidate today. Some of them got evasive or skittish when we started asking the questions and ran off before we could finish. Luckily, I met Milo at The Shelter in Isabel, dancing with another new resident by the bar. He kindly agreed to answer my questions.

This is the 11th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I met up with 1angelcares at JJ's Coffee Bar in Shawangunk, where the fire light set off 1angelcares' skin perfectly. One of her missions in Second Life is to have her avatar look as much like herself as possible so as to increase the feeling of her own personal immersion in the fantasy of Second Life; she took digital photos of herself and did a side-by-side comparison so as to improve verismilitude. She feels that "In SL, looking like a 'real' person is being a rebellious non-conformist," and suggests the tag line, "SL, where the abnormal is normal."

This is the tenth in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Tirellia Zenkova is a new friend of a friend in Second Life. Despite being so recently arrived in Second Life, Zenkova already feels that she has found a place in Second Life where she is comfortable and is among friends: unlike many people who enter Second Life, she arrived with a purpose in mind - to become a roleplayer in Saijo City. Having a goal in mind, and timely and helpful intervention during her earliest hours, kept Zenkova inworld long enough to start enjoying things.

This is the ninth in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I caught up with Balut while I was down at the docks doing favors for sailors down at NCI Beach trawling for new folk to interview. Balut is primarily a designer/builder in Second Life, having come to Second Life with a background in animation and modelling. His pet peeve about building in Second Life is size limits for prims - not that he doesn't understand the necessity for it, but he would like to see the process streamlined somewhat. That said, he's pretty keen on sculpties. He would also like to see better building tools introduced - grid markings and alignment tools.

This is the eighth in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I met Simon through the main NCI members group IM channel. For a newcomer, he is quite with-it as regards his appearance, general movement and interaction with Second Life; his concerns focus more on the social and ethical concerns of age verification and the technological considerations of the sex industry in Second Life.

This is the seventh in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Rigrunner is another lad who volunteered to answer questions for me, having heard about the interviews over the NCI channel. His favorite place in Second Life is Devilfish Mall, in the Dahlia Sim. Rigrunner's favorite things to do in Second Life revolve around music and interactive builds.

Eyewall Paine is proving that you can still gain fame overnight in SL, if your talent is impressive enough.

This new resident is already enriching many live music performances with his passionate voice and the unique lyrics he composes. If you like David Gray, but with a deeper and more touching vocals, you should give Eyewall's mellow set a chance. He will charm you.

Eyewall, or Jeremy Gilchrist in real life, is joining us through the mentorship and support of friend Cylindrian Rutabaga, a renowned live musician. He is currently attempting to put out a real life CD with his music and is performing in Second Life in hope to obtain some financial support for his album. You can sneak a listen of his music on his myspace page and join his fan group (Eyewall's fans) for updates on upcoming events. So far, you can take it for granted that he'll be performing every Monday at 2 pm SLT at Galveston Island.

Many thanks to JueL Resistance and Dolmere Talamasca for the recommendation.

This is the sixth in a series of interviews that will be conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

Tagging new residents for study is no easy task. They're fast and startle easily, especially when you mention questions, interviews or snapshots. This week's crowd was particularly skittish, and we had to put out a more general call. We got three responses. You'll be hearing from the other two on Friday and Monday. Glitchez, however was the first to respond.

This is the fifth in a series of interviews that are conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into Jermiah at my favorite haunt for picking up strange avatars - the Isabel Infohub. He told me this about his avatar's current look: "Call me old fashioned - but I wanted to look like the gay angel in Barbarella!" He was an engaging and enthusiastic interviewee.