Hari Sutherland is a longtime SLer and author of the new book, SECOND LIFE: The First, Best Metaverse in Words and Pictures
There’s been a lot of discussion lately on the problem of retention of new users in Second Life. While the focus has largely been on the daunting UI and learning curve, along with common 30-day prohibitions, I think there’s a more salient issue which makes the majority of new signups give up within minutes or hours, never to return.
I believe the fundamental reason Second Life has a historic retention problem is simple: people have no idea what to do once they’re here.
In the course of researching my book, it became clear to me that after an initial period of acclimation and discovery in SL, the majority of residents usually find something to do and keep them engaged — they find, or create, meaning and purpose in their second lives.
This shouldn’t surprise us: after all, isn’t RL like that? Children daydream about what they want to be when they grow up; we have goals, dreams, aspirations. Yet when someone first logs in to SL, they have absolutely no idea what they want to do. You could argue their first task is to learn how to get around, dress, and so on, but this is hardly stuff to grab our interest. And when you consider we’re trying to breathe new life into our world by recruiting Gen Z and younger Gen Yers whose brains are wired for ten- to thirty-second videos, expecting them to take time to read all the 1950s-style educational signage on Welcome Island is kinda unrealistic.
In the course of taking new photographs for my book, I’d enlisted some friends to pose for a pair of interior shots. Anyone who takes photos in SL knows that setting up a shot can be very time-consuming and, one would think, pretty boring for the draftees. Yet when I apologized to my models for what should have been a one-hour session turning into three, they all said they were enjoying it. How, I wondered, could anyone enjoy sitting around and occasionally being asked to trigger an expression or assume a new pose for three hours? I realized people like to do stuff, to be part of something. To belong.
One of the most engaged people I know in SL is my friend Rachel Blat. Here’s what she has to say:
"I have been in Second Life for almost 6 years. During this time I’ve learned many things, some of which keep me very busy. I am a professional surfer for the SLSA, the Second Life Surfing Association, which has two sessions per year. To participate in the competitions, a lot of training and knowledge of the different boards available in Second Life is necessary. I usually start my training with the board chosen by the SLSA on the beach where the competition will take place 15 days in advance, for 1 to 2 hours per day.
“When I’m not surfing, I am a photographic model and also co-owner of a modeling agency and producer of a story magazine. I divide my time photographing models and building scenarios where the stories take place. We have done Wild West, Cleopatra, Star Wars, and several other themes. There are 8 studios measuring 64x64 meters that are constantly being modified. When I have some free time, I usually brave the winds by sailing on the Blake Sea. I am also a mother in SL and my baby needs daily care. All these together make my SL happy and fulfilling.”
This dovetails with my own experience that some of the happiest people in SL are those whose SL is full and busy, whether it’s with DJing, participating in SL sports, fundraising, helping admin a sim, or running their own club, art gallery, cafe, etc. In the process, residents widen their connections and build meaningful relationships, in contrast to the sense of isolation and loneliness one can feel if one just hangs out alone in places where half the avatars are AFK. If you’re already lonely in RL (and so many are), the last thing you need is to reinforce that in SL!
So, imagine this as a new feature to the first-time SL user experience: