My first steps were a bit scary. I was very apprehensive and nervous about making a mistake and not using the controls properly to maneuver my avatar. I had quite a lot of technical issues not least the fact that I kept getting logged out! The system seemed to crash endless times and I thought it was my fault at first until I spoke to other members who had experienced the same thing. The system still crashes on me from time to time, but I don’t panic about it now – although it’s still VERY frustrating!
The avatar I chose was female and had combat type clothing. I wanted to stick with something casual and in keeping with my own look really to start with. I think I was afraid that if I chose something weird and wonderful that nobody would talk to me –how ridiculous! I did try to be a bit more adventurous and experimented later, trying to change my appearance and clothing. I’m still not 100% happy, but I’ll persevere until I get the right look. I think I need to be bolder and add more colour.
I found the orientation island really interesting and was particularly taken aback when I entered the water (by chance I have to add) and was able to look at the underwater themes. I took some photos and did some planting as well. This area is definitely one I will visit frequently. There seems to be plenty to do and I’m hoping to get round to some more sites over the next few weeks. I have only spoken to a couple of people outside my group and I must admit, it did feel strange at first, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it and was lucky enough to be able to join my group last Thursday, which gave me a lot more confidence. We’ll be meeting up regularly at this time, which will allow me to get to know my fellow group 2 members better and will also give me a chance to ask more questions.
I think that having come from an IT background, gave me the knowledge I needed to move around and try some of the controls on the screen as they were very similar to those I had used before. I also found that I was able to ‘second guess’ some of the unfamiliar ones.
I don’t think there is anything that could improve the experience for me. I just need to be a bit more self-assured, experiment a bit more and not worry if I make a mistake. I should also make a point of asking questions more and not feel that I’m asking stupid ones!!
