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Second Life (SL) is a virtual world on the Internet. It is made of units (known in-world as islands), and users can teleport at will between them. The world of SL is home to more than 13 million people with whom you can interact in various ways inside.
Recently IslamOnline.net (IOL) launched its own island inside SL to offer the services of the IOL website inside the virtual world.
This is a quick guide to take you through the steps of creating an account and logging into SL. There are also instructions on how to reach IOL's island easily. But remember, there are millions of things to explore and experience inside SL. The world is your oyster!
But before embarking on your SL journey, you need to make sure that your computer meets the needed specifications.
Minimum Specifications
A broadband connection (DSL)
Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista
800MHz CPU
512MB RAM
64MB VGA Card
Recommended Specifications
A broadband connection (DSL)
Windows XP or Windows Vista
1.5GHz CPU
1GB RAM
256MB VGA Card
If your computer meets the minimum specifications, then you can run SL but it may be slow at times. But if you meet or surpass the recommended specifications, then you can probably run SL smoothly with all the details the virtual world can offer.
Creating Your SL Account
1. Go to www.secondlife.com. You will find the homepage of SL. Click on "Join" on the top-right corner of the page.
2. You will be taken to the first steps of registration. You will be asked to choose your nickname inside SL. You can choose any first name, but you can choose your second name from a predetermined list of names. You will also enter your e-mail and your birth date. After filling these details click on "Continue."
3. On the next page, you will be prompted to choose what your character (called an avatar) will look like inside SL. Choose one of the characters available. Do not worry if you do not like your avatar. You will be able to change the way it looks anytime you want inside SL. When you are decided, click on "Choose this avatar."
4. The following page is where you fill your personal details such as your real name, gender, and country. Once you fill this page, click on "Submit" in the bottom of the page.
5. You will find yourself on a page asking you what type of account you want. Premium accounts cost money monthly. If you want to get a basic free account, click on "Skip this step."
6. You will get a confirmation page telling you that your SL account has been created. An e-mail will be sent to you with a link for the final step of your registration. Open the e-mail that was sent to you and click the link in it, your account will be activated.
Downloading and Installing SL
1. The link you clicked on in your account will take you to a page where you can download the SL client. The client is around 35MB, which should take less than 10 minutes on a broadband connection to download.
2. Once the client is downloaded, you will need to install it on your computer and then run it. Simply follow the instructions on the screen, and it will be installed in a few minutes. This will take you to the login page for SL. You will be asked to enter your SL first and last names and your password. Click "Connect," and you will be logged in. Welcome to SL!
3. Since this is the first time for you inside SL, you will automatically be teleported to an island called "Help Island." It is strongly recommended that you go through all the steps of Help Island in order to understand the basics of interacting with the world of SL.
Now you are ready to explore the world of SL! If you want to go to IOL's island inside, then you just need to click on "Map" in the bottom of your SL window and type "IslamOnline dot Net" in the search. Once the screen zooms to the island, just click "Teleport."
Alternatively, the island has its own URL that can be used to reach it straight away from your browser. Just click hereto be taken straight to the island.
Well, that is it. Have a wonderful experience!
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