Creating a Tree in Second Life

I have to admit that I was running behind on this project. Christmas holidays, summer school teaching and other sundry activities have left me chasing my tail.

I had a meeting with Tempest Nitely in SL about our collaborative activity and she suggested we go and have a look at some of the trees that had already been built. I admitted that I had not even thought about what I was going to do for this exercise and Tempest gave me a few tips for building a tree.

While she was there, Tempest encouraged me to start experimenting. I tried to emulate her excellent tree by putting a few relevant objects together. I decided that my tree would have a religion theme (maybe the idolatree) and so I pulled a few Buddhist Stupas from my inventory and tried to fit them together in a meaningul way. I then became concerned that I wasn't showing appropriate respect for the religious traditions whose objects I was using. So, I opted to rez a large jacaranda and place some sacred scriptures on the ground for people to read and a few cushions too. I tried to tizzy up the tree with some lanterns and so on.

Though it was good to make a start, I felt bad that I wasn't exactly fulfilling the brief of building a tree. I decided to start again.

I looked in my 'How to' Second Life books and looked on the internet about how to really build a tree. I looked on SL Exchange (or whatever it's called now) and looked vaguely for trees; hoping for inspiration. What I did find was a series of appropriate sculpties that I could put together myself. So, I bought the pack, went to my island and started looking through what I had bought. I started putting a tree together, lining things up, rotating them, resizing them so I had something resembling a tree. I couldn't help but think that really it was looking like a tree from Hell. Ah, so that was to be my theme!

So, I needed a suitably devilish texture for my tree. I looked at various bark textures and then I thought, what would really make a tree creepy would be snake skin. I uploaded a snakeskin texture and applied it to my tree. Even though you can't really see it's snakeskin, it does look suitably creepy.

What would a tree from Hell be without fire, so I found a fire texture and set my tree aflame. Around this time, I was IMed by my grad student who asked what I was up to and came over to see my tree. By this time I was feeling good about what I'd done so I set to to add some more hellish features such as a lava pool and a bubbling cauldron. I had a few fasle starts along the way: I obtained a lava rezzer that so enthusiastically spewed out lava that everything else was obscured. I braved the flames and deleted it.



It didn't look overly realistic sitting on green grass (or the graph texture of MUVEnation Island) so I made a more appropriate base. Talking to my grad student, Thaiis, I decided that it would be good to have an evil laugh to give the whole scene more atmosphere. Thaiis showed me how to modify a script so as to make this possible. Thaiis is amazing. I introduced her to Second Life and now she's switched her thesis topic to oe about Second Life and it seems there is no SL skill she hasn't mastered: puts me to shame.



And of course, a tree from Hell is not complete without a Devil!



Off to MUVEnation Ilsand I went, my tree from Hell safely in my inventory. My first attempt was unceremoniously deleted and I put the new tree out. I tweaked a few things here and there, and delighted myself endlessly by activating the evil laugh!

Collaborating in Second Life

This activity was tricky for me; I was busy shopping for Christmas, visiting relatives and doing all those things you do at Christmastime but still the MUVEnation activities kept going. Imagine my relief when we were given some extra time!

I chose 'assessment' as the topic for this exercise and there was just one other person who chose this topic in SL, Tempest Nitely. It was a great relief to find that Tempest and I shared a timezone (just about). I emailed Tempest and she emailed back straightaway saying she was willing to collaborate.

We arranged to meet on my island and we used voice to discuss which tools we would use. We had lots to choose from. We divided up the work (an easy process with just two of us to organise) and then TPed to MUVEnation island to decide what our display was to include and to check out what the others had already done. We decided to start on our display right then and there. But it was not to be! We could hardly set anything up before it would be returned to us. So, we kept our build low prim and low tech and hoped that it would work. Alas no, all of the items were returned to my inventory shortly afterwards, ruining several hours work.

I decided to concentrate on the things that we were placing on my island for now. I put out the tool (or the ones Tempest had left), set them up, made a sign into a notecard giver that talked about the tool and where we got it from. Also, how to use it.

The tools we chose were:

1. The Quiz Master
2. The Jeopardy Panel
3. The Pollster Set
4. The Teacher Gamers, and
5. The Grammar Quiz.

'Assessment, Feedback, and Training' was the full title of the topic and I guess most of the tools we chose really fell into the 'Feedback' section. Most of the tools required an instructor to be present and consisted either of questions being asked and marked correct or incorrect. So, it gave the participants feedback on whether or not they had mastered a particular topic or gave the instructor feedback on how well the students had mastered the topic that may mean the instructor alter subsequent activities. Only the Grammar Quiz didn't require an instructor to be present.

Tempest rebuilt our display on MUVEnation Island after talking to Steve about the problems we'd been having. Unfortunately, all of our work had been lost and Tempest had to start from scratch.

Because I was so busy over this period (and still am) I don't feel I put in as much work as I would have liked to. Tempest was similarly busy (with a young family). Even though we decided in broad terms what we were going to do, we still were fairly autonomous and only met inworld once (though that was for an extended period). There have been no real problems or misunderstandings - just lack of time.

I would like to thank Tempest for her help on this activity. It's also great to meet someone else going through the same things as you are and being able to talk about those things! Very helpful!

Fashionista Rupert

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the MUVEnation fashion shows but I still wanted to participate so I held a one-man show. I made up a few outfits. Some stuff I already had and some more I went shopping for. I find that trawling around Second Life stores can be boring and frustrating (though great when you're in the mood) so I often shop via XStreet SL or OnRez instead).

I wanted to make it look as authentic as possible so I bought a fashion model HUD but I must admit, I don't think it made much difference! I used another avatar (Helen Frak) to do the filming.

You can see the results on my Flickr page and on YouTube too.

I think Rupert is a natural; he has all the right sultry looks!

All about my avatar: Rupert Uriza

The first thing that you might notice is that Rupert Uriza is male and I am female. The reason for this is because when I was first checking out Second Life, I didn't want to be hassled by guys. I thought guys would leave Rupert alone. I just had the default avatar for a while and added bits here and there but basically, I still looked like a newb. I also didn't think I'd stick with Second Life so I wasn't too worried.

The big change came when I started doing a course about teaching in Second Life. I really stood out as being the new person. Everyone else had a different avatar and they changed their clothes and I just looked so amateurish in comparison. So, I bit the bullet and went out and bought a skin and some clothes and some hair. I spent a lot of money and purchased many disasters before I got something I was happy with. When I had completed the new Rupert, girls started chatting me up. When voice came long that stopped that!

Right from the start I've been aware that I was representing my university so I've always dressed fairly conservatively and behaved appropriately (whatever that means). I have tried to express my personality through the way Rupert dresses. I try and find interesting clothes but still his clothes that are fairly modest. I find it difficult to buy clothes that are different. I haven't started making clothes yet (apart from the odd t-shirt).

Now, Rupert has lots of different outfits! One of the things I'm doing with my classes is encouraging them to do historical reenactments and role-plays. So, I'm always on the lookout for outfits to facilitate that. Because I teach in studies in religion, Rupert can be anything from a Buddhist monk to a Catholic bishop. I have even bought a titler for him to make the illusion complete. Poor Rupert: it's a wonder he doesn't have an identity crisis!

I have filled out Rupert's profile so for those who look, my real identity is obvious. I've also been upfront with Rupert's purpose in SL.

Ferdinand Cruz out on the town

I searched around and found a robot body for my avatar, Ferdinand Cruz. Next, I had to track down somewhere groovy to go and try out my new look. I settled on Platinum Escort Club, so feeling a little nervous I teleported right to the door.

I figured I had better hide my group title (UQ Religionist) and while I was doing that one of the pole dancers IMed me. I wasn’t sure how to respond. I am a heterosexual female after all! So I mumbled something and looked around. I might try somewhere else.

Next, I was trying The Rock – sounds safer. Ok, I’m there. I’m the only robot in the place. Oh, everyone is dancing and I don’t have any in my inventory. I need to log one of my other avis on and get a dance! I’ve done that, gone home and tried a few out. I’m going back to try again. I know no one knows who I am but I’m so embarrassed.

I’m back. Ok, so I’m dancing and everyone is just ignoring me. It’s kinda fun I must admit. I’m gonna try a different dance; something more embarrassing … I am the only non-human here. Hey, someone just called me ‘a dancing machine’! Well, everyone is tolerant here and no one has said anything very much.

Next destination, Sweeyheart’s Jazz Danceclub. Ok, this might be more of a problem. Everyone is dressed in ball gowns and so on. Still everyone is ignoring me so I’ve posed a general question. And another. And another. No good – no one responds. I’ll go to one more place before I give up.

My next destination is The Vortex. Ok, that didn’t work – only three people here. I’m off to the Double Deuce Country Music Club. No one there. Ok, now I’m at Toby’s Juke Joint Blues Club. Everyone is ignoring me again. I’ve just said hello to everyone – no response. Once more, I’m the only non-human avatar. I’m going to log in one of my attractive female avatars and see what happens. Oh, someone has said hi ad that she likes my avatar. I’m not invisible!

I’ve logged Katerina Sylvester on as well. She’s arrived and says hello to Ferdinand. She says hello to the room and this time two or three people say hello. She has a conversation with Ferdinand and they end up dancing. Someone ends up IMing Katerina and talking to her, chatting about this and that. This person has added me as her friend and is going to tell me about some other good places to go. She keeps IMing me after I leave. She thinks it’s rude when people don’t greet people in these places but she hasn’t talked to Ferdinand.

I go out of the front door and say good bye to everyone but no one says anything. Poor Ferdinand! It was interesting seeing the contrast between how Katerina was treated and how Ferdinand was treated.

Making my Avatar look like me

In the previous post I mentioned why I wanted an avatar that looked like me. In this post I want to say a couple of things about making my avatar look like me.

To start with, if you're not a perfect shape already, it's hard to buy a skin or shape that is likely to reflect your real life shape. I have a friend who this is a big issue for. All of the skins/shapes to buy are way too skinny. And though it's nice to have a wonderful and beautiful avatar, some of us would like an avatar that does look like us.

Then if you do manage to make your avatar a little wider around the middle then the clothes don't fit. That's fine if you can modify the clothes but often you can't.

I found it difficult to buy hair that wasn't really long and luxurious or really short, but mid-length. I did find some but it was an epic search.

Basically, I sat there with a photo and tried to match my features. People who know me in real life often comment about how much my Second Life avatar looks like me so I guess I succeeded, at least to a certain extent.

Professional Avatars: necessary or not?

One way or another, I've thought a lot about avatar appearance in Second Life. One of my first experiences was as a student doing a course about teaching in Second Life through Boise State University (wonderful course; I highly recommend it!) I went along as Rupert Uriza and Rupie at that stage was only marginally modified from the standard avatar that you are equipped with when you enter Second Life.

I noticed that this class of educators wore all sorts of things; but what was especially interesting was that everyone had altered their appearance from the standard. The other interesting thing was that everyone changed their clothes between lessons. I didn't understand this because of course in Second Life you don't get sweathy and smelly. I felt some considerable pressure to change my appearance and to go shopping for new clothes and I too started changing clothes regularly.

The other thing I noticed was that people were uncomfortable with me having a male avatar when I am a woman. It became especially disturbing for people when voice came to Second Life so that there was a woman's voice coming from a male body. I would hear conversations like:

'Oh, where's Rupert?'

'She's over there by the amphitheatre.'

People were clearly confused.

The lecturer and some of my female classmates wore ballgowns but the males didn't seem to wear suits. The general attire was jeans and t-shirts. This seemed appropriate as Second Life feels like an informal environment.

Two or three of my classmates had furry avatars but even then, they were 'normalised' by wearing jeans and t-shirts. Somehow this seemed more appropriate to me than the lecturer wearing a ballgown. Somewhere in my head it felt like she'd been partying all night and had turned up to class straight from going out. I know that is a ridiculous thing to think, and maybe now I'm more familiar with Second Life I wouldn't think that, but I was a newb back then and maybe that is still how a newb would feel.

I also decided to get another avatar when I started thinking about taking students into Second Life. I created Helen Frak which looks more like me (but thinner and more glamorous), so that my students would know it was me they were dealing with. And I dressed Helen Frak in clothes that the real life Helen would wear. I also decided to do this so that people wouldn't be confronted by having a female voice coming out of a male body. So for me that whole idea of making a professional avatar is a little redundant because I made an avatar that dresses and looks like me.

If I taught a class entirely in Second Life (instead of how I do with real life and SL) I wouldn't feel the same pressure to have an avi that looked like me. I think I still would have a female avatar because of the voice issue (I know you can get devices that change your voice but I couldn't be bothered). I think I still would look reasonably professional though I would stop short of wearing a suit. One of the resons for this is that maybe as part of the course I would need to appear more formal at some time (a presentation of prizes or something) and I would like to make that occasion more special by 'dressing up'.

Interestingly, I recently organised a SL event to mirror a real life event. Audio from speakers in real life was streamed into avatars in SL. When I modified some avatars 'to be' these people in SL, without thinking, I put them in suits. I thought they should look professional (and they did wear suits in real life).

So, I'm not sure I would favour creating a really professional looking avatar except for a specific occasion (say for a building launch or something where that avi needed to stand out from the crowd). For teaching, I think I would use Helen Frak looking like me. I want to retain my authority in SL by carrying my real life image over to there. I want to be able to visually signal to my students, what is appropriate. Ok now we're going to have fun and go dancing - that's when I'll wear a ballgown.

I do think there are certain guidelines that should be followed:

• I don't think avis should be showing too much flesh


• I don't think avis should have provocative walks/gestures/animations


• I think that it makes sense that if you have real life classes with a Second Life component then be consistent with level of formality in dress between both (unless you are going to do something more informal in SL)


• I don't think furries are a problem (though I have heard there is discrimination against furry avatars)


• Think about genderbending. Will it confuse people too much?

I would change my avatar under other circumstances with my students, for example, if we were role playing then I would be someone else more appropriate to the role.

I wouldn't be comfortable teaching in Second Life being too beautiful and girlie and showing too much flesh. I ask my tutors not to wear provocative clothing or tattoos and so on. They've responded by having work and play avatars.

Also, closely linked to the idea of a professional image is the choice of name for your avatar. Some names I've seen are very risque and also what groups are you a member of. It's easy for a student to check your profile, even if you don't have the offending group name hovering over your head a student can see a list of your groups and do you really want a student to know you're a member of 'Shemale Sex Garden'?