Second Life Etiquette Part Two: What Does Your Profile Say About You? -Pandora Drezelan Reporting...

Pandora Drezelan

For the second part of my series regarding Second Life etiquette I am going to talk about our profiles, what they say about us as people as well as general do's and don'ts. Our profiles are made up of twelve sections and this article is simply my opinion, so please feel free to leave your comments and views regarding the subject.

 


The First Section Of Your Second Life Profile

The first section of your profile shows your Second Life name, birth date and is usually the first part of the profile that other people see, this is the best section to write as much about yourself as possible or a few lines about your likes and dislikes, depending on how much you want other people to know about you.

The Picks Section

In your picks section there are ten tabs, you can use these to mark your favorite places in Second Life or change them completely to suit you and even add your own photos, most people have an 'About Me' pick, 'Favorite Shops' 'Role Play Limits' and so on.













The Real Life Section




Some people use this section of their profile to add a bit of their real life info and some even include real life photos, other people who choose to remain anonymous may leave this section blank or use it for that something extra.











Profile Summary

Profile etiquette is quite simple, your groups are listed in the first section of your profile, you can show them, however some people feel that they are defined by the groups that they are a part of and so they choose to hide some or all of their groups.
Using excessive and extreme swear words or pornography in ANY section of your profile is not a good look. I am not a prude but I must admit that I have been totally shocked at some of the words, photos and overall content of some profiles and it doesn't do much for my perception of the person in question.




At the end of the day it is your profile and your choice, but how do you want to be portrayed in Second Life, or anywhere for that matter?

Your profile speaks volumes about you as a person whether you disclose your real life information or remain private, you write the words, you choose the photos and people will make their assumptions about you based on your profile content.






Overview


What you display in your profile is up to you, some people list their Second Life or real life interests as well as links to personal websites, blogs or other social networks, which is a great idea if you are involved in a business in Second Life as it is a good way to promote yourself.

You can take photos of your avatar to add to sections in your profile or go to a reputable photographer in Second Life, when looking for photographic studios always ask to see examples of the persons works and be very clear about what style of photos you are looking for.

In my opinion Second Life nude photography is not a bad thing and can look very tasteful, however there is a difference between photographic art and pornography.
If you are still not sure then take a look at other peoples profiles to get an idea of how you wish to portray yourself, originality and class is the key, not a profile with a triple x rating, you may regard Second Life to be a game or a way of life, whatever way you see it, your avatar is still a representation of YOU and who you are in any world.