How to Find Interesting Places

Want to explore Second Life? Here are a few tips I’ve learnt over the years to help me find interesting places.

Use the SL search under the ‘Places’ tab. Type in what interests you and don’t be afraid to experiment. A lot of people type in things they want to buy or place names, but you can often find cooler stuff if you think outside the box. Is there a word that you like? One that describes you personally? Type it into the search. Example: I recently typed in ‘whimsical’ and found several places to visit.

Use the SL search under the “Classifieds” tab. You may find things here that you wouldn’t find in the “Places” tab and vice versa. Many people buy classifieds to advertise their land, but some also use them to be visible when renting on someone else’s land.

Read the “Picks” section of the profiles. If you come across an interesting person, chances are they’ve picked a cool place in their profile. Unfortunately, many people use the “Picks” section for things other than listing places, but it’s still worth checking out.

If you see something you like, check to see who the creator is. Have you come across something great? Right-click on the object and find out who made it. Go to the creator’s profile and go to the Picks and Classifieds tab. You might find a great place to visit this way.

Try out the Second Life Destination Guide. It’s full of pictures and places!

Word of mouth. Ask people to tell you landmarks they like. This might even be one of the best ways to find something, because usually people only give landmarks when they like a place.

Read SL travel blogs. I don’t usually read them, but I imagine they are helpful. If anyone wants to recommend a good SL travel blog, feel free to do so!

Pay attention to the traffic rank in your search. When you search for something, the places with the most visitors will appear at the top of the list, the ones with the least at the bottom. If you know how much traffic a place has, this can help you.

1. The positive thing about a high traffic rank is that a place may be highly frequented for a specific reason. People seem to flock there and that could mean it’s worth visiting.
2. The downside: More traffic = more delay, and if you’re looking for a quiet place, it might be better to look for a less populated area.

When I search, I often visit the places with the fewest visitors first. I like the idea of giving more traffic to someone who needs it, and it’s nice to avoid lag and get away from the crowds.

So… how do you find places in Second Life?