I’m always one to share knowledge + resources that’ve helped me in hopes they’ll help you, and the Second Life Wiki is an info-site you can add to. If you’d rather just read it, that’s fine too, but should you feel more adventuresome…

Today’s tip includes the wiki basics, which is LWA (Loaded With Awesome) if you’ve never used/heard of the wiki before. Be brave, Torley’s here to help! I also go through some practical stuff off the beaten path, like an accessible list of Linden Lab employees you can meet inworld, and did you know you can embed videos in the wiki too?

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Covered within 22-something minutes:

• What is a wiki and why does it matter?
• How is the wiki organized?
• Wiki editing basics
• Using Google to search the wiki
• Finding the list of Linden Office Hours
• Finding Resident user pages (extended profiles)
• What’s the difference between this wiki & the Knowledge Base?
• Adding videos to wiki pages - with VideoFlash
• Searching the Second Life Wiki inworld

Also of interest: “Wonderful wiki resources you should know about“.

Up next: I’ve got more video QUICKTIPS round the ‘bend, most of them requests fulfilled! Also, watch previous video tips!

 
-Torley Linden
     If you like my vidtuts, please rate, comment, and subscribe to them on YouTube. THANK YOU!

Friendly greetings! After last week’s Tip on “Making transparent textures“, it’s sensible this week’s is sort of a followup, and one I’ve wanted to do for a long time: HOW TO EDIT PARTICLES!

Even if this is your first day in Second Life — welcome! — you’ve prolly already experienced particles: from loud bling on jewelry, to environmental effects like fire and snow, to C-beams glittering in the dark…

there’s no shortage of special effects, and you can be more than a spectator and make your own particle awesomeness! In less than half an hour, I cover:

• Opening a sample particle script
• Copying contents from one script to another
• Editing particle parameters
• Adjusting particle visibility for time of day
• Giving particles a texture (MY FAVE!)
• Normalizing particle settings for a texture
• Disabling particles in your objects
• Backing up your particles
• A few words of encouragement — I inspire the artist in you!

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This video tutorial wouldn’t have been possible without the ultrahelpful Jopsy Pendragon’s Particle Laboratory in Teal, which is featured prominently, and righteously so. Just look for the colorful balloon + red arrow and ride it on up!

Related video tutorials:

• What are particles?
• How to deal with some common annoyances

 
-Torley Linden
     When I teach you something and you teach someone else, WE RULE!

O HAI, it’s your friendly metaverse Torley here.

 
Did you know…

… we have an official Twitter presence?

I know that with lots of social networks out there, you may love certain tools someone else doesn’t. So it can be useful to have the same news delivered in different ways: Twitter is a good example of this — streaming our blog’s headlines in a bite-size format — visit “SecondLife” on Twitter to see for yourself.

You can continue to subscribe to our blog’s RSS feed, or even by email to stay updated on what’s happening with Second Life.

Thanks to Cube and Jeska Linden for helping me get this established. =^_^=

 
… we have an official podcast?

While we haven’t used it all that much historically, things’ve been changing, and I’m regularly adding my video tutorials so you get the newest ones with no fuss. We’re planning to do more Linden interviews too.

You can subscribe here (it’s different than the main blog RSS feed), and visit us on !

 
-Torley Linden
     Sharing the good, saving you time.

Friendly greetings! You’ve spoken, and I’ve responded… yes, YOU CAN HAS VOICE CHAT VIDEO TUTORIALS!

These teach you how to communicate using your live voice in Second Life. And there’s not just 1, or 2… but 7 tutorials, each covering a specific area made easy!

Now, before you get started, you’ll need a headset or equivalent device. These are pretty common and fairly affordable; we have options — and if you’re curious, I personally use Sony MDR-V900s + a cheapo Logitech mic, or the more common Microsoft Lifechat LX-3000.

It’s time to enjoy!

1. Getting started - Using the setup wizard, step-by-step.
2. Etiquette - Don’t talk while eating! I show you why “push-to-talk” matters.
3. Who’s speaking? - Active Speakers window can tell you.
4. Improving your hearing - Voice can be heard from either camera or avatar position. With my lovely wife as my special helper, I demo the difference.
5. Private calls - How to exit public voice chat and be discreet.
6. Speech gestures - You can animate your avatar while speaking.
7. Disabling it for yourself & on land - For those times you may want it off… and restricting voice to a parcel.

DOWNLOAD HIGH-QUALITY VERSIONS (streamable in Second Life! Don’t know how? I made a “How to play movies inworld” tutorial too!)

 
(I filmed these in the 1.19.1 Release Candidate viewer, so if you’re wondering why some things look different, download it to match!)

Supplemental help in our Knowledge Base: “How to Use Voice“, the “Voice FAQ“, and “How can I minimize background noise in voice chat?“

Watch for another memorable round of video QUICKTIPS next week (see previous episodes), where I’ll teach you better ways of doing common tasks, how to handle annoyances, and ultimately… help you live a happier, more fun Second Life.

 
-Torley Linden
     Meet me inworld on Thursdays @ 12 PM Pacific

Friendly greetings! In this video tutorial (watch previous episodes), I take on a time-tested topic that’s trumped many an aspiring creatician: TRANSPARENT TEXTURES!

Ever wondered how textures without visible edges are made? From cardboard cutouts to flames to neon signs to trees, the usages are many, and it’s fun to do. Using the power of a GIANT LEEK… I kid you not…

It’s so easy once you understand that working with PNG format is far easier than the clunky old TGA route (if you struggled with that before). I show you how!
 

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There are many image editors out there, and if you don’t have Photoshop, there’s also GIMPshop and Paint.NET (which recently added support for saving 24-bit PNGs).

For your continued learnage, here are the “OMG GIANT LEEK” source files:

• BMP - Raw Second Life snapshot saved to hard drive — whenever possible, I convert BMPs to PNGs because the former are so wasteful!
• PSD - Open in Photoshop or another compatible app.
• PNG - The edited result, ready to upload into Second Life.

Let me also highly recommend Siddean Munro’s wonderful tutorial on the topic. And with more enthusiastic energy, I appreciate your appreciation.

I make these video tutorials so you can have a happier Second Life.
 

-Torley Linden
     Visit the GIANT LEEK inworld!

… but wait, there’s more!

And thus, the saga continues, with my inbox being stuffed with requests to make more video tutorials! You’ve spoken, and as a nod to Jane McGonigal, I’m in the happiness business.

So what do I have to better you today?
 

QUICKTIPS “Volume 3″ Video Tutorials! Your knowledge in 2 min. or less, guaranteed! Click a title to watch:

1. Adding & divorcing a Partner - Love & separation in 2 min.
2. Building materials explained - Rubber? Glass? Stone? What difference do they make?
3. Changing the time of day - Override to see better.
4. Changing your login location - For your sheer convenience.
5. Chat bubbles - A different, cartoony way to communicate.
6. Cheesy red tracking beacon - It’s animated and easier to see!
7. Driving a vehicle - Basics of buying and riding transportation.
8. Finding stuff buried the ground - Popular question, practical advice.
9. Finding your chat logs - So you can read, archive, delete, etc.
10. Freezing stuff for snapshots - Supahmodel, work it!
11. Friends permissions - What do those icons mean?
12. Hiding online friend notifications - Annoying you? Turn it off.
13. Hiding the Search panel in the menu bar - BY POPULAR DEMAND, NEW IN 1.19.1 RC!
14. Hover tips - Use them to get more info.
15. How high can you fly? - … and what’s up there?
16. Increasing font size for better readability - SLize matters.
17. Muting jerks & objects - Don’t let the spam crap get you down.
18. Stretching prim sides & textures - Makes editing objects easier.
19. Turning off object selection glow - Remove an annoyance (followup to “Advanced attachment adjustment)!
20. What are particles? - Not just for *bling*! I show you.
21. What is a sandbox? - Great to show your new-to-SL friends.
22. World Map - How to use it. “See the world, they say!”

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Filmed in the 1.19.1 RC viewer goodness gracious, get it!

If you missed earlier installments, watch QUICKTIPS Volume I & II and more Video Tutorials!

AND OH YES… THERE WILL BE MORE.
THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.

-Torley Linden
     Do you make video tutorials? Email me!

Friendly greetings! I love to share practical knowledge that’s useful in your everyday Second Life — if you’ve ever wanted to learn any or all of the following and how they go together:

• What is a posing stand?
• Which attachments am I wearing?
• Backing up your attachments
• Moving a hat to fit better
• Modding hair to look better
• Using per-prim undo “stacks”
• Resizing a necklace to fit better
• Buying and adjusting shoes
• How to open a box
• “Size 0″ and shoes
• Wearing hair and shoe bases
• Why bother with prim hair?
• Popular fashion: prim eyelashes
• Recolor your avatar quickly!

Do I have a treat for you! Watch this special half-hour programme!

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(Click in the video player’s progress bar to skip around!)

-Torley Linden
     Enough words, more actions, more vidtuts to come.

My work with video tutorials is severely rewarding! I wouldn’t be doing this if it didn’t benefit you, judging from the many responses I’ve received. And the positive inspiration loops continue…

QUICKTIPS “Volume 2″ Video Tutorials are here! Each of these are 2 min. or less — learn a lot in a little time!
 

For example:

Today’s collection was filmed in the 1.19.1 RC viewer and includes:

1. Advanced Mouselook options - Done due to your requests!
2. Changing your group title - For fun & seriousness.
3. Setting objects to group - IMPORTANT! Watch this after #2.
4. Clearing nametag clutter - See more of the world.
5. Deleting duplicate landmarks - Popular question.
6. Emptying your Trash - Makes your Inventory load faster.
7. Fun with 2 Inventory windows - Get organized easier.
8. Getting your system info - Useful for support & bug reports.
9. Notecard attachments - Include items with your text.
10. Starting Conference IMs - Group IMs without a formal group.
11. The trouble with Linden trees - Do you know these limitations?

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Watch what interests you.
 

What’s comin’ ’round the bend? Another Tip of the Week, of course… and next week, VOICE CHAT video tutorials! Let’s keep traveling. shhh… LAND series is on the horizon.

You can:

• Watch more video tutorials! Topics from playing movies & webpages inworld to what obscure options do… and more!
• Visit me inworld on Thursdays @ 12 PM PT!
• Subscribe to our iTunes-compatible podcast to be informed of new vidtuts!

My gratitude and appreciation for your continued watchitude; we made #2 Most Viewed (Daily) rank on YouTube last week, and I will rock on to empower you with the skills for a success-full Second Life!

-Torley Linden
     Believe in followup.

I hope you’ve already read Jeska’s post on the new PARCEL MEDIA features in our 1.19.1 Release Candidate viewer! To use ‘em, you’ll need to:

I made 3 video tutorials to help you master these new features:
 

1. How to play movies, webpages, & more on your land - A friendly intro to existing media options (good if you’ve new to all of this) and I showcase what’s fresh!

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(more…)

As promised following the ultradose of 13 QUICKTIPS, I’m back, and here to teach you what the Mini-Map is, and how to customize it! All so you can find your way around Second Life easier.

Ever wonder what those little icons and colors (AIIIIEEE!) are for? And did you know you can stop the Mini-Map from rotating, or even right-click it to change zoom level? All this and more:

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If you desire a text version, please see this article in our ever-expanding Knowledge Base.

And as always, you can watch more video tutorials!

-Torley Linden
     appreciates your help in helping you

P.S. My inworld office hour just took place (they happen on Thursdays @ 12-1 PM PST), so in the future, come to Watermelinden Land if you’d like to discuss video tutorials + more!