I needed to cash out an old B&N gift certificate, so I just got a copy of the new Second Life: The Official Guide. Just superficially, the paperbound book looks great. The overall palette is a calming forest green. Full color screenshots thoughout the book pop out as you flip through it. On the margins are cute little portraits of some of the more well known characters in the SL universe. Definitely will look nice on the ol’ coffee table.
Reading through Philip Rosendale’s peppy intro ("In Second Life, if you see something you want to build or change, the ability to do so is at your fingertips."), I am thinking of all of those 85-90% of new registrants who get in-world, find it too daunting or not inviting enough, and then never come back. I don’t know if this will improve their retention numbers (or should I say recidivism figures?), but at least for some a well-written guidebook will help.
I’m looking forward to learning about making custom animations and poses, and any some intermediate building lessons. Oh and there’s a CD full of goodies I can’t wait to bust into.
It’s like Christmas came a bit early!