Terminology

Second Life residents and staff use a number of terms that may not be familiar to new arrivals. This page is an attempt to provide a comprehensive listing of such terms. Corrections and additions are gratefully accepted.

---

Abuse

Alt

Short for "alternate," this term refers to the practice of owning more than one Second Life account, which allows a person to have more than one name and presence in Second Life (even at the same time, if they own more than one computer). Residents will sometimes refer to their "alts." There are plenty of legitimate reasons for having an alt, but they are sometimes used by griefers to evade identification and punishment.

Avatar

A three-dimensional representation of a Resident within Second Life. Any individual Resident may "have" more than one avatar, but this is a matter of appearance - only one avatar is permitted per account. Some residents may, however, have "alts" (see above).

Griefer

A Second Life resident who harasses other residents. Related terms include "griefing" (the act of such harassment) and "to grief" (as, "My sim was griefed the other day"). See the "Griefer" article on Wikipedia for more information on this topic. Note that griefing is a violation of the Second Life Terms of Service and should be reported as abuse.

Inworld

Occurring in or relating directly to the Second Life world; as, "I'll meet you inworld at five."

Linden

• A member of the Second Life company staff, who all have the avatar surname "Linden."

• A unit of Second Life currency, used for inworld transactions.

Resident

An entity with at least one active Second Life account. The term does not distinguish between Basic or Premium accounts, nor between landowners and non-landowners.

Skin