Communication

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User's Manual

• Getting Started
  • Communication
• Viewer menu
  • Preferences
  • Context Menu
  • Inventory Menu
• Floating Windows
  • About Land
  • Appearance
  • Building Tools
  • Content Windows
  • Group Windows
  • Inventory
  • Land Windows
  • Map Windows
  • Money Windows
  • Profile Window
  • Search Window
  • Texture Windows
• Advanced Topics
• Help & Support

This Page is part of the User's Manual, discussing the communication features of the Second Life Viewer.

Second Life has multiple methods of communicating between users. These include public and private text chat, notecards, voice chat, your profile, and streaming audio and video. Many of these are activated by the bottom toolbar.

Chat Bar

The chat toolbar is activated with the button in the bottom left corner of the screen. It appears just above the row of function buttons at the very bottom. Chat settings can be found at the top menu Edit > Preferences > Text Chat tab.

Local Chat - This button opens the chat history window. Local chat is displayed for 20-60 seconds on the screen before fading away. The history will show all chat since you logged in. If you use Edit > Preferences > Communication > Logging Options you can save chat to a text file on your computer.

Besides human users, other items can generate chat messages. These are displayed in selectable colors, controlled from the top menu Edit > Preferences > Text Chat tab.

Bottom Toolbar Chat and Communicate Buttons

Chat Text Entry Box - Entering text here and hitting enter will display the chat text on your screen above the box if chat history is closed, or in the history box if it is open. Chat is also visible to anyone within range in the 3D view area. Normal chat range is 20 meters. If you use the Whisper or Shout buttons, the range is changed to 10 or 100 meters respectively.

The name of the Avatar sending the chat starts each line. if you type /me at the start of the line, it leaves off the ":", and is used to indicate an action or emotion, rather than spoken words.

Mute List

Muted Residents and Objects Window

You may find some users or objects to be annoying. The mute list prevents you from receiving communications from them, and in the case of avatars, from seeing them. The list can be opened from the top menu View > Mute List item, or the bottom toolbar Communicate |^| popup menu. You can add items to the list using the following methods:

• The Mute Resident... and Mute Object... buttons in this window
• If an account profile is open, using the Mute button
• When a popup message appears from a user or object, using the Mute button.

Mute List Box - The main portion of this window lists Resident accounts and objects you have muted.

Mute Resident... - Opens Choose Resident window to select a name.

Mute object by name... - Opens a list of objects which have recently generated chat.

Communicate Window

The Communicate window merges several features into one collective window with multiple tabs. It is opened by the bottom toolbar Communicate button, or the top menu View > Communicate item.

Several of the tabs can be "torn off" into separate windows using Tear Off Tab Button. They can be redocked using the bottom toolbar Communicate |^| > Redock Windows popup menu item. When a new Instant Message arrives or is started by you, it will create a new bottom tab.

Contacts Tab: Friends

Friends Tab

Friends are users whom you have chosen to stay in closer contact with. This tab allows you to see your friend's status and take various actions with respect to them. Clicking on any name will highlight it. Double-clicking will open an Instant Message to that user. The main Friends list box can be sorted by clicking on the column headings. The six columns are as follows:

Body Icon - Appears when a friend is online

Name - User account name. Is in bold when they are online. By default online names are listed first in alphabetical order, followed by offline names in alphabetical order.

Eye Symbol - If checked, friends can receive notifications when you log in off.

Map Symbol - If checked, allows friends to find you on the Map.

Edit My Items - If checked, allows your friend to edit your objects in the 3D view. It does not allow them to edit items in your inventory

Edit their Items - If checked, allows you to edit their objects in the 3D view.

The right hand buttons are as follows:

IM/Call - Opens an instant message tab with the selected user.

Remove Friend Window

Profile - Opens the Profile window for that user.

Teleport... - Opens an Offer Teleport window.

Pay... - Opens the Pay Resident window.

Remove... - Opens the Remove Friend window to delete a name from your Friends list.

Contacts Tab: Groups

Groups Tab

See also Contacts: Groups

This tab of the "Communicate" floating window allows you to access your groups list and perform actions related to groups. It is opened with the top menu View > Communicate item, then clicking on the groups tab. The main part of the window lists the current groups you belong to. Included in the list is 'none' for when you want no group active. You may belong to a maximum of 25 groups at one time, and underneath the list it will show how many you belong to currently.

Clicking once on a group in the list will highlight it, after which the right side buttons will do the actions listed below. Double clicking will open a group IM immediately.

IM/Call - Opens a group Instant Message/Call tab to allow text or voice chat with group members who are online.

Info - Opens the Group Information window for detailed information about the group.

Activate - Makes the selected group active. This displays the active title for the group in the 3D view area over your avatar name. Some land permissions and objects will only work if you have the proper group active. Any objects you create while a group is active will have the group set on the item properties.

Leave - Remove yourself from a group's membership list.

Create - Opens a blank group information window to create a new group. You can fill in the group title and charter. You will then be asked if it is a mature group, and finally if you want to pay 100L$ to create the group. Groups must have at least 2 members or they will be deleted in 48 hours.

Search - Opens the "Search" window to the groups tab, so you can search for existing groups.

Local Chat Tab

Local Tab

Local chat is normally displayed in a transparent console over the 3D view area. The text fades after 20-60 seconds. This window shows all local chat since you logged in in the main text box. Different colors are available for various sources, which can be set in preferences. If you have selected it, time stamps are shown.

The white box near the bottom is used for entering your text. Hitting Enter by default uses the Say mode, which has a range of 20 meters. The popup selector lets you choose Whisper (10 meter range), and Shout (100 meter range, use with care).

Gestures - Gestures are a package of animations, sounds, and text, which are triggered by a short key when active. This button lists the active gestures and also lets you play it from the list.

Show Muted Text - The Mute List, above, prevents you from getting communication from users or objects. This box overrides that list and lets you see any text from them.

< < - This button opens a side panel that lists current avatars within chat range.

Instant Message

Instant Message Tab

Friends Conference

Friends Conference Tab

Media Console

Media Console

Streaming Audio FAQ

Voice Chat

Voice Console

Voice COnsole

Active Speakers Window

Active Speakers Window