Be a Newb, not a Noob

Are you a newb, or are you a noob? Newcomers to virtual worlds, social networking sites, or gaming platforms like World of Warcraft may not see the difference between the two terms. Besides, they are phonetically the same. What's the big fuss over a little "ew" or "oo"?

If you want to have a smooth start in a virtual world, educate yourself on the the difference between the two:

Newb is a newcomer who is lost, aimless, but polite, friendly, and willing to learn. Noob (or even worse, nOOb), is a newcomer who throws obnoxious, arrogant snarls at long time members or poor, unsuspecting newbs. They make mistakes without concern, and continue to do so despite the advice given to them by other members. Basically, noobs think they know what they are doing, but are usually just annoying other members.
Read more »

Starting in Social Worlds: Helpful Places

Walking into new virtual worlds can be an intimidating experience. After the sign-up process, you are thrown in to a new world in nothing but newbie attire. It is almost as bad as walking into a bar full of strangers with a big neon "Newbie" sign hovering over your head. Fortunately, most virtual worlds have helpful places where newbies can settle in and get useful advice. Here are a few places you can find help.

Read more »

Starting in Social Worlds: Shed Your Newbness

Newb.

It’s more than a word. It’s a title that lingers over your head while you aimlessly venture throughout the worlds of your virtual life. People may ignore you, others will make your virtual life a living hell. The power is up to you to ward off the menacing “newbness”.

I am new to virtual worlds. I joined Second Life two months ago, and just rediscovered my long lost, neglected IMVU account. The gateway drug for pixilated delight was Frenzoo, a site I’ve been a member of for about a year. I have grown a lot in Frenzoo, becoming spoiled with my acquired non-new status. I can no longer accept the title of “newb”, and will do anything possible to fight it off in the new virtual worlds I join.

Read more »

Off the Top of My Head: All About Hair

Hair brings one's self-image into focus; it is vanity's proving ground. Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices.

~Shana Alexander

Every morning when I wake up in SL, I am faced with the prospect of what my hair will look like. In my real life, I am pretty much limited to the hair I have, as messy or incalcitrant as it will be. In SL or IMVU, I have the choice of just about any hair I would want.

As Shana Alexander suggests, hair is the headliner, the opening statement, the engine to the whole train wreck.

What is amazing is that it is one of the least expensive ways to completely change one’s look in either world. Both mediums offer a variety of hairstyles for women (though the complaint in SL is that not enough are offered for men).

Read more »

Best Foot Forward

For fashionistas across the worlds, seemingly trivial things become incredibly important. Like where to get the very best shoes.

 

Why shoes? They are the punctuation on an ensemble. They set the tone for the entire outfit and show the wearer’s expertise with the finer details of accoutrement. The shoes alone can tell a whole story—are they scuffed boots, fresh from role playing in a gritty urban scene, or pristine stilettos on long legs, full of sex appeal and class or sweet flats, perfect for a “day off”?

 

Both Second Life and IMVU offer users the ability to enjoy their shoe fetish and secretly indulge in Imelda Marcos’ extravagances without breaking the bank or building a new closet on to the house.

 

Shoes are also incredibly important in both words because the feet in both are dreadfully unattractive.

 

Feet from IMVU (L) and Second Life (R).

Read more »

Style Across the Worlds

Hiya. I’m Harper Beresford. Welcome to my world—the world of avatars and avatar apparel and enhancement. It’s called “fashion” in common parlance, but it’s more than what an avatar wears. It’s about how a person represents herself in these worlds and the artists who make those enhancements.

In this case, the person is me, so you are subject to my whims and tastes. However, my choices range across a broad swath. I like anything imaginative, artistic, elegant, fun, well-crafted, and/or evocative.

I will be exploring the worlds of Second Life, Frenzoo and IMVU. You will probably see more of Second Life here as I am an established resident there, and frankly, the tools for wearing, exploring, capturing images of, and making fashion seem a lot easier. That doesn’t mean IMVU and Frenzoo don’t have a lot going on and coming up. IMVU has a very lively avatar enhancement scene. Frenzoo puts a big focus on fashion. Let’s see what they have!

Read more »

Koinup's Cream of the Crop - Black and White Works

On today’s Koinup’s Cream of the Crop I choose an art form I just have had a love affair with since high school – Black and White Works. Just over a 100 years after the first color photograph was produced, we still hold a torch for monochromatic images. Black and white images are powerful, elegant, special, and romantic. They can create beauty out of otherwise mundane images. Black and White photography requires that the photographer concentrate on different elements of a photograph like contrast, shapes, negative space and lighting.

Black and White Works celebrates this beautiful art form with a multiple world group. Since we cannot produce raw black and white images from in game, the screen captures need to be converted in a photo editor for a bit of post production prior to publication. This talented group currently has 90 members and 290 fab images in its collection and serves as homage to the humble beginnings of photography and how beautiful our virtual world can be in only one color.

Photo by: brickhousefrog

Brickhousefrog's Don't Mess w a Brick highlights the subject in a way a color photograph never could have done. The contrast of this piece displays it's real power.

Photo by: novadyszel

Novadyszel's Railroad Track shows how making a photograph black and white can make it from something fairly mundane into a thing of beauty.

Photo by: MaggyWorld

MaggyWorld's Black & White Shadow plays with shapes and negative/positive space in a peice. Really nicely done!

Please feel free to PM fiona_haworth on Koinup and tell me all about what's happening in your groups. I'd love to feature your group on Koinup's Cream of the Crop pick of the week!

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Koinup’s Cream of the Crop - Hiperia3D’s Machinima Selections

Not only does Koinup have some fabulously talented photographers and still artists but we have an unbelievable pool of machinimagraphers as well. These folks stage everything from the most simple of how-tos to elaborate music videos. They take up gigs and gigs of space on their hard drives filming in 3D game platforms, then edit, cut, set them to a sound track of voice or music, and release them into the wild for our viewing pleasure. The results are amazing short films where the machinimists is entire team (director, cameraman, editor, sound engineer...).

Koinup’s Cream of the Crop this week I’ve picked Hiperia3D’s Machinima Selections. This group was founded in April of 2008. Its aim is to promote the works of machinima directors. It’s open to works from all 3D worlds and currently contains 192 wonderfully entertaining pieces. Make sure to turn up your sound as each of the following have fantastic soundtracks.

Machinima by: toxicmenges

Toxicmenges' LoveLife could easily be a vid to get people interested in SL. In 4 short minutes, Toxic takes us on a journey from orientation island down the rabbithole into some of SL's big activites and landmarks while illustrating not only how incredibly beautiful Secondlife is but how complex it is as well.

Machinima by: RockerFaerie

This piece by RockerFaerie is named Art is Hard. Perhaps it is commentary on the challenges that artists in 3D worlds encounter while trying to create in this bold new medium or perhaps is it just a music vid showcasing Cursive's song Art is Hard which is the soundtrack. Either way it's pretty brilliant and worth the watch.

Machinima by: BrynOh

BrynOh's Self is a thing of true beauty. I particularly love the after effects Bryn uses in presenting this piece for our viewing pleasure. Shot on location at Immersiva sim that was designed and built by Bryn.

If your group is having a contest or an event, please PM me on Koinup and let me know. I'd love to cover all the fun to be had in joining such expressive groups of people from all over.

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Koinup's Cream of the Crop - Fantasy Art

Koinup’s Cream of the Crop for this week is the Fantasy Art group. Loosely defined, fantasy art depicts creatures and themes that are magical or supernatural in overall subject matter. Over the years, I’ve spent numerous hours looking at fantasy art on sites like Epilogue, Deviant Art and Elfwood. In my humble opinion, nothing more has changed the face of this genre than than works being produced with elements directly from 3D games like Sims, WoW, and Secondlife.

The Fantasy Art group on Koinup is a wildly creative bunch that holds their own in terms of inventiveness in this school of work. Most of them are true works of art done with some photoshop magic and other art tools to accomplish the end result. The 54 members of this group have submitted 501 aweinspiring pieces well worth browsing through.

Photo by: Magggg

Magggg is one of the finest contributors to Koinup in regards to fantasy art. On numerous occasions I see Magggg’s work upon logging into Koinup. In Magggg's And blue will come for you... she mixes both the SIMS and SL to achieve the desired outcome.

Photo by: Trixibelle

Trixibelle's Give Praise to the Goddess of Stormy Seas is the epitome of the fantasy art genre. A supernatural deity complete with the power to rule the skies and seas in order to upset the mere mortals. Trixibelle used elements from secondlife and renderosity to complete this fantastic piece.

Photo by: _MiraGe_

_MiraGe_'s Fairytale displays a very common theme among within the fantasy art genre; beauty and the beast. Tastefully done with an angelic beauty and a potentially menacing dragon as the beast. Her piece contains elements from the Sims and deviant art.

If your group is having a contest or an event, please PM me on Koinup and let me know. I'd love to cover all the fun to be had in joining such expressive groups of people from all over.

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Koinup's Cream of the Crop - Portraits

Since the inception of photography and even much further back via paintings and sculptures, people have commissioned portraits. The purpose was to capture an essence of the subject; a mood, an expression, a likeness. Immortalization via art. Portraits became important remembrances of the affections for the subject of the work.

Koinup's Portraits is a fabulous repository of these affections for our avatars. Spanning multiple worlds from IMVU to SIMS to SL, the works contained within run the gamut from really raw to extremely digitally enhanced. However it maintains the overall theme of portrait expressionism throughout. This group is super active with well over 2700 works and 250 members. It serves as a reminder as to how popular portrait photography still is today.

Photo by: Kady

Kady's Per dire cos'hai fatto di me, non ho la voce translated means "What to say that me, I do not know the voice" Well in this case the picture speaks for her and no amount of words could say it better.

Photo by: Mira

Mira's piece simply called Mira Piano1 shows us that portrait photography can be much more than shots of the subjects face. This work shows us some real insight into the subject it captures that expression I was talking about above.

Photo by: B_Rodrigues

Here is another fabulous example of non-traditional portraiture. B_Rodrigues' Breno Rodrigues really captivates the viewer and draws them in to explore all this subject has to offer. Although I get a bit lost in his blue eyes. ;-)

There are so many more in this huge group it's well worth a look. Take a few snaps of your own and add them. Show everyone your affection for your avatar. I've added mine! :D

If your group is having a contest or an event, please PM me on Koinup and let me know. I'd love to cover all the fun to be had in joining such expressive groups of people from all over. -Fi

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Avatar Pics Contest: the jury

We're glad to announce that the panel of judges of the 1st Crossworld Avatar Pics Competition is made up by some of the most authoritative experts in virtual worlds and avatar culture.

The judges are:
Wagner James Au author of New World Notes, well known blogger in Second Life and mmorpg journalist and reporter for GigaOM

Mario Gerosa, curator of the Rinascimento Virtuale Exhibition in Florence, Journalist, chief editor for the AD Architectural Digest Magazine, blogger and authors of many books on Second Life, Virtual Art and Virtual Worlds

Paolo Valente aka Arco Rosca and Rosanna Galvani aka Roxelo Babenco, owners and curators of the Museo del Metaverso. Museo del Metaverso is one of the most popular and authoritative galleries devoted to Second Life (and avatar) art.

The judges will selected 10-12 artworks (the winners!) that will be displayed in the Koinup Avatar Art Gallery at the SL6B Fair

Join the Group now! Submit your entry!



Image by Lene29

(Slurl of the Gallery and other details are forthcoming)

Cross Virtual Worlds. The group to create mixed media pics, merging together pieces from different virtual worlds

MedeAthena, Magggg, Violentdoll just founded a group dedicated to cross worlds art. In the Crossworld group you can share art pieces and pics created by merging together in a single artwork backgrounds and/or avatars from different virtual worlds. Read more, here

Join the group!


Image above by Magggg, created by merging background from Second Life (the rouge forest) and avatar from The Sims

IMVU User Generated Contents. The best groups to join on Koinup

IMVU is one of the most vibrant user generated community on the web. There is an amazing scene of designers, developers, posers, fashion stylists and avatar artists that each days are going to create thousands of contents.

If you like to follow a bit of this scene, probably you may consider to join a series of IMVU groups, recently created on Koinup

IMVU Artists
The best IMVU Public Rooms
The best of IMVU
Avipics Maker
iRAWK


Image above by jojobabe (Japanese Feudal)

Virtual identity. Be pregnant in a virtual world

The other day, I stumbled on this IMVU image, depicting a "pregnant female avatar".



It often happens that virtual worlds are more and more used as platforms for roleplaying and/or environments where users have the chance to play with their identities. So maybe it could be useful to know if you're roleplaying, too?

If you have any experience, please share in the comments

IMVU fine art. Deathly Vain by jojobabe

IMVU potential for avatar art is well known to readers of this blog. So let me highlight this cool art work, called Deathly Vain, by jojobabe

IMVU graphics and avatar art

Today, I like to introduce the work of cloe696, a cool imvu artist, really active in the IMVU art and graphics scene. She has a lovely gallery of avi art.

The Furry Avatar group. Join the crew and share your furry life

AriaMorte created a group for all the Virtual Worlds furries

Apparently the pool is featuring only IMVU pics, but all the worlds are available. So if you own a furry avatar, probably you should consider to add to this group!

The most beautiful IMVU Avatars

Drawing inspiration from a recent discussion on avatar customization, I'd like to highlight some pages dedicated to best avatars on Koinup. Starting with IMVU, that is completly based on the avatars creation and customization.....

Here's a stream of the most coolest IMVU avatars posted on Koinup


image above by Alexus2k7

The best IMVU poses

The best poses of the metaverse group is open also to IMVU people!
The potential of IMVU as tool for showcasing avatars poses is huge and really fashinating.

There are awesome posers working currently on IMVU
I invite you to have a look at this works, called Partner Pose by SuperiorChic to know what you can get there....

Virtual Identity. Second Life IMVU, round trip

More and more people are getting involved in more than one virtual world. Sometime its only a joke, sometime it is a sign that crossworld identity is real thing for many virtual worlds users.

Here's Panteleimon Aeon a well known Second Life (and Koinup) member (and artist) joining IMVU (with a rejuvenate and kewl avatar!)