For most of us, Second Life is a place where we can dance on beaches with no sand in our shoes, live a life as a witch, a designer or ( in my case) an urban elf, be an artist or explorer and shop like it’s Christmas all year long. And not to forget: escape reality for a bit.

But somehow, a few curious avatars out there forget one teeny-tiny little thing: boundaries.

So, in the spirit of virtual etiquette  (and because I just got asked again if I’m “like, really 47 in RL or just sound mature”), here are 4 things in Second Life that are 100%, not your business.

How Old Someone Is in Real Life

“Oh wow, your avatar dresses so classy… are you, like, old in RL?”
First of all, rude. Second of all, does this look like a retirement home to you, Chad? The beauty of Second Life is that it doesn’t matter if someone is 21, 41, or a 93-year-old grandmother with a shoe fetish and a love of boats.

Want to ask someone’s age? Ask their Second Life rez date and then mind your own virtual business.

 

Why Someone Doesn’t Use Voice Chat

Ah, yes, the classic: “Why don’t you voice? Are you a catfish? A man? A woman? A robot?”

Maybe they’re shy. Maybe they have an accent you don’t deserve to hear. Maybe they’re lying in bed with a parrot screaming obscenities in the background. Or maybe, and stay with me here, they don’t want to.

This is Second Life, not a phone sex hotline from 1998. Text exists. Embrace it.

 

How Many Lindens Someone Has

“Whoa, you have a large piece of land… are you, like, rich?”
Yes. Absolutely. I’m an elite Lindenaire. I bathe in mesh gold and eat fatpacks for breakfast.

Or maybe I just budget and skip a few takeout meals to splurge on a nice home. Either way, my wallet is not your business. Not in real life, not in Second Life.

Where Someone Lives in Real Life

“Where do you live? Just curious…”
Oh no. You’re not just curious. You’re one IM away from asking what time zone they sleep in and if they like walks on real-world beaches. News flash: this isn’t a dating app, and geography is not foreplay.

Let people keep their RL location to themselves. If they really want to tell you they live in Estonia, Canada, on Mars or a mushroom-shaped cloud over Narnia, let them. It’s still none of your business.

 

Next time your fingers are about to type “Hey gorgeous, how old are you and where are you from” into someone’s IM, take a deep breath, pause, and remember: this is Second Life, not an FBI interrogation room. Keep it fun, keep it respectful, and above all, mind your own prims.