Genealogy Today (www.genealogytoday.com) announced the release of a software gadget for residents in the Second Life (SL) virtual world. This new tool, called the Genealogy HUD, allows SL residents (also known as avatars) to seamlessly access many of the resources at LiveRoots.com from within the virtual reality environment. HUD stands for Heads up display, and is type of object that can be worn, functions like a control panel, but cannot seen by other residents.
"Many people think Second Life is all about games and role playing, which there is plenty of," commented Illya D'Addezio, owner of Genealogy Today. "But, there are also an increasing number of genealogists joining, dozens of genealogy content areas developing, and numerous voice chats taking place on a regular basis. The Genealogy HUD is a free tool that will allow more dynamic interaction between genealogists in Second Life."
The Genealogy HUD functions in parallel to the LiveRoots.com website; SL residents may Search, Navigate and Discover genealogy resources in a similar manner. Using the HUD, they may also preview search results from many of the Live Roots database partners. As new features are added to LiveRoots.com, they are also available through the HUD (without requiring any software upgrades).
Aside from accessing the LiveRoots.com website for real-time information, the Genealogy HUD allows residents to compile a list of the surnames they are researching and compare them with any other residents wearing the HUD. This feature is optional, and the SL resident has complete control over whether their information many be shared.
The Genealogy HUD also makes it easy to locate and visit genealogy related areas within Second Life, including new areas as they are developed. Information entered into the HUD may be backed up and restored, avoiding having to reenter it whenever a new HUD version is released.
"Second Life takes social networking to another level," added Illya. "Hanging out with some friends around a campfire for a genealogy chat (either text, voice or both) is so much more enjoyable than the traditional 'chat rooms' that offered a generic text-only interface with no visual interaction. More and more genealogists are showing up each week to the scheduled chats that are hosted by experienced genealogists."
To obtain a copy of the Genealogy HUD, SL residents should visit the club house in the Live Roots Genealogy Zone (building with the Live Roots logo above the door). The HUD (when not worn) is a small rectangular cube with the Live Roots logo on all sides. It's currently located inside, and to the right of the entrance.
Live Roots Genealogy Zone (to obtain the HUD)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Assiettes/172/28/50
For a complete list of the HUD commands, visit
http://www.liveroots.com/about/genealogy_hud.html
The Live Roots ambassador in Second Life is Constantine Kyomoon.
About Second Life
Linden Lab launched Second Life, an acclaimed 3D online world, in 2003. Inhabited by hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe, the Second Life virtual world has a fully functioning economy and empowers its users to create content, interact with others, launch businesses, collaborate and educate.
A single Basic account is FREE. You must be 18 years or older to join the Second Life virtual world. When you register and become a Resident of Second Life, you choose a unique name for your new digital persona (i.e. avatar). Other Residents will only know your real identity if you choose to tell them. To get started, you will need to download the Second Life viewer (see system requirements link below).
To join Second Life, visit:
http://www.secondlife.com/
Second Life System Requirements
http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php
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