When you first land in Second Life, you'll be on the mainland. Most of the searches you do, which are sorted as highest-traffic listed first, will show you mainland places first. So it is only natural that newbies end up cruising around the mainland.

Flying is fun, and so is seeing the landscape and buildings rez up. Learning how to read the map tool and mini-map, and just getting to be able to walk well takes a couple of hours. And those hours spent on the mainland are fine.

But then comes the time when you want to find something in particular, some quality content. Maybe you are wondering where the Star Trek fans hang out, or where you can find cool waterfalls, or ride dragons, or play puzzles, or whatever you like to do. And as you continue to search the mainland you end up seeing the same stuff over and over: casino... dance club... pron shop... garish houses... flying, you see stars as you slam into a "NO ENTRY" barrier... spinning sign... casino... dance club... "NO ENTRY" barrier...

As you begin to notice crazy skyscrapers in the middle of little home areas, or big black boxy buildings (casinos) among homes without roads, driveways, or sidewalks, you suddenly understand why your RL (Real Life) town has those pesky things called "zoning laws." Indeed the mainland is a zoning nightmare of uncoordinated urban sprawl. Every plot belongs to someone different, with their own rules and ideas about style, function, and privacy. Kinda messy.

I spent a week in Second Life and nearly left it. Then, I visited a quality sim: Caledon. I stayed.

There are many quality sims, each is privately owned by a person (or group) that sets the rules for the entire sim. Thus, sidewalks or roads, rules about building height and style, water features, neighborhoods, commerical placement, and theme. For example, Caledon is a 19th Century Steampunk sim. Cobblestone 'streets', town and rural zones, style and technology must be around 1850-1910, with the added bonus of Jules Verne, Nikola Tesla, and other steampunk technologies being okay as well.

The end result is a congruent region that attracts folks of common interests and sensibilities. A community springs up, and people enjoy spending time there and with each other. Common projects spring up, and themed events are held and enjoyed.

Here are some quality regions to visit in Second Life. Once you have seen these, then you can decide to stay or go. Just don't make your decision about Second Life until you have spent some time in one or more of these places, as the mainland just isn't enough information or experience to judge the fun, community and possibilities that Second Life is.