Linden Lab’s Sansar is now in public beta, so if you have a PC that meets the system requirements you can create an account and explore right now.
In terms of getting started the process is relatively straight forward, you will need to register with your real details, the account creation page states :
During the course of your account or transaction history you may be required to submit to an information request to verify your identity. Please use accurate, current, and verifiable information.
So you will be faced with a screen like this :
These details are for your account, but once the account is created and you create your profile you will be able to choose an avatar name and avatar ID the first time you login and your avatar name will be the one that appears inworld.
Once your account has been created you will be all set to download the Sansar client. When you first login to the client, that is when you will be asked to create your avatar name and avatar ID. The link here is very important because it explains some important information about your avatar name and avatar ID, most notably than an avatar name is not unique :
Avatar Names are not unique and it is possible for multiple users to share the same Avatar Name. For example, there can be multiple users named “John Smith” in Sansar. However, while multiple users can have the same Avatar Name, they cannot have the same Avatar ID.
On the other hand, an Avatar ID is unique :
Your Avatar ID is a permanent ID that serves as a unique identifier for each user. This unique ID is linked solely with your account; no two users can have the same Avatar ID. For example, once a user uses “@johnsmith” as a Avatar ID, no one else can use “@johnsmith” as an ID and will have to choose a different one (For example, @johnsmith123).
At the moment, you cannot change your Avatar Name, but that may change, however an Avatar ID is permanent, therefore this is a very important step in the creation of your account and I really urge people to read the Avatar Name and Avatar ID page before creating their account.
Once you have created your avatar name you are then presented with the avatar creation screen, which has an number of default avatars, although it should be pointed out at this stage that none of them involve Dwarves or Elves!