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Make sure you can actually play it.
This is crucial. Go to SecondLife.com and click on the little link "System Requirements" somewhere towards the bottom of the page. Read them with feeling. There are few things more frustrating than setting up an account, downloading the program and then finding out that you can't actually run it on your machine. I speak from experience on this one--if I hadn't had a chance to borrow someone else's computer and get hooked that way, I probably wouldn't be writing this page now.
Pick a name you can live with.
Naming your avatar in Second Life is a bit peculiar, because you can put just about anything for a first name, but you are required to pick from a list of surnames. The list changes over time, so if you see a surname you really like and take too long to register, you may find it gone by the time you sign up. To the best of my knowledge, "retired" surnames are never brought back, either. The names range from the sensible to the whimsical and the number of choices seems to have gotten a bit larger over time.
This system has its advantages and disadvantages. If there's a particular first name you're fond of using on message boards or blogs or what have you, it's much easier to claim it without having to resort to appending numbers and underscores in the event that somebody else likes that name as well. You can simply pick a different surname. Some people will look through the surnames and come up with a first name that creates a phrase or a grevious pun. You can test the availability of any name as you start the signup process--currently, you pick a first name and afterwards will be provided with a list of potential surnames still available for it. If you'd like to see a complete list, try picking an unlikely-to-be-already-taken name as a test (like a cluster of consonants) and then go back and change it if you see a surname you like.
However, once you've picked a name, you are stuck with it for the life of the account. The only way to change your name is to create a new avatar and you will find over time that your original avatar has accumulated all kinds of things that can't be transferred to anyone else. So put a little thought into it, so you won't be regretting it for the rest of your Second Life.
Find a buddy.
The number one way to get the hang of Second Life in no time is to know somebody who is already there. It doesn't even have to be someone you know in person--when I first landed in Second Life, I met up with people I knew from the Duranie message boards. Ask around your usual Internet hangouts, or your meatspace social circle, and find out if anybody there is on Second Life. Find out what their avatar name is and ask if it's okay to contact them when you first arrive. Second Life is as much a social network as anything, and people are always happy to add new friends, especially if it's someone they already know from elsewhere.
Have a credit card or PayPal account handy.
While Second Life is currently available at no cost to you, you will find that your quality of life will go up quite a bit if you have a little extra money to spend. Setting up payment information doesn't even oblige you to use it, but that way it's there in case you need it. You can buy something like a thousand Lindens for the price of a fast food lunch, so it's not like you have to spend huge wads of cash. Also, if you decide that it's worth upgrading to a Premium membership, you'll be all lined up for it.
Have some kind of idea of what you'd like to try, but keep your options open.
It does help to have some sense of direction when you're wandering about. People come to Second Life for all kinds of things, from social chat to elaborate roleplay to the chance to stand around in a replica of the Sistine Chapel. Doing searches on things you're interested in may hook you up with what you're looking for. But, at the same time, don't get so hung up on one particular subculture or scene that you miss out on so many other aspects of Second Life. It's a big world. Feel free to explore it.
Ready to go? Let's get started!
And once you're done signing up, check out the Five Things To Do Just After You Get Started.