Giving Second Life a Second Chance

I decided to try Second Life again, and although I was more successful at navigating than I was at the beginning of the semester, I still do not really understand how it works. I searched for real places to go to, and they were there, but who created them? I also tried looking for people to acquire information from, but while I was flying around in Second Life, I did not come in contact with many people, and I was on for about an hour. I did go to the Montclair State Library and a place called Summersville Waterpark (which I thought was cool), but I still did not get what you are supposed to do there. Although I think it is fun to search around, I do not quite understand the purpose. If anyone has been successful in Second Life, please let me know. Thanks!