Second Life
by Shelduck Shelford
My first persona in Second Life was a White Wolf, complete with bushy tail, shorts and a t-shirt. Lately, I’ve metamorphosed into a blue fire-breathing flying dragon, although most often I am a biker, anonymous behind a tinted helmet and clad in pink leathers. My friend Bradford Currie usually appears as Iron Man, clunking into view in head to toe heavy metal. So when I say I’ve met some really interesting people in Second Life, you might wonder at my sanity.
But virtual world Second Life, where you can be literally anything you can imagine, is a genuinely fascinating place populated with extraordinary characters from all over the world. Log in any evening and you are likely to find there are more than 70,000 people in-world. Eighteen months ago, you couldn’t open a marketing magazine without reading of another brand creating a virtual presence in Second Life, and participants were growing exponentially. Now, the growth seems to have stalled.
Callie Cline... Schwing!!!
Yet there is so much to like about Second Life. Despite what the Daily Mail would have you believe about SL being a hotbed, literally, of digital sex and deviancy, I have found it to be an astonishingly exciting and innovative place. I have met some profoundly articulate and creative people. I have been lucky enough to discuss digital fashion with SL’s answer to Vivienne Westwood, the delectable Callie Cline. I have flown hoverbikes with SL’s most famous virtual vehicle designer, Cubey Terra. I have even discussed the challenge of creating giant flame-spouting exhausts with the reclusive particle expert Jopsy Pendragon.
We liked it so much as a creative space that we have built our own Red C office in Second Life, so that we can hold virtual meetings and showcase our creative work. I recently delivered a lecture in SL (or rather my biker persona did) complete with voice and Powerpoint slides, to an astonished audience in the agency Board Room.
Don’t write off Second Life just yet. It has really taken off in the education and training world, with hundreds of universities and colleges creating virtual sites where they can exploit the obvious advantages of creating a truly immersive lecture experience for their students. More than half a million people have been in-world in the last two weeks alone. We think virtual worlds have a bright future, and if you haven’t visited yet, you should. Come to our office and engage in a stimulating conversation with Iron Man and a blue dragon!
Tags: Red C, Second Life, Virtual Advertising Agency, Virtual Marketing Agency, Virtual Worlds, Web 2.0
