Wow…Isn’t this idea nuts? If you click here you can look at some insane statistics about how much revenue is invested in it and the number of users. As of Feb 13, 2008 there are over 12 million users. This is a new untapped industry that has not really been fully acknowledged by the world. The main reason is because it has not been completely mainstreamed to everyone in the world.
Many corporations and companies are investing in this technology. One example is how IBM has their own island for meetings and has people all across the world meet in a virtual boardroom. IBM states that this is a cheaper and more productive way of conducting business. In these meetings they can conduct PowerPoint slides and hold conversations. Just from watching the video the sky is the limit. Just from hearing how universities like Harvard and hotel chains are starting to invest and market themselves.
The revenue of second life is outstanding due to the currency exchange. Rates fluctuate based on supply and demand, but over the last few years they have remained fairly stable at approximately 250 Linden Dollars (L$) to the US Dollar. Second life is a big marketing target for advertisement, but who to say it is not for Public Relations? Political campaigns and music concerts are commonly broadcasted in town halls and on the radio simultaneously. The Machinima world even has its own newspaper of events that are happening in the world. Katie Benner, a Fortune reporter, has stated that second life has excelled in the corporate world by conducting interviews and hiring people from this online form of communication.
Second Life alone is an underestimated Public Relation tool. It is a great place to start advertising products and other feature items or locations for clients. They even have their own daily newspaper. One way many users communicate is through the http://blog.secondlife.com/. This is how they can freely express ideas and events that are occurring in their virtual world. Second Life is only five years old and is full of potential to continually expanding. It would be an advantage to become a master and learn how to succeed in it.
http://www.secondlifeherald.com/
http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy_stats.php
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/22/magazines/fortune/secondlife_recruit.fortune/
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Our fantasies come alive through the world of Second Life…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I couldn't help but think of The Sims when I read your post. Yes, I admit it, I'm a former Sims addict.
I think the difference between The Sims and Second Life is that people are actually living their real life through the latter. I liked playing The Sims, but never would I have considered it a replacement for going outside and living life among other human beings.
But I do agree with you about the potential this virtual reality holds for PR. We as the new wave of PR practitioners must recognize this huge, ever-growing public of people who choose to stay indoors, living vicariously through their avatars.
I really didn't know what Second Life was until you commented on it in class the other day. I went and visited the site and it was so cool! How you can create your own fantasy life is really neat! That really got me to think, How far is technology going to go? Are our lives eventually going to be completely thought out before hand?
This whole concept of second life is nuts! It will be interesting to see how this will progress and evolve.
Wow, this is crazy! I can't believe how realistic second life is, or that colleges are hiring people through this Internet program. This is so advanced it is kind of scary!
I cannot wait to explore Second Life! Thank you for introducing it to me. Technology like this REALLY makes me wonder where we will be in a few years.
Post a Comment