First look at second life and 3D vitual social networking

Whilst i was working the bar a few months ago a seminar was going on in the back room, where a lady was trying to convince an audience of would be entrepreneurs that the next dot com business boom would be through 3D virtual worlds, specifically a network called secondlife. She gave first hand experience on how businesses can make 'real money' and expand by using a virtual world, it works so well even religions are getting involved...hmm

It seems that people are making real money in virtual spaces to alter egos of actual people, of transcending the boundaries of digital space and promoting their brand across all media.

I've done a bit of research and found an article called Second Life: Take Your Brand Virtually Everywhere on branding in second life and virtual worlds. It's good to know that big name brands such as Adidas, Dell and Sony are all ready taking steps into this kind of user created communities.
A quick glimpse at the article highlights some important points i should consider from the start of my project;

Many brand initiatives in Second Life focus on the brand itself and not the consumer (see rule four on page three). Yet, creating social experiences will make your investment sustainable and keep people coming back. If you prompt consumers to engage with each other in addition to your brand, you will create a richer experience. By opening a forum for conversation you may also glean useful consumer insights.

Maybe this kind of engagement with the brand will be the norm for branding of 2020?

During your early stages as a Second Life resident your brand will probably be seen as a visitor in a world that has been established for many years. Do not for a second think that this community can simply be bought then pushed aside. The Second Life community is Second Life.
You must remember that the long-term residents of Second Life built the community and made it what it is today.
It behooves your brand to befriend other members of the community and become a part of the community.

So it seems that real life can infiltrate the virtual (and somewhat fantastical) world.

It just gets messy when The virtual world sneaks into real life.



Now just to think of a brand to re-brand for the virtual environment, perhaps I'll also consider the other sensations i mentioned such as sound which lends its self to a virtual space. (smell not so much.. but who knows its the future Marty!)

tj -x-