Though a pile of recent mainstream media coverage and a Jeff Bezos round of investment may have turned many readers on to the virtual world of Second Life only recently, it (like many parts of the Web 2.0 world) is not entirely new. The virtual world is celebrating it’s third birthday starting today. According to the Second Life history wiki, the world’s creators Linden Lab took the project public on June 23rd, 2003.
At an exchange rate of roughly 250 Linden Dollars to the US Dollar, the Second Life economy offers as as many goods for sale as four Walmart stores. Linden Lab reports that the Second Life economy is on a pace to hit $60 million in user-to-user transactions this year and is growing at a rate of 15%. From the American Cancer Society to Wells Fargo Bank, a wide variety of organizations have opened virtual offices in Second Life.
Even TechCrunch is a part of the action. If you can’t make it in person to tomorrow night’s SuperNova Connected Innovators event, cohosted by TechCrunch and Yahoo!, you can join us at a Second Life simulcast from 6:00PM - 8:00PM PST.
Thanks to Wagner James Au for his excellent Second Life news coverage.
Their model is one that everyone should look at. Not saying that you should turn your web 2.0 photosharing site into a MMORG, but the idea of having your customers create and sell products, with the business taking a small cut, is a great one.
Mike, is the SL simulcast PST?
Yup, it’s PST 6:00PM - 8:00PM.
thanks Marshall
This is the first time I found myself blogged the same thing with TechCrunch does and actually beforeahead.
I’ll take there.com over trashy secondlife any day of the week…
Also to me the graphics are much better on there.com.
Does anyone know what revenue to Second Life will look like this year?
Brad
I just joined Second Life a few days ago, and I am still trying to figure out anything to do. I don’t like coding, so making stuff doesn’t appeal to me. What else is there to do? I’m a social person, but everywhere I go, people are either dead silent or having cyber sex. If anyone wants to help show me what the hell to do, my ingame name is Set Hanner. I’m not sure if that can get you to find me.
Nice Story,
now thats a real MMORPG.
WoW is a just a poser
Randy, there.com is no where near as vast as second life. plus it is tri-platform
Honestly, ive been way to busy with RL havn’t had much time in SL, but I did make some money there which was nice.
Yeah, I just started playing Second Life YESTERDAY. Was pretty depressing since everyone I met weren’t really chatty. Wandering through those buildings by myself were pretty scary, and the fact that I didn’t have any money to buy anything made the experience rather empty.
Uh, the man’s name is Wagner James Au, Mike. No biggie, though! He’s one of those poseurs who have three names. An interesting character, if you like your journalists wet.
Thanks for the correction Paul.
I’ve been a part of Second Life since its early beta days, and I have to say it’s an amazing place once you find your niche.
* Socialites, search for events or visit clubs. Throw a party!
* Coders, learn LSL and make the world more interactive.
* Graphic artists, make clothing and textures.
* DJs, work your musical magic at one of the MANY clubs
* Musicians, hold a concert
* 3D modelers, build houses, cars, furniture, anything you want!
I have an SL dog store where my business partner and I make and sell scripted pet dogs. It’s quite fun and a great way to let our creative juices flow! Check it out!
Secondlife *could* be an awesome place, however, due to being run by a complete bunch of amateurs who appear to act with a bias towards their own individual corrupt hidden agendas, and who also refuse to make simple enhancements to their technology leaving it wide open to countless crash scenarios, it’s an appalling loss and waste of time.
You only have to look at such sites as http://www.secondlifeherald.com or http://www.secondcentral.com to read up about the shambles this place is. They’re looking to break into the big time, inviting blue chip companies into their universe to tout/sell goods. Before doing this they really need to consider hardening their platform through means of coding out flaws in their easily exploited scripting language, instead of stupid threats of FBI action. One only has to read the afore mentioned sites to see how much of an issue these exploits are !
They seem to think they’re going to fool every one with their user count, by making the place more open and easily accessible by removing their verification methods from their sign up. No one is fooled LindenLab, just because you now allow as many free accounts as any one wishes to sign up, people are not stupid, especially not sales managers who will see right through this plan, your true user base, person for person, as oppossed to avatar for avatar, is by far less than 200,000, you know it, as does every one else.
Yes i was once a SecondLife player, and yes once i was sore towards SecondLife’s disciplinary system, but with out going into complete details(available on both the afore mentioned sites if any one wishes to read more) SecondLife allows for the scripting of objects, including weapons. The reason i was removed from the game was because a script i wrote supposedly crashed their ‘grid’. This crash was an inadvertant side effect of the weapon i had scripted, and despite explaining there was no malicious intent, and even assisting the SecondLife employee who was dealing with it in removing the offending item, they still permanently removed my account, with no return of my ingame assets, which actually equate to real cash since they are sellable for such ! As said above, lots of people acting on their own hidden agendas.
On top of all this due to an easily exploitable “Abuse Reporting System” that SecondLife employees, people in this universe are completely fake, simply for fear of having bogus reports raised against them !!
No sorry, been there, tried it, got the tshirt, got slung out, wouldn’t bother again - it’s completely AWFUL, dont waste your time, even though the place is completely open now, i wouldn’t waste my keystrokes signing up an account !
TrannyPet Barmy