Life After (Or Before) Second Life
There are plenty of sites similar to the much-hyped, avatar-populated, virtual world. Your business may feel more at home in one of these:
Yeah, yeah, you've heard over and over that the 3D online virtual world Second Life is a forward-thinking platform where real-world businesses can market digital versions of their goods and build their brand recognition among the young and tech-savvy. But more than a decade ago, the concept of pixellated parallel universes where users created customized avatars, socialized, and even paid real currency for digitized goods had already existed. And today, amid the hype surrounding Second Life and its growing popularity, it's easy to overlook other three-dimensional online worlds — many with “populations” dwarfing that of Second Life and potentially signifying larger audiences for brands.
Some of these other 3D online worlds could prove to be adventurous new outlets for companies seeking to market themselves. Others consider their sites or services competitors to social networking arenas such as MySpace rather than a rival of Second Life. Several already have impressive lists of corporations hawking virtual goods. Should your company be in Second Life, or is there an alternative that might be more appropriate for your brand? Take an historical tour of virtual worlds that are business-friendly, and see if you should give Second Life a second thought.