Growth of the Virtual Worlds

The Metaversed people have hosted another Metanomics look at the underlying structure and governance of Second Life. Discussion occurred around the Lindens’ view of themselves as service providers rather than a government. And as always, Robert Bloomfield’s thinking on the growing SL economy is fascinating.

Second Life Tips and Tricks

When you get to Second Life, there are as many interface tips as etiquette advisories. The Grid helps us out with some good links…

Second Life Down Under

CEO Sheryle Moon has posted a useful reminder to her fellow Australians of why they should be paying close attention to Second Life. Her tour of the horizon seen through the Australian economy adds a nice punch to a tight and lucid review.

It’s 438 words, you can do it:
Don’t ignore Second Life

Nick Wilson Answers Ten Questions About Second Life

Nick Wilson, creator of Threadwatch and Performancing, in a recent conversation with Ross Hunter, talked about his move into Second Life - why he did it, and what his business plan is now inworld. He discussed the opportunities existing in Second Life right now, and in the coming development cycles.

And Nick explained the crucial point about human relationships in Second Life that most outsiders completely miss. But for that priceless clue, you’ll have to listen to the short sound bites.

Mining Habbo Data

Could you conduct market research in a week and come back with the buying and spending habits, and brand preferences, of 42,000 teenagers around the world? Sulake Corporation, developer of the Habbo virtual world for teenagers, did this very thing. And they’re going back in September for another data mining run.

Second Life Ages - To 1997 From 1993 - In One Week

Last week I reported IBM’s view of virtual worlds, Second Life Works When You Pretend It’s 1993 - which says essentially that Second Life today is like the Web was in 1993 or maybe 1995. Now this week Nick Wilson is upping the ante a couple of years, giving us 7 Reasons Why Virtual Worlds Are Like the Web Circa 1997. Those two years make all the difference, as anybody who remembers 1997 can attest.

If IBM says virtual worlds are ‘95 then most of us except the infrastructure developers can relax a little - but if Nick says it’s ‘97 then it’s time to pay attention, because that was the year that money started flowing to the Web, and the fledgling operators who were already there began their decade of prosperity.

Second Life Works When You Pretend It’s 1993

If you think of the virtual world Second Life as being like the Internet was in 1993, you have a fair sense of the development path that virtual representation has yet to travel down. And perhaps this helps to imagine just how big its future will be.

To gain this sobering perspective you should watch this video of Robert Scoble and Larry Magid interviewing IBM developer Dr. Irving Wladawsky-Berger, who specialized in IBM’s ventures into virtual environments.

It’s 21 minutes you have to set aside if you want to be able to think clearly about Second Life and the virtual economy, and I highly encourage you to watch it for that great sense of perspective. I’ll highlight some points from the interview for you here.

Second Life Quick Reference For Business Strategy

I’ve been wanting to write an actionable summary view of Second Life for you, and now I did. I’ve kept it brief, with a handful of key references you can take to the bank. Virtual is a long development path, and today the game is for developers and savvy entrepreneurs and marketers, it’s an easy place to waste resources on unwise strategy.

Second Life is important, but it has a lot of people puzzled - should one jump in now rather than miss the next big thing, or should one wait to see if it’s actually a bust? Instinct says it doesn’t seem possible for such a thing to be simply meaningless, yet a lot of corporate money is seeing no return there. Really, though, the answers are quite simple.