Excerpt

1. Genesis of Life Online

While the idea of a functioning virtual world has been with him since he started programming

computers in the fourth grade, Philip Rosedale made the virtual world a reality

when he introduced Second Life® to the public in 2003 through his company,

Linden Lab®. Now, even with improved visual display, navigation, and increasing popularity,

Second Life® is still in its developmental years. In many ways, it’s just like

watching the Internet evolve into Web 2.0.

The Internet was initially misunderstood as being a complex tool for the hightech

niche market. But as Internet companies formed and grew, they released userfriendly

technology that opened worlds of communication possibilities and simplified

things for the masses that would soon follow. Not until computers were widely used

in offices, stores, libraries, schools, and the general marketplace did the Internet become

a common part of our culture. The general public embraced the Net as an essential

personal tool for information, for communication, for shopping, and especially

for building and marketing businesses.

Just as the Internet prompted us to think outside the box, virtual worlds—and

Second Life® in particular—will prompt innovation and creativity as you begin to

think about your business in entirely new ways. A key way Second Life® changes how

we use the Internet is that, through a 3D simulator, it provides the platform for realtime

interaction in a virtual-world environment. What makes this so appealing for

business? You can use Second Life® to:

• Market real-world products or services.

• Sell virtual-world products or services.

• Participate as a developer and owner, not just as a user.

The Search for Intelligent Life

Jay, my spouse and coauthor, joined Second Life® in June 2006 as avatar Apple MacKay

when there were only about 235,000 members. I watched as he feverishly absorbed all

he could about this 3D world. My first perception of Second Life® was that it was a bit

4 The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life® Virtual World

desolate and raunchy, but I admit that my suspicious wife attitude was at work as I

watched from over Jay’s shoulder. He spent so much time in SL™, leaving me alone

in the real world, that I decided I had to join him on this virtual-world journey. I had

never played any computer games, never been in chat rooms, never had an interest in

this kind of thing before. But Jay was spending a lot of time learning Second Life®,

and his enthusiasm led to the proclamation that this was the future of the Internet.

Hearing that, I decided there was nothing stopping me from getting a better understanding

of it too. When I first logged on in August 2006, as Nasus Dumart, Second

Life® had already grown to 403,000 members. With the careful guidance of Jay and

his avatar Apple MacKay, I quickly realized why he was so excited: The potential was

beyond anything I could have imagined.

Because creating this three-dimensional world takes an understanding of

physics, mathematics, and social structuring, and because residents were responsible

for building this amazing situation, there had to be intelligent life out there using it for

something beyond gambling and sex. And I charged myself with finding it. I resolved

that if I couldn’t find people I liked, I was not wasting more time. I set out with high

standards, and it didn’t take long before they were met.

Using the Second Life® search tool, I used keywords, such as “university,”

“business,” “museum,” and city names like “Paris,” “New York,” “London,” “Tokyo,”

and, yes, even “Hollywood.” Using other keywords, I found dance halls, temples,

cathedrals, art galleries, racetracks, classrooms, rain forests, and even the solar system.

I also set out to find witty people to talk to. I am not sure how I found Three Lions

Pub, built and owned by Phil Plasma, but I am sure glad I did. This was one of the

first places I arrived at and felt immediately comfortable, without knowing another

soul. The Pub was a breeding ground for situational comedy. The type-chat was as

funny as any Benny Hill Show, The Young Ones, or any other BBC comedy hit.

Three Lions Pub was built when Phil Plasma was laid up at home recovering

from a real-life accident. To alleviate his boredom, he joined Second Life® and built a

place where he could enjoy a few laughs with friends. He established simple rules: introduce

no commercialism of any kind, do not camp (leave your avatar unattended),

respect others, and have fun. He built a traditional style English pub. Word caught on

across the globe. English and European residents of Second Life® felt at home, along

with a few U.S.-bred British junkies, just like me. People began volunteering their

time to manage it at all hours, providing DJs, bouncers, hosts, and flocks of people.

To Phil Plasma’s surprise, Three Lions Pub in Burton Village, SL™ became one of the

most popular social destinations in all of Second Life®.

Because this was definitely a U.K./Euro crowd, I found myself logging on to

SL™ in my midday hours to catch some of the prime-time banter. That’s when I realized

that this is as interactive as entertainment gets. Giff Constable, Chief Operating

Officer with The Electric Sheep Company, said, “If something shows it has an

audience, it will be given a look. Entertainment companies in need of fresh ideas,

take notice. The whole scene was wonderfully entertaining.

Hello Out There in Virtual Land

When I first heard Internet radio, with its live DJs and live performance, in Second

Life®, I sensed it was an important and largely undiscovered medium.

In August 2006, when virtual life became a reality for me, there were fewer

than half a million Second Life® residents, and barely 10,000 simultaneously logged on

each day. Imagine being one of only thousands to experience broadcast television for

the first time. I felt the same excitement and emotions the generations before me must

have experienced seeing their first television program. Like the Internet, television was

not popularized for decades after it was created. Though broadcast television was possible

as early as 1928, radio programs remained the global entertainment standard

through the Great Depression and World War II. By the 1950s, television reigned

supreme. Most television programs during that time were broadcast live. In Second

Life®, the term, “live” is also known as real-time. Not only can you hear a performance

as you can with radio and see a live performance as in television, virtual worlds also allow

you to interact, in real time, with the audience and with the performer. Using

type-chat, I cheered for one such performer; then the performer, using a microphone,

spoke directly to me. The first time I heard a performer say my avatar name, thanking

me for a tip and attending the show, I nearly fell off my chair. Interaction makes all the

difference.

After a few months of exploring, I began to tell close friends and family

about this amazing and indescribable world called Second Life®. Word spread

through the media too. Second Life® became a lively subject of conversation. No

matter what a person’s knowledge of virtual worlds was prior to speaking with me

about my experiences, I detected a pattern of insatiable curiosity, discovery, and

delight.

Second Life® has received so much press coverage that most people are not

surprised when you talk about it anymore. In the May 14, 2007, edition of Time Magazine’s

Most Influential People in the World—The Time 100, Philip Rosedale is featured

under the category of Builders & Titans as a Master Builder of Second Life®’s

Alternate Reality. The New York Times has been featuring articles about Linden Lab

and Second Life® since 2004. The topics range from technology to job potential and

relationships. Morning news programs like The Today Show and CBS Sunday Morning

have demonstrated Second Life® for their audiences. It’s even made its way into prime

time television on CBS’s popular program CSI: NY and NBC’s hit, The Office. Second

Life® has found its way into scripts, commercials, and books. Prior to these television

cameos, demonstrations, and news articles, it used to be that you had to explain what

an avatar was. Since the rise in popularity of Second Life® in 2007, that is hardly necessary

anymore.