I searched the internet looking for sources of why people join Second Life. I found very mixed messages; some joined to make money, some to test ideas, some to play, and others who play out their darkest fantasies. I found an article that questions why people would want to be in Second Life, explains some possible reasons why, and provides some risks and hidden costs.
The second is a short article about someone giving a lecture at a university that was simulcast on the University's Second Life space. Even after a few years, the site still has some issues.
The last two articles deal with some of the negative aspects of Second Life. I didn't want to start talking about negatives yet but after reading numerous blogs and articles, negatives kept arising. The first link talks about crime in the virtual world. The second blog questions why librarians have jumped on the bandwagon. Check out the links at the bottom too.
I am finding that there is an enormous amount of information about Second Life. I will do my best to sift through it all to bring the best possible information. Later in the week, I will follow through on why librarians are so into Second Life.
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8 comments:
It is interesting that companies like Nike are actually selling products for real profits in SL for avitars to wear. Who has the money to spend on clothing their avitars in trendy attire? People pay for doll clothing for their children though (I loved American Girl dolls growing up), so I suppose that clothing avitars is the adult version of that!
The hotel idea is interesting too. Testing the space within SL does seem like a great way to see what areas, pieces of furniture, etc. are used before spending the money on real-life contruction and interior design.
Finally, I was amazed by the lecture broadcasts within SL! It is neat that people from all over the globe have access to speeches. I'm just scared that eventually real-life interaction will be replaced and people will be attending classes and obtaining degrees through Second Life. It's already happening with fully online degrees, so this seems like the next logical (and more visually-appealing!) step.
Thank you for the link to my Second Life post. If you're interested in how libraries are using Second Life, you might like to have a look at Librarians Matter, a blog written by an Australian academic librarian who works almost exclusively on integrating Second Life into her library's services.
I never thought of using 2nd life that way. I am sorry to sounds naive, but I guess I thought that second life was only used for fantasy living.
I found it really interesting in the article that Starwood hotel is in seconfd life to test products and how there hotel spaces accomadate people, that is a very ingenious idea.
techlearner,
I at first also questioned paying real money for clothing for an avatar but I have wasted money on badges for my Club Pogo account. I can see the appeal although I think I would have to come up with a business idea to make money in Second Life to pay for all the good things available.
I also have to agree with you that I don't want the real world to become too much like Second Life. I drove through a town this weekend and their sign said "Welcome to Ellicottvilleny.com". My first thought was did I just enter Second Life. I wonder if they have space in Second Life.
Rebecca,
Thanks for the link to Librarians Matter. I will probably end up using it in a later post.
ace,
I was surprised the first time I heard about a rape occurring in Second Life. I was thinking "but its only an avatar" but I can see how many people would feel just as violated in SL. I also find it a sad commentary on our world that we can't create a crime free virtual world.
~~confused student
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/category/second-life/warren-ellis/
Author, Warren Ellis, has these really interesting articles on Second Life's more surreal and odd corners that you might find interesting.
Thanks for the link. I haven't talked about it in my blog but Reuters is very active in Second Life. In most of my searches, Reuters is usually in the top 10.
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