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Second Life is Just a Fad Huh?

I’ve got some good buddies who work for The Electric Sheep Company, so when I read the news this morning that CBS has invested $7 million in the company it made me smile.

I’m also excited because this further validates that the concept of virtual worlds are here to stay and that individuals and companies need to start waking up and pay attention to the ever changing landscape.

It also makes me wonder what other companies might be on the verge of investing in other companies. Some great tools and companies out there right now across the new media landscape. I have a feeling 2007 is going to be a very interesting year indeed!

C.C. Chapman C.c.

Categories

Conversation, Second Life
  • Personally I have tried to play Second life and I was amazed what I can do in virtual world. Talk about flying.
    However, I find that the potential lies in those who can monetise from this virtual world.

    Anything is possible. Just too scary at time.
  • Jean-Ann (Jane)
    First of all thanks CC for the nice write up. Second even as a Sheep I agree with Mike. Second Life is not a quick start program, however, just like with the L Word we are trying to make SL more user friendly and will continue to improve upon that.
    All of us at the Sheep love the expansion of the metaverse and very much see the current limitations, but hey we are striving to overcome those. :-)
  • All good points. I would like to remind you that Second Life is user created. And where there are faults, the gaps are filled by the users. The L Word is a great example. I wasn't a Sheep yet when that was conceived, but it is a great example of filling a gap that needed filling. And it has been hugely successful! I'll just say that our retention is a little north of the Linden Lab retention, and little is a term of opinion. (UPS makes a little profit in my opinion)

    I think we are making the metaverse a better place to be, and Second Life is just the beginning.

    Thanks for highlighting the news CC, and I'm glad to be a buddy. :-)
  • Mike makes a good point. The learning curve for places like Second Life is just too great right now. I was talking to Geoff Smith about that very thing the other day. It can be almost overwhelming at first, and one can become easily frustrated.

    One of the things that is helping to drive new media is it's ability to be used easily. Case in point: YouTube. One of its strengths is the ability to easily view and share the content. Everyone knows how to click a link or post a URL. While I don't expect a virtual world to be anywhere close to this cut-and-dry, the learning curve needs to flatten some, at least for the newbie.

    That said, there HAVE been some improvements to this. The L-Word is a great example. They developed their own interface to sign up, learn, and explore in SL.
  • Hey CC,

    I don't doubt that Second Life will continue to prosper but I believe that as a B to B tool it is too awkward. The uninitiated will have to much of a learning curve for impromptu business meetings. If they don't have an account with Second Life at the time of the meeting, they may never find the SL meeting because of it's inherently difficult navigation.

    As a B to C, is where, I believe, the success will come. Those who want to learn how to use the interface and if they can "transfer" their "treasures" from SL to RL then I can say honestly SL will work for businesses.

    I also understand that all this is in it's infancy. Basically, it's a crap shoot either way. The matured version of SL may not look or feel anything like the version we are using now. Time will tell and sometimes the best products don't dominate the marketplace.

    Thoughts?
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