Second Life Pros

Ahi, ahi: this is not a very good sign after all.
BMW, one of the most prestigious car manufacturers, will leave Second Life, according to Achim Muellers, head of Brand Relations for BMW.
As for ING and AOL, BMW seems convinced that there is no advantage in investing money marketing their products in Second Life.
I would say… YET! But I can understand them: Second Life is so young, compared to where it will eventually arrive, that most people don’t really take it too seriously.
What a pity!

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This is great news: IBM announced interoperability between Virtual Worlds, and Second Life in particular.
Lots of sources commented on this:
Cisco calls it a mayor interoperability milestone.
Virtual world news is warm about it: “Linden Lab will start an Open Grid Public Beta in July, making the Second Life Preview Grid available with Open Grid Protocol support for login and teleport”
And, of course, the official Linden Blog stresses out the importance of the Open Grid protocol.
I agree that this step will help Second Life a lot, and will probably save them from competition. I am happy to see that they are finally …read more

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Cisco’s CEO John Chambers believes in Second Life: here’s a long interview. (Q&A on Cisco’s blog)
Basically, he compares SL to the early internet, when Cisco’s predictions about the future were not taken for granted. After years, the power of Internet came along, and it changed the world forever.
Now, in John Chambers’ words:
“very often if there is one thing that I have learned in my thirty years in high tech is sometimes concepts are a little bit too early but when they do take off they take off with tremendous speed and efficiency.”
This means, of course, virtual worlds.
And again:
“The future is …read more

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Do you want a virtual corporation, perfectly valid as a legal and fiscal entity? In Vermont, YOU CAN!
On June 6th, Gov. Jim Douglas signed an inauspicious-sounding bill entitled “H.0888, Miscellaneous Tax Documents” that could revolutionize the way startup companies are formed and run. As New York Law School professor David Johnson explained to me, up until now, U.S. law required LLCs to have physical headquarters, in-person board meetings and other regulations that have little relevance in the digital age.
No longer. Under the new law, for example, a board meeting may be conducted “in person or through the use of [an] …read more

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Tyler Cowen (author of “Discover your inner economist“, which I loved) writes a blog post on Second Life’s currency, the Linden Dollar.
I quote:
“Who would have foreseen that maximizing income from “land” sales might check this outcome?  I think of Linden Dollars as akin to legal tender currencies: you can’t buy anything in Second Life without them.  Since the goods and services in Second Life have value the currency does too.”
And, of course, I agree, too.

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Working Worlds will open again on May 29th, 2008, to open the BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherland, Luxembourg) job market to potential candidates.
Amazon.com will be there, too, and of course I’ll attend (my avatar name is Simone Brunozzi).

My suggestion? Register on the website, or follow the step-by-step guide, and attend the fair on may 29th… I’m sure there will be very interesting opportunities out there!

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I wasn’t able to attend, but Virtual Worlds 2008 in New York has been a tremendous success.
Now online there are some of the coolest presentations, and mp3s of the great keynotes.
Don’t forget the call for speakers for Virtual Worlds 2008 London, 20-21 october 2008!
If you’re interested in getting a virtual job, check the virtual worlds job listing, it’s hot right now (expecially if you love California)!

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http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/mckinsey-compan.html

McKinsey & Company, a famous management consulting firm (wikipedia), is deeply involved in virtual worlds, and Second Life.
From a news source:
An unnamed senior consultant told the Times Online that companies “absolutely”  should be “experimenting in virtual worlds” to attract customers under 30 and were “ignoring them at their peril.”
I agree: virtual worlds, and social networks, will be HUGE, and companies can’t ignore them NOW. Investing in them only when they become the most important thing in the world will be too late.
What’s your take on this?

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Read this article about fashion, and how real world brands are behaving in Second Life, both looking at their initiatives, and the relations with other people (other fashion designers, mainly).
The problem, in my opinion, is the law.

Fashion is perfect for Second Life: fashion is not just about the product and the quality, it is mostly based on design, and exteriority. This means that many people are investing, or playing, with fashion design in Second Life.
Sometimes it happens that SL designers copy real world models and clothings. Sometimes it happens that they have frictions or lawsuits against fashion companies.
The article tells …read more

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Thanks to Jean, I discovered this article about an e-commerce strategy class at the Iowa State University, which is using Second Life to explore new business opportunities.

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The article is somewhat introductory, but it shows how people are reacting to a new opportunity, which will surely become more and more important in the years to come.
Do you have any experience to share with us?

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