Dee's Knowledge Base

My Knowledge Base(References)

2007-09-18T23:32:00.000+01:00

Knowledge Base:

Links and books I used during my project.

Books:

Shields, R. (2003), The Virtual. Routledge: London and New York.

Bell, D. & Kennedy, B.M. (ed), (2000). The Cybercultures Reader. Routledge: London and New York

Bell, D. (2001). An Introduction to Cybercultures. Routledge: London and New York.

Kolko, B.E., Nakamura, L. & Rodman, G.B. (ed) (2000). Race in Cyberspace. Routledge: New York and London.

Rymaszewski, M., Wagner, J.A., Ondrejka, C. , Batstone-Cunningham, B. & Seond Life residence. (ed). (2007). Second Life- the official guide. Whiley& Sons Inc: New Jersey.

Langan, T. (2000). Surviving the Age of Virtual Reality. University of Missouri Press: Columbia and London.

Levinson, P. (1999). Digital McLuhan- A guide to the information millennium. Routledge: London and New York.

Jordan, T. (1999). Cyberpower- The Culture and Politics of Cyberspace and the Internet. Routledge: London and New York

Mitchell, W.J. (1999). E-topia- Urban life, Jim-But not as we know it. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: London

Biocca, F. & Levy, M.R. (ed). (1995). Communication in the age of the Virtual Reality. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Hillsdale, New Jersey.

Kollok, P. & Smith, M.A. (ed). (1999). Communities in cyberspace. Routledge: London

Jordan, T. (1999). Cyberpower : the culture and politics of cyberspace and the Internet. Routledge: London.

Weblinks I used:

General Second Life Information, articles and news stories:
http://secondliferesearch.blogspot.com/
http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life_Grad_Student_Colony
http://news.com.com/A+winning+business+plan+for+Second+Life/2100-1025_3-6160433.html
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Market_Research_Suppliers

http://sl.markettruths.com/

http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/09/06/hbo-delves-into-second-life-with-new-doc/

http://blog.ipglab.com/?p=148

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/09/07/baby-unicorns-in-sec.html

http://www.theequitykicker.com/2007/09/07/second-life-being-used-for-recruitment/

http://slblogosphere.blogspot.com/2007/09/reuterssecond-life-rival-grids-threaten.html

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/09/04/introducing-the-second-life-grid/

http://virtualenvironmentvideos.blogspot.com/2007/09/virtual-worlds-and-second-life-necc.html

http://www.innovationwatch.com/trendwatch/2007/09/go_into_real_and_virtual_debt.html

http://www.slnn.com/article/artists-in-residence/

http://valleywag.com/tech/virtual-economies/first-meta-gives-second-life-some-credit-297055.php

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/09/06/if_second_life_were_real_hey_we_could_surf_on_chairs_a_lot.html

http://www.trufina.com/blog/?p=20

http://nishugoyal.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/first-virtual-world-credit-card-for-second-life/

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=53918640#post53918640

http://gigaom.com/2007/07/12/debunking-5-business-myths-about-second-life/

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/07/25/wagering-in-second-life-new-policy/

http://www.adhurl.com/2007/07/second_life_on_last_legs.html

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2007/07/second-life-cha.html

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/20/dantes-virtual-inferno-second-life-breathes-new-life-into-cla/

http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/06/ant_simulation.html

http://www.selectparks.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=674
http://digg.com/tech_news/Companies_leaving_Second_Life_to_concentrate_on_the_real_world

http://mashable.com/2007/07/04/second-life-sexbed/

http://secondliferesearch.blogspot.com/2007/07/companies-in-second-life.html

http://www.intuitive.com/blog/i_dont_think_second_life_has_staying_power.html

http://gamepolitics.com/2007/07/16/has-al-qaeda-infiltrated-second-life/

http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2007/07/panel-discussio.html

http://thepenguinblog.typepad.com/the_penguin_blog/2007/07/in-cyberspace-e.html

http://scobleizer.com/2007/07/22/second-life-is-trying-to-get-rid-of-the-nasties/

http://digitalurban.blogspot.com/2007/07/second-life-on-bbc-is-any-news-news.html

http://digitalrecruiting.typepad.co.uk/digital_recruiting/2007/07/second-life.html

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/26/1339232&from=rss

http://blog.iwr.co.uk/2007/07/is-second-life-.html

http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2007/08/22/second-life-down-for-update/

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/08/20/betting-on-second-life-stock-exchanges/

http://sloan.ucr.edu/2007/08/22/cyberporn-debate-revisited-sex-in-second-life/

http://blogs.business2.com/utilitybelt/2007/08/linden-lab-seco.html

http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/entry/cto_makeovers_in_second_life

http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/6021

http://softwareblogs.intel.com/2007/08/16/what-do-you-want-to-do-in-second-life/

http://www.experientia.com/blog/second-thoughts-on-second-life/

http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/news/2004/09/65052

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,221122,00.html

http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/newsanalysis/second-life/10330787.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

http://news.com.com/Second+Life+membership+now+free/2100-1043_3-5855481.html

http://news.com.com/Wells%20Fargo%20launches%20game%20inside%20Second%20Life/2100-1043_3-5868030.html

http://news.com.com/2100-1043-6146943.html

http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/newswire/2004/06/02/rtr1392562.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0122/p14s02-stct.html

http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/27/second-life-marketing-lead-citizen-cx_hc_davos07_0127disrupt.html?partner=alerts

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-5997330-7.html

Video Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72CvvMuD6Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxj8RTW4ev4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mro9Qzv--k8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSzh_QTE00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFBpCrvr2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njKRjCLQYkI

Personal Experience from others:

http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/category/second-life-case-study/

http://www.bladam.com/main/entry/second-life-relationship-observations/

http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Aug-07/urban.html

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/01/08/embracing-the-inevitable/

http://taotakashi.wordpress.com/

http://blog.experiencecurve.com/archives/secondlife-its-not-a-game-the-ultimate-co-creative-business

http://experiencethemessage.typepad.com/blog/2006/08/back_to_second_.html

http://lindens.wordpress.com/2007/06/24/where-to-get-more-than-1000l-lindens/

http://www.vtoreality.com/2007/an-hour-in-second-life-learning-about-yourself/1090/

http://pmhess.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/ci438-blog-3/

http://www.chinoyray.com/free-lindens-in-second-life-my-new-job/

Music on Second Life:

http://www.3pointd.com/20060807/a-futuristic-utopia-for-duran-duran/

http://www.smh.com.au/news/digital-music/aussie-bands-to-hoedown-in-second-life/2007/02/26/1172338546859.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5253782.stm

http://secondarts.wordpress.com/2007/08/06/blog-series-on-music-in-second-life/

http://www.blogtv.com/Shows/685

http://blog.k1v1n.com/2007/08/support-live-music-in-second-life.html

http://blog.wired.com/music/2006/11/does_music_on_s.html

http://www.thestreet.com/s/live-music-in-second-life-part-two/goodlife/traveling-avatar/10376748.html

http://transition.turbulence.org/networked_music_review/2007/08/14/the-significance-of-music-in-second-life/

http://secure-web9.secondlife.com/events/event.php?id=776161

http://secondlife.com/community/music.php

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2006/08/71593

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/12/2251216

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Streaming_Music

http://www.u2insl.com/index2.html

http://www.wonderlandblog.com/wonderland/2006/05/radio_1s_one_bi.html

Windows Vista and Second Life:

http://www.sluniverse.com/kb/article.aspx?id=10449

http://www.news.com/No+Second+Life+for+Microsofts+Vista/2100-1043_3-6159057.html

https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Windows_Vista

http://www.pctipsbox.com/windows-vista-and-second-life-troubles/

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/03/28/windows-vista-ati-drivers-that-run-second-life-now-available/

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/02/09/windows-vista-status/

Business in Second Life:

http://www.news.com/2100-1043_3-6107513.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businesses_and_Organizations_in_Second_Life

http://secondlifegrid.net/gettingstarted

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/10/secondlife/index_01.htm
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm

http://secondlife.com/whatis/business_web.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2006/id20061030_869611.htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_innovation+and+design+lead

http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/businessideas/article172768.html

http://www.focus.de/digital/games/second_life/tid-5536/second-life-hype_aid_53676.html

Secone Life Website(Linden Lab Blog)

http://secondlife.com/whatis/

http://secondlife.com/

http://teen.secondlife.com/

https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Windows_Vista

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/03/28/windows-vista-ati-drivers-that-run-second-life-now-available/
http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/02/09/windows-vista-status/

http://blog.secondlife.com/

Problems I had while doing my Project

2007-09-18T22:42:00.000+01:00

Most of the problems I had are described in my journal in detail and here I will only give a few of the problems I had; most of which were from technical faults of the programme.

When I signed up for Second Life and downloaded the programme I was unaware of the problems I would have with using Windows Vista.
I had from the start problems with logging onto the world and was stuck on the Orientation Island(which everyone has to complete before entering the real SL) for weeks on end, and I couldn’t figure out how to get off it.
I tried to research why I couldn’t get off it but I couldn’t find a solution, everything I tried didn’t work. I then created a new account and a new character, which then allowed me to actually enter Second Life. I originally wanted to get a premium account which I would have to pay for but which would give me the chance to purchase land and so on. And to actually have some Linden Dollars to start off with. But as I did not have a credit card I had to use PayPal, which for some reason wouldn’t work. (I did find out that I wasn’t the only one with that problem)
So I got myself the free account and as I realised that I did not have the funds to actually set up a business on there, I was glad that I didn’t pay for it.
But after I managed to actually get onto Second Life after weeks and weeks of frustration on being stuck on the Orientation Island I still had a lot of problems. I couldn’t teleport most of the time, and the programme kept crashing and freezing. There was also only a limit to what I could do. The programme was very slow and I had problems getting to places and try out the things I had read about.
After a while I decided I would download the programme again as that might help me in getting my research done. As it had worked with creating a new Avatar I though it was worth a try as I was seriously running out of time and the deadline of handing in my project got closer and closer. And I was still not much wiser about any of the things one can do on Second Life.
I do have to say, and which I mentioned on my blog it was very frustrating and I cursed myself more than once in having chosen that particular project.
When I went back to the Linden Lab website to download the programme again I read a little note, which was under the option of downloading the programme which stated that Second Life would not run properly or not at all with Windows Vista. I could not believe it at first and I could swear this was not there when I first downloaded it.
I didn’t really know what to do, so I decided to download the programme again anyway and see how far I would get with it. At least I would have something. When I was doing more research about SL and Vista I found that a lot of people had problems with it and that Linden Lab apologized about it and promised to find a solution soon.
Well that was not any help to me at that point, but there was nothing I could do. I asked in the Portsmouth University Library if I could use their computers and download the programme on there but they weren’t able to help me. So I continued using my laptop and make the best of the situation. I could do some stuff on there but when I tried to teleport most of the time the programme would freeze and I had to log out and back in again and start again. I talked to some people on one of the help islands and there were a few who had problems with the SL programme, and some of them were using just the usual Windows XP or the Apple Mac one.
Anyway a week before the deadline for my project Linden Lab released a programme which would help Vista users to use Second Life. I downloaded it and it did get better. All of a sudden I was able to do stuff and go around places, but sadly now that I can actually do things I have ran out of time, which I think is a shame. I really enjoyed being able to see places and do my research, but with all the technical problems I was limited and now I have no time left. Still I decided not to give up and continue and make the best out of the situation.

My Second Life Experience(Visual)

2007-09-18T20:44:00.000+01:00

This is Simmi dancing to earn some money.

This is one of the freebie stores where one can get free clothes, hair styles and so on.

New looks, long hair this time.

Trying out the dancemoves.

The first look Simmi had, this was taken in Apfelland, at a camping site where on can earn L$ for just standing around.

Content

2007-09-18T20:43:00.000+01:00

The reason for choosing this Topic:

During my project I asked myself this question over and over again, why on earth I had chosen this subject to study and make it my project, as I had so many problems actually doing it.
But in the beginning choosing this topic seemed like a good idea and it seemed to be exciting.
At the time when it came to choose a subject everyone was talking about the phenomena of Second Life and the more I read about it the more I got hooked and interested in it.
The idea of a virtual world where one can fly, teleport, play a game and at the same time spent and make real money seemed very interesting and exciting.
Another aspect for me to choose this topic was the question why we would need such a world to create a business if ours has so much to give and so many opportunities and if people were really taking SL seriously or was it just a ‘Hype’ and there was nothing more to it?
As I do have a MySpace and a Facebook account I wanted to see how it works to actually be part of a virtual reality. As Facebook and MySpace are only platforms to for people to fiend friends and interact with others, Second Life seemed to be of more significance, in terms of it has its own currency, University’s were using it to teach, Businesses were on there to make money, and so on. It seemed like something completely new. Another thing that intrigued me was that people on there were spending money on something they could not use in the real world, like clothes, cars, flats, houses and so forth. I couldn’t at that point understand why someone would do that.
As one article said, it is a kind of cross between e-bay and the Sims.
Which in a way its true, you are playing a game but you are also spending money, making money or neither. It is up to you really what you do on there.
Linden Lab promotes this world by saying: It’s your world, your imagination!
I wanted to find out how far this imagination can go and how people interact in it and how I would fit in and behave in an environment I haven’t been before.
I am not someone to play computer games or get involved in MUDs and so on, so I was interested how I would fit into it. And also what I would experience and come up with in terms of business ideas.
The idea to start a business in there came about by reading articles online about people who do have a business on there and are actually making real money out of it. At that point I didn’t know how much money they made and if it was actually worth it but I wanted to try and do it myself, just to see what happens.

The Future of VR’s:
Another reason I chose this topic is that I believe that with technology improving every day and something new being invented in terms of cyberspace and virtual worlds, Second Life in my opinion is only the start. In the future there will be more and more of those virtual worlds sucking us in and giving us opportunities which we do not have in the real world. To give people a chance to be someone else, do jobs they would not be able to do in the real world for whatever reason, and to set up businesses. Also it gives people a chance to be creative, and to put their ideas into a space where they can realize them without having to leave the house.
It was also interesting to see to what extent people use virtual worlds and to realize what is already available to us in terms of virtual environments, and that maybe we are creating ourselves a kind of Matrix world where we only experience things in our minds instead of using our bodies.

Brief

2007-09-18T20:41:00.001+01:00

As my project was mainly about me being on Second Life and experience it first hand to find out about business opportunities, I created my webblog for others to trace my steps in my Second Life and I was getting up to.
As at the beginning I had the idea of setting up a business in Second Life which had to do something with media, as this was my field of study, I had the idea of creating a small newspaper. But after careful consideration I decided I would like to open a bar or a club as I have been working in these environments for over five years and I had a lot of knowledge of how to go about it. So I decided that a club would be the best option for me in order to start a business on SL.
But as I have already mentioned I soon realised that this was not possible for me to actually get it running as I didn’t have the funds to begin with and also as I soon realised that the technical problems I had would hinder me of completing the task I set myself. So rather than actually setting up a business, I wanted to research in Second Life what kind of entertainments and clubs were already in place and how I could fit my idea into it. Also by being on there and looking at different venues to check out the competition it gave me the chance to come up with other ideas which would maybe make my idea unique and I could come up with something new.

My Weblog:
Here I gathered all the experiences I had on Second Life, all the problems I had in the process of doing my research and situations I got myself into while being on there. It is a detailed journal of what I encountered and what I did on Second Life.
It also contains little articles and essays where I talk about theories about cyberspace, and also to put my views across about cyberspace and virtual environments.
I also used it to show pictures of my Avatar and how I progressed with using the Second Life programme and my progress in learning about the things available on there and how to use them.
As I have already mentioned I did encounter a number of problems mainly do to with the programme and I wish that I had more time to lean even more about Second Life and spent more time on there, as there is so much to see and experience. One might need years to all the things available on there, as it is an ever changing environment.
Everyday there are new things to see and experience, one could spent their whole lives on there and not even experience all of the things on there.
I mainly concentrated on finding out about clubs and events and so forth, as this was my main objective for my project.

My avatar:
I created Simmi Mills as just another Avatar. My first Avatar which I created was called Simi Mills and I sadly had to abandon her, as she was stuck on Orientation Island where she could not leave for whatever reason. I first tried to create her in my image and tried and made her look like me. But after being able to change skins, hair style and colour, shape and so on, I started playing around a lot and kept changing her looks over and over again. As I found the better you look even on SL the more people take notice of you and are more willing to talk to you.
I did get a little distracted by the looks of my Avatar I have to say but I guess it is all worth the experience.

Approach

2007-09-18T20:40:00.000+01:00

My first approach for my project I used the internet to find out what Second Life actually was and how it worked. I gathered information about Second Life and its impact on the real world. At the point where I started my research Second Life had made quiet an impact on the media and was said to be the best thing in terms of virtual reality and that people could make real money on there.
So the first thing I did was to gather as much information about it as I could.
I then created myself an Avatar and downloaded the programme.
As one can only read so much about a game or a virtual environment, it is essential to actually experience it first hand. That was my second approach towards the subject. While being on there I encountered a lot of problems with the programme but I will talk about that later. While I was trying and get some experience of Second Life I started to create a Webblog as a kind of a journal and research tool, so others could follow my process and read about my ideas.
I also tried to contact other people who also had Blogs about Second Life and their research and experience. I sadly did not get much response, but it was worth a try.
On Second Life I approached different people and talked to them, which also was not the easiest of tasks as most of the residence on there are very careful as a lot of researchers come on there and try and interview them, so they rather keep to themselves. But I did find a few nice people and made some friends, and they answered all the questions I had about the programme and about the problems I had and helped me out a lot.
I also looked at the different islands I visited and at some clubs and events to get an idea what was out there, in terms of entertainment.

Research Methods

2007-09-18T20:38:00.000+01:00

Secondary:

While doing this project I used the internet as my main research tool. As Second Life is constantly on the web news and braking new grounds I found that by using the internet and tools like RSS feeds and Google Alert I would get the latest news about my project. Not all material I got was of use to me and I had to use Wikipedia, Google and Yahoo as an additional help to gather information.
I also seemed to spent a lot of time on the Linden Lab Second Life blog to check for news, updates and help if I was stuck.
I also used YouTube, VideoGoogle and VHEO for visual research in terms of videos which I could use on my blog. As there is the possibility of making movies on Second Life I was interested in finding some examples of how this might be done, and what people had already accomplished.
Here I will list some of the links I found very useful, helpful and informative during my research:
Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businesses_and_Organizations_in_Second_Life

http://schome.open.ac.uk/wikiworks/index.php/Second_Life_Orientation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

Secone Life Website(Linden Lab Blog)

http://secondlife.com/whatis/

http://secondlife.com/

http://teen.secondlife.com/

https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Windows_Vista

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/03/28/windows-vista-ati-drivers-that-run-second-life-now-available/
http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/02/09/windows-vista-status/

http://blog.secondlife.com/

You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72CvvMuD6Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxj8RTW4ev4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mro9Qzv--k8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSzh_QTE00

News and articles about Second Life

http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/category/second-life-case-study/

http://www.bladam.com/main/entry/second-life-relationship-observations

http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Aug-07/urban.html

http://taotakashi.wordpress.com/

http://lindens.wordpress.com/2007/06/24/where-to-get-more-than-1000l-lindens/

http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/news/2004/09/65052

http://news.com.com/Second+Life+membership+now+free/2100-1043_3-5855481.html

http://news.com.com/2100-1043-6146943.html

http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/newswire/2004/06/02/rtr1392562.html

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-5997330-7.html

In addition to the internet I also used books in order to get some theories about cyberspace, virtual environments and virtual communities. In the ‘Cyberculture Reader who was edited by David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy I found a lot of theories and articles which were very helpful to me during my research.
Another book I found very helpful and which I used a lot was the ‘Second Life- the Official Guide’. While the websites were of some help the book was a lot more detailed and gave a lot of tips of how to do things on Second Life, how to get around and generally really useful to someone like me who had no idea about any of it before. The book was not as much about theories but more a guideline of how to life a Second Life. In a way it was my ‘bible’ for the duration I had it, as it thought me a lot and without it I would have been even more lost in this virtual world.
I did find a lot of book concerning cyberspace, virtual environments and so on but here is a list of books I found the most useful during my research and which I used to gather information and ideas. The only problem I found with these books was that they were all written before Second Life came about so I had to draw from my own experience of second life to accompany their theories about cyberspace and virtual environments; as a lot has changed since most of them were written.

Books I used:
Shields, R. (2003), The Virtual. Routledge: London and New York.

Bell, D. & Kennedy, B.M. (ed), (2000). The Cybercultures Reader. Routledge: London and New York

Bell, D. (2001). An Introduction to Cybercultures. Routledge: London and New York.

Kolko, B.E., Nakamura, L. & Rodman, G.B. (ed) (2000). Race in Cyberspace. Routledge: New York and London.

Rymaszewski, M., Wagner, J.A., Ondrejka, C. , Batstone-Cunningham, B. & Seond Life residence. (ed). (2007). Second Life- the official guide. Whiley& Sons Inc: New Jersey.

Langan, T. (2000). Surviving the Age of Virtual Reality. University of Missouri Press: Columbia and London.

Levinson, P. (1999). Digital McLuhan- A guide to the information millennium. Routledge: London and New York.

Jordan, T. (1999). Cyberpower- The Culture and Politics of Cyberspace and the Internet. Routledge: London and New York

Mitchell, W.J. (1999). E-topia- Urban life, Jim-But not as we know it. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: London

Biocca, F. & Levy, M.R. (ed). (1995). Communication in the age of the Virtual Reality. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Hillsdale, New Jersey.

Primary research:

My primary research was based on Second Life and actually being on there, experiencing it for myself.
Here I walked, flew and teleported myself to different places(as much as I could), looked around at what was available on there in terms of places, businesses and so on.
On here I talked to residence to find out about events, clubs and general things. Looking at how it was designed and what residence had accomplished. Also to see how far imagination can take one, and what dreams and ideas residence had. I also wanted to see how much of the real world was converted into this virtual world.

I also spoken to a few friends on MySpace who are artists and involved with music and interviewed them about ideas I had for my business plan. To find out first hand if my idea was good and if they would like to anticipate. Just to get an idea if my business idea would work and if people were interested in it.

What is Second Life?

2007-09-18T20:37:00.000+01:00

Here is a small introduction into what Second Life is all about and how it works.
Second Life is a virtual world where people from all over the world can meet and interact with each other. Second Life is basically a recreation of the real world as we know it but set in a virtual environment and enhanced through certain things. On here one can live a second life away from all the worries which might occur in their real lives and here people can indulge in their imagination and their creativity. It is basically a 3D online virtual world which is created, owned and shaped by its residence. Linden Labs have no real say in what is build and how far imagination can take you. It can as is basically anything you want it to imagine it to be. You are a miniature god in a world where there are no rules of gravity or regulations of mass and structure. It will be whatever you imagine it would be and if you don’t like something which is already available you have the choice in creating your own little world and place. Most of the contents in Second Life is created by its users and not by the Linden Lab who are the original founders of this virtual world. It is a very good example of what people can do with real time media and how they can indulged in it, and find their place in it.
The list of things you can experience in Second Life are endless and with it endlessly changing and new things coming along all the time, you have enough choice to do whatever your heart desires.
It was created in 2003 by Linden Labs and at that point residence had to pay a fee in order to be a part of it. That changed in 2005 where now, everyone can enter for free. There is a choice of membership types and they vary in prices but all in all are not too expensive. If you only have a free account you are not able to buy or rent places in Second Life as that you can only do if you have a paid membership.
Second Life also has their own currency which is called Linden Dollars and the exchange rate is about L$ 260 to $1 real US dollar.
You have the choice of treating SL as only a game and a place to meet people, or you can get a job or even open a business. It is entirely up to you what you want to do in this virtual world. There can be real money made on SL but one would have to invest quiet a lot of time and money to achieve a good profit.
One doesn’t really need money in order to actually get things like clothes, skins, hair and other little things as there are a lot of different islands which offer freebies for newbies and there you have a vast choice of goods available to you for free.
You can also earn a little bit of money by just sitting in camping sites or dance in one of the clubs. The money is not much only on average L$ 2 or 3 every 10 minutes you spent on there.
There is loads to see and loads to explore and its up to the individual what they wish to do on Second Life.

About my Project

2007-09-18T20:31:00.000+01:00

As I was really intrigued by the virtual world ‘Second Life’ my original idea was to get myself involved in that world and start a small business in there.
My main aim was to actually get a business running on there as I had read that is was easy to do and that one could make real money of it. I wanted to find out more about this virtual environment and see how people use it and how it is.
As soon as I created an account and started my project I realised that it was not possible for me at the time to actually achieve that goal. During my research I found out that I would need quiet a bit of money and a lot of programming knowledge(which I sadly don’t have) to set up a business in the time I was given to complete my project.
So I settled for doing research in and around Second Life and what kind of businesses are in there and come up with a business plan instead; as I found that that would be a lot more realistic to achieve.
With Second Life being of such an interest to the media, academics and just ordinary people I wanted to see for myself what the ‘Hype’ was all about and why people were so fascinated by it.
I mean I was already fascinated by only reading about it and couldn’t wait to get on it.
In order to keep track of my movements and experience in Second Life I created a weblog, which acted like a journal and research blog. Here I posted all my experiences of this virtual world and research I found about it on it. I also tried to put my views and research across by writing little articles about it as well.

Objectives:
To find out as much as possible about Second Life, what it was, how it worked and to find out why people were so fascinated by it.
To find out what questions and problems arise when talking about cyberspace and virtual worlds. What issues have been discussed so far and how we can relate theories about Cyberspace and Virtual Worlds to SL?
My third objective was to find out what businesses were out there, and how successful they are. Also to see first hand, how they were used by the residence and if there was the possibility to actually make money out of it.
After finding out about businesses available and what one can do in Second Life, I want to come up with a business idea which could be in the future make a profit.