Exploring SecondLife, SL Radio Waves Silent?
November 13, 2007 – 4:03 am
For quite a time last year SecondLife was all the rave and all the dispute. Bleeding Marketers were talking it up about as much as they could, and Crayon, a new marketing firm, was even founded virtually in it (neat!). SecondLife even reared its head in a question for a job interview I had with a company developing in the social networking space, and now work for. Since then, though, all this chatter has appeared to taper off (though there’s still some dispute), and, oddly enough, it is now that I have become curious enough to explore SecondLife in more depth. I suppose it’s because Itry to take the “try it before you knock it” mentality, and love exploring aspects of cyberculture from a “marketing” perspective. As I educate myself on this virtual world and potential marketing medium, I will be sure to let you know what it is I come to find.
I imagine there may be a certain appeal to SecondLife, one I can see myself getting caught up in (which is not too surprising given my background in gaming). The notion of having an avatar (virtual representation of one’s self) whose various aspects I can customize (from clothing/assets to land ownership) comes off as oddly appealing to me.
I would say, though, that what really piqued my interest was the video of Coca Cola’s campaign that just ended (grats to Caryonists) and Julia Roy’s video of her partying virtually in SL. What was unique about this video was how this party was actually the blending of two events- a party that was happening live at a club in
The Matrix Online was a game that had many similarities to SecondLife. Beyond being able to repeat the same animations over and over, the players itemization process (how a player improves their character through the use of in-game items) in The Matrix Online was done using apparel not unlike SecondLife. Eg: Changing from a Trench Coat to a Pea Coat. The similarities are important because of a very successful and powerful marketing tool that spawned the same kind of virtual partying in The Matrix Online as took place in SecondLife, and that SL itself could greatly benefit from. This successful and powerful marketing tool was Radio Free Zion, the “radio station” of The Matrix Online.
The beauty of Radio Free Zion, or RFZ was great in number. RFZ provided a place for people in MxO to tune in- the place, to be precise. What it did was create an overarching community. No matter where you were in MxO, you were listening to RFZ (and chatting in their chat room). If there was a give away going down (often relating to dance or in-game custome parties), you’d head to their virtual location, if there was a party at a virtual club that was really gaining a crowd, they’d let you know about it. Those things, in addition to the commentary on the world itself, created an amazing sense of belonging, community, and direction. What really was a big factor in RFZ’s success was MxO’s involvement in it (they launched it) and thus easily getting many players on board with it to start. I think SecondLife could benefit hugely from a similar type of radio station, especially with aided support from Linden Labs. With the realistic economy present in Second Life, players could even opt to advertise on the station (if you want it riddled with that kind of stuff). This station can’t be a pre-existing one moved or also broadcasting on SL; it needs to be devoted solely to SL.
What really surprises me is the fact that SL doesn’t already have this type of radio station, and if they do and I’m not aware of it, it should be one of the first things I see on Linden Lab’s site when I go to sign up (not Dwight from The Office. That confused me a bit. Was that supposed to encourage me to go on a Where’s Waldo hunt for Dwight?). It’s a huge mistake if it’s not. The station itself could bring new people to the world of SL, which has a population of about 1.6m if I recall. Early adopter or not, that’s a lot.
