SL Economics

I recently read about a delicatessen worker who quit his real life job to work full time in Second Life selling anything from furniture to clothing. He went from making a little under $20,000 a year to over $80,000. The possibilities can stretch as far as your imagination. There are several users making real world dollars in this virtual world. Second Life is equipped with its own currency, land tiers (much like rent) and business ethics. It mirrors real-life and claims fame to unbound territory.

It seems silly but the abundance of success here seems to be attributed to what the market wants. It is a different animal. The rules are based loosely on RL values but with a twist. The users of SL have different agendas and needs for things we may consider ridiculous in RL. Either way you slice it, there is money to be made here and I want my cut.

Not too shabby for a newbie...

This weeks assignment was to experiment with building prims in Second Life. Prims are basic shapes, like circles, squares, triangles, etc. When more than one prim is used together you can create more complex shapes, just like drawing. I played around with the prims for a while before actually building something to show in class. Since Second Life has limitations on prim count , I wanted to build something that appeared complex but was actually only one prim. I started with a basic shape, square, and twisted, cut and shaped it into a modern looking podium. If I had a horn I'd toot it.

Mind Your Business...

Let me first say that this assignment has been one hell of a hassle. According to SecondLife.com, in order to properly run SL you need to have an ATI Radeon video card (8500, 9250 or better) or an Nvidia (GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better). Based on the specs required on the listed video cards, my Volari XGI is more than compatible or so I thought. When I first ventured into Second Life last fall, everything ran smoothly. However, Second Life has changed a bit since last year. In fact it has changed enough to know that my more than capable video card is not one of the listed brands supported by Linden Labs. Luckily enough, I have a 5 year old Compaq that I modified a year ago with a Radeon 9200 video card installed. It was around the 14th crash when this epiphany struck me. After re-imaging my old machine and running some driver updates, I was finally in business. Since business is the theme, I figured I would clue everyone in on what I had to endure to get up and running.

Once in world I decided to locate those Adidas "a3 microrides" I blogged about early. I wanted to buy a pair and start bouncing around. After all, whats $0.20 US? It was at this point that I ran into road block numero dos. Okay so there I was doing the search thing (if you haven't searched in SL prepare to get pissed off.) I know for a fact Adidas has a landmark. It says so on SecondLifeGrid.net where I first read about them. In the article, I was able to find a SLURL (Second Life URL) which is suppose to redirect you to the landmark. That didn't work either. When I searched on the map, Adidas and its coordinates showed up fine. However, when I attempted to teleport there, I was kicked back to my previous location. If I am doing something wrong I can't figure it out. Until then, my opinion of searching in SL is "it blows". There is no way to tell it to disregard people so you end up with a shit load of unwanted results.

Nike


In frustration, I headed over to check out some of Adidas's competition at the Nike & Reebok stores. The Nike store has an open floor plan complete with full height clear glass windows and resides on the beach in Kimokeo Cove. The graphics were inviting and nicely done. Right outside the front steps is a promo chair. Basically, if your name begins with a given letter and you sit in the chair for the alloted time, you receive a free gift. Behind the chair is a Nike Shox ad, which I thought it was a clever marketing gesture. Unfortunately, "G" was not the letter of the moment.

Reebok




First impression: "Reebok rocks." I liked the flow of the design. It is very industrial yet modern. In regards to layout, this functioned most like a real store. Instead of just images on a wall, Reebok utilizes the look of displays with shirts and shoes stacked on shelves. This made the experience more realistic. The big thing here is the "rbk"customizable sneakers. Reebok allows you to design your own sneaker for SL just as they do on their website. Concepts like this make the most impact. Much like my anticipation for the a3 microrides, Reebok offered something usable. At this juncture, Reebok has my vote for best images and relative marketing. If my assumptions about Adidas are correct, they get bumped to second.

Wide Open Spaces...

Second Life is a world unbound by traditional limitations. If its options you're after, you have arrived at the right place. Whether you're into buying/selling virtual real estate (or shall we say SL estate) or marketing a new business, you are sure to find a home in Second Life. The amount of opportunity contained within this virtual community is amazing.
According to the Google Tech Talk, a graduate student in Seattle developed a gun sold in world for $5 Linden dollars. This student used the revenue from his gun sales to pay for college and is now being scouted by Linden Labs for a potential job. This is incredible! What this could mean for the future of business and marketing is anything but ordinary.

"The number of opportunities available is really only limited by your imagination(Tiffany, Laura, Entrepreneur.com, pg.2)."

For someone new to Second Life, trying to wrap your head around marketing products used in real life can be confusing. Some great campaigns for real life products in world include industry pioneers like Mazda who released a virtual test drive of their concept car the "Mazda Hakaze." Interested users could teleport to Nagare Island on the SL grid and test drive the virtual car. Upon mastering the virtual handling, the user is allowed to keep the car. Kudos to Mazda for brilliant marketing. Mazda gains effortless exposure by giving the cars to worthy users and in return the user get a sweet ride.
It doesn't stop there. Another noteworthy campaign by Adidas provides users the ability to enjoy a virtual representation of a real life product. The Adidas store in SL offers a new sneaker called the "a3 Microride." The real life store boasts the sneaker has "the ultimate blend of bounce and flexibility." When purchasing a pair in SL, the sneakers add bounce and flexibility to your avatar. This is definitely a great way to keep the buzz brewing in and out of world.
Personally, smart marketing is sexy and considering the possibilities, Second Life may just out weigh your first.

"If you build it, they will come."

Gigii's First Time...

Upon my arrival in Second Life, I felt it was important to doll myself up. I spent the majority of my visit adjusting my hair, makeup, and facial features. I stumbled upon the clothing and accessories folders. While fumbling around with the drag and drop options, I was able to find a suitable outfit. I did take all my clothes off at one point which encouraged a gentleman to quickly make my acquaintance. It would have been a blissful encounter if he had spoke English. *sigh* Maybe in another life Vladimir.
Once I had my outfit I was ready for flight. The rest of my stay was spent flying around "Orientation Island." I crashed, literally, into a fashion show and chatted with some newbies. Since I have been in world once or twice before I decided to explore a bit further. I traveled to a clothing store called "American Apparel." While there I poked around at the items for sale and exchanged witty banter with a few employees. It is funny some of the things people will tell you in SL as opposed to RL.
Considering the range of users, navigating for newbies can become confusing. It would be cool to be greeted by a virtual tour guide on your first visit. Someone who can walk you through the GUI and help you navigate the islands. Providing such a service could help demystify the beginning stages of SL. Overall, SL is fairly easy to figure out if you have some gaming experience.
As a graphic artist, the potential for better graphics and simulation would be amazing. I would probably spend more time in world if the eye candy was more graphically intense.