The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the ® Second Life Virtual World This page intentionally left blank The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the ® Second Life Virtual World Marketing and Selling Your Product, Services, and Brand In-World Sue Martin Mahar and Jay Mahar American Management Association New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D.C Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations, professional associations, and other organizations For details, contact Special Sales Department, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 Tel.: 212-903-8316 Fax: 212-903-8083 Website: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mahar, Sue Martin The unofficial guide to building your business in the Second Life ® virtual world : marketing and selling your product, services, and brand in-world / Sue Martin Mahar And Jay Mahar p cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-1270-1 ISBN-10: 0-8144-1270-X Second Life ® (Web site) Shared virtual environments—Economic aspects Internet industry Internet marketing Electronic commerce I Mahar, Jay II Title HD9696.8.U64S436 2009 658.8—dc22 2008035794 © 2009 Sue Martin Mahar and Jay Mahar All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 Printing number 10 This collaborative work is dedicated to our children, and to all of “Generation I” This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Part One About Second Life® Chapter Genesis of Life Online Chapter A Virtual Melting Pot 23 Part Two Getting Started 41 Chapter The Essentials for Creating and Maintaining Your Second Life® 43 Chapter Your Virtual Real Estate 65 Chapter Creating a Business Plan 81 Chapter Netiquette and Codes of Conduct 103 Part Three Virtual-World Business Values 115 Chapter Commerce 117 Chapter Education and Training 133 Chapter Coordination and Innovation 147 Part Four Business Strategies 161 Chapter 10 Business Relationships Chapter 11 Marketing 2.0 163 181 Chapter 12 Selling Your Products and Services vii 201 viii Contents Chapter 13 Networking Chapter 14 Meetings 213 227 Chapter 15 Staffing the Metaverse Part Five What’s to Come 253 Chapter 16 The Evolving Metaverse Appendix 241 255 Second Life® Lingo Glossary 263 Index 265 Acknowledgments Leading the way down an unknown path takes a measure of good instinct, intelligence, and a sense of adventure, especially if that path is a virtual one Entering into Second Life® while it was virtually unknown has been an exciting adventure and a life lesson We would like to acknowledge several people who have been part of our life’s lesson, real and virtual We would also like to thank those who have shared our enthusiasm, and cleared the path for us to share with the world what we have learned Without Jay’s knowledge and craftsmanship ability with technology and the market, I would not be writing these words, nor would I have the friends and opportunities I have through the virtual world I would not have been able to create a life like this on my own Although I still would be writing, it would not likely be on this fantastic subject Thank you We both have our parents to thank Their love and support has carried us through tough times They are from “The Greatest Generation,” aptly named Though they may not fully understand the span of the Metaverse, which is forming for future generations, they are proud of us for participating in something on such a grand scale Our valiant mothers share the pride of this book enough for all our 11 siblings and their spouses, 26 nieces and nephews, and our fathers, who rest in heaven We spoke with several industry leaders at IBM®, such as Dr Colin Parris, Vice President of Digital Convergence, and Grady Booch, respected IBM® Fellow and author of several software books David Lapp also spoke with us, offering insight on IBM’s Innov8 program Steve Prentice, of Gartner Group, generously gave his time and valued opinion We spoke with Persis Trilling of Princeton University in Second Life ®, and Dr Larry Johnson of the New Media Consortium, as well as Susan ix This page intentionally left blank Appendix Second Life® Lingo Glossary Frequently Used Acronyms and Expressions in Second Life® afaik far as I know af k away from keyboard Alt alternate avatar; a second (or third) avatar; like a clone, but not; people can have multiple and anonymous avatars bf boyfriend brb be right back cya see ya gf girlfriend hb hurry back IM instant message imho in my humble opinion; in my honest opinion k, kk okay L8R later LL™ Linden Lab® 263 264 Glossary lmao laughing my a** off lmfao laughing my f***ing a** off lol laughing out loud LOL laughing out loud (hearty laugh) M8 mate muah a greeting, as in a kiss on the cheek Newbie, Noobie, Newb a newcomer to SL; freshman ranking OMG Oh, my God! RL real life rotfl rolling on the floor laughing SL™ Second Life® ttyl talk to you later ty thank you wb welcome back yvw you’re very welcome yw you’re welcome woot an expression of cheer for someone or something Index Abyss Museum of Ocean Science (virtual place), 34 accessing profiles, 51, 167 accessories, character, 166 acronyms, frequently used, 263–264 ACS (American Cancer Society), 28 Activeworlds (game), 12 adding friends, 167–168 ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), 143 advertising, 91, 95–96, 129 age requirements, of Second Life®, 26 Ailin Graef (avatar), 27 Alexander Beach (virtual place), 135 Alexander Hall (virtual place), 38 Alliez Mysterio (avatar), 78 alternate avatars, 48–49 American Cancer Society (ACS), 28, 185 animation override, 166 appearance, of avatar, 47–48, 54–56 Apple Computer, 10 Apple MacKay (avatar), 4, 15, 89, 108, 169, 210 architecture business groups for, 28–32 mixed reality, 87 novelty, 190–191 virtual, 29–30 Architecture for Humanity, 30 Arc Research, 154 Arcspace Island (virtual place), 29 265 art business groups for, 33–35 education in, 135–136 promotion of, 124–125 Artropolis, 173 ARUP (organization), 30 Aspergers syndrome, 143 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 143 Audina, Delphina, 130 autism, 143, 144 Autodesk, 30 auto industry, 205 automated chat, 186 avatars alternate, 48–49 anonymity of, 24–25 creating, 46–49 as e-mail equivalents, 10 gender and race of, 175 modifying appearance of, 54–56 popular destinations for, 186 as representation of companies, 185 teleporting of, 258, 259 Bantam Dell bookstore (virtual place), 192 BaSic Initiative, 30 basic membership, 62 Bernstein, Phil, 30 Beyers Sellers (avatar), 139 266 Index Bignell, Simon, 143–144 bitmap (.BMP) format, 75 Blarney Stone Pub (virtual place), 68 blogging, 183 Bloomfield, Robert, 139, 173, 216 BMP file format, 75 BMW, 205 boilerplate, 197 Booch, Grady, 174, 225 on multitasking, 228 on social connections, 18, 214 born digital, 135 branding, 120–121, 123–124 Brouchoud, Jon, 29–32, 126, 159, 204 on Green Homes, 30 on virtual architecture, 29 budgets, 98, 99 builders, 243, 249–250 building, in 3D, 75, 94–95, 119 buildings, prefabricated, 66 Burning Life (virtual event), 108, 151 Burning Man, 108 business description, 84–90 business groups, 26–39 arts, 33–35 design and architecture, 28–32 education, 35–39 entertainment, 32–33 nonprofit, 26–28 business hours, 97 business management, 96–97 business plans, 82–101 advertising and public relations in, 95–96 business description in, 84–90 business management in, 96–97 code of conduct in, 90–91 components of, 84–100 creating, 83–84 exit strategy in, 100 financial and legal considerations in, 97–100 issues addressed by, 82–83 pricing and sales strategy in, 94 uses of, 101 virtual-world development and production in, 94–95 virtual-world market in, 91–94 business relationships, 164–179 and adding friends, 167–168 blending real and virtual, 177–179 building successful, 164–166 groups for, 170–174 professionalism in, 174–176 and reading profiles, 169–170 sight-unseen, 176–177 trust in, 168–169 buying real estate, 77–79 buyouts, planning for, 100 camera, depth perception, 153 Camera (option), 56–57 campers, 244 camping, Capitol Hill (virtual place), 31 Carnot, C J., 37, 134 casinos, in Second Life®, 104–105 CBS, 13, 194 CBS Sunday Morning, 7, 195 celebrities anonymity of, 24–25 appearances by, 192 censorship, 108, see also self-censorship character accessories, 166 chat automated, 186 group, 171–172, 216–217, 221, 230, 233 group voice, 233, 234 private, 176 type, 220, 236 voice, 221, 233 Chung, Anshe, 14, 27 city planning, 150 Clarke, Jay, 38, 136 classes, online, 138–139 classified ads, 53, 195–196, 209, 247 267 Index Classified tab, 53 Clear Ink, 159, 194 client lag, 231, 232 Clinton, Bill, 100 clothing, virtual-world, 54–55, 202–203, 209 Club Penguin, Coca-Cola, 123–124 codes of conduct, 104–109, 111–113 for collaboration, 112–113 for employees, 90–91, 111–112 for gaming, 104–105 and indecency, 107 for mature and PG-rated sims, 105–107 and self-censorship, 107–109 Coldwell Banker, 85 collaboration codes of conduct for, 112–113 standards for, 158 collaborative communication, 148–151 commerce, 118–131 branding in, 123–124 creating environment for, 118–120 and customer immersion, 121–122 global, 151 marketing in, 122–123 networking in, 125 and product immersion, 120–121 promoting in, 124–125 and real-world experience, 128–129 real-world products and services in, 122 and virtual brands in real world, 129–131 virtual-world products and services in, 125–128 communication collaborative, 148–151 global, 21 in real time, 91 communities, finding, 4–6 community events, 185–188 community outreach, 136–137 companies, real-world, 85 company description, in business plan, 88 competition, business, 93 concerts, cyber, 33 Constable, Giff, 6, 184, 191, 194 contact information, 46 contacts, maintaining, 223–225 contractors, finding, 249–250 contracts, 127, 128 convention planning, 155–156 coordination, 148–153, 155–159 and collaborative communication, 148–151 and collaborative standards, 158 geographic, 151–153 of travel and convention planning, 155–156 in virtual workspaces, 157, 159 copyrights, 99–100, see also intellectual property rights (IPR) corporate departments, in Second Life®, 85 crashes, 231 Create a New Group (option), 57–58 Crescendo Design, 29–30, 126 crime, on Internet, 104 CSI: NY (television series), 7, 13, 194, 245 currency, of Second Life®, 17 customer immersion, 118, 121–122 customers, in business plans, 92 customer service, 97 dancers, 244 Danny Odell (avatar), 245 Declaration of Independence, 11 depth of field, 214 depth perception camera, 153 designers, 243 design groups, 28–32 development, of real estate, 73–74, 76–77 Diageo, 203 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 100 discounts, on land rates, 62 268 Index disruptive innovation, 11–12 distance learning, see education Dizzy Banjo (avatar), 38, 136 DJs, 244 DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), 100 Doom (game), 12 Dreamland (virtual place), 14 DynaFleur, 38, 136 Ebay, 95 economy, in-world, 17 Edit Your Appearance (option), 55–56 education and training, 134–145 about Second Life®, 44, 144 in art and music, 135–136 for community outreach, 136–137 groups for, 35–39 in human resources, 141–142 in international etiquette, 135 at Princeton University, 124–136 for students with social disorders, 142–144 in virtual-world classrooms, 137–141 Electric Sheep Company, 13, 192, 194 marketing by, 184 as staffing agency, 152, 233, 247 3D building by, 210 e-mail address, for avatar, 46 employee codes of conduct, 90–91, 111–112 employees, virtual-world, 188 employment, see jobs employment agencies, 178, 246–247 Enfield, Desdemona, 38, 136 entertainment groups, 32–33 entrepreneurs, 85 environment for commerce, 118–120 for sales, 203–204 environmental impact of Metaverse, 260–261 of virtual architecture, 29 of virtual meetings, 239 of virtual workspaces, 157 estimated sales, 93–94 etiquette, 110, 135, see also netiquette event managers, 243 events finding, 215–216 hosting, 131, 188–190 mixed reality, 192 for networking, 214–217 sponsoring, 96, 120, 185–188 events listings, 189 Everyone (group membership), 170 Ewry, Zha, 256, 257 exchange rate, of Lindens, 17, 94 exit strategies, 100 expenses, business, 98–99 Exploratorium, 34 expressions, frequently used, 263–264 FaceBook, face-to-face gatherings, 152 fair market rates, 94 Fatica, Kathey, 129 Few, Astrin, 173, 216 film industry, 121–122 Filthy Fluno (avatar), 124, 173 financial considerations, of virtual businesses, 97–99 financial matters, in Second Life®, 60–63 First Life tab (profile), 53 Flaming Moe, 173 flipping, of virtual real estate, 77 fourth dimension, 18, 214 Foxmarks, 12 FPS rate, required, 231 frames-per-second (FPS) rate, required, 231 freebies, 14, 209 friends adding, 167–168 making, 110–111 269 Index fund-raising, mixed reality, 28 funds, requesting, 61–62 Gallery of Reflexive Architecture, 31 Gambling Bust (2007), 105 gaming, 9, 104–105, 140, 141 Gartner Group, 7, 8, 10, 261 gender, of avatars, 175 Generation I, 9–10, 137–138, 140, 260 Generation M, 260 Genome Island (virtual place), 154 geographic coordination, 151–153 Gingrich, Newt, 31 giveaways, 14, 183, 198–199 Glitteractica Cookie (avatar), 27 Globe Theatre (virtual place), 34 goals, for business relationships, 166 Google calendar, 36 Google Groups, 27 gradient pricing, 203 grass roots group establishment, 85 Green Homes, 30–31, 126 green movement, see environmental impact Grid (Second Life® section), 83 griefers, 109 group chat, 171–172, 216–217, 221, 230, 233 group insignia, 60 groups adding members to, 58–59 for business relationships, 170–174 and collaborative communication, 148 forming, 57–58, 119, 172–173, 224–225 levels of membership in, 170–171 private, 233–234 types of, 26–39 group voice chat, 233, 234 Habbo Hotel, Ham Rambler (avatar), 155 healthcare management, 204–206 health information exchange (HIE), 206 Hilliard, Peter E., 246 hiring, in Second Life®, 248–250 hosting, of events, 131, 188–190 hosts, 243 hours, business, 97 human resources, training in, 141–142 humor, 19 Hype Cycle, 8, 182, 184, 260 IBM, 7, 20, 44 codes of conduct by, 111–112 educational programs by, 139, 140, 150 immersive presentations by, 204–206, 208 in Metaverse travel, 258 identity, your, see Second Life® identity IM (instant messaging), 220 immersive presentations, 204–208 Immersive Work Spaces, 237 Ina Centaur (avatar), 186, 217 incidents, reporting, 109 income taxes, 61, 250 indecency, 107 industry, in Second Life®, 85–86 inflation, 77 innovation, 153–155 Innov8 program, 139–141 insignia, group, 60 instant messaging (IM), 220 Intel, 44 intellectual property rights (IPR), 14–16, 100 interaction, in marketing, 183–185 Interests tab (profile), 52 international etiquette, 135 International Space and Flight Museum (virtual place), 34 Internet and global commerce, 151 growth of, history of, 10–11 in marketing, 193–194 as platform for business, 118 270 Index Internet 2.0, 182 interoperability, in Metaverse, 257–258 standards for, 158 interruptions, technological, 231–232 intraverses, 8, inventory, maintaining, 127 investing, in virtual real estate, 76–79 IPR, see intellectual property rights islands, 16, 66–69, 70 Jade Lilly (avatar), 28 job fairs, 250–251 jobs, 242–251 applying for, 247–248 and employment agencies, 246–247 and hiring in Second Life®, 171, 248–250 real-world, in Second Life®, 128–129 recruitment for real-world, 250–251 types of, 243–245 Johnson, Larry, 35, 36, 174, 228 Kapor, Mitch, 11, 12, 145, 151 Katydid Something (avatar), 129, 217 Keystone Bouchard (avatar), 29, 126, 204 Kitchensink, Mia, 225 Kiwini Oe (avatar), 159 Koontz, Dean, 192 lag, 110, 189, 229, 231–232 land, virtual, see real estate, virtual landing spots, 229 Lapp, David, 140 Larry Pixel (avatar), 35, 216 laws, of Second Life®, 107 learning, by Generation I, 137–138 legal considerations, of Second Life® business, 99–100 Level Playing Field Institute, 12 Liam Kanno (avatar), 72, 122 life cycle, of Second Life®, 7–10 Linden Commerce, 61–62 Linden exchange (LindeX), 17 Linden Lab, 4, 7, 12, 217 commerce at, 61 demographics supplied by, 92 and gambling, 105 in Metaverse travel, 258 and nonprofit organizations, 26 orientation assistance by, 44 punishment by, 107, 109 and server lag, 231 Lindens (currency), 17, 60 LindeX (Linden exchange), 17, 61–62 lingo, Second Life®, 263–264 LinkedIn, 125 Lipsky, Jeffrey, 124, 173 Live Music Enthusiasts, 173, 216–217, 225 Lotus 1-2-3, 11 Luebkeman, Chris, 30 The L Word (television series), 14 machinima, 194, 198, 207, 245 Macintosh Users Group, 173, 217 Mahar, Jay, 108 Mahon, John, 68, 150, 155 mainland property, 66–69 maintenance, of simulator, 229 Major League Baseball, 198 manners, see netiquette; professionalism Manpower Inc., 85, 246 Marellan, Chase, 38, 136 market, virtual-world, 91–94 marketing, 122–123, 182–199 with celebrity appearances, 192 at community events, 185–188 crossover strategies for, 193 by hosting events, 188–190 interaction in, 183–185 Internet in, 193–194 with mixed reality events, 192 with novelty architecture, 190–191 print in, 195 271 Index television in, 194–195 tools for, 195–199 Martholomew Mip (avatar), 233, 245 mature sims, 105–107 meetings, 228–239 off-the-record, 235–236 preparing for, 229–230 privacy for, 232–235 in real vs virtual world, 152, 238–239 selecting location for, 236–237 technological interruptions of, 231–232 and time differences, 237–238 membership in groups, 170–171 in Second Life®, 15–16, 62 mentors, Second Life®, 50 Metanomics, 139, 173, 216, 225 Metaverse, 11, 256–261 environmental impact of, 260–261 interoperability in, 257–259 New Media Consortium in, 35–36 simplification of, 259–260 Metaverse Mod Squad, 178, 246 metrics, for virtual marketing, 182, 183, 185 Michelin, 44 Miller, George, 31 Millions of Us, 203 Milton Broome (avatar), 144 mission statement, 88 Mitchell Kapor Foundation, 12 mixed reality, 85, 87 mixed reality events, 28, 192 Molaskey Pub Group, 85, 88–91, 170, 176, 217, 224 Molaskey’s Pub (virtual place), 24, 106, 223 branding by, 129–131 customer interaction at, 92 live music at, 33 promotions at, 123, 186 Moss, Randall, 28 Mozilla Foundation, 12 multitasking, 19, 157, 228 Museum of Music (virtual place), 34 museums, virtual, 34–35 music education in, 135–136 live, in Second Life®, 32–33, 216–217 musicians mixed reality, 87, 93, 193 pay for, 244 promotion of, 124 MySpace, naming, of avatar, 46–47 NASA JPL on Explorer Island (virtual place), 34 Nasus Dumart (avatar), 4, 169, 245 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 154 Nature (magazine), 154 NBC, 194 Nelson, Steve, 182, 194 on collaborations, 159 on virtual marketing, 183, 185 Neo Pets, netiquette, 109–111 networking, 125, 176, 214–225 choosing events for, 214–217 with groups, 171 and maintaining contacts, 223–225 profile as resume for, 217–219 technicalities of, 219–221 using personal information during, 221–222 for virtual jobs, 247 New Media Consortium (NMC), 35–37, 134, 138–139, 154, 216, 228 New User Learning Tour HUD, 137 The New York Times, NMC, see New Media Consortium NMC Guests, 216 272 Index Noah’s Ark and Museum (virtual place), 34 The Non-Profit Commons (NPC) (virtual place), 26 nonprofit groups, 26–28 Notes tab (profile), 54, 167, 219 notices, from groups, 170, 171, 215–216 novelty architecture, 190–191 nudity, 110 Nyaya Health, 29 Obama, Barack, 72 Odd Jobs, 247 Officer (group membership), 170 The Office (television series), 7, 194 off-the-record meeting content, 235–236 online classes, 138–139 OnRez (Web site), 95 Open Architecture Challenge, 29 Open Source Applications Foundation, 12 operating budget, 99 Orientation Island (virtual place), 13, 49–51 Otawara, Eshi, 38, 136 Owner (group membership), 170 ownership, of virtual real estate, 15–16, 67–70 Palleroni, Sergio, 30 Parris, Colin, 118, 148, 174 on education in virtual worlds, 134 on self-censorship, 109 on virtual marketing, 182 PARSEC (art installation), 38, 136 parties, see events Pathfinder Linden (avatar), 217 pay, rates of, 242 payment, methods of, 60 PayPal, 60 peak of inflated expectations (Hype Cycle), Pelosi, Nancy, 31 permissions, 14–15 for land use, 71 for worn items, 55 Persis Trilling (avatar), 29, 37–39, 134, 135, 137 personal information in business relationships, 168–169 and networking, 221–222 personality, expressing, 165–166, 214 PG-rated sims, 106 Phil Plasma (avatar), Phoenix Linden (avatar), 217 Picks tab (profile), 53 Picture Production Company, 122, 155 Pinkerton, Michael, 176, 178, 246 Pitney, Cheen, 108 plateau of productivity (Hype Cycle), Platform Second Life: Developing Real Life Applications (Chase Marellan and Jay Clarke), 38, 136 Poid Mahovlich (avatar), 38, 136 point of view, 56–57 Pontiac, 205 portals, 13–14, 50–51 prefabricated buildings, 66 premium membership, 15–16, 62 Prentice, Steve, 260 on exploring virtual worlds, 45 on popularity of virtual worlds, 7–8 presentations, immersive, 204 press releases, 119, 196–197 pricing, 94, 203, 210 primitives (prims), 16, 67, 74–75 Princeton Groups, 137 Princeton University (educational institution), 111, 124–126, 134, 135 Princeton University (virtual place), 31, 36, 37, 134–136 print, marketing in, 195 Print to Second Life® (tool), 159 273 Index privacy for meetings, 232–235 personal, 24–25 private chat, 176 private groups, 233–234 private land, 16, 234–235 product immersion, 120–121 products description of, in business plan, 89 virtual, 125–128, 202–203 professionalism, 174–176, 218–219 profiles accessing, 51, 167 reading, 169–170 as resumes for networking, 217–219 for Second Life® identity, 51–54 profits, from Second Life® businesses, 202 promotions, 95–96, 124–125, 209, 210 property, virtual, see real estate, virtual Prop Spinners Pub, 199 Pub Crawlers, 172 public relations, 95–96 punctuality, 110 Quake (game), 12 race, of avatars, 175 radar, avatar, 236 rates, setting fair, 94 RC Mars (avatar), 28 reading profiles, 169–170 real estate, virtual, 66–79 developing, 73–76 investing in, 70, 76–79 owning, 67–70 parcel sizes of, 16 rates for owning, 62 renting, 70–73 types of, 66–67 Real Life Education in Second Life®, 217 real-time (term), real-world companies collaborative work by, 149, 150 in Second Life®, 85 real-world experience, 128–129 real-world jobs, 250–251 real-world meetings, 238–239 real-world products and services, 122 recognition, 112 recruiters, for real-world jobs, 250–251 registering, with Linden Lab, 45 relationships, business, see business relationships Relay for Life, 28 rental, of virtual real estate, 16, 70–73 reporting incidents, 109 Research Park (virtual place), 154 respect, 165 resume, profile as, 217–219 rhythm, in virtual relationships, 166 Rivers Run Red, 237 Roles (option), 58–59 Rosedale, Philip, 4, 7, 11, 12, 107, 153, 174, 256 sales, 202–211 creating environment for, 203–204 estimated, 93–94 and immersive presentations, 204–208 tips for making, 210–211 of virtual products, 202–203 sales strategies, 94, 208–209 sales trends, 208 sales volume, 202–203 SBA, see Small Business Administration science, innovation in, 153–154 Science School (virtual place), 154 SciLands (virtual place), 153 Scope Cleaver (avatar), 31–32, 37, 134, 191 scripters, 243 scripting, 75–76, 123, 210 search function, 56, 196, 215 274 Index secondary groups, 172, 174 Second Life® business uses of, 17–19 currency of, 17 as disruptive innovation, 11–12 education about, 44, 144 financial matters in, 60–63 finding communities in, 4–6 groups in, 57–60 and history of Internet, 10–11 and intellectual property rights, 14–16 life cycle of, 7–10 lingo of, 263–264 other virtual worlds vs., 12–13 popularity of, 6–7 search function of, 56 viewers and portals for, 13–14 as virtual melting pot, 24–39 Second Life® Community Convention, 175 Second Life® Education (SLed), 139, 141 Second Life® identity avatar for, 46–49 contact information for, 46 orientation for, 49–51 point of view of, 56–57 profile for, 51–54 registration of, 45 Second Life® Teen Grid, 26, 106 Second Life® time (SLT), 237–238 Second Life® Wiki, 144 Second Nature (virtual place), 154 2nd Life tab (profile), 52 secure sockets layer (SSL), 257–259 security, in Metaverse, 257 self-censorship, 107–109 selling, of real estate, 77–79 seminars, virtual-world, 142 Semper International, 246–247 sense of presence, 151–152 server lag, 231–232 service agreements, 127, 128, 171, 250 service fees, 210 services, description of, 89 Shout feature, 220 sight-unseen relationships, 176–177 Silicon Island (virtual place), 72 Silverscreen Sim (virtual place), 122 Simone Design, 85 Sim Rating System, 105–106 The Sims (game), 12 simulator (sim), 74 Sinclair, Cameron, 30 skyboxes, 74, 235 SL Dublin (virtual place), 68, 155, 186 SLed, see Second Life® Education SLExchange (Web site), 95 SL Historical Museum (virtual place), 34 slope of enlightenment (Hype Cycle), SL Shakespeare Company, 185, 186, 217 SLT, see Second Life® time Slurls, 16, 189, 193 Small Business Administration (SBA), 82, 96 social disorders, education for students with, 142–144 social networks, 9, 125, 224 spam, 49, 104, 111, 168, 172 SSL, see secure sockets layer staffing, 97, 120, see also jobs standards, for collaboration, 158 staring, 110 Star Trek Museum of Science (virtual place), 34 start-up expenses, 98–99 Stern, Simone, 85, 94, 208 stipends, for land owners, 70 Story, Douglas, 38, 136 streaming preferences, for meetings, 230 Swedish embassy, 192 synchronicity, in virtual relationships, 166 system preferences, for preventing lag, 232 targa (.TGA) format, 75 tax guidelines, 61, 250 teachers, and Second Life®, 139, 141 275 Index Tech Museum of Innovation (virtual place), 34 technological interruptions, 231–232 technology trigger (Hype Cycle), Tech Soup, 26, 27 Teen Grid, 26, 106 telecommunications subcommittee hearing, 174 television, 6, 194–195, 245 Tenby, Susan, 26, 27, 174 terms of service, 107 textures, of primitives, 75 TGA file format, 75 There.com, 35 Think House, 68 third dimension, 18, 214 3D building, 75, 94–95, 119, 243 3D dioramas, 205, 207, 208 Three Lions Pub (virtual place), 5, The Time 100, time convergence, 152–153, 237–238 The Today Show, topography, 74 Torley Linden (avatar), 207 Tourism Ireland, 155 Toyota, 205 trading, of creations, 15 training, see education and training travel business, 228 virtual, 19, 130, 142, 155–156, 199 trends, sales, 208 trough of disillusionment (Hype Cycle), trust, 165, 168–169 tutorials, on Second Life®, 44, 144 ’tween games, type-chat, 220, 236 typonese, 53 University Channel, 38, 137 U.S Congress, 174 U.S House of Representatives, 31 Verbeck, Sibley, 184 V3 Group, 72, 122, 155, 210 video news release (VNR), 198, 208 video taping, in Second Life®, see machinima viewer, 13–14 virtual brands, 129–131 virtual classrooms, 138–139 Virtual Healthcare Island, 204, 206–208 Virtual Job Candy, 246–247 virtual jobs, 243–248 virtual proofing, 123 Virtual Starry Night-Vincent’s Second Life® (virtual place), 34 virtual workspaces, 157, 159 virtual-world classrooms, 137–141 Virtual World Conference, 141 virtual-world development, 94–95 virtual-world market, 91–94 virtual-world meetings, 238–239 virtual-world products, 125–128, 202–203 virtual worlds as business technology, 20 impact of, 21 Second Life® vs other, 12–13 virtual-world seminars, 142 virtual-world services, 125–128 VisiCalc (program), 10 VNR (video news release), 198 voice chat, 221, 233 volume sales, 202–203 volunteering, 171, 224 walk-a-thon, virtual, 28 Water is Life (Cheen Pitney), 108 Web 2.0, Web sites, linking, 193–194, 218 Web tab (profile), 52 Wikitecture, 29 Wiki Tree, 29 276 Index wills, virtual real estate in, 17, 70 Wilson, Michael, 148 Wired Magazine, 11 word-of-mouth buzz, 96, 182 Wright, Odin Liam, 122 Xstreet SL (Web site), 209, 210 Yoon, Ginsu (Gene) on group affiliations, 59 on Linden Commerce, 61 YouTube, 9, 198 Zero Linden (avatar), 257 Zymurgy, Aargle, 105 ... Mahar, Sue Martin The unofficial guide to building your business in the Second Life ® virtual world : marketing and selling your product, services, and brand in- world / Sue Martin Mahar And Jay. . .The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the ® Second Life Virtual World This page intentionally left blank The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the ® Second Life Virtual. .. it To James and Sean, for being part of it all Sue Martin Mahar and Jay Mahar PA RT ABOUT SECOND ® LIFE Genesis of Life Online The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life