LIVING
IN A VIRTUAL WORLD IN SECOND LIFE
± Virtual World
Optimization:
VWO is the process
of optimizing and promoting your business in online virtual world such as
SecondLife.com
What is Second
Life?
- “Second Life is a 3-D virtual
world entirely built and owned by its Residents … with … a Resident population
of over 11,851,664 (and growing) …”
- “Residents come to the world from
over 100 countries with concentrations in North
America
and the UK … 60% are men, 40% are women and
they span in age from 18 - 85.”
- It is NOT a
“game”
http://www.secondlife.com/whatis
± Where Did It Come
From?
- Linden Lab (http://lindenlab.com/)
- Founded in 1999 by Philip
Rosedale
- Vision and
Mission: “To connect us all to an online
world that advances the human condition.”
- Based in
San
Francisco
- 200 employees worldwide
± What Can You Do in
SL?
-
Chat
(IM)
-
Talk
(Voice now available)
-
Make
groups
± Who are you in
SL?
± Population (as of
1/10/08)
|
Residents
Logged-In: |
|
|
|
|
During Last 7 Days
|
438,601
|
|
During Last 14
Days |
586,647
|
|
During Last 30
Days |
860,629 |
|
During Last 60 Days
|
1,341,350
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Residents |
11,852,562 |
± Is It
Free?
- Yes and No
- Free to create an Avatar and
explore (Basic Membership)
- Lots of
“freebies”
-
Hair,
skin, clothes
± Is It
Free?
Second
Life: Get One
Introduction to Second
Life
Ohio
University
± Institutions In Second
Life
± Let’s
Go!
- Kirstie Merlin goes to
college!
- Re-Think Learning
Spaces
- Do you really need a building or
chairs when you can meet on top of a mountain or discuss a topic while
swimming in a lake?
pExamples
pSecond
Life Education Wiki
± Campus: Second Life
Program
- Use of 1 acre of land in Second
Life completely free for the duration of your class
- Allows you to try out Second Life
with your class for the first time at no cost
- You will have the land for a
single semester (e.g., Fall or Spring). After that semester is over, plot is
reclaimed Private Islands
-
Provide
ability to create secure "intranet" spaces with restricted membership for your
students and you, or you can open it up to be accessible to everyone in Second
Life
-
50%
discount for Private Islands to educational institutions and
non-profit organizations
-
Islands
are priced at US $1,675 for 65,536 square meters (about 16
acres)
-
Monthly
land fees for maintenance are US $295 (also eligible for 50%
discount)
-
http://secondlife.com/community/land-islands.php
± Higher Ed
Discussion
± Getting
Started
-
First
name can be anything you want
-
You will
not use your “first life” last name
-
You can
be anyone or anything you want!
-
Male/female, human/animal (fuzzy),
robot
-
You’ll
learn how to change appearance
- First stop:
Orientation Island
±
System Requirements
- Internet Connection*:
Cable or DSL
- Operating System: Windows XP
(Service Pack 2) OR Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4)
- NOTE: Second Life does NOT
currently support Windows Vista
- Computer Processor: 800MHz
Pentium III or Athlon, or better
- Computer Memory: 256MB or better
- Video/Graphics Card**:
-
nVidia
GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better
-
OR ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or
better
± Getting
Help
± Have to See to
Believe
Machinima (making
movies in Second Life)
http://www.bellsandspurs.com/
http://secondlife.com/community/videos.php
