Concentrate on your association’s First Life
April 12th, 2007
By now, you’ve probably heard something about the growing hype surrounding the virtual reality environment known as Second Life. What is Second Life exactly? Some people describe it as a game, but I don’t think that is accurate, since you’re not competing against the computer or other players to score points. Simply put, Second Life is another world, one in which you assume an entirely different persona and, well, lead a second life.
Within the last few days, there has been some discussion of Second Life on ASAE & The Center’s Technology Section listserver. Mostly, those postings were inquiries into whether any associations are doing anything in Second Life. I know there is a Second Life effort going on at the American Library Association, and I’ve recently learned about the American Cancer Society’s Second Life Relay for Life. There may be other associations experimenting with SL of which I am not aware, so if you are involved in or know anything about such initiatives, please post them to the Association Social Media Wiki so we can track it for the community.
While I’m pleased to see some associations are taking the plunge into Second Life, my overarching view is that it is not a technology on which most associations should focus too much attention and energy right now. The coolness factor of Second Life is significantly outweighed by the time and technology requirements of creating, accessing and maintaining a presence in this other world, and if your members don’t have personal access to broadband Internet, as well as the technical savvy to navigate the environment, they probably will find SL more frustrating than fun.
On a strategic level, it is difficult to see what radical new value your association’s Second Life presence will create for most of your members, especially when there are simpler social media tools that will allow your association to innovate more rapidly and with more meaningful results. When you consider how many organizations in our community are still struggling with how to apply these more straightforward technologies, Second Life feels a bit like a distraction.
It is essential that we make association innovation a sustainable process, and most staff and volunteer leaders consistently cite a lack of time and resources as obstacles to achieving this goal. Under these conditions, then, I strongly urge associations to concentrate on getting the “First Life” right before they worry too much about creating a Second Life.
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