Principled Innovation LLC

The hollow promise of Second Life

October 8th, 2007

In case you have not yet seen it, the November/December issue of GOOD Magazine has a “good” article on why Second Life (SL) doesn’t live up to its hype. The article, written by GOOD’s deputy editor Morgan Clendaniel, documents the author’s rather embarrassing personal experience exploring SL. (Let’s just say that Morgan’s quest to locate appropriate “equipment” for his SL avatar is the dominant theme of the narrative.) But this paragraph, which I’ve cleaned up a little bit for a workplace audience, captures the essence of why I believe SL isn’t a good use of time and resources for associations:

Since San Francisco-based Linden Lab launched it in 2003, Second Life has enjoyed enormous growth, and has been widely heralded as the future of the internet. More recently, though, things seem to have taken a turn for the worse. Several major real world businesses set up shop in Second Life last year, but some companies have since quietly pulled out, perhaps noticing the same trend I did: a less-than-critical mass of Second Lifers pretty much everywhere I went. And even though $1 million changes hands daily in Second Life, the economy…appears to be less a new way for businesses to reach their consumers, and more of a way for people with a little skill at using Second Life’s programming code to make a few quick bucks…(emphasis added)

Second Life advocates contend that experimenting with virtual worlds today is an opportunity for organizations of all sizes to learn what it will take to be successful in the years ahead when virtual worlds are more prevalent and important on the Web. While this argument makes sense from a pure innovation point of view, I continue to believe that establishing a presence in SL is not the right strategic choice for the vast majority of associations trying to create new value for members, customers and stakeholders. There are simpler and more meaningful technologies available to our organizations, and I don’t believe any of them require any special “equipment.”

Of course, I urge you to read the article and draw your own conclusions, but I’ve reached mine. Second Life just isn’t a good use of your time.

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Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, Simplicity, We Have Always Done It That Way

6 Comments Add your own

1. Tony Rossell | October 9th, 2007 at 10:38 am

Thanks for the helpful post.
2. Paul Williams | October 9th, 2007 at 11:57 am

Jeff:

I’ve come to the same conclusion recently. In interactions with my clients over the past year, a few have said, “We need to get on Second Life fast!” To which my reply is always, “Why?”

They basically return with an answer that equates to the old “bridge jumping” argument your mother retorted with in your youth…and that is simply not good enough.

I’ve personally explored Second Life and I really don’t get what all the fuss is about, nor do I see any sign of the promised benefits in financial gain or collaboration. It is a really cool concept, no doubt, but reality is hard enough without trying to duplicate it in the virtual world. I think a lot of smart organizations are coming to the same realization…lighter in the wallet…but hopefully smarter.

Thanks for a great topic!

Paul
3. Kevin | October 9th, 2007 at 1:23 pm

I agree. It’s overrated and likely to remain of long-term interest to a minority of populace (as opposed to the people coming in and out strictly out of curiosity who don’t wind up hanging around — I suspect it’s the curiosity-seekers who have been bumping up the SL “population numbers” since free-level SL avatars never seem to die). Unless your association serves a community that is represented in such a targeted demographic, not worth the bother at this time.
4. Ben | October 9th, 2007 at 10:59 pm

Equipment. Heh. SL will be the sacrificial lamb for online worlds that grow up into stuff that’s actually useful. I’d recommend playing around with it on your personal time. The numbers just don’t add up for devoting work hours to it: You’re something like 500X more likely to encounter an association member in World of Warcraft vs. Second Life; there are less than 100,000 people logged into Second Life in the average moment; and less than 100 avatars can gather in any given virtual space.

Just to extend the conversation, I’d be curious to hear if you think staying away from Second Life is at all incompatible with your Long Tail philosophy. I’m guessing you don’t think they’re incompatible, but on the surface, they seem in opposition. Certainly there are some members in any given organization of significant size that are in SL.
5. Dirk Singer | October 10th, 2007 at 4:37 pm

Shock horror! Man goes into SL, makes a beeline for sex and gambling clubs and finds….strange things going on. Well I never, who’d have thought.

I for one find it quite easy to get along without taking my kit off in Second Life, but there you go.

As for SL not being brand ready, just a thought. If you are a brand or agency and you throw money at something that bombs, who is to blame? The medium, the stupid consumer, or you for putting forward an execution that isn’t actually right for that environment?
6. Joseph Dunphy | January 13th, 2008 at 5:44 pm

“As for SL not being brand ready, just a thought. If you are a brand or agency and you throw money at something that bombs, who is to blame? The medium, the stupid consumer, or you for putting forward an execution that isn’t actually right for that environment?”

Most likely, the stupid consumer in this case, for the most part. What you see in Second Life is there because consumers paid to build it. Entering as a visitor, what I mostly found were a multitude of opportunities to go shopping and spend real money on fake merchandise - sorry, that should be “virtual merchandise”. Picture tuning in to a new TV network that shows almost nothing but commercials - could you picture yourself becoming a regular viewer? The cluelessness of a marketeer who tries to promote his product with a happening that offers nothing to the visitor but a chance to be parted from his money can not be blamed on anybody but the marketeer himself.

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