Second Life Oportunidades

Opportunities

• Worst case scenarios about social dislocation, behavioural shifts and illegal activities
are mitigated by the positive possibilities for communication, creation and connecting
which the platform affords.
• The fact that Second Life is imperfect should be good news for technology companies
as it presents many opportunities to research, develop and market IT solutions.
• Upgrades and improved usability should see participant retention rates improve.
• Linden’s announcement for a spatial voice application will reduce the complexities of
keyboard commands.
• ‘Bottom up’ self styled governance in virtual worlds may provide valuable insights for
real world civil codes.
• Those who can create content have a ready market for ‘Lifers’ who seek off-the shelf
products and solutions. Because Linden Lab provides free-to-use modelling tools,
technology companies have an immediate advantage should they want to pursue this
area.
• The SL company line is ‘Your World, your imagination’. In the virtual world there are
few constraints on what can be built.
• Content created in Second Life is owned by the creator who is free to exploit it in
other platforms and markets.
• Prototypes are cheap to produce. The investment is small in relation to real world
development costs such as bricks and mortar, fabric and fabrication.
• New markets and new ideas can be tested and explored before they are ‘commercial
ready’.
• Tracking user innovators leads to real world product development.
• SL is a lightening rod for new marketing models: ideas travel virally, creating buzz.
• Live events are deemed more compelling than a webcast or MP3 recording as
audience are able to chat/dance and commune with one another during an event.
• Low cost of staging events.
• Resources can be shared amongst like-minded, geographically distanced groups.
• Using Avatars to meet in active settings and interact with one another in real time is a
new and refreshing experience for participants.
• With its own economy, it stands to reason that financial services are a growth area in
Second Life. Areas for consideration are analysis, advice, advocacy, virtual loans for
the development of virtual businesses and public policy in regard to virtual banking
and finance.
• Second Life’s 3D interfaces may yield valuable insights into current web services
such as internet banking and provide clues for establishing better personal contact
with customers.
• Open Sourcing:
o Gateway to customised versions and add-ons and potential killer-apps.
o Open protocols would allow distinct but interconnected virtual worlds to becreated.

Fuente: Business in Second Life: an introduction . Mandy Salomon, Senior Researcher, Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology