For anyone who hasn't heard, the future of the internet has been around for several years. It's call...

1. Five Things Businesses Must See in Second Life - Yahoo
Voices
For anyone who hasn't heard, the future of the internet has been around for several years. It's called
Second Life, and it's a game-like interface to all manner of human interaction, with users from
around the world logged in and spending money all day and night. They shop, work, and do
business, cashing out gains in a real exchange system.
Pros and Cons, Virtue and Vice
Because of the video game look and feel, it attracts all kinds - from forward thinking organizations,
to teenage boys who like boobies. Because so many businesses in Second Life cater to that second
category, discriminating taste-testers are often turned-off before seeing the potential.
For businesses and entrepreneurs, the real action on Second Life comes from meeting users who
seek "RL" (real life) opportunities, and from the economy. The so-called LindeX, or Dollar-to-ga-
e-money financial exchange, makes SL an entertaining alternative for the eBay crowd, and a quirky
addition to web marketing.
But for a new user, overwhelmed by the massiveness of Second Life, this virtual world can simply
seem like a video game about a never-ending frat party. It takes time to confirm that there are
worthwhile goings-on outside of land speculation and selling virtual widgets.
There's also much more to Second Life than just Megapolis hack a collection of Red Light districts.
This article contains no locations for dancing, no shops for buying avatars, nor any hidden pointers
toward adult content.
First, a Four-Point Glossary of Second Life Lingo
"in-world" pertains to things in Second Life.
It's short for "in the Second Life world," and is not to be confused with RL. "RL" or "IRL" means "real
life" or "in real life." As in, the Earth, the one with all the dirt. "SL" = Second Life. L$ means Linden
Dollars or just Lindens. So-called because SL is created by Linden Labs.
#5 - The College of Scripting, Music and Science
There are many in-world schools for learning different Second Life skills, such as moving around,
building, and scripting. The "College of Scripting, Music and Science" is different because there's a
huge amount of multimedia knowledge in one place, it's well organized, and it doesn't cause lag. The
low lag is because, instead of scripted objects, the information is displayed on the walls using the
fewest possible shapes. (In other words, it's fast because it's plain.)
Students learn for free by wandering the rooms and reading diagram/screenshot-based guides. The
guides become advanced higher-up in the structure. The guides are organized counter-clockwise
around each room. Since that presentation doesn't require overlaying windows on the 3D view, it's
an uncomplicated way to absorb information on what can be done in Second Life. This is a must-see
for the "so what" crowd, but don't stop there...

2. #4 - Cybrary City
Cybrary City is the center of a small continent dedicated mainly to libraries. Many are created by RL
universities, big municipal libraries, and publishers. Nearly everything within a two-region radius
from Cybrary City is worth seeing, and Megapolis hack most of it has real-world relevance. Just as
campuses led the charge into the web during the 1990s, they have come to Second Life in force, as
have publishers and and writing services brokers. Cybrary City is a megapolis, a sprawl jammed full
of people, places, and things - because of that, reducing the Second Life viewer's graphic detail
settings and walking, rather than flying, is advised.
#3 - Find LocalPeople and Businesses
Use the search. A search for Akron had 14 search results, including a Lexus dealership. A search for
Biloxi got 15 results, including a virtual rendition of Biloxi itself. San Francisco: 198 results; Porland,
96. A classifieds-only search for Los Angeles brings 51 current ads. These aren't web-scale numbers,
but it shows there's plenty of ground floor left to get in on.
#2 - Reuters
Yes, that Reuters. The international news service has a
dedicated Second Life business desk. Why? Because
there's that much business taking place in Second Life.
So, they cover the Lindex, and have field reporters whose
field is in-world culture, events, and business news. As
with Cyberia City, adjust performance settings in Edit ->
Preferences -> Graphics before teleporting to Reuters, to
avoid lag.
#1 - Search for Groups
The groups tab in the search window is where new users
should spend most of their time. Sure, sightseeing and
flying around can be fun - for a while. Sightseeing and flying around back and forth between live
concerts, free celebrity lectures and discussions, and group activities is even better and makes
Second Life what it is - a virtual world with a rich culture and many opportunities. Second Life
features voice and streaming media, so most good events take advantage of that. Join groups and
read their event notices to select from an ever growing menu of education, entertainment, and
networking, including many exclusives.
Getting Started
Second Life is free to anyone by downloading the viewer software, which works on Linux, Mac, and
Windows. Getting started in business operations requires land, which does mean paying for a
premium account (around $22 for a 3-month membership). Everything mentioned in this article,
however, can be done without paying for an account and without buying any Linden Dollars, and
there are no restrictions forbidding the exchange of RL contact information for non-paying users.
Bringing it Back to Business

3. Second Life has not replaced the internet yet, but there's a lot of money being made in it. In some
ways it is still just a niche toy - the reason there are so many costume sellers and programmers in
the classifieds is because that's what Second Life originally offered, a world-building tool. But the
fact that major institutions, including a global news leader, are dedicating significant resources
should be an indicator to its value. The trick is not to fall into the trap of believing there's a one-click
button that launches a business - there's not. There are, however, quick ways of getting in touch
with new contacts, in addition to constant access to free events not found locally, and cross-
marketing potential for companies already used to using the internet for business.