Pablo Romero, a tenor with the Loveland Opera Company, manages his own concert venue on the side. He has organized an art show exhibiting his personal work, and he even plans a live performance to promote the opera company – all within an online virtual world called Second Life.
“When I came back to Second Life, people were putting music out there, trying to develop a fan base,” Romero said. “It’s a lot more informal and not as threatening.”
Second Life, the online virtual world created by San Francisco-based Linden Labs, is doing more than catching the attention of online video game enthusiasts and artists.
Companies such as Sears, Dell, Circuit City, Adidas and Toyota have taken up residence in Second Life. Other companies are beginning to embrace the concept of virtual worlds as they seek new ways to reach customers who are turning away from traditional media such as television and newspapers.
“It’s like 1994 and the beginning of the Internet,” said Chris Sherman, executive director of virtual worlds management for conference organizers Show Initiative. “The message is that this is moving fast. Will this be the next place for users to flock? There are a lot of questions.”
There are 5 million registered users of Second Life (secondlife.com), but the number of actual users is much lower, as people sign up to check out the world and don’t return. In the past seven days, 456,320 users have signed on, according to the Second Life website.
Users navigate the virtual world by creating “avatars” or graphical representations of themselves. Avatars can walk, fly or “teleport” around the virtual world to explore different places or interact with other users. The program, which must be downloaded, is graphic-intensive and sometimes requires advanced processor capabilities to run smoothly.
Residents of Second Life can work, dance, take classes and participate in a thriving online economy. While it’s free to sign up for a basic membership, residents can purchase “Linden dollars,” allowing them to buy property and clothing.
The virtual currency – traded on the LindeX exchange – goes for about 270 Lindens for every $1. However, on Friday afternoon, the rate was L$186 for every US$1.
Users can also cash out their Linden dollars for real-world dollars. Linden Labs gets a fee for each currency transaction and has circuit breakers in place in case residents try to sell too many Lindens in a given period.
Romero said he hasn’t earned much money from selling his virtual artwork to other residents. But musical performers pass around a virtual tip jar to make some Lindens.
“For some of the artists, the exposure on Second Life helps their sales, as people will go out and buy individual songs or albums,” Romero said.
The enterprising nature of virtual worlds continues to intrigue major corporate players.
Last year, IBM said that it would invest $100 million in 10 various projects, including the exploration of virtual communities. The global company frequently holds meetings with employees and clients on its several virtual “islands” purchased from Linden Labs.
More than 5,000 IBM workers are hanging out in Second Life today.
Sandy Kearney, IBM director of 3D Internet and virtual business, describes the Second Life experience as “broadband to the mind,” as the world allows IBM to show clients 3D visual representations of hardware and services, compared with two-dimensional PowerPoint displays.
“We’re already doing real business in Second Life now,” she said. “It’s about leveraging existing business, repurposing business and getting new business.”
Also, having an avatar at a meeting lets managers know who’s paying attention.
“If someone is multitasking, you can see it, the (avatar) slumped over,” she said.
Sears has partnered with IBM to create a virtual store on one of the IBM islands. Residents can’t buy real-world items there but can look at appliances, clothing and tools. A few clicks on an item will take users to the Sears website.
“In Second Life, we’ve built an immersive experience. People are definitely interacting with it,” said Paul Miller, senior vice president of direct commerce for Sears.
Romero is hoping for the same thing. It’s much less intimidating listening to an opera sitting at home in shorts and T-shirt versus getting dressed up and knowing when to applaud, he said. Some of the performers even chat with the audience between pieces.
“People are lot more willing to experiment when it doesn’t cost them and when it’s easier to move about,” Romero said. “The world itself is ripe for the taking. If you can find an appropriate niche which no one has converged on, you can advance your goals and make some money too.”
Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-954-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com.
