It’s great to see a PR/marketing blog at the top of WordPress’ hot list – congrats!

You might be interested in a post I wrote late last year about SL: Why Second Life is Your Fault.

I think there is a connection between my assertion that SL was often old marketing in a new marketing environment and yours about the lack of narrative.

Enjoy,
DJ
OnlineMarketerBlog.com

Every longtime SL resident has had the experience of a newbie materializing in front of them and saying, “Ok, what do I do next?” Their expectation is that this is a game, with a story line, a goal, a beginning and an end. When you answer them, “Whatever you want”, they are stymied. They have not experienced anything like SL before.

SL is a world, not a game. I do think you need to approach it with a totally different mindset than you do a game in order to get from it what it offers.

I don’t think Linden Labs intends to market SL along the lines you’re talking about. They see it more as a platform, or a 3-D browser that others can mold to fit their needs. Numerous colleges have opened campuses in SL. IBM has contracted with SL to create versions of SL behind their firewalls, to be used for intracompany meetings, group worksessions, etc.

BTW, while there may not be a SL movie upcoming, it has featured in at least one novel, and a two-episode CSI: New York .

SL is a tool. We are the users.

Best,
Anya Daligdig

Thanks for your thoughtful response, and for illuminating some of the aspects of Second Life. I can appreciate that Second Life offers the opportunity to create your own narrative, but without the connective tissue of a shared narrative, I find it hard to see how Second Life goes beyond what it currently is. Now, perhaps Second Life has no need, or even desire to go beyond its own online existence. Again, that’s totally fine, I just can’t imagine a Second Life movie or other extension for the brand.

Maybe I’m comparing apples to oranges here, but I think for a property, brand or franchise to really break out, it needs to be adaptable to various formats. For that, I think a connective narrative that can be built upon is critical.

The truth is, there is narrative all over SecondLife, but you don’t generally find it by touring. You find it by exploring the thousands of groups that exist in SL. Open Search, click on the tab for Groups and type in an interest of yours — art, live music, role playing, political orientation, computer graphics, building, economics, Shakespearean productions, discussion groups on dozens of topics. Odds are you’ll pull up not just one but several, and in some cases several dozen, groups involved in what you’re interested in.

Join the groups, meet the people behind the avatars and find the narrative you all want to share and develop it.

The secret to Second Life? No game developer has preordained the narrative for you. Instead, you create your own narrative, alone or with others, then bring it to fruition.

Best,
Anya Daligdig