Second Life

I just attended the Second Life Community Convention this weekend in San Francisco. It was amazing, mind-blowing.

Mitch Kapor kicked things off with a presentation entitled "The Past as Prologue: What the Triumph of the Personal Computer and the Internet Tell Us About the Future of Second Life." The next two days proved he was more than on to something—with story after story about how this grassroots community has come together to create an astonishingly rich, avatar-based virtual world.

Did you know?

Second Life has over 250,000 active Residents.

61 universities teach classes in SL.

The American Cancer Society has raised over $40,000 in SL, and hosted an in-world Relay for Life, complete with blimp rides and other experiences impossible in the real world.

Toyota Scion, American Apparel, Starwood, and Adidas all have presences in SL.

Suzanne Vega and Duran Duran have both performed in SL.

Supportive communities are forming in SL for stroke survivors, paraplegics, and other groups.

In-world protests have been held in response to policy changes and Resident ejections.

The Linden Lab sponsors did a tremendous job of bringing together SL experts on art, sex, business, marketing, media, nonprofit, education, and technology.

Come on in, and check it out.