Monday, August 29, 2005
Posted by Roberto
12:38 AM
0 comments
A REAL EVENT IN A VIRTUAL WORLD
Second Life (SL) is a massively multiplayer online community. A 3D digital online world imagined, created, and owned by its residents!
What makes SL special is that this online world already functions much like an authentic community. Last month members convened a virtual candlelight vigil after the first series of bombings in London, and this weekend they hosted an American Cancer Society Relay for Life, in which avatars walked a course and raised real dollars.
Second Life Your World. Your Imagination.
In 1992, Neal Stephenson coined this phrase: Metaverse, to express his vision of how a virtual reality-based Internet might evolve in the near future. This is happening right now, and Second Life is a good example of this emerging world where people use avatars to interact online and have no problem in paying real cash for virtual goods.
I just received this e-mail:
//
Greetings gentledudes,
Been busy as all heck w/ the Second Life Relay For Life this weekend.
Very happy with the results (see forwarded message below). Just unplugged myself from that madness and will be back in touch soon.
Jerry
//
My friend Jerry Paffendorf really helped cancer.org in collecting real money. When I got the mail I logged into SL and teleported myself to the event... but I arrived too late, met only few avatars that were also late and were flying aways from the event's place. The Second Life Relay For Life ended a couple of hours ago. They were able to raise $3,500US so far, just in virtual currency alone (credit card donations through cancer.org still being tallied).
Everybody can participate to a virtual event, especially when it is for a good cause. I felt bad that I was not there.
The Metaverse, Stephenson's successor to the Internet, has begun.
Posts with pics from the event:
Second Life Future Salon Blog
Terranova Blog
- Trend Hunter
- Cool Infographics
- Information Aesthetics
- Interactive Architecture
- dataisnature
- Creative Observer
- Design Spotter
- feeladdicted
- Paleo-Future
- TechCrunch
- Trendwatching.com
- Graffiti Research Lab
- t r a n i s m
- Douwe Osinga
- AudioCubes.com
- we make money not art
- Pasta and Vinegar
- Lunch over IP
- Engadget
- Unusual News/Ideas
- CScout Trendblog
- Agenda Inc. News
- digg labs / stack
- Technorati
- Robots Dreams
- gadgetblog
- Create Digital Motion