That was the year that was…
Electric Sheep’s Giff Constable has written an-depth review of 2006, paying special attention to population milestones, mainstream press attention and real-life business launches:
On the one hand, the average user’s experience in SL has not really changed that dramatically, either from a social/experience perspective or a technical perspective. Linden Lab has rolled out a few new [...]
Could proposed S. Korean gold-farming ban affect SL?
A proposed South Korea law would ban “trading in cyber-money,” the Korean Times reports, “but the controversial bill has been immobile for more than a month due to its sensitive contents.”
The bill is designed to tackle the issue of gold farming in the country’s massive online gaming industry. Ars Technica’s Ryan Paul writes: “The bill [...]
Warren Ellis to write weekly SL column for Reuters
Writer Warren Ellis, author of comic books, graphic novels, and two forthcoming novels, is bringing his “Second Life Sketches” to the Reuters Second Life News Center as a weekly column beginning next month.
Reg Kehoe & His Marimba Queens
Why are some RL sims empty?
Greg Verdino of MarketingProfs.com has visited the Second Life builds of Aloft, American Apparel, Toyota, Reebok and Telus, finding them all empty:
“Welcome to Second Life, marketers. This is the vibrant virtual community that the business press is trumpeting as the new, new thing? The metaverse that companies are tripping over each other to infiltrate?
Linden, we [...]
Charity raises funds with homeless avatar
SECOND LIFE, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A Spanish charity group has raised enough money through its Second Life awareness campaign, which featured a homeless avatar, to provide a month of healthcare and education for a real-life child.
Asociacion Mensajeros de la Paz (Messengers of Peace), which runs some 300 foster homes, created the avatar MensajerosDeLaPaz Jubilee [...]
The Grid Review brings animated newscasts to Second Life
Second Life received its own version of the nightly news this week with the launch of The Grid Review, a machinima news blog run by veteran directors moo Money and Nylon Pinkney which promises to run content ranging from “Peter Jennings to Jon Stewart.”
How far does the Linden dollar travel?
Linden Lab Chief Financial Officer John Zdanowski has released new financial metrics on the Second Life economy which show a steady ratio between the virtual world’s money supply and transactions between residents, known to economists as the velocity of money.
CORRECTED - New avatar registrations outpace SL usage
Growth in the number of registered Second Life avatars, rapidly closing in on 2 million, has drastically outstripped the increase in user hours in recent months.
Study on Second Life and the pursuit of happiness
A new study shows that people with a strong sense of well-being and many friends in the real world follow similar patterns in Second Life.
Surge in high-end Second Life business profits
The number of Second Life residents making profits over US$5,000 a month surged more than 40 percent in November, while the total number of profitable residents rose 11.5 percent from the prior month.
Details emerge on U.S. virtual world tax probe
A government economist has shed additional light on the U.S. congressional investigation into how tax law affects virtual economies.
Interview: Warner Music boss Edgar Bronfman
Warner Music Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman sat down in Second Life on Friday for a broad-ranging interview about CopyBot, the balancing act between the content industry’s copyrights and the creativity of its customers, and the time he caught his own kids illegally downloading songs.
Dutch bank ABN sets up branch in Second Life
AMSTERDAM, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Dutch bank ABN AMRO NV became the latest enterprise to tap into the growing popularity of Second Life, by opening a branch on Friday inside the Internet-based virtual world.
ABN AMRO, the Netherlands’ biggest bank, said it will create a virtual bank resembling ABN’s real-life outlets, offering financial advice.
ABN said it [...]
Nintendo’s Fils-Aime on Wii and Second Life
Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime talks about the company’s popular new Wii console, the overlap between the Wii and Second Life, and possibilities created by its innovative motion-sensitive controller.
Anshe Chung battles ‘PR hype’ with some of her own
MENGJING, Second Life, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Real estate and development magnate Anshe Chung struck back against what she called “PR-vapor-hype” with a public relations barrage of her own on Tuesday, holding a press conference to discuss her recent claim that she has amassed US$1 million worth of assets in Second Life.
Reuters to interview execs in Second Life
Reuters will hold two groundbreaking interviews this week inside Second Life with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime and Warner Music Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman.
Rosedale: No plans to sell Linden Lab
Linden Lab Chief Executive Philip Rosedale said the company is not looking for a public share offering or a buy-out, but he admitted that the rapid growth of Second Life has at times stretched its resources to the breaking point.
Second Life development shops pull in big business
Second Life developers like Rivers Run Red, Electric Sheep Company and Millions of Us are pulling in more than US$10 million in revenues a year by bringing real-life companies into the virtual realm, according to a Linden Lab survey.
CopyBot furor roils Second Life currency
The CopyBot saga has taken its toll on Second Life’s economy as concerned business people shuttered their stores and sold off Linden dollars, pushing down the value of the currency against the U.S. dollar.
