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Media coverage of Second Life typically favors the opinions of industry analysts and naysayers. All too often, the concerns of regular users are overlooked. For organizations planning to establish a presence in Second Life, listening to community residents is a crucial first step.
In October 2007, as part of a larger survey, we asked more than 800 Second Life residents what advice they would give to real-world organizations establishing a presence in Second Life. Key themes repeatedly emerged in the outpouring of responses. If you plan to set up shop in Second Life, residents advise you to do the following seven things:
1. get to know the cultural landscape,
2. improve, don’t invade,
3. involve and engage residents,
4. prioritize usability,
5. leave your parachute at home,
6. understand technical limitations, and
7. work with in-world talent.
1. Get to know the cultural landscape
Second Life, like any community, is populated by residents with unique cultural values and ideas. In the real world, one would never pour resources into a promotional strategy without understanding the audience. Learning about the community is even more important in Second Life, where a complex network of individuals, businesses and creative developers will determine the success or failure of your venture. Residents stress that you should "get to know the average avatar and understand the world around you before jumping into business." To avoid the most basic pitfalls, educate yourself about community norms and important milestones in Second Life history. "Watch and learn" and "don't jump to hasty conclusions" based on just a few experiences. Design content around the needs of residents rather than focusing solely on the aspirations of your marketing department.
2. Improve, don’t invade
Second Life was built, quite literally, from the ground up. Residents created the spaces, entertainment, and education that populate this virtual territory. And, while most residents welcome real-world businesses who express a genuine commitment to needs of the community, they overwhelmingly oppose businesses who try to impose their real-world lifestyles and promotional strategies from the top down. The secret, one resident explains, is to "support the existing culture rather than trying to impose your own."
At its heart, Second Life is a collaborative experience, and leaving residents out of decision making is a serious error. Organizations must "be prepared to engage with residents, instead of creating a build, walking away and wondering why no one visits."
3. Involve and engage
Second Life’s interactivity demands more of businesses than the pursuit of eyeballs or clicks. Second Life "is a new space" where "old ways of thinking and marketing don't cut it," and residents ask you to remember that "this is not a passive medium like radio." Steer away from push advertising methods such as billboards, suggests one resident, and "think about how you will utilize a very savvy and talented community without patronizing or undermining them." Here, as with other emerging media, social networking is the key to successful promotion. While virtual world residents are often thought of as socially awkward geeks (with plenty of time on their hands), the opposite could not be more true. The soul of Second Life is connection – identification and interaction with others.
To be successful in Second Life, remember that "social bonds and networking" are "more powerful than any single force within the platform." As with all activities that are valued in Second Life, residents want you to "create relationships in the community through human presence and community building" because "people are more interesting than things" and "the social aspect of Second Life is more important in the long term than 'the stuff.'"
4. Prioritize usability
Residents have little patience for poorly designed content that brings their system to a halt. Just because you can recreate the lobby of your corporate headquarters, doesn’t mean you should. In fact, over-engineering an office building, amphitheater or night club may turn away more residents than it attracts. One resident explains that especially on older computers, "a heavily-primmed area that takes a long time to appear" is likely to discourage traffic.
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