“One of the most significant technology breakthroughs in history” – Fortune

Second Life is a rapidly growing online virtual environment and is pioneering new ways of communicating, interacting and remotely collaborating through the internet. Started in 2003 there are now over 12 million registered users and growing at a rate of 10,000 new members per day. Sometimes referred to as the Metaverse, investors behind Linden Labs, creators of Second Life, include the founders of Amazon.com and eBay.

In 2006, real world 'bricks & mortar' businesses started moving into Second Life. Initially these were companies such as Adidas and Dell Computers, who generated brand awareness by marketing virtual representations of their products. Then companies started to drive real world commerce with diverse businesses ranging from fast food establishments to professional services such as lawyers and tax advisors. Some companies used Second Life for product launches like Calvin Klein and Warner Brothers. IBM is an example of an organisation that has embraced Second Life as a means of collaborating with staff and customers. Here is a comprehensive list of companies in Second Life today.

In addition to business use, Second Life is being used as an educational channel (e.g. Ohio University, Harvard Law School), political platform (e.g. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Antonio di Pietro), entertainment (e.g. Oasis, Duran Duran, U2 in concert), banking (e.g. ING, Saxo and ABN AMRO) and even by countries (e.g. Sweden and Antigua).

With so much business activity going on within and around Second Life, Reuters have even set up an 'in-world' news agency with a full time correspondent.

New Business Horizons, a Second Life 'Full Service Developer' with offices in London and Montreal, has created the ‘Blue Horizon’ virtual business park which offers companies the opportunity to enter Second Life in a timely and cost effective manner before committing any major resources to the project. This enables companies to experience the environment and explore the business benefits which can range from a unique sales, marketing and PR tool to a rich medium for communication, collaboration and participation.

Getting started in Second Life has never been easier. We would be happy to chat with you about any aspect of Second Life. Please use any of the contact options to get in touch or visit us in Second Life at Blue Horizon/128/128/47.

To request a detailed document setting out the business benefits of Second Life in general and the Blue Horizon business park in particular, together with costings, please click here.