Obviously, the only reason to do this would be to generate more $$, more money for LL to work with. Where would this $$ go? Well, ideally, back into Second Life. Its a buggy, crash prone, unstable nightmare of an experience for a good number of us, and its pretty clear that where technology goes, there are very few problems that can’t be fixed without throwing money at it.

Better servers and higher paid coders *should* lead to a smoother running world. Now, the anti-capitalist types have gotten pretty good at rattling their swords agains *any* kind of corporate intervention in SL, and while I think that most of their fears are overblown, there are some valid issues that should be addressed.

1. Corporate Reputation. Any company worth its salt is going to need to be certain about the outlet its attaching itself to. You don’t see Budweiser sponsoring KKK rallies, for example. So would some of SL’s more *diverse* communities be a deterrent for some companies. I think possibly, but what SL really needs to invest in is better PR. While the odd story about IBM or educational entities using SL does pop up, there’s a lot of *is it cheating?* and ageplay noise out there that should be controlled.

2. Advertiser Stable. Ok, so who would advertise in SL? Seems some of the tech culture are early adopters: IBM, Intel… there’s probably a lot more. I think, though, that catering to the *gamer* crowd might be a good move as well. So, maybe put up a few EA billboards. Jolt, Pizza Hut, set up a Starbucks island, its all possible. And I’d be surprised of companies like this wouldn’t at least entertain the notion. The late adopters on the Internet suffered, this is common knowledge, there’s your selling point.

For the residents, worried about encroaching capitalist influences on ‘your world’, there are way to keep it a partnership. Maybe tier rebates could be offered for giving up space to advertisers.

Nobody wants to see a world filled with avatars sporting Hooters T-shirts beneath a Coca-Cola sunset, but there are realities that need to be addressed.

Sites like Youtube and even Napster changed the way media worked and is created. The Internet changed business models across the globe. The fact is, our *First Life* is full of these things. In the timeless words of the Joker “you bought it already.”

The fundamental appeal of Second Life is the possibilities of interaction it offers. If LL can balance that with the opportunity to bring in more revenue and use it to enhance the experience of its residents, then I say go for it.

So now, we have a proposed plan from months ago coupled with a CEO that has experience in implementing said plans.

As for SL dying? I think Gwyneth Llewelyn mentioned it best http://gwynethllewelyn.net/2008/04/21/splitting-hairs-over-trademarks/#more-309 when she said that SL is the ONLY user generated content platform. There.com just isnt’ …well, there. As long as people want to create, (not saying creation is the *only* thing) SL will live.

This time next year, SL will be in its death throes, and only goreans and furries will be left in their ad-ridden shit hole of a game.

Why not stick with what I coined a year or two ago when I predicted “Advertising World.”

Or, if you don’t like that one (since its initials are AW, calling to mind Active Worlds), try “Advertising Land.”

At least you are finally “covering” this story. Past couple of days I’ve had to go elsewhere for news on this (such as Prok’s blog), as here the usual hot and timely griefer’s report was at the top.

coco

THREE FUCKING YEARS, BLOODY RETARDS.

(did someone set your PC’s date back 3 years or did retardation plague get a hold of your brain?)