This list is originally from corecon training & consulting.
Brands on Second Life:
- adidas AG, sports goods manufacturer, SLurl
- Amazon.com, online bookstore, SLurl
- American Apparel Inc., clothing company, SLurl
- American Cancer Society (ACS), health organisation
- Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), advertisement agency, SLurl
- BBC, broadcasting company
- CNET Networks Inc., media company, SLurl
- corecon, training & consulting, SLurl
- International Business Machines (IBM), IT company
- KAWG&F, advertisement agency
- Leo Burnett, Advertisement Agency, SLurl
- New Media Consortium (NMC), non-profit consortium
- Pontiac (General Motors Corporation), car manufacturer
- Reebok, sports goods manufacturer (belongs to adidas AG)
- Reuters, newswire, SLurl
- Sony BMG Music Entertainment, record company, SLurl
- Starwood Hotels, hotel chain, SLurl
- Sun Microsystems, IT company
- Telus, wireless carrier, SLurl
- Text100, public-relations agency
- Thomson NetG, learning & consulting company, SLurl
- Toyota, car manufacturer
- Vodafone, wireless carrier
- Wired, technology & culture magazine, SLurl
Lately there is a lot of buzz about bringing TV-channels into Second Life. It kinda started with - the very innovative - approach called "Destroy Television". Electric Sheep Company came up with the idea by sending out an avatar (reporter) within the virtual world. The reporter is equipped with some sort of Camera which exports the taken stills to the "Destroy Television" website and as some sort of archive - flickr and Snapzilla. Especially using flickr is some sort of different approach of a mash up.
Btw, just visit the avatar at MySpace and add him/her to your friendlist.
What is really cool about this is that there is another kind of interface between the real- and virtual world. On the "Destroy Television" website you can interact with the reporter within Second Life by asking questions to the virtual audience in real time. It is even possible to control the avatar with simple movements.
But whats on with traditional television channels? London based public-relations company River Runs Red is already working on that. virtuallife.tv will be their contribution to establish real-life television companies within the virtual world. UK's Guardian newspaper report that Channel 4 aswell as Sci-Fi Channel already joined the team. Another great thing is that there will be lot of room for user generated content. Finally another mash up? And maybe finally another way to break down borders?
The development in Real Life and Off-Line Mash-Ups is quite amazing. Actually it seems that Neil Stephensons' vision of the Metaverse finally gets more reality than the Cyberspace ever could have been.
I still watch closely on Joi Itos' struggle on pushing the Web towards MMOPG. I totally agree with Itos' quote that “The whole concept of cyberspace is holding us back a little bit” (Joi Ito). Systems like Second Life, its pendant Croquet Project aswell as World of Warcraft are already years ahead of the ongoing (already dead) Web 2.0 Bubble. Its actually quite clear (at least for myself) that we are NOT struggling - or moving - for a clear virtual world (only). Its just an extension, an extension that needs Open-Standards to inter-operate within its own and surrounding system(s) as well as communicating with the outside - the real - world. I don't wanna be stuck in one System or World.
The folks at IBM, aswell as Reuters already broke down the barriers by manifestation of combing the Virtual World with people in the Real World.
But lets dare to take a further step. Can't we import our characters into World of Warcraft or vice versa (to i.e. Second Life)? There has to be some interest within big companies aswell as indivuals to make this wish come true.
- The Croquet Project: http://www.opencroquet.org/
- Second Order (Joi Ito): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzckAlAGn2c
- Synthravels: http://synthravels.com/ (1st Virtual Travel Agency)
