Second Life (#22)

Second Life is 6 years old this summer. After all the buzz about it in the first years, it seems that I haven't heard anything about it for quite awhile. However, according to a recent report by the analyst firm Next Up Research, SL is thriving. One million users logged in during a recent 30 day period, and the number of hours users spent on Second Life "has been increasing steadily and is currently at historic highs, totaling approximately 124 million hours in the first quarter of this year." The same report indicates that the aging population of its main target markets (U.S. and Europe) could have a negative impact on the company's valuation.(http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/02/does-anybody-still-use-second-life-and-if-so-how-much-is-it-worth-today/).
For those who thrive in virtual worlds, there appears to be a wealth of educational and business applications for SL using simulations, gaming etc. I was never all that impressed with the library applications in SL, but it was interesting to see what a few of the libraries in the Discovery Resource section are doing. It could have value for special projects, such as the historical simulation on the SC State Library site (dialog is pretty hokey!). Yes, there is a role for libraries in SL -- but its value seems limited compared to many of the other technologies (especially in proportion to the resources required to develop and maintain that presence).
It could be interesting to keep an eye on applications that extend and integrate SL into other sites.