Week 13 - Course Evaluation

It's all over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I just finished the exam and this is my final blog which means goodbye to 1501ART!
I think I did ok in the exam - I think I passed so anything else is a bonus! I think one of the advantages of this course - in relation to the exam - is that it rewards people who put in the effort to turn up to lectures and tutorials. There was sooooooo many people in the exam today that i have NEVER seen in any lectures or tutes - it was actually really suprising when i walked in and the theatre was packed! Some of the specific questions about the screenings means that if you actually were there and saw the film you should have some idea - as opposed to people who don't come and may just look up the films on wikipedia!

I also found it good the way the questions werev structured. when it came time to start studying i was VERY overwhelmed at how many key people, key dates and key theories there were. The structure of the questions were good because if you had some idea about the subject of the question you could generally come up with a logical answer.

this course has actually been quite enjoyable! at first i wasn't a fan of the idea of having to keep a blog - but it's actually been quite helpful because it has forced me to keep thinking about the lectures and the themes of the course throughout the week - and not just in lectures.

i also found the content quite enjoyable - there were several lectures that interested me that i never thought would - the net art guest lecture was really interesting (and i actually exchanged emails with the speaker about a few interesting points he raised), and the video games lecture. two things that i previously wouldn't have given the time of day i have found myself taking an interest in and researching further and googling! also enjoyed the creative commons lecture

this course has opened my eyes (and thoughts) up to new things and i've found myself taking notice of newspaper articles related to blogging or new technologies and watching new programs about technologies (eg - i randomly stumbled across a four corners epidsode about second life and took an interest and ended up doing my assignment on the topic, and since then have actually stumbled across resaerch that i have since presented to the directors at my work)

well thats all i can think of for now

it's been fun but it's time for me to say goodbye to this course - and uni altogether as a matter of fact - after 16 years of schooling i'm about to enter the real world........and earn some REAL money!!!!

Bye Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Essay

Marketing in Second Life: Get in or get out of the way!

“It’s what we always imagined the internet to be. We always imagined it to be full of other people. We called it Cyberspace, and we said that there were all these other people there, but when you’re actually on a website, there’s nobody else there. But in Second Life, there’s always somebody there.”

Phillip Rosedale, CEO Linden Labs (ABC Four Corners 19/03/2007)

Second Life is a virtual world created by Philip Rosedale and his company Linden Lab, that is built and owned entirely by its residents” (Harkin 2006). With around 20,000 people logged on at any one time, and resident dealings running to US$15 million a month, companies are beginning to realise the interactive marketing possibilities associated with this new communication technology (You Only Live Twice 2007). However, is it better for marketers to gain the benefits of associating with this movement white it’s still in its early stages? Or is it smarter to wait until its full potential is realised (Murphy 2007)? By exploring how Second Life differs from many other virtual worlds, its marketing potential, and focusing on the issues of law and terrorism, this essay will argue, it’s more advantageous for marketers to establish an early presence in Second Life, rather than waiting until its full potential becomes clear.

Second Life has four key features that differentiate it from many other virtual worlds and add to its appeal to residents. Firstly, Rosedale created a platform where residents develop the content, which means it’s expanding at an exponential pace, and truly engaging participants (You Only Live Twice 2007). Secondly, residents “retain full intellectual property for the digital content they create” (Second Life 2007a). Second Life has also committed to looking at ways to make licensing content under creative commons licenses simpler for creators (Linden Labs 2003). This means peoples work will be free from copyright, but their rights as the creator will still be legally protected (Muir 2007). Thirdly, Second Life has its own ‘in-world’ currency, Linden Dollars, which can be exchanged for real dollars (You Only Live Twice 2007). This means residents can sell their ‘in-world’ creations and make real profits. Lastly, Linden Labs has made the viewer source code open, enabling developers to make modifications to the end user software (Second Life 2007b). This also means users can customise the software for their own purpose (Muir 2007). By Linden Labs engaging with residents and allowing them to create content, retail full intellectual property for their creations, make real money and modify the source code, they’ve developed an interactive environment where marketers can reach and target audiences like never before.

Part of the appeal of Second Life for marketers “is that the virtual world more closely mimics human interaction than websites do”, so companies can target their customers in innovative ways (Cohan 2007). For example, Adidas and Reebok give customers the opportunity to customise and order shoes in Second Life which are then delivered to them in the real world (Murphy 2007). IBM recreated the Australian Tennis Open, shot for shot using their ball tracking technology, and ran it live in-world and allowed residents to see the game through the players eyes (You only Live Twice 2007). Dell allows customers to customise their own PC and have it shipped to them in the real-world (Hobson 2006); and retailers like American Apparel have created virtual stores allowing residents to test jeans before they’re released (Musante 2007).

Despite all the hype, however, a research firm found 72% of 200 respondents “were disappointed with real world company activities in Second Life” (Wagner 2007). Although this isn’t because of a lack of desire, because respondents also stated “they would like to be able to interact more with the brands represented” (Wagner 2007). A Second Life marketing campaign can reach over 1.7 million people (residents that had logged in to Second Life in the last 60 days on 26 May 2007: Second Life 2007c), and those who experience it spend one to five hours engaging with it; which is impressive considering online advertisers measure engagement in seconds (Musante 2007).

Second Life converges social interactions into a digital format on the internet allowing marketers greater opportunities for engagement, so there’s no point replicating 2D experiences in a 3D world. Don’t just “create yet another brand island and assume people will come” (Marketing Week 2007). Second Life is about escapism and realising your fantasies, so when establishing an ‘in-world’ presence, stay true to Second Life values. The key is to invest time experimenting and researching the Second Life community and possible applications before investing money (Zimmer 2006). Because, “if marketers don’t tread carefully, fully understand what they are getting into, converse with and understand clearly the mindset of the people who live in the world they are entering, a disastrous backlash will occur and all parties will lose” (Hall 2006a).

An example of the backlash taking place because of the recent influx of big brands into Second Life is the rising occurrence of ‘in-world’ terrorism. The Second Life Liberation Army (SLLA) claims it’s campaigning for democracy and greater rights for users, and is targeting corporation’s in-world because they feel they are taking over and Second Life is being oversold (Dvorsky 2007). Virtual ‘bombs ‘were recently used to target ‘in-world’ stores owned by Reebok and American Apparel (Stuff.co.nz 2007), and during the course of writing this essay ABC Island was also attacked (Ninemsn staff 2007), and this is something big businesses open themselves up to by entering Second Life.

Another issue beyond marketers control in Second Life is law in virtual worlds; a “victim of the techno-legal time-gap” (Hirst & Harrison 2007; pg 283). The argument is where you draw the line between two sets of regulation: the Terms of Service agreement (TOS), which sets ‘in-world’ rules; or the real law and how it extends into virtual worlds (Four Corners Backgrounder 2007b). Things like tax, copyright, property ownership, civil laws and jurisdiction all have to be explored. For example, if two parties dispute about an item sold and take the issue to a court, how is the court going to apply the law ‘in-world’ (You Only Live Twice 2007)? A case is currently before US courts (Bragg v Linden Labs) disputing a sale of virtual land; and a US congressional committee is currently investigating how to regulate in virtual worlds and how virtual assets and income should be taxed (Reuters 2006). It may therefore be more beneficial for marketers to get in early and establish a presence ‘in-world’ before the currently blurred area law becomes clear and possibly drives residents away.

Second Life, like all new communication technologies, has benefits and risks. It’s a 3D virtual world where residents create most of the content, own the rights to their creations, can make real-world profits and modify the source code, which engages audiences and provides companies with new marketing potential. Though one of the risks brands expose themselves to is overselling themselves and being the target of ‘in-world’ terrorism. Yet if marketers are cautious about imposing a commercial presence by investing time before money, stay true to the Second Life values of escapism and realising fantasies and offer customers an authentic and interactive 3D experience they have the potential to reach an audience of over 1.7 million people (Second Life 2007c). However when the techno-legal time-gap catches up, and residents find themselves paying taxes on their virtual profits and having real-world courts governing their avatars, virtual worlds may suffer; which is why it’s beneficial for marketers to establish an early presence and gain the benefits of associating with a new medium while the audiences remain. Therefore, despite the risks, it is more advantageous for marketers to get in early and establish an engaging and interactive presence in Second Life to experiment and take advantage of being an early adopter of this emerging medium, before official positions on law, and real life issues such as terrorism take over and potentially drive audiences away.

1,150 words

Bibliography

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