Mid Term Blog 2

Second Life could be used as a part of social media by incorparating a companies brand into the "islands" on Second Life.  Companies, especially small ones, could use Second Life as a way to introduce themselves to potential consumers.  By using Second Life they could interact face to face with consumers, even if it is an avatar's face.  The biggest problem with using Second Life is that many people are not tech savvy enough to use it.  Even, as the blog says, the younger generations who have grown up with technology all around them may not be comfortable with navigating around the (100) virtual world that is Second Life.  I find the idea of personal interaction online very interesting.  Instead of just words on a screen, in Second Life you have an actual character, with sound and visual interest.  The virtual world is just like the real world, they both have distractions.  Making your company stand out in the virtual world is just as important as making it stand out in the real one.  On page ten of The Social Web Analytics Ebook they suggest shaping the conversation by starting your own blog.  This could also be said of Second Life, if a company starts (200) their own Second Life account they can shape the conversation about their company.  Instead of just talking about the company, users could actually visit them.  The company can moniter whether or not users are interseted in what the company is doing (pg10).  By having a Second Life island you can adjust the schedule of other users.  Hosting parties or seminars that are only available on Second Life can spark interest in other facets of your social media presence.  Each individual user of Second Life has their own agenda, and voice.  They have their own channel, and can send messages however they wish, be it good or bad (300) for the subject of that message(pg12).   Social media outlets provide users with a voice, that can be used for good or bad.  While many use their voice for good, there are those who use theirs for slander and spreading incorrect information (pg22).  By having a Second Life account you can moniter these potentially detrimental voices and provide a source for reliable information.  The people on Second Life are joined by the program, yet seperated by their own intents.  Second Life is the new wave of social media interaction, and needs to be recognized as such by companies.  If a company wants social presence and interaction, they need look no farther than Second Life. (400)  Companies can directly moniter Second Life users by being in continual contact with these users(pg20).