KOM's Digital Nation looks into Second Life.com

The seminar to be delivered by David Wortley, Director, Serious Games Institute, Coventry University and Paul Turner, CEO, The Walk in Web Ltd will show how forward thinking companies and governments are making use of Second Life's rapidly growing online virtual environment and communicating, interacting, trading and remotely collaborating through the internet.

Launched in 2003 there are now over 7 million registered Second Life users and the site is growing at a rate of 10,000 new members each day. Commentators fully expect membership to reach a staggering 25 million by May 2008. Sometimes referred to as the Metaverse, investors behind Linden Labs, creators of Second Life, include the founders of Amazon.com and eBay.

'It's not just Second Life though,' says Wortley 'companies and governments wanting to stay one step ahead of the game recognised a while back that expensive forms of simple brand recognition such as TV advertising is dying, opportunities such as Second Life, YouTube and MySpace are not simply the latest fad, but are here to stay and organizations find them flexible and cheaper. If Oman is to blossom as a high-end tourist destination then it needs to be looking at the opportunities Second Life has offer.'

The sky really is the limit when it comes to how an organization can tap into and benefit commercially from Second Life,' adds Turner. 'For example, there's a company that's in the process of designing a Football Stadium for a Premiership Club where they will be able to sell all their merchandise to not just the real world but also for people (avatars) to wear and use within Second Life. This might be the first club to do so but others will surely follow. There are other firms that are helping government-run tourist authorities replicate their tourism resorts in which visitors to Second Life can enjoy all the same facilities such as hiring rooms, eating in restaurants and enjoying the nightlife. The marketing logic is simple, you enjoy the experience in Second Life then you'll be tempted to visit the real place.'