Blog: Shawn Rogers: Second Life as a Business Intelligence Enabler

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Second Life as a Business Intelligence Enabler

Richard Hackathorn recently did a post on our UK site about Second Life and its ability to impact business intelligence. For those of you not plugged into the geek world as deeply as Richard and I here is a little background for you. Second Life looks like a game but its not, it is according to the web site An online society within a 3D world, where users can explore, build, socialize, and participate in their own economy. I have been a "resident" for about a year and during that time I have attended technology meet-ups, record release parties, and even attended a business meeting at the Second Life headquarters of a leading online media company.

Richard suggests that Second Life could impact business intelligence in the areas of online education / collaboration and data visualization. I think he's right the Second Life world is evolving quickly and soon these types of virtual environments will play a day to day role in our business life. Here are a few examples of the business / technical projects presently going on in Second Life.

Sun Microsystems participated in the first-ever "in-world" press briefing at the CNET headquarters in Second Life in October 2006
IBM recently met in Second Life to discuss the effects of MMOGs on business.[
Leo Burnett Worldwide has established a creative hub in Second Life for globally dispersed staff to interact within.
Reuters has a news bureau which reports news in the Second Life world.
BBC Radio recreated the 2006 One Big Weekend event on a 64 acre virtual island in Second Life
American Cancer Society has held a version of its Relay For Life national fundraising event inside Second life.
NPR utilizes Second Life as a platform for content delivery. See picture below.