Have you dipped your virtual toes into Second Life yet? ( www.secondlife.com )

For those who haven’t come across it yet, I’ll try and explain it briefly.

Second Life is a virtual world. It is a bit like a computer game, but also very different. The players (residents in the world) are able to create their own content, their own living and working space, their own objects – and it is growing very quickly into a community of businesses, shops, learning and social environments. It is very similar to real life. There are already many people making a living in the “real” world by earning currency in Second Life and exchanging this into “real” money.

Don’t think this is just for nerds who need to “get a life”. As I said, it is growing very fast, and businesses and educational institutions are starting to explore its potential.

There are people building "homes" and renting them. People designing clothes, toys, artwork, and clever scripts that animate things. Many people share by giving or copying their stuff, but also many are selling services and products. There are hundreds of artists and film-makers working alongside programmers to stretch boundaries and imagination.

Universities are starting to use Second Life (SL) for classes and research projects. Educators are able to meet from anywhere in the world. Companies are developing simulations in SL to train their employees. There are already several libraries, newspapers, museums and classes running.

Of course, there are fairly dubious activities going on – as in real life – but also many areas of interest to those of us passionate about learning. See http://secondlife.com/community/education.php 

There is a separate "Teen Grid" where adults are not allowed. One of the projects running there is called Global Kids - building and connecting a community of socially aware young people.

There are two-way conferences taking place both in the virtual space and in the real world - the same for live music, learning and just about anything.

There is a "Zen" healing community.

These are only the tip of the iceberg – and the possibilities for interaction, learning and meaning-making are endless.

There is no charge to set up a basic account - have a look on the website for the requirements.

A Depressing Thought?

Exploring Second Life has been causing me to reflect on all sort of other things too – like the identity we choose for ourselves. In Second Life, you design and create your own avatar – you can be anything/anybody you like – male, female, young, old, noisy, quiet, friendly and so on, and you completely choose your own appearance and name. Last night I logged on to Second Life and whilst exploring, ran into a group meeting for people whose avatars were “depressed”. 

Now, don’t get me wrong – if people feel supported through doing this, more power to them. But I can’t help asking myself why anybody would join a virtual world where they can be anything they want to be – and then CHOOSE an identity of “depression”?

And then it struck me that actually the same is true in real life. We are “making up” our own reality all the time. And, as long as you’re making it up, why not make it up brilliant?

This week’s action suggestion:

Go check out www.secondlife.com

Spend some time reflecting on these questions:

• Who would you be if you could be anybody you chose?
• How are you moving towards that identity?