• by Jack Myers , February 23, 2007

Have you visited Second Life yet? Are your kids active in Gaia? Virtual worlds are the hottest topic in media today, yet most people in the TV and advertising industry have yet to make a visit. It's not easy; in fact, navigating Second Life is a real challenge, and it takes hours to become comfortable. And many might never be comfortable.

But avoiding the implications of Second Life, assuming it's another game or a passing fad, is akin to ignoring Google and eBay in 1999, MySpace in 2004 and YouTube in 2006. Television networks and programmers that fail to understand the growing importance of virtual worlds will be missing an important opportunity.

Until now, the build-out of virtual worlds has been the purview of software and game developers, and more recently, aggressive global telecoms. Certainly, a few media properties including BBC, Reuters, NPR, even SONY, are dipping their toes within pre-existing worlds like SecondLife.com, but MTV Networks is the first programmer to jump in with both feet and build from the ground up. The first of MTV Networks' worlds to launch was Virtual Laguna Beach, which had its soft launch last September and has had a successful life after the series completed its run. While the minds behind VLB have clearly been influenced by Second Life, MTV Networks Music president Van Toffler believes, "Simple has won the day. Content creators need to rethink the process and unlearn their experience."

That's a good lesson for us all. We need to rethink the online media experience and realize virtual worlds represent completely new cyber civilizations where future generations will spend countless hours experiencing very "real" virtual lives. Advertisers like BMW and Sears are actively engaging consumers in Second Life -- not just advertising to them, but actively conducting commerce. You can purchase a car through a vending machine and drive it around Second Life. You can visit a retail store and buy the latest fashions for your avatars, and furnish the virtual homes you can build on the Second Life property you can buy and sell.

Many people believe virtual worlds are a passing fad that will have little lasting impact on the media landscape. Others believe these worlds are the headquarters for future evolutions of social networks, television networks, brands and marketing developments. I have written that opening up in Second Life is similar to the expansion of companies to China.

Will Second Life be the next MySpace as an important and growing scene, or will it go the route of Friendster? Have you visited Second Life yet -- and do you feel like you're missing something if you haven't? Should network television programmers be paying attention to avoid missing the boat on another huge development, or do they have enough cross-platform extensions as it is?

What do you think?