Second Life

Imagine a recluse from the existing drainage of life where even the most whimsical desires can often come true. Anticipate a world where people who long to walk can end up running a marathon in the wildest orchards of the most tropical islands that can not even be listed on the map called Earth. Comprehend an existence that is awake when you are asleep, yet there are no worries of being robbed, confiscated and emotions being bent out of shape due to bad weather or limitations of life. Enlighten yourself with the waves of joy that one only thrives for and permeates only in dreams. Envision a world that is identical to earth but without the disturbance of your past failures and compromises. Second life is that world. A world that has given life to the word 3- dimensional revolution. A revolution that gives people the chance of living life again but without the years required to go through school and pampers.

Simply put, second life (http://www.thevirtualcountry.com/Second-life.aspx) is a web portal that allows people to live their lives as a self created avatar. You can choose your avatar and control many of its dimensions relating to life on screen. Thousands of people use this platform to meet new friends, business partners, common interest groups and even a cult that you simply do not like to get involved with. With the veneer of the avatar, people tend to open up and provide an opportunity to grow and be open that is not so possible in the world we live in. The concept of being utterly free is one of the primal momentum gainers for this website.

The mind behind this astonishing endeavor is a Californian Philip Rosedale who envisioned this concept back in 1998. His vision has even surpassed his imagination. Very similar to how computers have revolutionalized mankind and how mobiles gave the world immediate roaming capabilities; likewise secondlife has most certainly provided millions an opportunity to exist in a form and shape that was not possible before.

Not only is the secondlife embarking on a journey fostering new relationships it is also becoming a centrifugal harbinger for financial activity. Secondlife has allowed thousand of users all over the world to purchase ample land and become virtual land owners. Anshe Chung is a virtual land tycoon with a real-life fortune. The woman behind the Anshe avatar is Ailin Graef, a former language teacher living near Frankfurt, Germany. Several years back the former language teacher started buying and developing virtual land in Second Life to see whether its virtual economy could sustain a real life. Turns out it can: Chung became Second Life's first millionaire in 2006. Her business, Anshe Chung Studios, with a staff of 60, buys virtual property and builds homes or other structures that it rents or sells to other denizens of Second Life.

The success stories alluding from secondlife took a while to finally reach momentum. Secondlife became an online activity in 2001 but was able to only garner 1.5 million registered users. That number has changed drastically. In 2006, the estimated registered users for this site alone are over 8 million users. Speculating the current trend, Gartner Research firm concludes that within the next ten years, every 5th internet user will have become a registered and active user for this site. The research indicates that out of 2 billion internet users 1.6 billion will be a part of secondlife by 2011.

Large and small companies are now targeting Secondlife as another medium to sell their commodities. Companies like IBM, General Motors, Dell and even apparel companies are eagerly working their way up the commercial ladder and purchasing land and investing in prime locations all in this portal. Secondlife has some years to go but will become a medium where people can buy laptops, watches and even condoms on the net for themselves or their avatars.

The drawback behind this amazing phenomenon is the extensive hours that individuals are now putting in surfing, interacting and socializing with the rest of the world. A recent Dutch survey indicated that approximately 60 % of the logged users spend more than 18 hours a week at the site and 30 % spend more than even 30 hours a week there. The total number of hours is also directly proportional to the sales activity being executed. Stats indicate approximately 1 million dollars in purchasing of miscellaneous material ranging from houses, cars, cloths and other items for the avatars.

Irrespective of the volume of the numbers that secondlife is coming forth with; there is a decent amount of criticism regarding online socialism. The bells and whistles of online activity can never replace the fervor or the impact of face to face interaction. Criticism aside, secondlife is here to stay and become a virtual dynasty.

For more information about second life visit: http://www.thevirtualcountry.com

Maria host http://www.thevirtualcountry.com and expresses her passion for events through writing and discussion. She works for Less Corporation at http://www.ticketnest.com