http://www.thestandard.com./node/103998/comments comments feed. en http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue <!--paging_filter--><div class="epromo"> <div class="buckettop"> </div> <h3><strong>SECOND LIFE</strong> <span style="margin-left:15px"><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20">see slideshow</a></span></h3> <div class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20"><img src="http://www.thestandard.com./sites/thestandard.com/files/imagecache/slideshowPicture/u98/n_secondLife.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-slideshowPicture" /></a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"><li><strong>10 ‘Net services that will:</strong></li></ul> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><b>Succeed</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/trulia-online-real-estate-listings-backed-solid-business-plan">Trulia</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cafescribe-web-2-0-meets-academic-publishing">CafeScribe</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/overlay-tv-video-finally-gets-hyperlinks">OverlayTV</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/fav-or-it-rss-reader-mainstream-potential">Fav.or.it</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/hulu-real-tv-programming-web">Hulu</a><br /> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/huddle-affordable-collaboration-software-small-teams">Huddle</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/kaltura-collaborative-multimedia-takes-hold">Kaltura</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">ModiFace</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cognitive-code-speech-recognition-goes-mobile">Cognitive Code</a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"> <li><b>Fail</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/joost-lots-buzz-lacks-web-interface">Joost</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue">Twitter</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/zillow-glory-days-are-over">Zillow</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/chumby-advertising-alarm-clock">Chumby</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/ecirkit-extreme-attitude-weak-execution">eCirkit</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/flock-struggling-firefox-factor">Flock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/spock-people-search-tagging-problem">Spock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/jobster-flawed-approach-career-networking">Jobster</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/squidoo-these-lenses-need-polishing">Squidoo</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue">Second Life</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="bucketbottom"> </div> </div><p><!--paging_filter--> </p><p><b>Service:</b> <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a></p> <p><b>What it is:</b> A social virtual world, accessed through a desktop application. Unlike virtual worlds driven by gaming (World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, EverQuest), Second Life focuses on the social and creative aspects of interacting in a 3D, computer-generated environment. Another differentiating factor: A self-contained virtual economy where &quot;residents&quot; can buy and sell virtual goods and services.</p> <p><b>Failings:</b> Where to start? Second Life was the darling of the technology and business press in 2006, but the <a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5716">rose-colored glasses came off last year</a>. Problems range from awkward, error-prone meetings to a terrible UI. Many new residents try out the world and never return, and growth in new residents and concurrent visits has started to level off. There are also a host of unanswered questions relating to <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/01/sub-prime-crisi.html">in-world business practices</a>, foreign laws, taxation, and ethics. Parent company Linden Lab has recently experienced <a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">some high-level executive turnover</a>, and is currently searching for a replacement CEO.</p> <p><b>Turnaround potential:</b> Linden Lab is aware of many of the technology limitations of the world, and is working overtime to architect a stable technical foundation that can scale to hundreds of thousands of concurrent user sessions. In addition, Linden Lab has opened up the Second Life platform, which gives developers and external organizations a chance to build out niche applications and simulations. This could widen the appeal of the virtual world, and make it more attractive as a platform for social networking, gaming, marketing, and commerce. Lastly, Second Life remains the most recognizable social virtual world on the Internet, and <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9045079">continues to tap</a> a growing popular interest in virtual reality, massively multiplayer online games, and 3D modeling.</p> <p><b>'Net views:</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2006/10/29/the-upcoming-bad-week-for-linden-lab/">Eric Rice</a>: <i>&quot;Not only do I predict they'll be faced with multiple competitors, they are facing a possible shift in the video game industry.. MMO functionality in an FPS gameplay world. Cheaper engines.&quot;<br /></i></p> <p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=407563#post4689713">LessThanNickle</a>: <i>&quot;I've been running Second Life for a year now, and I have to say that it is one of the worst apps ... every &quot;upgrade&quot; seems like a downgrade ... what baffles me is that Second Life is a cash cow: where is the money going? Certainly not in the application ... there should be NO problems.&quot;</i></p> <p><b>Management: </b>Phillip Rosedale, Founder and CEO; John Zdanowski, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Harper, VP Marketing &amp; Community Development; Joe Miller, VP Platform &amp; Technology Development. Funded by Mitch Kapor, Catamount Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Ray Ozzie, Omidyar Network, Globespan Capital Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. </p> <p><b>Related prediction:</b></p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/second-life-usage-will-not-break-40-million-user-hours-month-end-2008">Second Life usage will not break 40 million user hours per month by the end of 2008</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Other related content:</b></p> <ul> <li>Slideshow home: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail">Opinion: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">Modiface: Virtual facelifts for the masses</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">Rosedale stepping down as Linden Lab CEO</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Note:</b> Anonymous comments on <i>The Industry Standard</i> are disabled. To leave a comment and participate in the Standard's <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions">prediction market</a></b>, please <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/user/register?destination=search/predictions">register</a></b> first.</p> http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue#comments 3D Linden Lab second life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Virtual Worlds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0400 Ian Lamont 103998 at http://www.thestandard.com. http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue <!--paging_filter--><div class="epromo"> <div class="buckettop"> </div> <h3><strong>SECOND LIFE</strong> <span style="margin-left:15px"><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20">see slideshow</a></span></h3> <div class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20"><img src="http://www.thestandard.com./sites/thestandard.com/files/imagecache/slideshowPicture/u98/n_secondLife.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-slideshowPicture" /></a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"><li><strong>10 ‘Net services that will:</strong></li></ul> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><b>Succeed</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/trulia-online-real-estate-listings-backed-solid-business-plan">Trulia</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cafescribe-web-2-0-meets-academic-publishing">CafeScribe</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/overlay-tv-video-finally-gets-hyperlinks">OverlayTV</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/fav-or-it-rss-reader-mainstream-potential">Fav.or.it</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/hulu-real-tv-programming-web">Hulu</a><br /> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/huddle-affordable-collaboration-software-small-teams">Huddle</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/kaltura-collaborative-multimedia-takes-hold">Kaltura</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">ModiFace</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cognitive-code-speech-recognition-goes-mobile">Cognitive Code</a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"> <li><b>Fail</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/joost-lots-buzz-lacks-web-interface">Joost</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue">Twitter</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/zillow-glory-days-are-over">Zillow</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/chumby-advertising-alarm-clock">Chumby</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/ecirkit-extreme-attitude-weak-execution">eCirkit</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/flock-struggling-firefox-factor">Flock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/spock-people-search-tagging-problem">Spock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/jobster-flawed-approach-career-networking">Jobster</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/squidoo-these-lenses-need-polishing">Squidoo</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue">Second Life</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="bucketbottom"> </div> </div><p><!--paging_filter--> </p><p><b>Service:</b> <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a></p> <p><b>What it is:</b> A social virtual world, accessed through a desktop application. Unlike virtual worlds driven by gaming (World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, EverQuest), Second Life focuses on the social and creative aspects of interacting in a 3D, computer-generated environment. Another differentiating factor: A self-contained virtual economy where &quot;residents&quot; can buy and sell virtual goods and services.</p> <p><b>Failings:</b> Where to start? Second Life was the darling of the technology and business press in 2006, but the <a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5716">rose-colored glasses came off last year</a>. Problems range from awkward, error-prone meetings to a terrible UI. Many new residents try out the world and never return, and growth in new residents and concurrent visits has started to level off. There are also a host of unanswered questions relating to <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/01/sub-prime-crisi.html">in-world business practices</a>, foreign laws, taxation, and ethics. Parent company Linden Lab has recently experienced <a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">some high-level executive turnover</a>, and is currently searching for a replacement CEO.</p> <p><b>Turnaround potential:</b> Linden Lab is aware of many of the technology limitations of the world, and is working overtime to architect a stable technical foundation that can scale to hundreds of thousands of concurrent user sessions. In addition, Linden Lab has opened up the Second Life platform, which gives developers and external organizations a chance to build out niche applications and simulations. This could widen the appeal of the virtual world, and make it more attractive as a platform for social networking, gaming, marketing, and commerce. Lastly, Second Life remains the most recognizable social virtual world on the Internet, and <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9045079">continues to tap</a> a growing popular interest in virtual reality, massively multiplayer online games, and 3D modeling.</p> <p><b>'Net views:</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2006/10/29/the-upcoming-bad-week-for-linden-lab/">Eric Rice</a>: <i>&quot;Not only do I predict they'll be faced with multiple competitors, they are facing a possible shift in the video game industry.. MMO functionality in an FPS gameplay world. Cheaper engines.&quot;<br /></i></p> <p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=407563#post4689713">LessThanNickle</a>: <i>&quot;I've been running Second Life for a year now, and I have to say that it is one of the worst apps ... every &quot;upgrade&quot; seems like a downgrade ... what baffles me is that Second Life is a cash cow: where is the money going? Certainly not in the application ... there should be NO problems.&quot;</i></p> <p><b>Management: </b>Phillip Rosedale, Founder and CEO; John Zdanowski, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Harper, VP Marketing &amp; Community Development; Joe Miller, VP Platform &amp; Technology Development. Funded by Mitch Kapor, Catamount Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Ray Ozzie, Omidyar Network, Globespan Capital Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. </p> <p><b>Related prediction:</b></p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/second-life-usage-will-not-break-40-million-user-hours-month-end-2008">Second Life usage will not break 40 million user hours per month by the end of 2008</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Other related content:</b></p> <ul> <li>Slideshow home: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail">Opinion: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">Modiface: Virtual facelifts for the masses</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">Rosedale stepping down as Linden Lab CEO</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Note:</b> Anonymous comments on <i>The Industry Standard</i> are disabled. To leave a comment and participate in the Standard's <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions">prediction market</a></b>, please <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/user/register?destination=search/predictions">register</a></b> first.</p> http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue#comments 3D Linden Lab second life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Virtual Worlds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0400 Ian Lamont 103998 at http://www.thestandard.com. http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue <!--paging_filter--><div class="epromo"> <div class="buckettop"> </div> <h3><strong>SECOND LIFE</strong> <span style="margin-left:15px"><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20">see slideshow</a></span></h3> <div class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20"><img src="http://www.thestandard.com./sites/thestandard.com/files/imagecache/slideshowPicture/u98/n_secondLife.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-slideshowPicture" /></a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"><li><strong>10 ‘Net services that will:</strong></li></ul> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><b>Succeed</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/trulia-online-real-estate-listings-backed-solid-business-plan">Trulia</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cafescribe-web-2-0-meets-academic-publishing">CafeScribe</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/overlay-tv-video-finally-gets-hyperlinks">OverlayTV</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/fav-or-it-rss-reader-mainstream-potential">Fav.or.it</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/hulu-real-tv-programming-web">Hulu</a><br /> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/huddle-affordable-collaboration-software-small-teams">Huddle</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/kaltura-collaborative-multimedia-takes-hold">Kaltura</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">ModiFace</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cognitive-code-speech-recognition-goes-mobile">Cognitive Code</a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"> <li><b>Fail</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/joost-lots-buzz-lacks-web-interface">Joost</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue">Twitter</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/zillow-glory-days-are-over">Zillow</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/chumby-advertising-alarm-clock">Chumby</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/ecirkit-extreme-attitude-weak-execution">eCirkit</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/flock-struggling-firefox-factor">Flock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/spock-people-search-tagging-problem">Spock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/jobster-flawed-approach-career-networking">Jobster</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/squidoo-these-lenses-need-polishing">Squidoo</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue">Second Life</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="bucketbottom"> </div> </div><p><!--paging_filter--> </p><p><b>Service:</b> <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a></p> <p><b>What it is:</b> A social virtual world, accessed through a desktop application. Unlike virtual worlds driven by gaming (World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, EverQuest), Second Life focuses on the social and creative aspects of interacting in a 3D, computer-generated environment. Another differentiating factor: A self-contained virtual economy where &quot;residents&quot; can buy and sell virtual goods and services.</p> <p><b>Failings:</b> Where to start? Second Life was the darling of the technology and business press in 2006, but the <a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5716">rose-colored glasses came off last year</a>. Problems range from awkward, error-prone meetings to a terrible UI. Many new residents try out the world and never return, and growth in new residents and concurrent visits has started to level off. There are also a host of unanswered questions relating to <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/01/sub-prime-crisi.html">in-world business practices</a>, foreign laws, taxation, and ethics. Parent company Linden Lab has recently experienced <a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">some high-level executive turnover</a>, and is currently searching for a replacement CEO.</p> <p><b>Turnaround potential:</b> Linden Lab is aware of many of the technology limitations of the world, and is working overtime to architect a stable technical foundation that can scale to hundreds of thousands of concurrent user sessions. In addition, Linden Lab has opened up the Second Life platform, which gives developers and external organizations a chance to build out niche applications and simulations. This could widen the appeal of the virtual world, and make it more attractive as a platform for social networking, gaming, marketing, and commerce. Lastly, Second Life remains the most recognizable social virtual world on the Internet, and <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9045079">continues to tap</a> a growing popular interest in virtual reality, massively multiplayer online games, and 3D modeling.</p> <p><b>'Net views:</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2006/10/29/the-upcoming-bad-week-for-linden-lab/">Eric Rice</a>: <i>&quot;Not only do I predict they'll be faced with multiple competitors, they are facing a possible shift in the video game industry.. MMO functionality in an FPS gameplay world. Cheaper engines.&quot;<br /></i></p> <p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=407563#post4689713">LessThanNickle</a>: <i>&quot;I've been running Second Life for a year now, and I have to say that it is one of the worst apps ... every &quot;upgrade&quot; seems like a downgrade ... what baffles me is that Second Life is a cash cow: where is the money going? Certainly not in the application ... there should be NO problems.&quot;</i></p> <p><b>Management: </b>Phillip Rosedale, Founder and CEO; John Zdanowski, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Harper, VP Marketing &amp; Community Development; Joe Miller, VP Platform &amp; Technology Development. Funded by Mitch Kapor, Catamount Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Ray Ozzie, Omidyar Network, Globespan Capital Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. </p> <p><b>Related prediction:</b></p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/second-life-usage-will-not-break-40-million-user-hours-month-end-2008">Second Life usage will not break 40 million user hours per month by the end of 2008</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Other related content:</b></p> <ul> <li>Slideshow home: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail">Opinion: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">Modiface: Virtual facelifts for the masses</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">Rosedale stepping down as Linden Lab CEO</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Note:</b> Anonymous comments on <i>The Industry Standard</i> are disabled. To leave a comment and participate in the Standard's <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions">prediction market</a></b>, please <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/user/register?destination=search/predictions">register</a></b> first.</p> http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue#comments 3D Linden Lab second life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Virtual Worlds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0400 Ian Lamont 103998 at http://www.thestandard.com. http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue <!--paging_filter--><div class="epromo"> <div class="buckettop"> </div> <h3><strong>SECOND LIFE</strong> <span style="margin-left:15px"><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20">see slideshow</a></span></h3> <div class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20"><img src="http://www.thestandard.com./sites/thestandard.com/files/imagecache/slideshowPicture/u98/n_secondLife.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-slideshowPicture" /></a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"><li><strong>10 ‘Net services that will:</strong></li></ul> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><b>Succeed</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/trulia-online-real-estate-listings-backed-solid-business-plan">Trulia</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cafescribe-web-2-0-meets-academic-publishing">CafeScribe</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/overlay-tv-video-finally-gets-hyperlinks">OverlayTV</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/fav-or-it-rss-reader-mainstream-potential">Fav.or.it</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/hulu-real-tv-programming-web">Hulu</a><br /> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/huddle-affordable-collaboration-software-small-teams">Huddle</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/kaltura-collaborative-multimedia-takes-hold">Kaltura</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">ModiFace</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cognitive-code-speech-recognition-goes-mobile">Cognitive Code</a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"> <li><b>Fail</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/joost-lots-buzz-lacks-web-interface">Joost</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue">Twitter</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/zillow-glory-days-are-over">Zillow</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/chumby-advertising-alarm-clock">Chumby</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/ecirkit-extreme-attitude-weak-execution">eCirkit</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/flock-struggling-firefox-factor">Flock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/spock-people-search-tagging-problem">Spock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/jobster-flawed-approach-career-networking">Jobster</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/squidoo-these-lenses-need-polishing">Squidoo</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue">Second Life</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="bucketbottom"> </div> </div><p><!--paging_filter--> </p><p><b>Service:</b> <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a></p> <p><b>What it is:</b> A social virtual world, accessed through a desktop application. Unlike virtual worlds driven by gaming (World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, EverQuest), Second Life focuses on the social and creative aspects of interacting in a 3D, computer-generated environment. Another differentiating factor: A self-contained virtual economy where &quot;residents&quot; can buy and sell virtual goods and services.</p> <p><b>Failings:</b> Where to start? Second Life was the darling of the technology and business press in 2006, but the <a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5716">rose-colored glasses came off last year</a>. Problems range from awkward, error-prone meetings to a terrible UI. Many new residents try out the world and never return, and growth in new residents and concurrent visits has started to level off. There are also a host of unanswered questions relating to <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/01/sub-prime-crisi.html">in-world business practices</a>, foreign laws, taxation, and ethics. Parent company Linden Lab has recently experienced <a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">some high-level executive turnover</a>, and is currently searching for a replacement CEO.</p> <p><b>Turnaround potential:</b> Linden Lab is aware of many of the technology limitations of the world, and is working overtime to architect a stable technical foundation that can scale to hundreds of thousands of concurrent user sessions. In addition, Linden Lab has opened up the Second Life platform, which gives developers and external organizations a chance to build out niche applications and simulations. This could widen the appeal of the virtual world, and make it more attractive as a platform for social networking, gaming, marketing, and commerce. Lastly, Second Life remains the most recognizable social virtual world on the Internet, and <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9045079">continues to tap</a> a growing popular interest in virtual reality, massively multiplayer online games, and 3D modeling.</p> <p><b>'Net views:</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2006/10/29/the-upcoming-bad-week-for-linden-lab/">Eric Rice</a>: <i>&quot;Not only do I predict they'll be faced with multiple competitors, they are facing a possible shift in the video game industry.. MMO functionality in an FPS gameplay world. Cheaper engines.&quot;<br /></i></p> <p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=407563#post4689713">LessThanNickle</a>: <i>&quot;I've been running Second Life for a year now, and I have to say that it is one of the worst apps ... every &quot;upgrade&quot; seems like a downgrade ... what baffles me is that Second Life is a cash cow: where is the money going? Certainly not in the application ... there should be NO problems.&quot;</i></p> <p><b>Management: </b>Phillip Rosedale, Founder and CEO; John Zdanowski, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Harper, VP Marketing &amp; Community Development; Joe Miller, VP Platform &amp; Technology Development. Funded by Mitch Kapor, Catamount Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Ray Ozzie, Omidyar Network, Globespan Capital Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. </p> <p><b>Related prediction:</b></p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/second-life-usage-will-not-break-40-million-user-hours-month-end-2008">Second Life usage will not break 40 million user hours per month by the end of 2008</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Other related content:</b></p> <ul> <li>Slideshow home: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail">Opinion: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">Modiface: Virtual facelifts for the masses</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">Rosedale stepping down as Linden Lab CEO</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Note:</b> Anonymous comments on <i>The Industry Standard</i> are disabled. To leave a comment and participate in the Standard's <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions">prediction market</a></b>, please <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/user/register?destination=search/predictions">register</a></b> first.</p> http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue#comments 3D Linden Lab second life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Virtual Worlds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0400 Ian Lamont 103998 at http://www.thestandard.com. http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue <!--paging_filter--><div class="epromo"> <div class="buckettop"> </div> <h3><strong>SECOND LIFE</strong> <span style="margin-left:15px"><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20">see slideshow</a></span></h3> <div class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20"><img src="http://www.thestandard.com./sites/thestandard.com/files/imagecache/slideshowPicture/u98/n_secondLife.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-slideshowPicture" /></a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"><li><strong>10 ‘Net services that will:</strong></li></ul> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><b>Succeed</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/trulia-online-real-estate-listings-backed-solid-business-plan">Trulia</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cafescribe-web-2-0-meets-academic-publishing">CafeScribe</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/overlay-tv-video-finally-gets-hyperlinks">OverlayTV</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/fav-or-it-rss-reader-mainstream-potential">Fav.or.it</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/hulu-real-tv-programming-web">Hulu</a><br /> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/huddle-affordable-collaboration-software-small-teams">Huddle</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/kaltura-collaborative-multimedia-takes-hold">Kaltura</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">ModiFace</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cognitive-code-speech-recognition-goes-mobile">Cognitive Code</a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"> <li><b>Fail</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/joost-lots-buzz-lacks-web-interface">Joost</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue">Twitter</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/zillow-glory-days-are-over">Zillow</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/chumby-advertising-alarm-clock">Chumby</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/ecirkit-extreme-attitude-weak-execution">eCirkit</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/flock-struggling-firefox-factor">Flock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/spock-people-search-tagging-problem">Spock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/jobster-flawed-approach-career-networking">Jobster</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/squidoo-these-lenses-need-polishing">Squidoo</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue">Second Life</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="bucketbottom"> </div> </div><p><!--paging_filter--> </p><p><b>Service:</b> <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a></p> <p><b>What it is:</b> A social virtual world, accessed through a desktop application. Unlike virtual worlds driven by gaming (World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, EverQuest), Second Life focuses on the social and creative aspects of interacting in a 3D, computer-generated environment. Another differentiating factor: A self-contained virtual economy where &quot;residents&quot; can buy and sell virtual goods and services.</p> <p><b>Failings:</b> Where to start? Second Life was the darling of the technology and business press in 2006, but the <a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5716">rose-colored glasses came off last year</a>. Problems range from awkward, error-prone meetings to a terrible UI. Many new residents try out the world and never return, and growth in new residents and concurrent visits has started to level off. There are also a host of unanswered questions relating to <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/01/sub-prime-crisi.html">in-world business practices</a>, foreign laws, taxation, and ethics. Parent company Linden Lab has recently experienced <a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">some high-level executive turnover</a>, and is currently searching for a replacement CEO.</p> <p><b>Turnaround potential:</b> Linden Lab is aware of many of the technology limitations of the world, and is working overtime to architect a stable technical foundation that can scale to hundreds of thousands of concurrent user sessions. In addition, Linden Lab has opened up the Second Life platform, which gives developers and external organizations a chance to build out niche applications and simulations. This could widen the appeal of the virtual world, and make it more attractive as a platform for social networking, gaming, marketing, and commerce. Lastly, Second Life remains the most recognizable social virtual world on the Internet, and <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9045079">continues to tap</a> a growing popular interest in virtual reality, massively multiplayer online games, and 3D modeling.</p> <p><b>'Net views:</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2006/10/29/the-upcoming-bad-week-for-linden-lab/">Eric Rice</a>: <i>&quot;Not only do I predict they'll be faced with multiple competitors, they are facing a possible shift in the video game industry.. MMO functionality in an FPS gameplay world. Cheaper engines.&quot;<br /></i></p> <p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=407563#post4689713">LessThanNickle</a>: <i>&quot;I've been running Second Life for a year now, and I have to say that it is one of the worst apps ... every &quot;upgrade&quot; seems like a downgrade ... what baffles me is that Second Life is a cash cow: where is the money going? Certainly not in the application ... there should be NO problems.&quot;</i></p> <p><b>Management: </b>Phillip Rosedale, Founder and CEO; John Zdanowski, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Harper, VP Marketing &amp; Community Development; Joe Miller, VP Platform &amp; Technology Development. Funded by Mitch Kapor, Catamount Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Ray Ozzie, Omidyar Network, Globespan Capital Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. </p> <p><b>Related prediction:</b></p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/second-life-usage-will-not-break-40-million-user-hours-month-end-2008">Second Life usage will not break 40 million user hours per month by the end of 2008</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Other related content:</b></p> <ul> <li>Slideshow home: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail">Opinion: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">Modiface: Virtual facelifts for the masses</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">Rosedale stepping down as Linden Lab CEO</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Note:</b> Anonymous comments on <i>The Industry Standard</i> are disabled. To leave a comment and participate in the Standard's <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions">prediction market</a></b>, please <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/user/register?destination=search/predictions">register</a></b> first.</p> http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue#comments 3D Linden Lab second life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Virtual Worlds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0400 Ian Lamont 103998 at http://www.thestandard.com. http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue <!--paging_filter--><div class="epromo"> <div class="buckettop"> </div> <h3><strong>SECOND LIFE</strong> <span style="margin-left:15px"><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20">see slideshow</a></span></h3> <div class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20"><img src="http://www.thestandard.com./sites/thestandard.com/files/imagecache/slideshowPicture/u98/n_secondLife.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-slideshowPicture" /></a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"><li><strong>10 ‘Net services that will:</strong></li></ul> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><b>Succeed</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/trulia-online-real-estate-listings-backed-solid-business-plan">Trulia</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cafescribe-web-2-0-meets-academic-publishing">CafeScribe</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/overlay-tv-video-finally-gets-hyperlinks">OverlayTV</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/fav-or-it-rss-reader-mainstream-potential">Fav.or.it</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/hulu-real-tv-programming-web">Hulu</a><br /> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/huddle-affordable-collaboration-software-small-teams">Huddle</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/kaltura-collaborative-multimedia-takes-hold">Kaltura</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">ModiFace</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cognitive-code-speech-recognition-goes-mobile">Cognitive Code</a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"> <li><b>Fail</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/joost-lots-buzz-lacks-web-interface">Joost</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue">Twitter</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/zillow-glory-days-are-over">Zillow</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/chumby-advertising-alarm-clock">Chumby</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/ecirkit-extreme-attitude-weak-execution">eCirkit</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/flock-struggling-firefox-factor">Flock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/spock-people-search-tagging-problem">Spock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/jobster-flawed-approach-career-networking">Jobster</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/squidoo-these-lenses-need-polishing">Squidoo</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue">Second Life</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="bucketbottom"> </div> </div><p><!--paging_filter--> </p><p><b>Service:</b> <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a></p> <p><b>What it is:</b> A social virtual world, accessed through a desktop application. Unlike virtual worlds driven by gaming (World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, EverQuest), Second Life focuses on the social and creative aspects of interacting in a 3D, computer-generated environment. Another differentiating factor: A self-contained virtual economy where &quot;residents&quot; can buy and sell virtual goods and services.</p> <p><b>Failings:</b> Where to start? Second Life was the darling of the technology and business press in 2006, but the <a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5716">rose-colored glasses came off last year</a>. Problems range from awkward, error-prone meetings to a terrible UI. Many new residents try out the world and never return, and growth in new residents and concurrent visits has started to level off. There are also a host of unanswered questions relating to <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/01/sub-prime-crisi.html">in-world business practices</a>, foreign laws, taxation, and ethics. Parent company Linden Lab has recently experienced <a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">some high-level executive turnover</a>, and is currently searching for a replacement CEO.</p> <p><b>Turnaround potential:</b> Linden Lab is aware of many of the technology limitations of the world, and is working overtime to architect a stable technical foundation that can scale to hundreds of thousands of concurrent user sessions. In addition, Linden Lab has opened up the Second Life platform, which gives developers and external organizations a chance to build out niche applications and simulations. This could widen the appeal of the virtual world, and make it more attractive as a platform for social networking, gaming, marketing, and commerce. Lastly, Second Life remains the most recognizable social virtual world on the Internet, and <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9045079">continues to tap</a> a growing popular interest in virtual reality, massively multiplayer online games, and 3D modeling.</p> <p><b>'Net views:</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2006/10/29/the-upcoming-bad-week-for-linden-lab/">Eric Rice</a>: <i>&quot;Not only do I predict they'll be faced with multiple competitors, they are facing a possible shift in the video game industry.. MMO functionality in an FPS gameplay world. Cheaper engines.&quot;<br /></i></p> <p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=407563#post4689713">LessThanNickle</a>: <i>&quot;I've been running Second Life for a year now, and I have to say that it is one of the worst apps ... every &quot;upgrade&quot; seems like a downgrade ... what baffles me is that Second Life is a cash cow: where is the money going? Certainly not in the application ... there should be NO problems.&quot;</i></p> <p><b>Management: </b>Phillip Rosedale, Founder and CEO; John Zdanowski, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Harper, VP Marketing &amp; Community Development; Joe Miller, VP Platform &amp; Technology Development. Funded by Mitch Kapor, Catamount Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Ray Ozzie, Omidyar Network, Globespan Capital Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. </p> <p><b>Related prediction:</b></p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/second-life-usage-will-not-break-40-million-user-hours-month-end-2008">Second Life usage will not break 40 million user hours per month by the end of 2008</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Other related content:</b></p> <ul> <li>Slideshow home: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail">Opinion: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">Modiface: Virtual facelifts for the masses</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">Rosedale stepping down as Linden Lab CEO</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Note:</b> Anonymous comments on <i>The Industry Standard</i> are disabled. To leave a comment and participate in the Standard's <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions">prediction market</a></b>, please <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/user/register?destination=search/predictions">register</a></b> first.</p> http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue#comments 3D Linden Lab second life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Virtual Worlds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0400 Ian Lamont 103998 at http://www.thestandard.com. http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue <!--paging_filter--><div class="epromo"> <div class="buckettop"> </div> <h3><strong>SECOND LIFE</strong> <span style="margin-left:15px"><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20">see slideshow</a></span></h3> <div class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail?page=0%2C20"><img src="http://www.thestandard.com./sites/thestandard.com/files/imagecache/slideshowPicture/u98/n_secondLife.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-slideshowPicture" /></a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"><li><strong>10 ‘Net services that will:</strong></li></ul> <ul class="clearfix" > <li><b>Succeed</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/trulia-online-real-estate-listings-backed-solid-business-plan">Trulia</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cafescribe-web-2-0-meets-academic-publishing">CafeScribe</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/overlay-tv-video-finally-gets-hyperlinks">OverlayTV</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/fav-or-it-rss-reader-mainstream-potential">Fav.or.it</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/hulu-real-tv-programming-web">Hulu</a><br /> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/huddle-affordable-collaboration-software-small-teams">Huddle</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/kaltura-collaborative-multimedia-takes-hold">Kaltura</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/27/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">ModiFace</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/27/cognitive-code-speech-recognition-goes-mobile">Cognitive Code</a></li> </ul> <ul class="clearfix"> <li><b>Fail</b></li> <li><a href="/news/2008/03/27/joost-lots-buzz-lacks-web-interface">Joost</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue">Twitter</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/zillow-glory-days-are-over">Zillow</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/chumby-advertising-alarm-clock">Chumby</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/ecirkit-extreme-attitude-weak-execution">eCirkit</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/flock-struggling-firefox-factor">Flock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/spock-people-search-tagging-problem">Spock</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/jobster-flawed-approach-career-networking">Jobster</a> <a href="/news/2008/03/28/squidoo-these-lenses-need-polishing">Squidoo</a> | <a href="/news/2008/03/28/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue">Second Life</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="bucketbottom"> </div> </div><p><!--paging_filter--> </p><p><b>Service:</b> <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a></p> <p><b>What it is:</b> A social virtual world, accessed through a desktop application. Unlike virtual worlds driven by gaming (World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, EverQuest), Second Life focuses on the social and creative aspects of interacting in a 3D, computer-generated environment. Another differentiating factor: A self-contained virtual economy where &quot;residents&quot; can buy and sell virtual goods and services.</p> <p><b>Failings:</b> Where to start? Second Life was the darling of the technology and business press in 2006, but the <a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5716">rose-colored glasses came off last year</a>. Problems range from awkward, error-prone meetings to a terrible UI. Many new residents try out the world and never return, and growth in new residents and concurrent visits has started to level off. There are also a host of unanswered questions relating to <a href="http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2008/01/sub-prime-crisi.html">in-world business practices</a>, foreign laws, taxation, and ethics. Parent company Linden Lab has recently experienced <a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">some high-level executive turnover</a>, and is currently searching for a replacement CEO.</p> <p><b>Turnaround potential:</b> Linden Lab is aware of many of the technology limitations of the world, and is working overtime to architect a stable technical foundation that can scale to hundreds of thousands of concurrent user sessions. In addition, Linden Lab has opened up the Second Life platform, which gives developers and external organizations a chance to build out niche applications and simulations. This could widen the appeal of the virtual world, and make it more attractive as a platform for social networking, gaming, marketing, and commerce. Lastly, Second Life remains the most recognizable social virtual world on the Internet, and <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9045079">continues to tap</a> a growing popular interest in virtual reality, massively multiplayer online games, and 3D modeling.</p> <p><b>'Net views:</b></p> <p><a href="http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2006/10/29/the-upcoming-bad-week-for-linden-lab/">Eric Rice</a>: <i>&quot;Not only do I predict they'll be faced with multiple competitors, they are facing a possible shift in the video game industry.. MMO functionality in an FPS gameplay world. Cheaper engines.&quot;<br /></i></p> <p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=407563#post4689713">LessThanNickle</a>: <i>&quot;I've been running Second Life for a year now, and I have to say that it is one of the worst apps ... every &quot;upgrade&quot; seems like a downgrade ... what baffles me is that Second Life is a cash cow: where is the money going? Certainly not in the application ... there should be NO problems.&quot;</i></p> <p><b>Management: </b>Phillip Rosedale, Founder and CEO; John Zdanowski, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Harper, VP Marketing &amp; Community Development; Joe Miller, VP Platform &amp; Technology Development. Funded by Mitch Kapor, Catamount Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Ray Ozzie, Omidyar Network, Globespan Capital Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. </p> <p><b>Related prediction:</b></p> <ul> <li>Prediction: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/second-life-usage-will-not-break-40-million-user-hours-month-end-2008">Second Life usage will not break 40 million user hours per month by the end of 2008</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Other related content:</b></p> <ul> <li>Slideshow home: <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/opinion-10-net-services-will-succeed-and-10-will-probably-fail">Opinion: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/modiface-virtual-facelifts-masses">Modiface: Virtual facelifts for the masses</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/31/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way">SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/14/rosedale-stepping-down-linden-lab-ceo">Rosedale stepping down as Linden Lab CEO</a></b></li> </ul> <p><b>Note:</b> Anonymous comments on <i>The Industry Standard</i> are disabled. To leave a comment and participate in the Standard's <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/predictions">prediction market</a></b>, please <b><a href="http://www.thestandard.com/user/register?destination=search/predictions">register</a></b> first.</p> http://www.thestandard.com./news/2008/03/31/second-life-interface-infrastructure-and-growth-woes-continue#comments 3D Linden Lab second life Software &amp; Web The Industry Standard Virtual Worlds Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0400 Ian Lamont 103998 at http://www.thestandard.com.