USA Today has published an article titled Marketers find a new place to set up shop: Virtual reality. We’re one of the companies featured.

Here’s a shot with the USA Today reporter’s avatar in newbie clothes, my PR person and me.  I gave her a tour using our nifty flying board room table; we snapped this in front of our client exhibit area.

The article is a good introduction to the real world business side of Second Life.  In my mind, the best quote was at the end of the article.  Catherine Smith of Linden Labs said,

“What’s interesting and scary for advertisers is that Second Life is a living and breathing ecosystem, and to be successful within the space, you have to participate in it,” says Second Life’s Smith. “Second Life is a collaborative social environment, and the best way to take full advantage of it is to dive in and participate.”

Second Life is a dramatic example of participatory media culture.  It draws upon the same desire for people to participate as does YouTube, Flickr, and all the other “Web 2.0″ websites.

We’ve been getting a steady flow of visitors to Idea City, many of whom seem to be marketers new to Second Life, based upon their Second Life birthdays, the groups they’ve joined, and what information they provide in their profiles.  I’ve spoken to a number of them and the themes tend to revolve around, “How much and how long?” and “What then?”

Determining what to do next is the same challenge one haves when marketing in a Web 2.0, participatory, sharing media culture.