Abandon Hope All Ye Who Log-In Here: The Advertising Fall-Out in Second Life

We’ve talked on and off about Second Life here and there when interesting news pops up, but according to a story in the LA Times, this could very well be the last time we ever do. Apparently advertisers who flocked to the virtual community when it first started generating a buzz, are now fleeing just as quickly. The story takes its readers to a variety of different “islands” owned by these major corporations which they found to be completely empty of users and, in the case of Best Buy, were devoid of staff. To make matters worse, they also report that less real-converted-to-fake money has been changing hands, down nearly a million dollars since the last report. Possibly an exodus to other services? People getting tired of the system? Activists trying to shut down any corporate entities? Call it however you like, but for the time being, it looks like some hurt is happening around Linden Lab.