Second Life: Brands should explore with caution

"A group called the Second Life Liberation Army have been harassing Second Life inhabitants in the stores of First World brands. Earlier this month, members of the SLLA stopped shoppers buying in American Apparel. Their mission is to get voting rights in the world plus a share in the Second Life company, Linden Labs.

SL doesn't have a police force as far as we see. What would happen if a literal army of SL residents banded together - maybe within a geographic zone - and attacked other residents, land and even commercial operations? We believe that someone could easily do this with enough time and funds." From PSFK

It's all part of a wider debate about the merits of brands getting involved in Second Life. The consensus is divided between Second Life purists who want to live in an unbranded world and those who think that Second Life is much more interesting when brands add something to the mix such as American Apparel, Reebok etc.

To read the pro brand side click here.

To read the anti brand side click here.

The out-take at the moment seems to be that brands should get involved and experiment with what works vs what doesn't but they should be careful with how they do it. Annoying Second Life avatars will backfire very quickly!