Virtual Worlds Forum

In a blog post, Linden Lab has issued a deadline of the 1^st October for the removal of networked ads from the mainland. This follows on from earlier discussion on the company's blog about their desire to 'clean up' what has become a somewhat chaotic region of Second Life. In early August they wrote: "Unfortunately with the wonderful freedoms and creativity the Mainland offers have also come substantial problems that are unique to this area of the grid and so the time for change is now." They define networked ads, or ad farms, as 'the practice of using many parcels over multiple regions, especially small micro parcels where the predominant purpose of the land is to hold advertising.'

Linden is caught in a tricky position over what to do with its mainland in Second Life. Land is far more scarce on this Linden-operated part of Second Life, meaning that there is a certain pressure to make the most of the space. To that end they are talking of introducing planning measures one would normally expect to find in real-world cities, including 'zoning' – one area might be residential, the next commercial, and each have different covenants to enforce that distinction. Yet on the other hand, Second Life prides itself on the creativity, both in terms of the arts and in terms of commercial ventures, which exists in the virtual world. In their programme to clean up the mainland, they must be risking destroying the very thing which makes the SL community uniquely attractive.

The impact for real-world businesses is certainly not detrimental here; there is little to no value in them buying display advertising in Second Life in terms of building their business (interactivity and virtual goods have been shown to be far more effective), so the restrictions will have little effect. However, a cleaned up mainland potentially brings big benefits by making it easier to do business on the mainland. Just like in the real world, a blue chip brand will wish to avoid being associated with irritating chaos, and will find a premises in a smart commercial district far more appealing than a tiny plot in a mixed use mess.