Second Life Interview

Ella Sandell: What was your reason for joining Second Life?

Morgan Reiter: I work for a media company and we were investigating it. We were thinking about representing the company on the site by hosting events, forums, etc.

Ella Sandell: How long have you been in Second Life?

Morgan Reiter: About a week.

Ella Sandell: What types of places do you travel to in Second Life?

Morgan Reiter: I checked out Sony's Island, the newbie place (I forget the name), Studio 54 Disco, Coyote Ugly Bar, a store someone brought me to where I got some cool-ass clothes, and I mostly float around, randomly
clicking the map.

Ella Sandell: Do you talk with other people in the game?

Morgan Reiter: Yes.

Ella Sandell: What was the nature of those conversations?

Morgan Reiter:"How do I stand up?" (I was sitting at the time.) "Where are you taking me?" "What are you looking at?", "I'm new. How about you?", "How do I
dance?", "Click what?" This is pretty much how my conversation with the other newbie went.

Ella Sandell: What features of the game do you like?

Morgan Reiter: That anything can be invented and sold. It's so interesting that it operates with its own currency and is really successful.

Ella Sandell: What features of the game do you dislike?

Morgan Reiter: The search part - it was hard to find places to go. There's no real search engine. I was trying to find Sony's island but you can't type Sony into the map and get there. You have to know the place's specific name. (Which I got, luckily, from someone I met who'd been there.)


Ella Sandell: What is you overall impression of the game?

Morgan Reiter: Interesting. I don't think I'd call it a game though, it's more like MySpace next generation, social networking. I'd rather drink a real beer
than pay two Lindens for one in SecondLife, theirs don't have a buzz.

Ella Sandell: HaHa. So, do you think the game could be used for more than just entertainment?

Morgan Reiter: Sure. I think it would be great for marketing/ publicity. I hear classes teach inside here. That's interesting. I wouldn't want to attend class here every day. Human interaction is still more
interesting, I think.

Ella Sandell: Well. Thanks for answering some questions.



For my interview, I interviewed Morgan Reiter. It was interesting to talk to with her, because she had joined Second Life for work. She was to investigate the Second Life world to see if her company wanted to use it as a marketing tool. I asked while she was in the game what kind of places she visited. She said she went to the Sony places. This makes sense, since her company is looking to market themselves in Second Life; they should look to see how other names are using it as a marketing tool. I also asked since she was relatively new to the game, what her she felt about it. I asked her likes and dislikes. She brought up some valid points, which did not occur to me. When I referred to Second Life as a game, she said that she didn’t think of it as a game, but as an online community like My Space. The more I think about this, the more I think she might be right. The community allows you to develop your character, but also to create a real life profile for yourself. You can add friends and chat online through Second Life, similar to My Space. However, the game has a variety other features; you can hang out with your friends in a virtual space. Overall, it was interesting to get another person, who has experienced Second Life, perspective.