All the news that's fit for 'Second Life'

Do avatars read the news?

The worldwide news agency Reuters is certainly hoping they do. The old-school organization this week is setting up shop in "Second Life" in a quest to reach a new and digital audience. Reuters media correspondent Adam Pasick will serve as its first virtual bureau chief, "Adam Reuters."

Reuters is joining a fast-growing crowd of businesses--from Sun Microsystems to Starwood Hotels--staking a claim to various corners of the virtual world. While "Second Life" has attracted attention for the freedom it gives people to dress up their avatars, it's also the scene of a burgeoning economy involving both Lindendollars (after its maker, Linden Lab) and real-world mammon.

And as proud as our fellow scribblers at Reuters must be about their early arrival in the virtual environs, surely they understand the value of a scoop and won't begrudge Blogma for pointing out that CNET News.com opened up its own "Second Life" presence last month.

Blog community response:

"Could a news agency report from all the metaverses? Are they not social spaces? Do some have economies. Is SL the tip of the conceptual iceberg, the place where developers and media outlets work on the new new things?"
--Eric Rice

"In my opinion this is a no-brainer. SL is another medium for communications, no different than telegraph, radio, TV, eMail, IM, blogging....you catch my drift. This is another proof point that 'Web 2 dot ohhh' is nothing more than fresh technology sending the same content."
--Engage in PR

"A gaming space? Not really. This is rapidly becoming a major business space."
--Neville Hobson