Second Life 101

Second Life is a virtual 3-D online world that was built by Linden Lab in 2003, but that has been constructed by millions of hours of volunteer effort ever since.  On SL, members create an online "avatar" who can experience different virtual environments (islands, buildings, campuses) and interact with the avatars of other members.  As of May 2007, there were 6.4 million accounts on Second Life.  According to a June article in University Business, more than 100 colleges and universities are active in this new virtual world.  According to one of the execs behind SL, “Second Life gives both students and faculty a new medium for exploring things like distance learning, experiential learning, simulation, and scientific visualization in a fundamentally collaborative environment.” University Business