Public Relations in a Virtual World: A Second Life Case Study
John C. Sherblom, Sara Green-Hamann · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · 2013
Second Life is one of the largest and most well-known, three-dimensional virtual worlds that exists today (Koles & Nagy, 2012). Since its launch by Linden Labs in 2003, Second Life has grown rapidly and currently boasts millions of participants worldwide 0in & Bolebruch, 2009). In 2005 Second Life was recognized as having become a major public relations opportunity (Cere, 2007; Martin, 2008; Nikolaou, Bettany, & Larsen 2010); and in 2006 the global public relations firm Text 100 International opened a Second Life office (Text 100, 2006). However, by 2007 public relations professionals began voicing skepticism over the possibility of developing any truly useful and important public relations campaigns in Second Life. In 2010, following results published by the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School to a survey of 400 executives’ responses to their public relations practices, Second Life was declared officially dead as a public relations tool.