Hermione's Week: Diary of a Virtual Wealth Coach

The blurring of the lines between RL and SL is getting fuzzier….Vodaphone have come up with a genius way to create brand loyalty for Vodaphone for SL even if you use a different network in RL….

“Vodafone has launched a service in beta for users of the virtual world Second Life. Vodafone InsideOut allows Second Life users to purchase in the virtual world a HUD identity, which is linked to both their Second Life avatar and their real-life mobile number. The HUD comes with a virtual handset, which is free with registration for the service. They can then make and receive calls with other Second Life users, both within the virtual world and when offline…..”

Read more here:
http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=186622&nr=

Last weekend was the SL weekend for “Burning Life” the virtual equivalent of the “Burning Man” weekend so loved by Silicone Valley aficionados particularly the Google boys.  I’ve been fascinated by the “Burning Man” event ever since reading about it in the Google Story book.

Google and Burning Man have teamed up to bring to live a three-dimensional model of Black Rock City as it actually exists from year to year. You can find an early beta version of the project here that captures Burning Man 2006 in Google Earth format. The grand idea is to bring to life and make accessible to everyone, anywhere, any time, some of the Black Rock City experience. Digitally, people will be able to access and seem to travel down the streets (and presumably even into the portapotties) of Black Rock City…..

They might also be able to make contact with every person who settles into the virtual Burning Man world. It sounds like Second Life, Burning Man style…..The plan is, yet again, to make the Burning Man ethos, rituals, and even simulated digital experience open to all people everywhere, from a groups of 30 thousand or so in the desert, to something that millions and hundreds of millions of people worldwide can experience and learn from.

And the idea within that is to allow direct contact, immediate contact between interested people to happen. And where contact and communication happen, community forms and culture is forged and shared. And then borne anew, like spores.  Read more about this at kozinets.net/archives/56

Check out the background to the whole “Burning Man” thing at http://www.slnn.com/article/burningman-notebook/ and read the always excellent Wagner James Au’s blog at nwn.blogs.com/nwn/surreal/index.html

Hermione had a few wanders about, danced at some raves and attended the ceremony of burning the man (and several concerts scoped out by Venga) – great fun, without the burning heat and freezing nights of the Arizona desert.  She also met a guy who is organising a 1000 avatar strong New Year’s eve weekend party – amazing guy.  She put him in touch with Sands (run by the Hed Kandi boys) and the DoggLounge, two in-world clubs that play her kind of music.  We listen to the Dogglounge radio station online, in RL, as the music rocks! Except it doesn’t coz it’s dance music not rock music.  Check it out at http://www.dogglounge.com/

Hermione has now seen Venga’s real life picture (being a resourceful type he tracked her down online weeks ago!) and while it is a bit of a shock (he’s really hot!), it hasn’t put her off.  This is one SL relationship that can’t go anywhere in RL due to geographic and age constraints but it’s damn good fun in the meantime.

And it’s all offering a salutary lesson that someone’s energy can attract like minded souls, even when in a virtual world, clothed in an avatar, itself clothed in a purchased shape, skin and clothes.  Speaking only by chat boxes.  Amazing.

He’s now watched “The Secret”, joined up for “Tut’s Message From The Universe” and is working his way diligently through The Money Gym ebook.  All the while, playing her new tunes like the Foo Fighters new single (eeek! Rock music) and showing her some amazing places in Second Life.

Have fun, we ALWAYS are!

Hermione

p.s. Talking of tunes, check out H’s “Tune of the Week” by Natasha Bedingfield at http://wealthcoach.typepad.com/nicola_cairncross_wealth_/2007/10/songs-that-make.html