Second Life Business Idea: Prostitution

Personally, I do not participate in Second Life. But, I have talked about it in this blog before. As Dwight Schrute said:

I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then, my life was so great I literally wanted a second one. Absolutely everything was the same... except I could fly.

Second Life recently outlawed gambling in their virtual world. But, prostitution is still around. In fact, there is apparently quite a bit of it. Check out this four and half minute video if you want the inside scoop on the sex trade.



So, that being said, if you are looking for some extra cash, why not become a Second Life prostitute?

As one astute commenter put it:

Money or not being exchanged, no real life sexual intercourse happens in Second Life.

So, you can charge a bunch of Linden Dollars to get it on with sickos (read: middle aged men) in Second Life. After the exchange rate of 250 Linden Dollars (approx.) to the US Dollar, this might be a solid business (especially with the US Dollar falling so much recently).

Reasons why you might NOT want to do this:

• You probably have to say some weird sick twisted stuff to please your clients
  
• You join the rest of the losers on Second Life
  
• There is child and animal prostitution on Second Life and getting into that probably wouldn't be good for your REAL life if anyone found out
  
• It might warp you for life
  

But, other than those highly compelling reasons not to enter the sex trade in Second Life, you might want to think about your business plan.

Maybe you should enter a niche market.

Perhaps you aren't comfortable having a human looking avatar and virtualizing sex. Maybe your avatar could be a blue triangle. I bet you could charge higher prices because it is doubtful there are many blue triangles offering sex in Second Life.

I've been wrong before.

If you get famous enough and are arrested (does that happen in Second Life?), you might even make the CNN I-report. Think Wolf Blitzer, but in a virtual world (who names their kid Wolf anyway?).

Well, that's about as far as I will go into this brilliant idea. If anyone decides to follow this plan, you owe me 20% of your revenue.

Although, it is said investing in Second Life is a Pyramid Scheme, I think someone could really make some dough on the side.

For more information on the constantly changing environment of Second Life, check out secondlifeinsider.com.

IBM protest in Second Life...

Second Life "is an Internet-based virtual world." Second Life users can "interact with each other through motional avatars, providing an advanced level of a social network service combined with general aspects of a metaverse. Residents can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items (virtual property) and services from one another."

Apparently IBM decreased salaries in Italy and employees aren't happy. So, what are these angry employees going to do? Naturally, they are going to protest at the IBM facilities in Second Life, where IBM has a large corporate campus and marketing site. If you click on the link to IBM, you may even see some avatars from Second Life.

So, will this actually be effective? I guess the huge advantage to this is that employees can potentially strike while they are at work (being paid). I would think the problem with striking is that the money the employees lose in the immediate term for not working takes a while to make up with the (potential) wage increase obtained due to the strike.
Although, apparently there is an Italian strike. During this type of strike, employees come to work and do their jobs, but don't do any more than the minimum. So, perhaps this Second Life strike can be classified as an Italian (or work-to-rule) strike.

Either way, does IBM even care if computer generated beings that represent real people are striking in a virtual world?