Just when you thought you had figured out your brand's place within social media, Second Life appears. Perhaps you are properly surveying the blogosphere (by now I sure hope you are), controlling your ad buys on MySpace (and other social networks) and creating well-monitored user-generated content campaigns. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Second Life offers a whole new set of challenges for you and your brand.
I recently had an in-world chat with two Second Lifers about what is known as a "griefer"--the Second Life equivalent of spam. Rhiannon Chatnoir and Frans Charming of The Vesuvius Group shared some history about "griefing" in Second Life.
Two types of griefer attacks:
- Particle attack: more annoying than destructive. Simpler to combat (example: Anshe Chung/CNET attack (warning: contains adult content).
- Self-replicating objects: physical objects that multiply over and over, which can cause crashing of Second Life and other ill effects (example: Christmas Attack).
No matter the type of attack, the bottom line is:
- During your early stages as a Second Life resident your brand will probably be seen as a visitor in a world that has been established for many years. Do not for a second think that this community can simply be bought then pushed aside. The Second Life community is Second Life.
- You must remember that the long-term residents of Second Life built the community and made it what it is today.
- It behooves your brand to befriend other members of the community and become a part of the community.
You can help prevent and minimize attacks if you and your brand treat the community with respect.
Second Life is an exciting new environment with immense marketing potential. I encourage you to drop in sometime soon.