I just watched Second Life hit five million residents (happened between 3.47 and 4.04 pm EST). It was three million last time I did the Second Life Shorts edition in end-January.
The beautiful and popular Amsterdam sim went on sale on eBay last Thursday and was snagged this morning for the "Buy it now" price of $50K (see SL Insider for more).
Calvin Klein is showing off its new ckin2u (however you spell it) perfume on Rivers Run Red's Avalon island. You can pick up a bottle and it will emit some bubbly stuff, plus it comes in a box with some poseballs and a gesture. The bad thing is you can't find it by typing Calvin Klein into the search box.
Bain & Company is using SL for recruiting; here's a write-up, but I am yet to find their island. The IBM island also has a recruiting booth, but it's not manned or terribly interactive.
Update [March 27, '07]: Found the Bain island, but the access is restricted.
In case you missed it, Komjuniti released a study saying people aren't too happy with brands in Second Life.
Fortune writes about the real estate company Coldwell Banker getting into Second Life (also see press release). Above is an actual screenshot from one of the Coldwell Banker locations; hang on for the more in-depth First Impressions post. Seems like they are doing a lot of things right; here's what they say in the press release:
"Coldwell Banker has an inventory of more than 500 homes on 550,000 square meters in the Ranchero section of the Second Life mainland, one of the largest home developments in this virtual world. These virtual homes will vary in price based on size and style, including southwestern, colonial and contemporary, among others. In addition, Coldwell Banker is offering homes perched atop a picturesque hill overlooking the ocean. Second Life residents can meet with a Coldwell Banker sales associate avatar in the brand’s virtual office and schedule an appointment to tour virtual properties of interest. Homebuyers who close a purchase with Coldwell Banker will receive free “virtual furniture” for their new home as a closing gift.
Coldwell Banker is the first company in any industry to employ tracking technology to analyze how residents interact with the brand’s Second Life headquarters. The ability to monitor traffic allows Coldwell Banker to track visit minutes, unique visitors and total visitors, as well as determine which features are used most in the Second Life headquarters. "
There have been a lot of other random brand events in the world; I get most of my scoop delivered by Virtual Worlds Weekly newsletter.
Earlier:
Second Life Shorts
Second Life Shorts, Set 2
