On the subject of Second Life, please see below from a curator in our Coins and Medals department. I'm sure Katie can take the comment about anoraky nerds on the chin, David!
Matthew
Head of Web | Department of Learning and Audiences | The British Museum | thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
tel: 020 7323 8169 | work mobile: 07971 433841
-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Eagleton
To: Matthew Cock
Sent: Fri Jul 06 08:34:29 2007
Subject: RE: Sharing market research
Yes - I'm doing some work in SL at the moment on how to collect Linden dollars, which will later probably extend to other online / gaming currencies. The BM collects toy money already, so this is a natural extension of that. Linden dollars and QQ Coin (mainly in China) are interesting, because they can be exchanged for "real" money, and because of the discussions about whether to regulate them or to tax virtual profits. At the moment I'm concentrating on SL, doing what I guess you could call online anthropology, and taking screen shots of interesting places, things, and people. The next step will be to start to work out how to collect Linden dollars, which as far as I can tell at the moment don't have any actual manifestation in SL, so if anyone on the MCG has any ideas, I'd be interested (in SL I'm Cate Zenovka).
Katie E
-----Original Message-----
From: Matthew Cock
Sent: 06 July 2007 07:45
To: Catherine Eagleton
Subject: Fw: Sharing market research
Katie,
This thread below on a museums computer group email discussion. Have heard that you are collecting in SL. Would you write a brief para that I could post on the .MCG. Has a readership of about 500 across uk muuseums and related sectors?
Would love to hear myself too about it!
M
Head of Web | Department of Learning and Audiences | The British Museum | thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
tel: 020 7323 8169 | work mobile: 07971 433841
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Fri Jul 06 06:50:00 2007
Subject: Re: Sharing market research
Alice
My own focus group announced some time ago that SL was for adult nerds and nobody they knew used it.
They also said how MySpace wasn't cool and everyone was using Bebo or Facebook - Habbo Hotel for the younger kids. There are libraries and museums on Habbo Hotel that kids have set up themselves..
D
David Dawson
Senior Policy Advisor (Digital Futures)
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Victoria House, Southampton Row
London WC1B 4EA
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alice Grant
Sent: 04 July 2007 18:11
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Sharing market research
In the interest of sharing audience evaluation you might want to consider some spur-of-the-moment market research undertaken with 15-yr-old on work experience this week and home for lunch. MJ open on the table at the Second Life article sparked a conversation which went something like this..
(User profile of subject is that of experienced and intensive user of Bebo, MySpace, MSN, YouTube etc.)
Interviewer>Have you or your friends used Second Life?
Respondent:'You what?? Wassat?'
>It's where you can have a computer version of yourself in a computer
version of the world
'Oh right - I know it's where you can buy stuff for sort of real money'.
>That's right - have you & your mates used it?
'Why would we wanna do that - you've got to pay for stuff'
>Well - not to just use it I don't think. But you haven't had a go?
'Nope'
>Would you? Or any of your friends?
'Why?'
>Well - how about if I gave you some money for it so you could do cool
stuff
on it? (Dangerous gambit this one.)
'Well why not just go on Sims - it's just like Sims for grown-ups isn't it?
Why not just get Sims from Smiths and go on that? You can use cheats and build what you like'
>Well - you can see computer versions of real things and talk to people
there.
'Like what?'
>Imagine if your fave band - say McFly were playing there
'I don't listen to them any more. Anyway, how'd they do that?'
>Well - they'd have their own avatars - computer versions of themselves.
You'd go and see them in the computer programme.
'Mum why would anyone want to pay to watch a bad cartoon version of a band when they could pay to see them in real life? Why wouldn't you just do this stuff in real life? Or watch them for free on TMF?
>Well - some people do - though maybe a lot of them are people who like
playing computer games.
'Yeah, right.' (cue withering-put-down-teenager-disparaging-adult
look..8<
further condescending comment edited)
I don't doubt my interviewing technique leaves something to be desired, but TeenFL and SL user numbers notwithstanding this suggests that we may have some way to go before we are able to target this particular demographic in SL.
(And yes I do know there are lots of interesting futures issues which SL raises - this is offered in the spirit of good humour :-) and reassurance for those who are worried that they need to do something in SL asap!)
Best to all,
Alice
Alice Grant Consulting
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