One of our Relay For Life in Second Life teams did a real neat thing. They named their team after the first woman to earn a medical degree in the US. Elizabeth Blackwell. I really like the throw back history of the name and how important it is in history and today.
The Washington Post reports that Mckinley High School in Washington DC is getting ready t o run a Teen Grid Second Life Relay For Life. They school is a unique learning institution that has specail science and technology focus. Students apply for admittance and spend 4 years in intensive classes in Computer Animation and Design, Biological Sciences, and Forensics. We have been working with them and their Assistant Principal Rick Kelsey for a while now that the kids are back in school it looks like they are ready to go!
I wanted to make a few announcements here about the ACS Second Life Office. We have decided to add a few volunteer positions to help us manage all of the activity that is going on. I am very pleased to announce that Fayandria Foley will continue as our Relay For Life Chair, and Poppy Zebelin will continue as our Survivorship Chair. As of this week we now are so lucky to have Xandi Mars as our Office Manager and Synergy Devonshire as our new Marking Strides Against Breast Cancer Chair.
As we continue to extend the resources offered to the SL community we are lucky to have dedicated volunteers willing to put in the time and the effort to bring our vision to a reality. These women have dedicated so much of themselves and they are truly represent the best of volunteer leadership.
Once again I will be speaking at the Virtual Worlds conference, taking place this October. Tickets are still on sale and you will be able to see me not once but twice as I am moderating a panel on special events and providing a case study on the growth of the Second Life Relay For Life. The speakers list looks exceptional and I am simply jealous that I will not be able to attend and listen in on every panel.
Well the good news is the Second Life Community Convention is sold out. The bad news is that there are still people who are itching to get in. Sorry folks - we will have details about next years event up soon!
I continue to be impressed with the IBM presence and activity in SL and how they are embracing the event and the medium making the most full use of the power of the system. The kick is that The American Cancer Society's Second Life Relay For Life beat them to it.
Yesterday was the kick off event to our very first Teen Grid SL Relay For Life. Working with a fantastic organization called Global Kids we are empowering teens involved in SL to create their own Relay experience. I am so excited that the youth on the teen grid have the energy and the desire to put something together. When I was talking with them I head a lot of personal stories about grandparents passing away from Cancer and their desire to help others. It really made me excited to think that the teens are ready to advocate, and run awareness about cancer in their own world, in their own way. This should be very interesting!
This Wired Article is great. It absolutely goes down the list as to wy traditional advertising may not work as well in Second Life as it does in Real Life. What it is missing is the other side of the story that highlights local brands that are thriving. The marketing companies are not doing sufficient engagement within the community to make the investment worthwhile. In an environment where anyone can do anything and the barriers to entry in any business line are summed up with time, effort, and skill, it makes for a tough market. So why buy commercial Jeans when I can get hand scripted designer jeans. Everything is a commodity at L$250.
So how are successful brands doing it? How is the American Cancer Society raising over $100,000.00 USD to support research, awareness activities, and run patient service programs? The answer is not simple, but it revolves around something that major corporations forgot at the dawn of Television. Mass markets are just that, and in some cases special people deserve to treated special. Care for your constituents, give them something of real honest value, and they will support you all the way.
Last night the Second Life Community brought the total fundraising to over L$20,000,000 during the 'Half Way There Fair', pushing the fundraising for Relay For Life over the original $75,000 goal. Even more important than the funds was the fact that the fiar was self organized and produced by the volunteer core. The program was visioned to help the teams reconnect and revitalize through live music, events, games, and rides. The carnival was hosted by Seaway and Mystic Brodsky and it took dozens of volunteers to pull it off. Most critical is it was a relatively fast build, taking only a few days, so the volunteers use mobilizing technology through the SL platform to reign in builders, architects and scripters. I am so proud of the volunteers and love their dedication.
IVM, a metaverse development company, is moving forward with a huge social responsibility initiative. They are working very hard to get the word out that they are eager, and willing, to work with nonprofit organizations to help them move their missions inside the SL community. In the recent edition of the Metaverse Messenger on page 13, IVM is profiled for this push.
There is something to be said about what happens when you turn the power of content creation over to those who care the most about your organization. The below photo is a visual art project in Second Life called the Cancer Survivor's Wall of Fame. It is a tribute to those who fought and beat cancer, created by those same individuals. Front and center is an old friend Gltteractica who I just found out is herself a 10 year survivor.I love the fact that the community has the freedom and the gusto to make such a touching and powerful statement about the future of our fight against cancer. Three cheers to all those on the wall. Make room because there are going to be many more to honor in the years to come!
