Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Earth Day - World Poetry Day by Milou — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:17:01 GMT

Hi,
Great read, thanks for the info. If you want to support Earth Day you are very welcome to Earth Day - World Poetry Day. You will find some great Art & Poetry. Please give your support to Earth Day, you can make a change.

Have a great day,
Milou

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Bettina Tizzy — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:14:06 GMT

Everyone, calm down! Don't get your britches tied up in a knot over what was really a very innovative way to share Dell's Plant a Tree program to early adopters who have moved on from the Internet you are using, and are now using the Internet you will know and love when you finally "get it."

Second Life is not a game... it is 3D (three dimensional) Internet. Marketing in Second Life is more advanced than the same efforts on the flat 2D web we are using to share our thoughts right here.

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Seeing the forest for the trees — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:06:34 GMT

Ok...I just read http://www.itweek.co.uk/articles/print/2188383

Am I the only person who sees the REAL irony? I'm personally comitted to recycling in my efforts to help the earth... if I ask other people to recycle and convey my message via the internet, are you going to call me out as an environmental devastator? I mean come on. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. If all you people think that virtual trees are really harming the environment, then shame on you for posting your thoughts in a blog....which consumes energy... thereby harming the environment.

idiots.

Dell aporta unos árboles virtuales al Día de la Tierra

El Espia de Silicon Valley — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:59:06 GMT

El Día de la Tierra (el domingo pasado) puede ser otro invento de un departamento de marketing cualquiera, pero Dell lo ha llevado a nuevos extremos. La compañía ha regalado árboles gratuitos en Second Life. Y no se trata del...

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Prokofy Neva — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:13:55 GMT

I thought it was interesting Dell did this, and interesting that it sparked the usual predictable extremists in response. I got 2 of their trees and put them in the SL Public Land Preserve in Carlisle in Botany's Grove and set them to grow for a long time because it seemed more fun to watch it that way.

I had an article here in the Herald about Earth Day and Dell and everybody which I called "Turf Day".

I think all these me-firsts here about tree-planting are forgetting that in fact Friends of the Urban Forest was the first to do this sort of symbolic action a year ago or more -- and probably even they weren't the first. With the FUF project, you could pay about $20 US equivalent to buy a virtual tree in SL, then water it, watch it grow, take care of it, and that money goes to buying and planting a RL tree in the San Fracisco area.

But why does it matters who's first? What matters is not to be last in doing even symbolic things that are preparation for the soul to do RL things of merit as well.

Prokofy

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Chad — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:51:46 GMT

I am about ready to throw up over this be green corporate marketing strategy. What is it about the world that makes everyone one want to jump on a wagon as soon as it passes us by? All facts about global warming aside I find it slightly ironic that a huge corporation that uses more energy and paper then anyone, is trying to advocate it's green program through a virtual environment that feeds off the very resources they are trying to create awareness for.

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Rob Key, CEO Converseon — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:19:26 GMT

Dell -- As CEO of an social media organization that launched an ambitious tree reforestation effort in Second Life on April 11 with the help of the SL community (and a good deal of "in world" visibility) i want to welcome your effort. Second Life can indeed be a powerful place for individuals to learn about environmentalism. It can also be a place where a real world impact can be made if constructed effectively. While many people won't ever have the experience of flying to Brazil to plant a tamarind tree (while learning about the impact of deforestation and the ecologically fragile environment), they can have the closest approximation in SL. That immersive, educational experience hopefully will spur others to action (in the virtual AND real world).

The Second Chance Trees Project, done in partnership with Plant It 2020, a 501 c3 organization founded by John Denver, is constructed so that when a virtual tree is planted, the same species of tree is in real life. We also work with local indigenous groups for education and planting to ensure it is sustainable and has a positive impact in local communities. The virtual to physical relationship is critically important, as well as the need to fully understand and respect the SL community in advance of rolling out efforts like this. We worked very hard to collaborate long time environmental activitists in second life to embrace the concepts because of the rightful skepticism of that community towards brands who enter the environment without heed to precedent, norms and values, or embracing the community in the "right way." As a result, we have planted several hundred real trees in just the last week and that is accelerating.

WIth our focus of real world tree planting and the support of the SL community, I invite Dell to visit the island and join our effort that is already well underway to positively impact real world tree planting. We believe there is indeed a place for brands in such places as Second Life if they truly respect the community, engage "community elders" and make efforts to use the virtual world for real world benefit without the expectation for immediate PR or commercial gain. We call this concept "karmic communication" -- do good for the community and then the community will do good for you. This is the only way that brands will be accepted by increasingly skeptical communities that have, as we have seen too often, been increasingly overun by overeager marketers that don't understand the nuances or fully respect the environment. Best of luck to you.

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Robert Zonis — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:07:45 GMT

Apparently, I am not the only one to see the irony in planting a virtual tree for Earth Day. This tidbit has made it to the front page of Slashdot.

Personally, I would have been more impressed if Dell had offered a choice between a virtual and real seeds or seedlings to plant on Earth Day, or even given out both. I can't imagine that sending a postcard with a couple of seeds taped to it would cost all that much.

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

Mele — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:45:34 GMT

I think Second Life is overated. The software is way too buggy and it is not as good as older, more established communities of this type. This is nothing new. I participated 7-8 years ago on my first Dell in a community like this and it was a lot better than this one. You can do more with your avatar now than years ago but otherwise Second Life is boring and you have to spend real money to actually do anything there (like buy a home and furnish it, etc). It is just a marketing ploy and not a very good one.

Oh, I've looked all around Dell's island and got me a Dell backpack, etc. I came too late today for the "party" which was just as well as I was asked to accept a new version of Second Life and that borked everything. This current version seems to hate nVidia cards. I have constant problems with the site but this latest version is the worst. It turned my avatar to green arms and her hair appears and then disappears and the Dell backpack she is wearing half disappears and the sides of it have squiggly white lines. The avatar's makeup I worked on so hard is now ugly and all the wrong colors. I have an XPS 600 with nVidia 7800 card and that site does not work well with it. If that site has problems with this nice a video card...gee...I feel sorry for the average user trying to experience Second Life.

I have never seen anyone from Dell on Dell Island. It is always deserted.

re: Deepening Our Roots in Second Life

David Orban — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:38:02 GMT

I think this is a great idea. Took an oak and plated it on Vulcano with a little ceremony among our residents. Many of them will come by and take more to plant on their own. Some people were not aware of what going carbon neutral meant, so this has also been an opportunity to explain the concept, and spread the word.

David