On Saturday, August 16th, 2008 eHarlequin.com launched into Second Life with an island dedicated to their numerous literary offerings. After months of preparation, eHQ Island in SL (Click here to go to eHQ in SL) has opened it’s doors to showcase a delicately beautiful sim with plenty of coves to curl up and enjoy a good book in.
The island is decorated with “nouveau-greco-zen” like design and scenery. The island is made up of seven primary parcels including two set back, private, tented destinations intended for small gatherings, relaxation and conversation. On the water you will find a dome pavilion filled with Second Life residents’ original artwork meticulously selected to add color and beauty to the environment. The central hub - a courtyard where new visitors arrive - offers a coffee cart and plenty of space for staging events. On the east corner of the sim is a “Japanese” sand zen garden motif with greco-roman coloring filled with seating and art to be enjoyed. The primary headquarters of eHQ, where you will find a large supply of in-world promotional books offered for free from eHarlequin.com, has modern decoration and includes a library showcase titles as well as a “sit back with a book” atmosphere. A little known secret which I found many residents unaware of is that beneath the headquarters of eHQ there is a set of catacomb-esque rooms to delve into your darker side…have fun exploring that! The last parcel of land contains a roman style forum or amphitheater which will be used for face to face chats with authors and enthusiasts in the coming months.
To showcase their Grand Opening, eHQ held a fantastic 3 hour event drawing in avatars from across the globe. Many visitors stayed for the majority of the event, enjoying live music by Mankind Tracer, Imandra Wycliffe and Jackdog Snook. Denizens of the virtual world tangoed, waltzed and shook in all manners to the music and when their virtual bodies could take no more they wandered the sim checking out all it had to offer. Promotional copies of the eHQ Desire series of books were given to those in attendance as well as 25 percent off coupons (still valid through the 31st of August, click here) were given to every individual in attendance as well 5,000 Linden Dollars to three lucky guests chosen at random.
All in all it is was a splendid affair and we look forward to seeing you at our next!
If you’ve spoken to us before, you’ve probably heard us say that Second Life, despite whatever some of the press may say, continues to grow at a very healthy rate. More land, more users, more currency transacted - it is undeniable that this virtual world is not only alive and kicking, but still young and spry as well.
If you require some hard figures, take a look at this post from the Official Second Life Blog. The numbers don’t lie. Users continue to get involved for everything from social networking to starting their own businesses and the world’s largest corporations still take advantage of Second Life’s potential for branding, recruitment, internal meetings and more.
TheSLAgency’s own Leigh Rowan presented at the National Conference of State Legislators on July 25th in New Orleans, LA. Mr. Rowan’s presentation was part of a panel discussing “A New Life for Online Government” and covered innovative ways that government clients and organizations are leveraging virtual worlds for internal and external uses.
The presentation highlighted TheSLAgency’s work with The World Bank and The Ontario Public Service. For more information on the presentation, please view the dedicated Government Microsite set up for the conference, or read the press release.
As a recent article in the New York Times illustrates, more and more companies are using virtual meetings to allow colleagues and businesses to collaborate in real time from various locations. TheSLAgency has created private, secure solutions for companies looking to hold meetings online via Second Life. If you’re sick of taking that red eye flight to “home office” and your company wants to save money, ask us about how we can save you time and money (and help save the earth a bit, too!) with virtual collaboration solutions. Email us, and be sure to read the NYT article.
TheSLAgency is proud to work with American, Canadian, and other government institutions in Second Life.
As a proud sponsor and participant at the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. - one of the largest government-focused conferences discussing virtual worlds - TheSLAgency was showcased for its work with government presences in Second Life.
TheSLAgency’s expertise is in facilitating any government agency or initiative in Second Life. We simplify the process and take it one step at a time. We first listen to your immediate and long term goals & objectives, then we customize a sensible and measurable path to success with clean goals and straight talk.
TheSLAgency is a complete full service SL Developer with resources, manpower and relationships to accomplish any initiative, including:
· Education & Training
· Seminars
· Project management
· Staffing
· Presentations / Meetings
Government clients include The World Bank, the Ontario Public Service, TMP (Agency for Government departments/clients), and others.
We invite you to contact us for more information about how to create your specific governmental presence in Second Life.
