5 Good Reasons why you should Sign Up For Second Life

Whether you're a techie or not, a geek or super cool, whether you're 18 or 68, you should sign up for Second Life. No, I don't work for Linden Lab, but I'm a huge fan of the virtual world and I believe it is hugely underrated.

Here are five reasons why you, (YES, YOU) should sign up.

1. Education, education, education. There are so many educational institutions in Second Life, including Harvard Law School, Washington State University, the Open University to name but a few. Aside from the official institutions, there are countless organisations who offer classes for free in almost anything in Second Life. Where else can you learn a language taught by locals, practiced with native speakers and without even leaving your own home? And yes, it's free too.

2. Creativity. Second Life is a blank canvas. It really is. Yes, there are art galleries for you to upload and display real art in world or to go see the work of others, but the world in itself really is all art too. The content in Second Life is created by the users. Just take a walk around some of the amazing buildings in world to really appreciate what I say about SL being art.

3. Business. Not everyone will make a real life living from Second Life, but some people do. And even if you're not in there to make money, the business concept is the same. Second Life offers an amazing platform for business 'practice.' You can set up a business, run it, market it and so on without risking your house, your child's college fund and your wife's engagement ring!

4. Networking. Second Life, like all social media platforms, has great networking potential. Admittedly, its user base is smaller than that of Facebook. But it continues to grow and you can interact with people in a whole different way. There are even real life recruitment companies hiring staff for real life jobs from within Second Life.

5. Socialising. For single parents, those who cannot get out and about so easily, those on a tight budget, Second Life offers a social life. For people who cannot, for whatever reason, get out and enjoy social time in real life, this offers a really viable alternative. And even for those, like me, who have a perfectly great circle of friends in real life, you will connect with people in world who you'll truly come to consider your close friends.

Second Life is, in my opinion, the best of the virtual worlds out there at the moment. Its economy is unrivalled by any other virtual world and its building and content creation tools far exceed the internal tools of any other platform.

So for fun, business or random creativity, go check it out.

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