This Thursday, SDForum is hosting a full day discussion on Virtual Worlds and very appropriately enough they are streaming it to Linden Labs’ Second Life. The RL (Real Life) portion of the event will take place at the Computer History Museum while the SL (Second Life) portion will be on Innovation Island. Registraton for Second Life is free. The line-up of speakers is rich in virtual world experts and companies. Make Magazine’s PT will be hosting lunch.
The SDForum isn’t the only one hosting events in SL. Also of note is the Berkman Center forays into SL. They have built Berkman Island and they are using it to virtually host RL events such as Beyond Broadcast and their Tuesday Luncheon Series. Microsoft has also recently threw a party in Second Life with their launch of 10 Island as a part of their on10.net technology site.
It’s smart for SL to reach out to events like these. These events provide a nice way for people to become acclimated to SL and some will definitely stick around after the event. It may also turn out to be a boon for event coordinators. Once they learn how to properly integrate the two audiences (initially through IRC or chat) it will allow for community inclusion beyond what streaming audio and video provide.