Pixelanthropy: Charities tap into Second Life

"Philanthropic avatars get together to talk shop at a virtual sidewalk cafe in Second Life."

"The populist hoopla surrounding this online community in recent months has led multinational brands from Reebok to Toyota to establish beachheads on Second Life to interact with consumers and be part of the next wave in social networking. The nonprofit world is following suit: Second Life now has an office park called the Nonprofit Commons that is filled to capacity with 32 charities."


Virtual yaks go fast

"Just ask Ogilvy Worldwide’s Kathryn Parsons, who helped to craft a recent campaign in Second Life for the UK-based arm of Westport, Conn.-based Save The Children. The nonprofit, with Parsons’ help, created a virtual, online 3-D animal pageant in Second Life last fall, called Yak Shack, after it sold out of the real yaks being auctioned on its 2006 holiday Wish List. Hundreds participated in the online event, buying yaks for 1,000 Lindens (the currency in Second Life), or about $3.50 in real money. Each player who bought a yak for a poor family was able to milk, ride, and customize a yak avatar online and take care of it in a virtual yak barn, culminating in a December contest for Best Yak."

full article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22574057/