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| AUGUST 19, 2008 |
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That's what consultants and aides were counting on when former Virginia Gov.
Mark Warner, then a potential presidential candidate, became the first politician
to officially set foot into Second Life in August 2006 as himself - speaking to a
crowd of people as he sat in front of his computer.
By the time the presidential primaries picked up steam in early 2008, several of
the candidates had their own islands, resorts or complexes in Second Life that
served as their headquarters.
The goal, campaign types say, is the same bottom line in Second Life as it is in
the real world: Get more money, get more votes, get more volunteers and get
more exposure.
``There are some people that look for politics on TV, some that search Web
sites, and some people search on Second Life,'' said Keith Mandell, a Chicago
lawyer who founded the Second Life ``Obama for President'' group in January
2007.
``Others may just be hanging out, but they see a sign, and it piques their
interest and then from there they might get involved in the real-life campaign.''
But the uniqueness and the interesting experiences haven't overcome the
challenges that abound.
Fundraising is still not an option in Second Life, as there is no way to monitor
where the donations are coming from, and the majority of players are from
outside the U.S.
And for this cycle, writer and former congressional aide Nancy Scola said, ``all
the air's been sucked out of the room'' when it comes to forging new ways for
the Internet to help in politics because the candidates have already broken so
much new ground through Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.
``If you're working inside a campaign, your single goal is to get your guy in the
White House,'' said Scola, a former outreach coordinator for Warner. ``It doesn't
leave a lot of room and motivation to play with new technology. Why mess with
what's working?''
Mark Warner, then a potential presidential candidate, became the first politician
to officially set foot into Second Life in August 2006 as himself - speaking to a
crowd of people as he sat in front of his computer.
By the time the presidential primaries picked up steam in early 2008, several of
the candidates had their own islands, resorts or complexes in Second Life that
served as their headquarters.
The goal, campaign types say, is the same bottom line in Second Life as it is in
the real world: Get more money, get more votes, get more volunteers and get
more exposure.
``There are some people that look for politics on TV, some that search Web
sites, and some people search on Second Life,'' said Keith Mandell, a Chicago
lawyer who founded the Second Life ``Obama for President'' group in January
2007.
``Others may just be hanging out, but they see a sign, and it piques their
interest and then from there they might get involved in the real-life campaign.''
But the uniqueness and the interesting experiences haven't overcome the
challenges that abound.
Fundraising is still not an option in Second Life, as there is no way to monitor
where the donations are coming from, and the majority of players are from
outside the U.S.
And for this cycle, writer and former congressional aide Nancy Scola said, ``all
the air's been sucked out of the room'' when it comes to forging new ways for
the Internet to help in politics because the candidates have already broken so
much new ground through Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.
``If you're working inside a campaign, your single goal is to get your guy in the
White House,'' said Scola, a former outreach coordinator for Warner. ``It doesn't
leave a lot of room and motivation to play with new technology. Why mess with
what's working?''
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