My Avatar

Name : sky81 Mosely
Age : Same as my age

Nice to meet you!

Imagine, it’s come true

1) N Seoul Tower: The “Statue of Liberty” is now a famous symbol of New York City. As similar, South Korea has a big landmark of its metropolitan city, Seoul. It is the “N Seoul Tower.” Many visitors from other countries or other cities want to go up the N Seoul Tower and see the landscape from the top of tower. The tower offers resting with fresh air for every visitor although Seoul is surrounded with so many tall buildings and big traffic. The reason why it offers live nature is that N Seoul Tower is located in Nam-mountain, which is mostly, conserved its natural sources. It seems like the oxygen pump in which fresh air is produced for megacity same as lighthouse flash over the dark sea. Also, this adorable tower gives me a good memory because I used to go there with my friend and family since my childhood. Whenever I remind of this tower, I miss my home country, Korea and my family I have long for coming to this place now. This is why I wanted to visit N Seoul Tower through my avatar. For the first all, the appearance of N Seoul Tower in Second Life looks like exactly same as its real building. You can read a history of this place in the Sera Museum, which is on the second floor. I also recognize that N Seoul Tower in the second life is established in October 22nd, 2008 while actual building is built long time ago. Second, N Seoul Tower provides great services to their visitor. Visitors can enjoy various cultural lives within the beautiful environment of Nam-Mountain as well as gorgeous night view at the observatory. You can see virtual view of sightseeing from the N Seoul Tower and it gives a great skyline of the Seoul specially by using telescope. Lastly, there is a special event for lovely couple, which is “the Lock of Love”. This event is open to any visitors (Unfortunately, it is not free). When you click a lock on the fence, you can leave a message for your loved one. As same as a real life, couples in a Second Life will likely find this event and use for their proposal as the best romantic way.


According to the one of staffs, the founder of N Seoul Tower concerns that they want to establish the place where all age groups can enjoy the view of Seoul and community activity without any feeling a difference between the real life and the virtual life. But, I wondered why N Seoul Tower was built in this center of the city because the location seems like more expensive than any other place. After I talked with one of staff of the N Seoul Tower in the Second Life, I have realized several reasonable factors as following:

1) N Seoul Tower is a “Strategic Point” for most of users. N Seoul Tower is set up in “Help Island” for the Second Life system in Korea. I know new users come to this place for the purpose of learning basic functionalities about Second Life so that a lot of visitors pass by this virtual area. According to the staff of N Seoul Tower, it is the reason why N Seoul Tower can maintain the steady flow of their clients;
2) N Seoul Tower has a convenient access for visitors. A huge freebie mall is located next to the N Seoul Tower. This freebie mall has a lot of item for their clients so that new users, even existed users, come to find the specific items for their particular use.
Above two attractive factors are used as a good advertisement for N Seoul Tower in a real life as well as a virtual life. In personal opinion of mine, I think frequent exposure to potential customer is the best way to announce about themselves efficiently. The users in the Second Life will likely become the actual customer in a real life. What they see, hear, and feel in the N Seoul Tower of the Second Life will cause users to come to the real N Seoul Tower and like to see, hear, and feel similar experience what they already had through the virtual life. I think this object of advertisement through the Second Life is the practical goal of N Seoul Tower in a real life, so that they can maximize opportunities to show their advantages.

2) TOV island: Business Friendly Environment
TOV Island is widely open for business people with its environment. The founder of TOV Island’ major concern is that the island can be used by business people. The island is established in March 5, 2009 and it is continued to improve its convenience for sale in commercial market. TOV’s specific features are as like following:

1) TOV Island operates a big auction system. So far, several auction systems have been existed in the Second Life, but most of those systems are limited only for land owner and they are very complicated to use. TOV founder decided to organize new auction system as reforming so that everyone who wants to have a business can attend this auction. And also, the method of selling and buying through auction became easy for everyone in this island. In usual time, “Real Time Auction” is open for everyone in this island. Visitors may have a good chance to buy items with cheaper price than market price in other places. This real time auction makes business transaction easy. Every transaction is preceded by flower pot as a vendor or a registration machine. You can register your item through several simple steps after you purchase the sprout of flower. You may check your item in the search machine after registration. More detailed information about the item would be provided when you click the picture of item. Buyers are able to reference how many items are sold or what comments are left when they decide their mind. All information of whole process would be transferred to the owner to analyze preference of buyers and further plan for their business

2) TOV Island tries to have a lot of permanent and regular customers. This virtual space does not only support business activity directly but also open a variety of special event accelerating business activity. For instance, they announce “This week’s item and person” per week and then, display them in the public square to invoke visitor’s interest. Automatically, people who might be interested in item and person visit the island and they begin to shop. This special event for business people help TOV has permanent and regular customers. Also, TOV adopts loyalty point policy in order to obtain their permanent clients and induce revisiting of them. TOV point is accumulated each time whenever business transaction is made in the island. These points can be used to purchase items or enjoy clubbing with good event.

3) TOV Island has a good amusement place for regular customers. There are nice dancing halls and bars. They all provide good service as like real. You can just enter into the club and listen to nice music. If you do not know how to dance, somebody will teach you. You can drink in the bar, too. If you do not have any idea of preferred drink, a bartender or your quick-friends right next to you is going to help you how to order. Also, as there is a beautiful beach, you can relax when you have been stressful as doing your business.

4) TOV Island promises a safety of their confidentiality regarding customer’s information. Customer would worry about releasing their personal information or item information because TOV gives a lot of advertisement in public space. As people want to have their business within safe environment, TOV guarantees information security in the system and they carry conviction to their client.

In my opinion, it is very hard for business people to survive in commercial market. Attractive factors are requested for a leader to survive among competitors. One of strong point of TOV is easy to use. In TOV Island, users do not have to spend their time and effort for useless and complicated process. All of process can be handled in flower pot. In business, the reliance between customer and service provider is very important. TOV provider offers strong and steady business environment, they never discourage their customer’s passion for the business. Second, they provide not only good business environment but also amusement place. It makes the clients visit this place again even they do not want to have business activity. This makes many numbers of visitors including re-visitor. It is connected increasing profit in the future.


When I join the Second Life at first, I felt like “I want to do this”. It’s so fun because I can do whatever I want and. It makes me to be brave to do something because nobody cares about me. I tried to do what I could not do in my first life. I thought my avatar stands for me so that I wanted to have a nice figure of body, hair and cloth. The transaction of selling the item or owning land is very similar to real life. Therefore, I realized I need money whenever I want to do or to buy something. This fact makes me uncomfortable because I was expected break of common daily life before I realized I need money for the transaction in the second life. After that, the second life is not attractive to me anymore because the finance problem comes to my mind as like real life. It is stressful!
However, there are still many potential attractive factors in Second Life. As you can see the above, many companies want to use this virtual place as tool of advertisement. It can show good result compare to real advertisements. Also, it can be used real business place same as TOV. TOV does not have a real store in first life but, they can still make real money through the second life. I can open my business in the second life without considering the store in real life so that it may reduce the risk of business of my own. I think this virtual experience can give me a lot of training of real business, this will help me operate the business more creatively and less risky.
 
Reference

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life (April 7, 2009)
2. http://tr.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRrZrNI5UE&feature=related (April 6, 2009)