News agencies dip toes into Second Life

More names are diving head-first into the Second Life phenomenon (Adidas, Reebok, American Apparel, Toyota), but the latest two biggies to dispatch into the social space are CNET.com and Reuters.

The pair have launched in the world as its account population soared to over 900,000, doubling EverQuest's subscription rate when it was population leader in the days before the World of Warcraft tsunami.

According to Clickable Culture, "Last month, CNET News.com opened up a virtual office in Second Life with the intention of using the space to hold promotional events." Not a new idea (the BBC was the first big name to get there first), but significant in the news distribution space.

Reuters intends to adapt the platform to extend its brand, using it as a tool to expand its audience and tap into the SL zeitgeist. According to a launch article,

Starting on Wednesday, Reuters plans to begin publishing text, photo and video news from the outside world for Second Life members and news of Second Life for real world readers who visit a Reuters news site.

Reporting SL news to the outside world? Now that's quite a step. Will anyone who's not already involved in the virtual space be interested?

THANKS TO ALEX AT THE GUARDIAN