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What exactly is Second Life?

Second Life is an Internet based virtual reality world. It made its debut on the World Wide Web in 2003, and was created by Linden Research of San Francisco. Second Life is accessible by anyone running the free downloadable Second Life client onto a personal computer.

Residents exist as virtual “avatars” that move throughout the world known as the grid. Each region of the grid is controlled and created by a network of servers. Communication among residents is primarily achieved through text and instant messaging, and most recently speech. Users may utilize the downloadable client in order to access the grid for free. However premium members can own virtual land from $5.00 per month to $195 for a region. Avatars move about the virtual world by teleporting via landmarks, or using Slurl.com which indexes regional links. Noted educational institutions using Second Life include Harvard, Vassar, Pepperdine, Rice, College of Dublin, New York University, Stanford among others.