Second Life

Second Life is on of the biggest virtual worlds in the world, and has a massive turnover of about $500 million a year, and is growing fast. The map, which is about 48 Second life km long, houses around 4 million people, generating millions of dollars a year, from 3.5 million in 2005, to 64 million in 2006, and growing fast. People are making lots of money with these virtual worlds, because of subscription fees: there is not just one lump payment, but many payments of the years, and since the consumer is more inclined to play the game; because of extra features there is to paying customers, and as you play you get better and better, it adds up to a much more expensive total, which is the sole tactic of the producers (keep the users paying). People like Anshe Chung , have made millions of dollars by selling virtual items for real money, she being the first virtual millionaire.
Second Life also has Teen Second Life, which allows teenagers to join in the same experience of Second Life. Though much smaller than the Main Grid, the Teen grid has the same perks and features.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is the new way of using the Internet, as opposed to Web 1.0, which was originally created for universities and the military. In Web 2.0 you can watch and post new videos on youtube, share and post information on myspace, bebo, and facebook, and since this technology has appeared, it has become immeasurably popular. Also, downloading information, music, films and podcast have been very easy to find, cutting out the middle-man, and the cost. This is very positive for people who want to get a film but do not want to buy a DVD, instead downloading it and not having to pay anything.

There are problems with this technology, such as the Finnish killer, which posted a number of videos of youtube about his rage and his hatred. Media has isolated youtube as the scape-goat, and in my opinion, there is nothing they could have done to prevent the 8 people being killed.

The Web 2.0 means the new way we use the Internet, and how we are allowed to interact with the content we use. On videos we watch on youtube, we can leave comments rate the video, and show other people that we are watching the same video that they are. Uploading and downloading the videos is also new with Web 2.0, and we can do so much more than we could when the Internet was first introduced.

Here is a video of the development of Web 2.0 and what it can do over time.