The main reason blogs and podcasts became so popular was because of their position and perspective outside of the mainstream media. As corporations have embraced the blog phenomenon, the attraction has diminished for the early adopters that brought us blogs. So what’s next for these tech savvy pioneers? And can corporations and PR professionals follow? Take for instance Second Life. In this computer-generated world, users create their own character for free. For a small amount of real money users can accessorize with new clothing, a car, even a house. That’s where corporations are already getting involved. For example, Toyota offers a virtual version of their Scion for users to purchase in Second Life. W Hotels is opening a virtual hotel, American Apparel sells virtual models of their real clothing for a dollar each (they also offer a 15% discount to real world shoppers if they make a purchase in Second Life), and the Sundance Channel is screening movies.

Second Life is already being used for product test markets (This is how Toyota tested the Scion), and connecting virtual sales to real world sales. So it begs the question, is this the next big thing?

For PR pros and marketers, Second Life presents a new, targeted environment to communicate with. Think of the possibilities! I had a conversation about this with Sprout Marketing’s Director of Interactive, Josh Carr. He posed these possibilities: “Are 3D firms going to become as necessary as Web Design firms? Will there be a land grab for virtual real estate? What about Second Life real estate agents?” I would certainly predict some political messaging as we near the 2008 elections. The possibilities are endless, and stretch the imagination.