How do you innovate on the tried and true races and "walk-a-thons" used by many non-profits yo raise money and awareness? It remains a solid and mature tactic used by many organizations around issues from breast cancer to MS.
Well, for the second year in a row, the American Cancer Society is running their Second Life Relay for Life and it happens from July 22-23rd in...Second Life. The virtual race will unfold in the MMORPG taking advantage lof the established community there and the more elastic laws of physics and economy that can happen in a made-up world. Here's how they describe this:
"The main difference is location. SL residents set up and decorate campsites, and sell small items to help raise Relay money just like at your local relay. However, since this is a virtual environment you may see some teams offering blimp rides, or holding sailboat races inside the park."
And before you dismiss this tactic and the MMORPG community at large as some fringe activity, realize that Seond Life "members" are somewhere around 313,000. And when you qualify that "audience" as lean-forward, world-builders, their value goes through the roof. This is such a great move. Next for ACS is a contest within Second Life for the rights to design/construct their office within Second Life. These folks will get some major credit from the SLers for taking their Youniverse seriously. You can get some of the numbers on user-base for other role-playing universes here.
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