No, not because of the lesbians (ahem), but because of the control and design of the user experience.
I just read this great piece over at the Second Life Herald "L-Word Beats the P-Word" where they describe an SL newbies experience entering SL via the L-Word's Second Life page. A quote from the article ...
Now here's the fun part: after you get the new name and log on, you aren't going to be taken to that old clunky Orientation Island with all those nudgy signs telling people not to shoot or get naked (wasn't that why came here in the first place?!). You're so past all that now that you are with L-Word. As you rez into the world you will notice you are in paradise -- like SL was meant to be. Low-lag, spacious, particle-free, with winding garden walks and beautiful landscaping. In the distance, a lovely lady in a frisky polka-dotted swirly dress is walking toward you...
...not to offer you hippie-pay or work as an escort, but to help you learn the game. Wow...like...wow!
She discretely inquires if you want any help -- but you may not need her. Arranged around in intuitive, easy-to-see stands are machinima videos with fun how-to instructions and something you rarely see in machinima -- a large-eyed, close-focused avatar face that keeps your interest on the screen.
No one tells you to learn to build or script, instead they help you to fly, pick out a dress, and figure out where you are going shopping. You can see this is definitely going to be a girls' game.
The article goes on to describe the rest of the experience as well as offer some criticisms around which vendors they are supporting.
The L-Word is able to do this because of SL's Registration API. What a great tool for a brand that wants to take advantage of a 3D environment to extend their experience with their customers! Orientation is a potentially confusing time for a new avatar .. it's like learning to walk again as a toddler. Offering marketers (or others) the opportunity to customize the experience goes a long way to furthering adoption.
Oh, you'll notice I have no links to the Showtime, the L-Word, or the actual slurl for their signup page. Yeah .. Showtime doesn't allow those of us outside the US to access the pages. So, please visit the SLH article to get the full scoop and links, especially if you are one of the US residents in the crowd. I'm hoping to explore their environment once I'm in-world and these artificial boundaries don't matter! (Not that I'm bitter).
Also a reminder to check out my avatar's blog ... I have posts on choosing a second skin, brand behaviour, and the importance of wearing underwear. Marketers serious about SL won't want to miss them ;-)
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