Healthcare activities on “Second Life” reported
 Researchers in Canada found a wide array of health-related activity in the 3 dimensional virtual world of Second Life.
Second Life is free for users with basic accounts, and reported more than 16 million registered users worldwide in 2008.
First, the details.
- 3 separate search strategies were used to identify health-related sites on Second Life.
- Each site was visited; and user experience, chief purpose, and basic site information, including user traffic data and site size were recorded.
And, the results.
- There are a range of range of health-related activities on Second Life.
- A diverse group of users, including organizations, groups, and individuals are represented.
- For many users, Second Life activities are a part of their Web 2.0 communication strategy.
- Background on Web 2.0 is here.
- Among 68 health-related sites…
- Principle aim
- Patient education
- Increase awareness about health issues
- Second most common type of sites…
- Support
- Training
- Marketing
- A few sites were designed to conduct research in Second Life or to recruit participants for real-life research.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded, “Users are engaged in a range of health-related activities in Second Life, which are potentially impacting real-life behaviors.
Maybe, but it would be useful to have specifics on the impact any of this has in real life compared to the other activities of this virtual world.
5/26/09 15:36 JR