Arlington County, Virginia, is the second government, at least that I know of, that has arrived in the avatar-filled parallel universe. (Anybody else out there?)
The county has a down-to-earth reason for doing so, according to a Washington Post story: economic development. Business executives can get market research. County officials can do presentations to promote the region. And people can join a confab later this month on how to launch a business in Arlington. All in that other world.
The person creating the online presence on Second Life hopes it will give Arlington a good way to promote itself to tech-smart businesses.The county also is thinking about running a job fair on Second Life, as Missouri did.
For now, Arlington officials are working on their Second Life presence on their own time and with their own dime. That could change, I'd imagine, if the county's presence ends up bringing in economic development or qualified candidates for county jobs.
