Global news agency Reuters has opened its first virtual news bureau in the online world Second Life .
The 3D virtual world was created and launched in 2003 by Linden Lab and has its own virtual economy with 275 Linden dollars to the US dollar.
Reuters reporter Adam Pasick, who will be known as Adam Reuters in Second Life, has been named virtual bureau chief.
‘Like any reporter, I'll cover Second Life events as they happen, interview residents and uncover interesting stories,’ said Pasick.
‘Reuters capability and experience in news and financial reporting will be valuable to the thousands of people who need to make decisions about how they run their businesses inside Second Life,’ he said.
The opening of the bureau is part of Reuters strategy to embrace new digital platforms to deliver next-generation news and information.
Second Life residents will receive their news through a new feature called the Reuters News Centre which is similar to a real world mobile device.
A free mobile device, the Heads Up Display (HUD), will stream live Reuters feeds of real-life and Second Life news in the virtual world.
Second Life residents will be able to visit the Reuters Atrium, a town hall community centre where they can meet to discuss events, see images and videos of the day or simply chat with friends.
A button on their Reuters News Centre will alert them to discussions and instantly teleport them to the chat areas in the Reuters Atrium from wherever they are in Second Life.
The virtual world has a real world economy worth $3.2m with $70,000 traded daily on its currency exchange LindeX.
Inhabitants are given an allowance by Linden Lab which can be exchanged back into real money. They can also buy more virtual cash with real world credit cards.
Reuters joins other real world companies to set up shop in the virtual world including Sun Microsystems, American Apparel and Starwood Hotels.
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