After about a week of playing Second Life, I’ve noticed one thing that seems odd to me. Despite all of the press concerning the game, the number of “new players”, and even the lag, you get the impression that there’s a ton of people playing the game. Yet, in-world, I rarely find too many people in one population center.

I’m sure I’m missing something, but I’m not sure what it is. Both the islands and the mainland seem to be relatively sparse when it comes to simultaneous connections. Now this is a problem, especially if you plan on setting up your virtual business in-world. If you do, then you need people, just like in the real world.

I’ve dabbled with retailing. Why not? One week’s rent cost 250 Lindens, or less than a dollar to rent. So far, the investment hasn’t paid off. I don’t have a ton of floor traffic, and I haven’t been able to find a good product mix to sell. I’ve even tried talking to people to see what they’re interested in, but they’re almost all new and looking for “camping chairs”.

I continue to scour the universe for suitable locations.