Second Life Avatars And Social Networking ...Pandora Drezelan Reporting...

Social networking sites are widely used by both our real life selves and our Second Life avatars to connect with friends and family, to advertise our businesses or ourselves, and for recreational purposes. In real life, many use these sites to brand themselves, to create an image, a personality. Do we do the same thing for our Second Life avatars?




In real life, SLE's Shon Charisma [RL: Shonell Bacon] is an author and editor, and she uses her website, her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites to develop an "image" of her real-life self to convey the work she does.



Shon Charisma ~ Shonell Bacon: which is real?

Shon talks about her real-life usage: "I have the blog ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING where I interview women writers and talk about writing, this helps to add to my online identity as a writer and an editor. My official website details information on my books and articles I write about the writing craft. I also use Facebook and Twitter to promote my works, make comments about projects I edit, and show people a slice of me so that they can see me as a person connected to all of the projects."

As Second Life avatars, do we use social networking sites in a similar way -- to create an image, a personality for our avatars?




Shon admits to having a blogsite, Facebook page, and Twitter account that showcases what her Second Life avatar does: choreograph, write, and develop Second Life films.




Pandora Drezelan behind the Avatar




In real life, I developed my writing skills by doing articles for a small-time magazine. I see myself as a self taught writer, and my articles have improved vastly over the years. I have always had an interest for social networking sites and creativity, which is a part of what led me to Second Life.




Like most newbies, when I first came to Second Life, I started out by doing the basics, sorting out my profile and inventory, shopping to make my avatar as unique as possible as well as mixing with other Second Life Residents and learning as much as I could about the virtual world.




Eventually, I decided to do a couple of modeling courses and graduated in both agencies. Modeling taught me more about how to enhance my avatar's look and style, and it also taught me about the importance of having a blog based on Second Life to promote myself.




I use my blog to promote fashion, events, my personal favorites, experiences and anything Second Life related. It is my Second Life diary. Then I made a Facebook and Twitter account for Pandora and an About Me page, where I have a list of my links to all of my social networking sites.

I am on many social networking sites such as Google Plus, FriendFeed, and a host of others. I went on to make my own social networking site, Avatar Life. I promote my site through Twitter, Facebook, my blog, and I have made groups and pages to promote it even more.




Pandora is an extension of my real-life self; her personality is a part of me, and this shows through her blogs, creative writing, and all of the social networks that she is involved in. She has made her mark within Second Life and will continue to do so.