We probably don’t spend enough time writing about Second Life here on GT (we usually leave that to our friends over at eightbar,) but this Reuters story caught my eye.

First off, check out the byline: “Adam Reuters.” That, of course, is the name Reuters gave to its Second Life avatar (apparently in real life his name is Adam Pasick, a veteran Reuters journalist.) Then look closely at the masthead - the new story was issued from Reuters’ “news bureau” in Second Life. Reuters is consciously blurring the distinction between its Second Life-related activities and its “real world” stories. I’d be very interested to see how Reuters continues shopping stories from its Second Life “bureau” to mainstream news organizations.

Now to the substance. It’s clear that IBM is doing more than any other company in exploring how Second Life can become a powerful business tool. The quote from one of our Second Life evangelists - “e-business was a strategy for us; why not v-business” perfectly captures the attitude at Big Blue. In the past we’ve been burned by calling plays and then letting others execute them. Not this time. As long as serious companies like Reuters join our belief in Second Life as a legitimate platform for commerce, I think we’re going to come out very well.

I should also add that if this is the case, eightbar is poised to become an exceedingly influential blog.