Here we are in Austin for SxSW, and you'll notice that there's some Linden Lab folks around. Pay attention and talk to them about Second Life. Before you do, allow me to start my series about Second Life, what it is and why it's important.

First. I'm going to be parental here and tell you to slow down and chew your food. Why? Because there's a lot to consume. And the definition of what or why, in regards to SL, depends on your frame of reference and your purpose in life (real or otherwise). Skipping too far ahead will cause impatience and confusion. (Confusion and delay! (name that kids' show))

1. Second Life is so buzzword compliant it hurts. Yep, you read that correctly. If you take all of the favorite buzzwords and ideals and throw them up in the air, SL nails most of them. By example, I'll throw out social networking, collaboration, the DIY ethic, the mashup/remix culture. Read-write. I'll also throw out the very fundamentals that make blogging, podcasting, and vlogging so special. I'll throw in buddy lists and chats, public and private, access control, and persistent presence.

2. Second Life is a tool and a toy. You can go there and do nothing other than walk around and explore. You can play games. You can do 3D modeling and rapid prototyping. You can program. You can be an artist. A musician. A filmmaker. You can bag on your friends with big guns and obscene creatures, or you can go to develop physicals models for education and science and research.

3. Second Life represents the early, early sparks of what possibly will disrupt the video game industry. And this is coming as an opinion from someone (me) who is not a gamer by definition. I'm a lot of things, but 'gamer' isn't something associated with me. Ask yourself this, if you're a gamer. Do you think you can do better than what a video game company can put out? Well, start here. And hang around for a few years. You'll see change happen.

4. Second Life is so complex and broad that it may be misunderstood as the 'future of _____' or the 'way we will do ______'. Keep all the hype in check. Reporters will get it wrong. And so will bloggers. Because Second Life is too big to summarize in a soundbite or in a skimmable culture.

These are just a few points on my primer Second Life. Take note of who's showing up there, and in what order. Take note of what people are doing. Sometimes it's a riddle and other times, it's perfectly clear.

You can call it a video game, which is true and false at the same time. You can call it a virtual world, which is more accurate, yet socially, a new concept. Try not to be rigid with nomenclature. Try to open your mind to see the subtext.

And for those of you who are fans of Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash, it is the metaverse. We live on The Street. (And yes, some of us do design rockstar avatars). ;-)

Stay tuned for more announcement-y bits.