Amsterdam, August 22, 2006 Text 100 International, a global technology public relations firm, today became the first public relations consultancy to establish a presence inside Second Life, a rapidly growing virtual world in which people can interact, create, educate, play, and work in a 3-D environment (
http://secondlife.com/ ).
The Text 100 Second Life office is being opened as the consultancy is celebrating its 25 th anniversary and will initially serve as a meeting place for employees before the general public is given access the week of August 21. The presence in Second Life is Text 100’s 31 st office and adds a new meaning to the firm’s history of organic growth in emerging technology markets.
“When I first saw Second Life I was compelled by what had been created. Once I understood how the generation that has grown up with technology as their primary means of communication was using it, I knew we had to get involved and fast,” said Aedhmar Hynes, CEO of Text 100. “The evolution of Second Life - and its community of ‘digital natives’ - provides an intriguing insight into how public relations will change in the next few years. I don’t think any of us can be sure where this revolution is going to take communications but I do know that I want Text 100 to participate in that change.”
Text 100 will work with clients on how Second Life may benefit their businesses by facilitating virtual press conferences or new ways of demonstrating products to employees or customers. The Second Life office will also provide benefits to the Text 100 staff, such as allowing them to view training sessions within the virtual world.
“We view virtual worlds as the next stage in the evolution of peer-to-peer media like blogs, wikis, social networks and other online forums,” said Georg Kolb, EVP, and leader of the peer media practice at Text 100. “Having a presence in Second Life will enable us to explore, innovate, educate and collaborate on a next generation communications platform.”
The Text 100 Second Life office has three sections: welcome center, amphitheater, and information center, and avatars are able to fly between the different areas. Screens throughout the office will be used for slide shows or video streams. The information center will also showcase Text 100 client work, news, and office contact information.
About Text 100
Text 100 is a global PR agency serving companies that use technology for competitive advantage. Named 2005 Technology Public Relations Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report, Text 100 was built organically from the ground up and uniquely offers the dedication of local agencies and the power and reach of a global firm. With award-winning practices covering all public relations disciplines, Text 100 represents leading brands in 31 offices around the world. Clients of the company include Cisco, Fujifilm, IBM, Philips and Xerox. For more information about Text 100, please visit
www.text100.com.