View from the Bar: H&R Block Party

It was getting late, near on 2:30am when ESC's Jade Lily IM'd a group notice that H&R Block, the tax people who recently set up an Island in Linden Lab's 3D world of Second Life to promote their software, were throwing their first "block party". How could I resist? It was odd enough for such a staid, serious company to enter the virtual free for all that is Second Life in the first place, now they're holding parties? So with litte regard for personal safety I put on my best frock and teleported in to bring you, the Metaversed.com readers, this exclusive report....

I arrived without even the good grace to be fashionably late, it was late enough in Denmark. The music was just starting, and a couple of folks were already jiggling about on the small neon tiled dance floor. Not being one for dancing in real life, I grabbed a seat and settled in to observe. The music, I have to say, was awesome. Classic 70's tracks from the BeeGees and Gloria Gayner et al was the order of the day, and judging by the dance floor chatter, the 16 or so Avatars that were there loved it, as did I.

Tax Advice, Here?

The DJ, who's name I didn't catch, informed us that the H&R Block people on the floor were there to provide tax advice and help us with any questions we had. She managed to get this somewhat out of place message across continually, without annoying, or spoiling the fun. Something I felt they did rather well at, but it was still weird: Why would anyone want to stop dancng/listening to the cool music and start a converstion about tax?

I spoke briefly with the large chap you can see in the first picture, Max DeGroot. He told me he'd been at H&R for about 2yrs and had just started showing up at their Second Life Island unofficially and that "now they liked him being there". Max was break dancing in between answering tax questions, which really was quite a sight to see! Not only had Max made his virtual self fat, as opposed to unnatrually trim and buff like most SL residents, he was, even when put alongside some of the folks pictured below, one of the oddest characters there.

The Weird and the Whacky

No party is complete without a couple of oddballs showing up, and Second Life is full of them. It's a testament to H&R's resolve that they didn't do more than mute the raucious guitar noise of one griefing idiot. Second Life culture is something I'm still acclimatizing to myself. It's rich, wild and eccentric in the extreme, but always interesting, and almost always fun.

Though in fact the normal looking Avatars were quite outnumbered at the Block party, and the total participants under 20, it was fun, and good natured. Though I really doubt that H&R converted even one of the attendees in terms of buying software, or services, I think that maybe if they do this regularly they could gain real kudos from the community and in the process, brand awareness among a difficult to reach set of people. Im not sure what their gameplan is, but that goal seems as likely as any other.

I'll leave you with this picture of my favorite oddball, who sadly couldn't join us due to the fact that he couldn't get is wings through the door. Good fun all round.