What could be Second Life's competitor, Doppelganger, is launching the PCD Music Lounge aimed at providing teens with the ultimate experience of looking cool, dancing like a star, and making new friends ONLINE in a PG environment.
Named, the PCD lounge, it will first be opened to some of the Pussycat Dolls fans, then it will open its doors to the rest of the public.I recently had a podcast about Second Life talking about how I think its AWESOME, but here comes another awesome aimed at teens. Some view Second Life as an online threat to young audiences as some parts are NC-17, but the PCD lounge is strictly PG. Obviously aimed towards young teens, this may be the new hot spot.
Robert Scoble has discussed problems with him and his son using Second Life. Although Second Life is taking measures to filter the "bad" content, perhaps his son would like to try the PCD lounge. What is his favorite band/artist? What if his favorite artist had a lounge, would he join?
Here's why I think the PCD lounge is attractive:
1. AOL Instant Messanger is embetted in the lounge. How many teens use AIM? My point exactly. The PCD lounge is marketed at arguably the most used program by teens. GENIOUS!
2. New and Hip Music. Nightclubs will feature today's hottest songs and users will have a chance to buy the CD right there on the spot. Artists like the Black Eyed Peas and Gwen Stefani will make periodic appearances, which is very cool. Who knows maybe you can even get an autograph!
3. Cool clothes. Instead of charging a subscription to join, the PCD lounge will allow users to buy clothes to make their avatar cool. Face it, who is NOT going to "makeover" their avatar? The business model is simple, provide an online virtual world that is safe and allow users to buy "real" stuff. I can see it now, "Mom, Can I get a gift card to the PCD lounge for my bday?"
4. Virtual body guards. The virtual lounges are equipped with bouncers who you can run to if a user is getting out of hand. Let the bouncer know that a user is harassing you and he will do the rest.
Here's some feedback I found about the PCD lounge:
"It's Awesome, Wonderful Graphics, Great Music, Lots To Do, Fantastic Staff!! The Best Thing I've Seen And Experienced Since The Advent Of PC's…Now That's Saying Something…TY, Gidget"
"Firstly, I wanna say what a great idea the PCD Lounge is! This could be somewhat of a 'virtual revloution' – hahaha!! Ok so I thought I'd post a couple of ideas:1) There should be a room/rest room with mirrors so you can 'check yourself out' – this feature will come in handy especially when you change clothes/face etc
2) When you first log in there's a world map, as this is a U.S. Club – I thought it would be very cool for example every so often the club moves location. Every club will have a slightly different look. So the set locations could be: Miami,LA, New York, San Fransisco."
I love how the PCD lounge creators are so open to user feedback. That is VERY important! . You can find more information about the lounge at the PCD forum. >>
Seems to me that Doppelganger did a lot of research and really did find out what their target market needs. If I was a teen, I would join the lounge…get to listen to FREE music (buy the CD if I want), I can meet celebrities, my friends can join me, I can dance, and my parents wont be upset.
What are your thoughts?