A new Canadian online digital magazine, Second Slice, focuses on issues of marketing in virtual worlds. One Degree sat down with its publisher and VP at One Up Marketing, Mario Parisé, to learn about this new publication.
Who are you, what is Second Slice Magazine, and how did it all get started?
Mario Parisé. 23. From Sudbury, Ontario. Second Slice is an attempt to give marketers who are active in virtual worlds a stronger and more unified voice. It all got started when the more mainstream business press decided to go on a Second Life bashing spree, ridiculing marketers and businesses going in-world. They started a fight, and we’re not backing down.
So you see this as a way to take on the critics?
In part, yes. More importantly this is about recognizing that for all their problems, and the hurdles we have yet to face, virtual worlds are important. They represent a fundamental shift in society that we will not fully appreciate for many years, much like how it took so long for us to recognize the importance of the 2D Web. The goal is to foster discussion and debate that takes us, as marketers, as an industry, and as people, to entirely new levels that we cannot even foresee.
Who’s contributed to this first issue?
Sarah “Intellagirl Tully” Robbins has pitched in an article on how virtual worlds fit into the big picture of Web 2.0. Kate Trgovac is contributing a multi-part series on what marketers can and must learn from indigenous fashion designers. Nic Mitham has written a multi-part piece on virtual retailing. Evelyne Gervais, my partner in crime, talks intimately about the importance of seeing ourselves not only as marketers, but as part of a community. We’re also reprinting a few important and controversial blog posts from Joseph Jaffe and John Wall (with their permission).
What’s the benefit of Second Slice to the readers?
Ideally, if we do our jobs right, reading Second Slice means you will be as knowledgeable, if not more so, than anyone else when it comes to marketing in virtual worlds. It should ultimately act as a platform for teaching and debate. Whether or not we achieve that goal is a judgment I’ll leave to the community.
What are your hopes for the magazine?
Fundamentally, I hope people contribute. I hope that everyone who reads it is inspired to get their hands dirty, experiment, and then write about that. I hope we start many arguments, that people get riled up, take stances, and ultimately grow from the experience. I hope we can inspire that kind of passion. If we don’t, the magazine might as well not be published at all.
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