UK-based Accountancy firm BDO launched into Second Life recently (I think - more on that to follow). The Sunday TImes Business section ran the following story:
??
‘It’s nice to see BDO Stoy Hayward - Britain’s sixth-largest accountancy firm - taking the plunge into Second Life, the virtual world where users can soclalise, learn new skills and even start a business. Okay, most other firms set up their virtual shops over a year ago (when Second Life was still exciting) but this is an accountancy practice and we hear they can be a little conversative.
??
So, what delights does BDO have for you on Second Life? On BDO’s “island” you can watch three short films about, er, tex investigations. The firm’s Daniel Dover said: “These films bring humour to a serious area, demonstrating different situations where people would have benefitted from taking professional advice”. The idea, you see, is to encourage tax dodgers to call BDO before the Revenue comes a-knockin’. Has there been much interest yet? “No phone calls yet‘, a spokesperson said, “but we’re certainly hopeful.”
??
There’s been a launch event at the BDO venue but the biggest problem here is actually finding the location. Searching for BDO yields the following result (which probably explains the lack of phone calls):
??
But never fear, all you tax dodgers need to do is click on this SLurl (kindly supplied by Depo Consulting)??. On a serious note though, brands have a hard enough time attracting visitors when they have dedicated islands - at least tag the island with the company name - make the path as easy as possible.
The venue itself is a dedicated island and is looking a little empty. Let’s not forget there are other ways of launching into Second Life. It would make a great venue for a beach party though, and yes, I’m being serious.??
??
??
However, perhaps it’s the perfect time for BDO to have a presence in SL. A recent ruling in the US by the IRS has put the cat amonst the pidgeons with respect to company employees and contractors in virtual worlds. Here’s an extract from the VWN’s story:
??
When??The Electric Sheep Company??launched its major CSI event in Second Life last year??(and continued it through to this year), one of the?? nods towards bringing new users in easily to the virtual world was a posse of staffed greeter avatars. Although it seemed like they might be considered contractors, the IRS has now ruled that they’re part-time employees. “”The greeters whom ESC employed in Second Life have indeed been ruled as part-time employees by the IRS, so we will take appropriate steps,”??ESC VP of Operations and Strategy Giff Constable told The Second Life Herald.
??
Read the full article here.
??
On another note, there’s already a striving community of Accountants in SL, led by??Tom Hood,??the??CEO and Executive Director of the Maryland Association of CPAs and Founder and CEO of the Business Learning Institute. The Virtual Worlds BusinessCast explains……