I've been curious about using Second Life as a VR platform for LUF interests for a while, though I know next to nothing about it. I've been hearing interesting reports like people living and working in VR, retailers running virtual businesses, corporations opening virtual offices, and Sweden opening an embassy.
I was just about to ask what others thought, when I decided to just check the archives first. There are currently 22 emails already there. So, I'll comb through those first and summarize the details here before rehashing old topics. I'll also post any other research I do on the topic here as well.
For years we have discussed having a 3D meeting place and a VR model of our vision. Second Life offers a platform for us to exploit for those ends. With millions of inhabitants, that makes it possible to get a lot of exposure for the LUF.
The draw backs may come from the Second Life business model. It may be expensive to get enough land for a fully representative model. Of course, other things could be built first like a VR HQ. Then build up to colonies. Also, can the SL system support space colonies? If it is really going open source, that might not be much of a barrier either.