FAQsCRY now has an 'office' on Second Life - Hindustan Times
Article Source: Hindustan Times
Date of Issue: January 28, 2008
Author: Kiran Wadhwa
Title of the article: CRY now has an 'office' on Second Life
WHAT IS SECOND LIFE?
Second Life (SL) is a virtual world on the Internet. Launched in 2003, it gained popularity and worldwide recognition in 2006. Its 1.2 crore users, called residents, interact with each other through motional avatars, a computerised representation of oneself. Residents live their virtual lives a lot like they do in the real world with money, real estate, marriages and jobs. You can log on to Second Life and visit the CRY office in the virtual city of Bollywood. Your virtual avatar can view CRY videos and projects and interact with its volunteers. You can. make donations in Linden dollars (240 Linden dollars make 1 US dollar), which will then be deducted from your Teal' bank account
YOU CAN now make a real difference, virtually Second Life, a virtual world - where you can be a molecular scientist, have six packs, date exotic people or own a beachside resort - now has a bright yellow CRY (Child Rights and You) office by the beach where you can help underprivileged children.
The NGO is one of the first Indian organisations to find a place in the portal that has more than 1.2 crore users or 'residents.' "This is best and most economical way to reach out to people. Second Life might not be as popular in India as abroad but it is catching on," said. Poonam Chengappa, communication officer of CRY. "People can view photo essays, videos and know the state of underprivileged children, especially in India, and do their bit to help."
The office on Second Life would also allow CRY volunteers across the world to come together for virtual meetings that translate into real-life action, she said. The way it works is simple.You log on to Second Life and go to the CRY office located in 'Bollywood', a city created by India-based virtual technology company, Indusgeeks.
Your virtual avatar can view CRY videos and projects, and interact with its volunteers. You can also make donations in Linden dollars (240 Linden dollars make one US dollar), which will then be deducted from your real bank account.
The office also houses a virtual space for CRY products like cards and stationary that will be shipped to you. It is replete with a conference room, library and registration area, and designed as Lego blocks to emphasise CRY's core focus of children. "Such initiatives will give the Internet a soul and people an opportunity to make a difference," said Siddharth Bannerjee, founder and CEO, Indusgeeks. CRY was started by Rippan Kapur, a Mumbai-based Air India flight purser, in 1979, when he was 25. He and six friends got together and registered CRY as a non-profit organisation by putting in Rs 50. Their first office was Kapur's dining table
