The Virtual Economy Research Network (VERN) is running a story about Sweden opening up an embassy in Second Life. The build is said to look like the House of Sweden in Washington, making it the first official virtual embassy.
This may at first be a bit contusing, but rest assured that this is not a place for Sweden's citizens to seek refuge on trips to the Metaverse. The virtual embassy is being built by the Swedish Institute and not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That means it falls squarely into their tourism advertising category. The rest of the article rehashes the population controversy as well as the coming backlash controversy. So, how much of an effect is this virtual embassy going to have on tourism? I'm planning a trip to Sweden right now.*
*While this is true, it is completely unrelated to the virtual embassy.
1. Now I'm wondering when the Finns are going to get on the ball. (Not least because we have a Finn visiting us now...)
Posted at 6:27PM on Jan 27th 2007 by Erbo Evans