I hate to point out the obvious - again - but what we see here is ONE person’s experience of Second Life being treated as if it were the Voice of God. Furthermore, Krangel’ “suggestions” have been made before by many Second Life residents and, yet again, are HIS ideas. The Reuters’ “pull-out” is partly due to the obvious fact that Krangel - who was the only Reuters person covering the beat - has actually changed job and now works for Silicon Alley insider, and that if you look at the paucity of coverage that he has produced for Reuters Second Life, it is hardly surprising they have decided not to re-appoint. That’s a reflection of return-on-investment, not an indicator of the death of Second Life.

News of Reuters pulling out seems to have caught media attention, but that’s because Reuters has a much larger platform than other news organizations. The Second Life Herald celebrated its fifth anniversary last month yet THAT piece of news never made the mass media. Why? Because it is focused on SL and virtual worlds so doesn’t have the “pull” of a Reuters. Nevertheless, it continues to provide comments and observations on items of interest to Second Life residents. The “SL Enquirer” is four years old and the “SL-Newspaper” has been publishing since 2005. None of these long-lasting publications have been touted as successful - we simply hear about Reuters, as if Reuters ALONE was the SL Press.