What a nice use for virtual world technology. Sue Stonebender (aka CBC syndicated columnist Sue Braiden) officially opened her Second Life island, A Better World, for business last night. And the business at hand is finding ways to leverage the social connectivity of 3D simulations to address global social issues of concern to her and those within her network.

Sue (shown above addressing guests, including, I believe, Pam and Pierre Omidyar) has been working diligently on creating a space which – if I’m not mistaken – is primarily intended to host virtual conferences addressing a variety issues; to bring people together to discuss everything from AIDs in Africa to abolishing the death penalty. It’s an inspiring and worthwhile effort.

One cool example of what’s being done is a virtual gallery of art created by African children afflicted with AIDs. I’m unsure how the images get from the children to the virtual world (I’ve asked but not yet received an answer, perhaps Sue will see this blog entry and inform us all), but the tiles have embedded links to websites that provide additional information for those interested in learning more about the dire situation in Africa. Without doubt one of the best ways to motivate people to act is to educate them. If a picture is worth a thousand words, hopefully an immersive space requires no words at all.