September 28, 2007

Nude Gingrich: A Second Life Story

UPDATED.

Looks like Newt Gingrich is the latest potential '08 politician to get swept up, up and away by the Second Life craze.

Tech Daily Dose reports that Gingrich's town hall appearance in the "online fantasy world" yesterday was besmirched by the appearance of a virtual streaker. Or, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution so delicately put it, "a lovely young digital lady, who arrived moments before her clothes did."

Hmm, not sure how that's going to play with the conservative base Gingrich is trying to court as he weighs a potential White House bid. (Twig Tomorrow, an official with the Metaverse Mod Squad, which moderated the virtual event on Thursday, disputes media reports that the avatar appeared nude).

All kidding aside, Newt's alleged nude encounter online is just the latest in a string of online follies involving politicians and their virtual campaigns. Blame Mark Warner, the would-be Democratic hopeful who's now running for the Senate in Virginia, for starting the decidedly creepy trend.

For reviews of most of the candidates' Second Life efforts, see TechPresident. And the Politico has a wrap-up of a recent forum on new media it sponsored, in which several panelists "doubted the usefulness, for now, of campaigning in the online universe Second Life."

Posted at 3:03 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Newt Gingrich, Republicans, WH 2008
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