sl

second life, for those of you who don't know, is a virtual world. that is to say, the people are real, the conversations are real, but the infrastructure is virtual. if you still don't understand, visit www.secondlife.com and check it out. it's free to join at the basic level.

richard has a presence on sl - he goes by the name of richard fitzgerald (you can only select from a bank of surnames), and he has quite a following now. he streams live from his studio in london, singing and accompanying himself on the piano, and occasionally the guitar. he mainly plays ballads (one fan's comment was "he's playing my favourite mp3 collection!) but sometimes does a few up-tempo numbers too. he also throws in the odd original song as well.

many who haven't experienced sl don't "get it" - suffice it to say that richard does, and really enjoys it. it has given him a confidence boost, and he has made many friends around the world, increased his public profile and even made a useful work contact or two.