CPAs are expanding their presence in Second Life, and the MACPA and its members are leading the way. Following KAWG&F’s lead, the association built its own SL headquarters and is now developing “CPA Island” in Second Life. Other CPA firms and organizations have expressed interest in creating a virtual presence on the island, and networking and business opportunities are sure to follow.

Ours isn’t the only profession to recognize the potential that lies within Second Life. Lawyer Stevan Lieberman has taken his software and intellectual property expertise to SL’s virtual world and is actually earning income as a result.

“Instead of trying to practice purely virtual law,” says this Business 2.0 article, “Lieberman has taken a hybrid approach, using Second Life as a meet-and-greet area for new clients, who then take their real-world legal needs offline. And since he took in $7,000 in fees in the first two weeks after hanging up his virtual shingle, he’s optimistic. … So bullish is Lieberman that he’s helping to set up the site’s first ‘law island,’ a place for other members’ practices and legal entities to do business. The American Bar Association and the FBI have asked him to help them set up their outposts, too.”

We’re hearing similar stories from other folks who have brought their business interests to Second Life: Contacts made in Second Life are leading to real clients, real business and real money in real life.

Have you made the leap into Second Life? If so, click on “Comments” below and tell us your story.