The Internal Revenue Service isn't all about taking your money. It's also about saving you money by foregoing NASCAR sponsorships in favor of a virtual presence in Second Life.
See, instead of spending millions of dollars on recruitment advertising no one will actually see, the IRS instead spent thousands of dollars to create an IRS Careers Island in Second Life which no one will actually see. That's much cheaper! I actually visited the island as soon as I heard about this, and one can definitely see how they saved millions. It's a bunch of booths with clickable information signs, and a couple of lounges with some very pretty penguin clip art that must have cost them a small fortune to secure.
Frank Stipe, Virtual Worlds & Social Networking Project Manager for the IRS, explains why the IRS needs a Virtual Worlds & Social Networking Project Manager.
In the physical world, we could spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, on sponsoring a race car that displays our brand in a field of thirty or more other cars. In the SL virtual world, we have spent a few thousand dollars to build complete entertainment and communications venue that includes a race course. IRS branding throughout the venue not only displays our messaging, but it also instantly dispenses marketing collateral and links to our Careers web site.
Wait, there's an IRS race course in Second Life? Excuse me a moment.
Wheeeeee! The IRS rocks!
The service is currently working with Universities and other academic institutions to raise awareness of its Second Life presence. Those interested in more information can contact recruiter Robin Laviscu or sim engineer RobinRasberry Sorbet.
IRS Saves Millions by Using Second Life to Market Its Employment Opportunities [College Recruiter]