Recently, I’ve seen a great deal of positive press about the virtual world Kaneva.

Second Life has been the big player in the space, stealing much of the spotlight from other worlds. But, as we’ve shared in previous blog posts, it’s certainly not the only virtual world out there. With millions and millions of people creating virtual lives, this space will only grow and reshape as the market defines itself.

So, this Forbes article (”Rocking the Virtual World”) says:

Among the producers of virtual worlds Atlanta’s Kaneva may be on its way to becoming the most “disruptive,” according to Strategy & Innovation, a Cambridge, Mass. newsletter founded by Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen.

That’s quite a statement. But, why Kaneva? Certainly Second Life has the greater mind share. Well, the article goes on with a quote from founder Christopher Klaus:

“Second Life currently has huge mind share, but they are after a different market,” says Klaus. “We want people who have never played videogames before.”

This is significant. Kaneva, unlike Second Life (and other worlds), encourages users to replicate themselves in-world, as opposed to creating a fantasy version of themselves. Kaneva wants to be the MySpace or Facebook of virtual worlds - a place to openly share your life and your interests with your friends. In fact, Kaneva has often been compared to the social network MySpace, not a frequent comparison for Second Life.

In the end, I’m left thinking: Perhaps we need to do away with the comparisons. The audience for Second Life and Kaneva are clearly different. There’s no reason at this point to say that it’s one or the other…just as there’s not just one social network, rather many that bring together groups of people with varying interests.

My “home” inside Kaneva - a little sad right now, but give me time …