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The Archives
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03.01.08Wiki Patterns Giving Business Clues for Virtual WorldsCollaboration in virtual worlds is one of their many applications, and new environments arrive every day offering everything from content-specific immersive environments (VLES for music) to social/entertainment platforms (Kaneva). Thinking about how to use platforms like Second Life for business collaboration and community-building, I'm struck by how the principles of open source development including Wikis might provide a rich source of lessons and ideas. Wiki Patterns for example, offers a toolkit for companies and communities looking to optimize the use of Wikis. But this toolkit sounds suitable as a "best practices toolkit" for Second Life. Some examples of community-building best practices ...
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02.20.08Virtual Worlds and BusinessJeff Jonas, self-proclaimed IT pundit, weighs in on virtual worlds, and seems to hit the right notes in spite not spending a ton of time (or at least admitting it) in virtual worlds. His main points: - More people will spend more time in virtual worlds (Castranova's exodus theory) - Cross-reality synchronization will open the floodgates of potential for virtual worlds (I really need to stop calling them worlds, because one of my main points is that 3D spaces aren't separate places from real world applications and business, they're simply a different, enabling, and supplementing technology to the real and the 2D) - ...
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02.13.08The Virtual Workspace: A Work in ProgressCIO, a Web site for business executives, explores the potential and pitfalls of virtual worlds in business in a recent article printed on its site. And at a conference in London, technology consultant Marco Tippner claimed that learning and training will be the “killer application” for online 3D worlds sometime in the near future. On the plus side for business, virtual worlds are touted as improvements upon things such as teleconferences, and the informality of the virtual space can be a positive. On the negative side, however, the article points out the “technical and cultural obstacles” that must be overcome in order ...
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02.11.08Emory Virtual Worlds – Business & Government Session (Panelist Intros)Second session at the Virtual Worlds Conference at Emory covers the 'collision' of virtual business and virtual government. Panelists: Meeting the panelists: Byron Reeves, of Stanford - psychology of self representation - how can we take some of this 'primitive engagement' energy and use it in serious contexts - not so much learning and simulation environment, but how to actually do serious work in virtual worlds - non-visual things you can do...e.g. non visual games, synthetic currency via email Rachel Gibson, University of Manchester - looking at election campaigns online and use of Web and email - moving into virtual worlds opens up new possibilities - more abstract idea that there ...
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02.05.08Learning about Second Life from…Google?Linden Labs is worried that the competition may have learned from its mistakes. In the meantime, it's by way of Google that I ran across this mouse, constructed specifically for use in 3D applications including Second Life (according to its Web site): Linden is spending so much time with its head in the back of its servers that its neglecting its role of supporting advocates, champions and evangelists for the value of Second Life. What I'd LIKE to hear Rosedale say is: Until now, we’ve played favorites and we’ve given them more reasons to moan and complain than to celebrate and its ...
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01.30.08IBM’s Continued Affection for Second LifeVirtual World News (VMN) reports that IBM has made a significant investment in Second Life in India, opening up a 24-hour business center to service clients in 12 languages. This follows its expansion last August of staffers from Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia. The ‘live avatars’ will be IBM sales representatives that will aid with software sales, business questions, or finding a book from the business library. The staffers will speak Hindi/English and staff will be added from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. "There has been a huge surge in the popularity of the web activities like social networking. People are very ...
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01.29.08Harvard Business Review Spotlights Second LifeHarvard Business Review has tagged virtual worlds as "Breakthrough Ideas for 2008" in its current issue (February 2008). In its annual round-up of ideas that "capture 20 transformations at single points in their development" virtual worlds and related development, wide coverage is given to virtual worlds, including a spotlight on Second Life. More commentary to follow, but briefly the issue includes the following topics: The Metaverse as TV of the Future Using Second Life as a specific example, one of their top trends paints a picture of virtual worlds as being a wave that may very well wash away the "traditional Internet" like TV ...
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01.25.08Investment in Virtual Worlds: Follow the MoneyWith a billion dollars invested in virtual worlds in 2007, nearly half of that in the last quarter, feels like enough cash flow to keep this bandwagon going for a while. How come Linden doesn't pick up some of the loot being tossed around town and up their service levels. They can pitch it as investing in generating "Web 2.0 stickiness on a 3D platform aimed at kids" and claim all the money will go to the Teen Grid. Kids is where the cash is at, it seems, leaving us low-life adults to rant in frustration as the latest Windlight install ...
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01.25.08Second Life Banks, Valley Wag, and WSJValley Wag's shame is Second Life's benefit, based on front page coverage in the Wall Street Journal. No friend of Second Life, Valley Wag shames the WSJ for bringing attention to the banking "scandal" and concludes: If only this were enough to pop Second Life's bubbly fictional economy. Sadly, there are more than enough clever virtual shysters entrepreneurs to keep the farce going. What disappoints Valley Wag is that the article is reasonable, unbiased coverage of the banking ban, treating it as if it's *gasp* actually not some sort of fantasy game world. The WSJ recognizes that in a virtual world with ...
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01.21.08Forrester on Second Life: Employing MillenialsForrester argues that forward-thinking companies should explore virtual worlds now as a strategy for understanding how to attract, hire and retain the Millenials who will need to fill the empty job slots left by the Baby Boomers. Connie Moore, on the Forrester corporate blog argues that We also know definitively from our research that they learn differently. Millenials won't like to attend classroom training, and they won't even like taking online courses. Instead, Millenials want to learn on the job and have the systems teach them when help is needed. Corporations Need to Get with the Game Based on the idea that large ...
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