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June 2nd, 2008
The Archives
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06.02.08Domino’s fulfills Virtual Pizza Craving?Domino's Pizza has established a presence in SL, but one that is a work in progress, judging by comments from the company's IT director, Jane Kimberlin. According to silicon.com: Dominos will eventually have a presence in Second Life but Kimberlin is conscious of the need to make sure the blurring between reality and fiction is very clear in that arena. If customers order a real pizza, while they are in Second Life, it needs to be made obvious to them they are getting a real pizza. For those looking for a pizza in the more immediate future, the company has made a significant ...
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06.02.08Advice to Corporate: Set Goals, Then Go 2.0A comprehensive piece by Maryann Lawlor at RedOrbit gives some very clear advice to corporations looking to graft Web 2.0 weapons into the corporate infrastructure: set some goals. Firstly, Web 2.0 applications are not for everyone. Lawlor quotes Kate Walser, a director at the Usability Center of Excellence, SRA International Incorporated: "If, for example, an organization has a strict chain of command and only executives have certain information that they want to keep under tight control, the tool its leaders choose must have an authority- and approval-chain capability built in, she explains. "If that's not the case, and you are trying to ...
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06.02.08The Sims Explore Going VirtualThe popular Sims franchise has taken a look at the growth of virtual worlds and has decided it might be time to join the fray. According to Times Online, EA games is considering a move where the Sims Online would migrate to a version where players could interact with each other and socialize. In a shot across the bow at the "build your own" ethos of worlds like Second Life, they promise not to walk away from what made The Sims what it is, which includes needing to install software in order to provide a higher resolution experience: (EA) said that the ...
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06.02.08Signing for the Deaf in Virtual Worlds: Close To RealityCandy, a self-described deaf/hard-of-hearing person, writes for us about research and developments into creating avatars that will sign for deaf people in SL. She writes of Guido, created in the UK in 2005, and SiSi, created in 2007 by IBM. And one of the links she provides is a pretty cool demonstration of how SiSi looks and works on a screen:
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06.02.08Paying For IKEA Virtual Furniture: And Never a Missing ScrewThe NY Times reports that Sims has developed with IKEA a furniture package that will enable users to purchase IKEA-branded furniture for their Sims' homes and apartments for around $20. While this deal has been highly-touted, the gold rush to advertising riches in virtual spaces may be further away than you might think. The deal, the Times reports, is part of the ongoing encroachment of big brands into virtual and online properties. But some brands are skittish about advertising in controversial space like Grand Theft Auto; others will only buy space in games played on a single gaming system. And the ...
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06.02.08Corporate SL, 2.0: Modify Your Behavior and Leave Your Attachments at HomeThe LA Times recently printed (yes, it's listed under their 'print edition' online... wait a sec...I'm reading it online...hmm) a piece that dissected Corporate America's turn to SL as an in-company tool and how employee behavior is being watched like a hawk. The article notes the obvious advantage to corporations: employees who work and live large distance apart from one another can easily meet up in the SL space using their avatars. Employees can meet other employees, meetings can take place, and a whole slew of once-attractive travel benefits can now be slashed from the company budget. "Virtual worlds are relatively inexpensive, ...
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06.02.08Substance Abuse Center in SL Offers Anonymous AssessmentPerhaps one of the largest stigmas when it comes to Substance Use Disorder, a chronic and fatal illness, is public perception. Researchers believe that the public stigma associated with this disease has prevented people from coming forward, which would help diagnose the problem and possibly save lives. Aleister Kronos at Ambling in SL writes of the Preferred Family Heathcare island in SL that is taking steps to avoid this common pitfall. PFH, started in 1979, has centers located in Missouri and Texas dedicated to behavioral health. But SL offers an organization like PFH a distinctive advantage. The island is a place that ...
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