Community Mobilization

Kaneva - Social Networking meets Virtual Worlds

Kaneva is a new tool and system set that combines aspects of virtual world interactivity with real life social networking back end. In some circles the drive to connect the two types of interactive activity has been met with excitement and disdain. As community building tools both have their individual appeals, such as a level of anonymity in virtual avatar based communities, and a level of disclosure in social networks. The challenge is the melding of the two diametrically opposed components. I have yet to use Kaneva but will keep an eye peeled to see how it evolves. As a company it seems like the management has a tight hold on content and use which could turn off some looking to push the bounds of social acceptability, a practice not uncommon in either circle.

Area produces Metaplaces

Areae - Raph Koster's relatively new company has launched Metaplaces, a mark up language for the creation of one off virtual communities. The system is exceptionally because it looks to create unique URLs for every item created for the virtual items. Koster envisions users coming to a Metaplace world by clicking on a link in a Web page. That link launches a page where the user finds herself inside a world, perhaps using a default avatar, but no log-in or registration is immediately required. Metaplaces will create a development tool for deeper interactive experiences with ideas, products, or people. The prospects are limited only by the desire for traffic and creativity. My curiosity will be satiated when users begin to experiment with the tool and report back out the stickiness of the experience and their own ability to drive users there.

Working in a Virtual World

Forester has published an article on working in the virtual world. The article looks at using virtual world and 3-d world technology as a complimentary tool enhancing meetings and supplementing face to face interaction. It is important that Forester is looking at the technology not as a backbone of business but more as a tool of business, and that may be the critical item. If virtual worlds can become 'business as usual' then the adoption rates will rise moving forward.

Web Playgrounds of the Very Young

It is no shock to me that youth wordlwide are being drawn into graphically based virtual world environments. The medium captures attention like no other as it engages us in sight, sound, hearing, and touch (keyboard). As parents encourage their children to stay inside more often then venture outdoors for unstructured fun and free time, kids are making semi-structured play online.

The article in the New York Times captures the exuberances of the youth entertainment community but it fails to represent the potential for outside marketers to engage participants. Will these spaces be breeding grounds for the next wave of consumerists who are cultured to 'purchasing' as the only means to enhance their avatar? I applaud the CDC's efforts in engaging the community of Whyville, where avatars are catching the flu ... that is unless they get their vaccination. Rez Nation recorded a session given by Erin Edgerton and John Anderton from CDC on their engagement in virtual worlds.

MMORG Philanthropy

There have been few articles I have read on MMORG and game development that really get me thinking about philanthropy and the possibilities of philanthropic activities. However I did get some inspiration from the Game Developer Magazine article 'Purchasing Power' by Taiyoung Ryu and Kyuhwan Oh. It was a very straightforward review of item based payment models in Korean games but the purpose of purchase intrigued me. What most people are not considering is the basic premise that high fashion virtual items are as relevant to gamers as as a coach purse is to a soccer mom. That being said there is a robust branding and product development industry solely to serve causes and virtual space is not being engaged the way it could be. finding the nexus between the cause missions and the gamers needs is where the real mutual payoff lies.

Virtual Worlds, Real Laws

One of the major intellectual quandaries in the virtual space arena is what are the roles of real world laws, if any? New York University Law School and Harvard's Berkman Center, with the direction of Professor Beth Noveck, even set up the State of Play conference to address some of the concerns. They included legal questions on Intellectual Property rights, taxation, pornography, and free speech. Now Virtual Worlds Management is conducting a Virtual World Law conference in New York this spring. I am not sure of the attendees or the nature of the presenters, academic or professional, but their conferences have been well attended in the past and their content is consistently very good. The conference will involve the American Bar Association's committee on Virtual Worlds and Multiuser Online Games. Their participation will help in world business owners address legal questions they have in the wake of some of the more public virtual world law suits.

The Federal Government Considers Virtual Worlds

The Federal Government is looking at virtual worlds as platforms for collaborative efforts and information sharing. As a matter of fact they are holding their own conference, Federal Consortium for Second Life; Exploring Virtual Worlds. Even more interesting is an article by Government Executive on how the intelligence community is developing analytical practices around virtual worlds. It seems tha they would like to us the platforms to encourage a cultural shift from the standard 'need to know' into a 'need to share' approach. I think it is a tall order to expect a full cultural shift but it may promote some positive and useful internal dialog.

Virtual World Therapy

Duke University is developing therapeutic experiences in virtual world settings. The experiences are designed to address addition in particular but may be used to also treat phobias in minimal exposure settings. When temptation arises in certain situations, the patient rates his or her own craving level. But the magic moment comes when a high craving subsides, which it does, because the patient won't be taking drugs in the virtual world. Thanks to Masively and ABC!

Changemakers Post Finalists - Games for Health Education

If you follow my blog you know I am a big proponent of using game technology to educate. It is interactive, engaging and entertaining all at the same time and that helps move ideas into brains. Changemakers has announced their finalists on their site and I am excited to spend some time looking over the details of each proposal and seeing how they will improve the world.

Virtual Worlds 2007: Togetherness: What Drives the Virtual Human Connection

Here are the notes from the Afternoon community panel featuring some friends of mine including Giff Constable, Betsy Book, and Robin Harper to name a few.

Insularity is one of the biggest issues with virtual worlds. There is a privacy value but to maintain the connection and value of the connection it is important to be able to take the relationship with you. A challenge that we all have is to help people take advantage of the anonymity and identity options. Are we interested in bringing in pieces of real life and making them available bit by bit at a time? We are becoming more compassionate as we learn more about each other through secondary spaces such as social networking spaces. Our social rules a re evolving with the technology. The tech has causes us to rethink how we deliver and disclose information as well as adjust our expectations of privacy.

One of the strong ties that bind together communities is fandom, but what creates the community is not the topic but the exchanges about the everyday life. Virtual worlds are spaces that are ripe as the mediums for this kind of discussions. Voice chat has been one of the real powerful tools that help facilitate community building. One of the neat things is using the chat tool as a back-channel to voice conversations. Making communication tools easier and more prevalent is the key to getting the community to gel and bond.

Part of the availability of the online space provides an amazing opportunity for cultural sharing. Moreover having the ability to communicate across native languages using translator programs provides a potential for person to person global diplomacy. In certain areas you can delineate and mark spaces and it is more of a human factor. The goal is to continue to keep the relationships in world alive while they are out of world.

One of the content applications is that with people that are housebound, or ill find that their virtual friends are their support system. At what point does the line between real and virtual friends dissolve and disappear. The reality is that friendship is a state not a location or something tangible. For older users location still seems to be a key component of their virtual experiences.