Community Mobilization

Espionage Goes Virtual

It seems tha tthe Espionage world has decided to get involved in the virtual world arena with their A-SpaceX synthetic world. According to a Wired article A-SpaceX will have a number of virtual world features that, in a sense, will allow intelligence forecasters to run prediction models and create scenarios, then rewind them and alter outcomes with changes.  The 'time machiene' function provides the capacity to really understand how changing circumstances can impact outcomes. The effort is a collaboration between the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the newly-formed Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA).

Health Care begins to Pay attention to Virtal Worlds

The Gamasutra weekly newsletter has a very nice collection of tid-bits about the recent Games For Health event.  Tim Holt of Oregon State University noted that when considering online worlds, many immediately think of Second Life - but that full, explorable 3D space is only one possible model.  Web-based 2D worlds such as Whyville and Club Penguin are not only equally effective at creating social interaction, he pointed out, but are also much more accessible, requiring only a web browser.

There is great divide on the platform issue but what is very clear is that the virtual environment provides a very fast, and flexible training platform for complex situations such as ER trauma s and evacuations. 

Human Rights, and Virtual Poperty Rights

The panelists consist of professionals from GoPets, Live gamer, and Charles River Ventures. One of the questions that often comes up is are game designers responsible of devaluation of valuable goods in world? The panelist seem to agree that part of game play is treating player fairly but game owners can not be held accountable for market forces.Marketing side is more important than the legal side. Treat the customers well in protecting their content (not necessarily guaranteeing value). EULAs help to determine publisher responsibilities, but again vthe questions are all centered on the challenges of the legal vs. the ethical.
Part of the limiting factors of WOW is the lack of human and property rights within the game. One amazing questions becomes inheritance and willing of objects. Monetary value that is assigned to avatars and to activity is difficult to assign since there is not always a definitive dollar value to an object or a skill set.

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.

Student Preferences for Online Discussion ALN

Shawn Kildea is presenting live at the Digital Now educational symposium on Blackboard vs. Facebook for asynchronous learning networks (ALN) in a class room setting. ALNs provide a number of opportunities for presence, interaction, and a space for people to post carefully thought out responses. ALNs are prospering from a long term increase of social computing capacity in both computers and students. The question is what is value of ALNs from the student perspective.

12 students found Blackboard useful for keeping in touch with classmates in specific classes and keeping track of class-centric topics. However un-uniform use by professors is confusing for students. Intermingling of social and academic networks on Facebook was a theme from a number of student responses.

In crating a Facbook profile the goal was to increase pre-class communication and facilitate discussion. One concern was that the use of new technology would be a barrier. However use over a semester's time (acclimation) proved to have students feeling comfortable in using Facebook as an ALN and letting their professors into their Facebook space.

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.

Coca-Cola moves Virtual Space to There.com

Coca-Cola has moved the Coke Studio from their own micro-site to There.com. My guess is that Coke wised up and realized that to make the most of their virtual world engagement they should be going where the people are. The new space, CC-Metro, is integrated space within There.com including a 5-story skate park where they can test their "hoverboard" skills, a theater that plays exclusive Coke-sponsored videos and commercials, and a classic diner where members can dance and socialize. There.com is know as a more brand friendly environment as Makena Technologies, the owners of the platform, have designed the space to be more conducive to image control compared to other virtual spaces such as Second Life.

Forester Report: Virtual Worlds Part of the Knowledge Workspace

A recent Forester Research report states that virtual worlds and spaces a re a key component of the knowledge workspace. The report identifies several Web 2.0 technologies that companies should adopt for stronger information connections: RSS, blogs, rich Internet applications (RIAs), tagging, wikis, and virtual worlds. The article goes forward and suggests that to get these current technologies integrated companies should look inward before they turn to consultant. Virtual Worlds Weekly catalogs the Seven Tenets of the Knowledge Workplace as:

The seven tenets are that:
1. Work should be contextual: Forrester envisions RSS feeds pushing information to workers in their portals instead of forcing them to go to multiple applications to catch up on work. Forrester sees virtual worlds as a bonus here, where workers can interact in a 3D environment and access files in the same way they would in the real world.

2. Portals should be individualized, allowing users to customize their space in a wiki, RSS, or virtual world.

3. Work should be seamless. Virtual worlds aren't mentioned specifically here, but the idea is that instead of clicking between applications or folders, information should be tagged in one location. A virtual space makes for an interesting way to browse. See, for example, projects the intelligence community is working on for a virtual work space.

4. Information should be presented visually, which seems like a pretty clear tie-in to the previous tenet for virtual worlds.

5. Technology should be multi-modal. I.e., it should allow for mashups.

6. Information should be social. Again, this has been one of the major arguments for a 3D virtual work environment that allows users to collaboratively access and edit information in real time.

7. Information should be quick. Instead of working with local software, businesses should focus on Service-Oriented Architecture.

The seven tenets are that:
1. Work should be contextual: Forrester envisions RSS feeds pushing information to workers in their portals instead of forcing them to go to multiple applications to catch up on work. Forrester sees virtual worlds as a bonus here, where workers can interact in a 3D environment and access files in the same way they would in the real world.

2. Portals should be individualized, allowing users to customize their space in a wiki, RSS, or virtual world.

3. Work should be seamless. Virtual worlds aren't mentioned specifically here, but the idea is that instead of clicking between applications or folders, information should be tagged in one location. A virtual space makes for an interesting way to browse. See, for example, projects the intelligence community is working on for a virtual work space.

4. Information should be presented visually, which seems like a pretty clear tie-in to the previous tenet for virtual worlds.

5. Technology should be multi-modal. I.e., it should allow for mashups.

6. Information should be social. Again, this has been one of the major arguments for a 3D virtual work environment that allows users to collaboratively access and edit information in real time.

7. Information should be quick. Instead of working with local software, businesses should focus on Service-Oriented Architecture.