tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34963729199196852592024-03-05T23:39:26.598+00:00Debs talks about...DEBS TALKS ABOUT....
Virtual Worlds and Social MediaDebs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-67211785754406527442010-09-13T21:43:00.000+01:002010-09-13T21:43:36.220+01:00Do Virtual Worlds Cause Psychological Disorders Like Depression And Addiction?A post at <a href="http://metaversetribune.com/2010/09/13/is-it-fair-to-blame-virtual-worlds/">http://metaversetribune.com/2010/09/13/is-it-fair-to-blame-virtual-worlds/</a> prompts me to comment...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04QhTuA0kVkl2kLgIbFWugFCHIp2v2_RMUOna3l8DzCg8of74IXl5kMdAQ-stU0mxzjFG93-0v-Qux-GDCGB_Cml9LLgy15q1i6GoqbRM4HhfiqeahIRjLWZdlLPPOMcWEYYAOxbJuSo/s1600/05A51628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04QhTuA0kVkl2kLgIbFWugFCHIp2v2_RMUOna3l8DzCg8of74IXl5kMdAQ-stU0mxzjFG93-0v-Qux-GDCGB_Cml9LLgy15q1i6GoqbRM4HhfiqeahIRjLWZdlLPPOMcWEYYAOxbJuSo/s200/05A51628.JPG" width="160" /></a><br />
People with addictive personalities often find something to become addicted to, if not the Internet, a football team, if not a football team, a square of cloth. Addictive personalities are not the problem and nor are virtual worlds, society is the root cause of this addiction. Addictive brains have been scanned and it has been found that part of the brain are differently wired to that of a 'normal' person (if there is such a thing).<br />
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Lack of variety of tasks on offer in life, education imbalance that fails to engage the many parts of a person that are needed for a healthy psyche. In fact, I would go as far as to say that virtual worlds are a safety net up to a point. The addictive behaviour that separates part of oneself from everything else could be an alternative to medication. In fact, it could prevent medication totally when a support system is found inside the refuge of virtual worlds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytYnB5B-2Dz-TEt3N2vN3YIC2k_Ar_qmf1p7K9bh5Q15-MN9DV9Jm_Xc0TBk5JKcbqVnbZJPyHU0CMLeVTbMsQlFXW5wd6ZuVhv8Fr_h1vZL3GQDZMY7sYQL5DwjLsqBiu86z2tm-Vog/s1600/S_TOT003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytYnB5B-2Dz-TEt3N2vN3YIC2k_Ar_qmf1p7K9bh5Q15-MN9DV9Jm_Xc0TBk5JKcbqVnbZJPyHU0CMLeVTbMsQlFXW5wd6ZuVhv8Fr_h1vZL3GQDZMY7sYQL5DwjLsqBiu86z2tm-Vog/s200/S_TOT003.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Also, people are there who can offer comfort, friendship and advice, some even who have gone through the same trials and tribulations. Virtual worlds can also provide an escape from socially restrictive circumstances, a 'hide way' from the harsh realities of life.<br />
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I am not saying we all should escape life, but depressives often sleep a lot and live in their dreams, awakening only to find the reality they cannot deal with in the first place. They are then treated with medication and either 'get better' or stay that way. What a better option to have an alternative 'fantasy world' with 'real people' that can help.<br />
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I agree with Catriona M. Morrison, DPhil, Institute of Psychological sciences from the University of Leeds Great Britain that <em><strong><span style="color: maroon;">“over-engaging in Web sites that serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction.” </span></strong></em><br />
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However a link does not mean one causes the other. As Skylar Smythe points out, an 'association' does not suggest cause and effect. Many things are associated, yet one does not necessarily cause the one another and the cause / effect may even be reversed. No connection can be assumed until proven.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrhclWkCllHR6QJBcc4Gc5mDlAR-AzOVVJt7OZ9LmZ263j9dLHsmhoy3Cfmy5LzV_A9RykvAbLxd-ekBE7x3s0Jr73aB3YELSZS1r0yyyUMRBYOODxzqwO9GKWBuINNPHkKytFwHiJMk/s1600/S_TOT006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrhclWkCllHR6QJBcc4Gc5mDlAR-AzOVVJt7OZ9LmZ263j9dLHsmhoy3Cfmy5LzV_A9RykvAbLxd-ekBE7x3s0Jr73aB3YELSZS1r0yyyUMRBYOODxzqwO9GKWBuINNPHkKytFwHiJMk/s200/S_TOT006.JPG" width="181" /></a></div>As a compulsion disorder, Internet Addiction is treated very much as other compulsion disorders, by replacing the addicts' source of 'addiction' with something else. It is not certain that the person may not form a similar addiction to the replacement, as that too may offer the succor that the 'Internet Addiction' provided in the first place.<br />
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What I would like to see is the people who treat these issues use virtual worlds to treat their patients with. After all, virtual worlds and virtual reality have been used to help patients with many other psychiatric disorders and phobias. <a href="http://vrlab.epfl.ch/%7Ebhbn/psy/index-VR-Psychology.html">http://vrlab.epfl.ch/~bhbn/psy/index-VR-Psychology.html</a>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-78646913116604051122010-09-06T21:07:00.000+01:002010-09-06T21:07:43.609+01:00Are Super-brands using Social Media?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>From recent research, it appears that globally recognized brands hardly use social media. For example, in fashion, you seldom see the appearance of a big brand such as Prada or Gucci in social media campaigns. They are more likely to stick with Vogue magazine in spite of their huge aspirational following on social sites like Facebook. <br />
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Gucci and Mercedes Benz stand out as isolated cases. Gucci did try a lukewarm campaign, EyeWeb, where it invited people to upload photos that were shown on a pair of Gucci sunglasses as a reflection. To borrow a term 'less is less' may still be applicable to this industry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5bcgxj5VRCZ4PP3_BmUi68mubPa1CVa1Cl8BdffLkD8k7MwKWVFI-KVhc2MwopheU5jMEBMAGw0puCqymLWEJ2BAMvQ9z8QQttzK_rWMlA43VzwxRKPID_NP2r9-ZJFoALIsjB7Zlhk/s1600/AnimatedCoolCat.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5bcgxj5VRCZ4PP3_BmUi68mubPa1CVa1Cl8BdffLkD8k7MwKWVFI-KVhc2MwopheU5jMEBMAGw0puCqymLWEJ2BAMvQ9z8QQttzK_rWMlA43VzwxRKPID_NP2r9-ZJFoALIsjB7Zlhk/s320/AnimatedCoolCat.gif" /></a> <br />
However, 'less being less' is not isolated to the fashion industry and lack of social media use is repeated throughout industries. Super-brands appear to be turning a blind eye to social media, or are waiting until they are forced into it as it becomes increasingly mainstream.<br />
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Meanwhile, agile organizations are implementing social media strategies and making the most of this lead on their competitors in the hope that they will be further along in the race when the giants decide to enter. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RNj2MGG_9ltv1Y9zclnHoeI4OIuVEi0PIuU0dZnjMFm9PVVr7advSJXzthbY9JXKgYT9acqwh2ZB06jZsOzwfH3a732_CXHwo-jMmS3AxxNZwULki6tEZU3InUyQyPz-KhszxFnHlOI/s1600/DSI056A.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RNj2MGG_9ltv1Y9zclnHoeI4OIuVEi0PIuU0dZnjMFm9PVVr7advSJXzthbY9JXKgYT9acqwh2ZB06jZsOzwfH3a732_CXHwo-jMmS3AxxNZwULki6tEZU3InUyQyPz-KhszxFnHlOI/s320/DSI056A.bmp" /></a></div>Good luck to these people and brands that are early adopters, those who are making the most of this opportunity while the more ponderous giants lag behind. You will need it, because they will throw billions at their campaigns. The law of increasing returns applies here. As with all information based industries, the more you invest and sell... the more you sell. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_1F2ysJ_6JJqYD6mbn5JP0-EkaNCq7SMFuCI1H_hR8nBY3L3d_Y3MpURYvb8xF7brzEzikQkUaRejzh-sW8zwzziUw-fHb72UnTxTE6uH7ymTpBb_NSOumUIohxrxeFiPLeRbuknIjE/s1600/correspondence.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_1F2ysJ_6JJqYD6mbn5JP0-EkaNCq7SMFuCI1H_hR8nBY3L3d_Y3MpURYvb8xF7brzEzikQkUaRejzh-sW8zwzziUw-fHb72UnTxTE6uH7ymTpBb_NSOumUIohxrxeFiPLeRbuknIjE/s320/correspondence.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mashable.com/2010/09/06/brand-spending-google/%E2%80%A8">http://mashable.com/2010/09/06/brand-spending-google/ </a><br />
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</tbody></table>To cast an eye over Google ads for a moment, a recently leaked Google document shows that AT&T Mobility, Expedia, Amazon, eBay, Hotels.com, JP Penny, Living Social, and ADT Security were the top spenders on search ads in June 2010, spending a total of $41.04 million. This is inflated by the BP spend of $3.59 on adverts after the gulf oil spill - presumably as damage limitation? <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://mashable.com/2010/09/06/brand-spending-google/%E2%80%A8%20"><br />
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This may seem like a lot of money, but to these organizations it is a fraction of their marketing budget. The truth of the matter is, although the giants are not yet taking social media seriously - they will do. And when they do, they will throw billions of dollars at it and make a huge impact, dwarfing efforts of existing aspiring brands. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKSac1v_6wnzk3xYAtsHs7qKuo4WOPyCv7VYz4c8Suej1wp_N6O2ZvwS1dzZ-Pxz1BW0vOffal-ixqzMNNVm2roBfYaTj6otwSkKKcN1lbaJ9A91I1k-ZBh5b8j7l9LcxS1k_zdJ41AQ/s1600/EAA036F.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKSac1v_6wnzk3xYAtsHs7qKuo4WOPyCv7VYz4c8Suej1wp_N6O2ZvwS1dzZ-Pxz1BW0vOffal-ixqzMNNVm2roBfYaTj6otwSkKKcN1lbaJ9A91I1k-ZBh5b8j7l9LcxS1k_zdJ41AQ/s320/EAA036F.bmp" /></a>As with Caxton’s printing press, mass adoption is slow initially with the gain of momentum for the first few sales taking the most effort and resources. After that, the old ‘80/20’ rule applies.<br />
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Superbrands are leaving 80% effort to the early adopter to establish the market space. Then will only need 20% effort to achieve the same results in an already rolling market. they will be able to gain traction because of existing brand awareness and mop up 80% potential sales in the market as well as other benefits., while the early adopter who created the market has to satisfy himself with 20% of market share for 80% effort to get it. <br />
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Also notable in this leaked Google document is that many Internet savvy companies are on this list. They have been birthed inside this environment so understand it well. Social media is a natural extension of their playpen. The Internet being their home base and their movement in is as fluid as dolphins in the sea. <br />
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Social media at present is more hype than fact, although organisations are positioning themselves for the social media battles of the future, by acquiring internal and external social media teams. Take a look at social media hires – this job was not in existence a few years ago, now someone who is purported to be a great social mediaist can command a salary on 6 figures. <br />
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Let’s see some movement from the super-brands and see if they ‘can’ compete and beat the smaller organisations already out there doing social media. Will this be a turnaround where the playing field is level, or does money buy everything in social media as it does anywhere else?Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-10428730927927985142010-09-05T17:03:00.000+01:002010-09-05T17:03:24.899+01:00Why Choose To Stay Using Second Life?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">People arrive at Second Life for a variety of reasons. However there is usually a single prime reason for sticking to it - for many this is engaging in social activities.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While people finding Second Life do so mainly through friends, they stay because of more friends. They can connect with people from around the world, make new friends, have new relationships and discover new things about themselves. For many what matters is simply chatting.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIHOTfGOfiwYSisjl_i2abGKD9LbPiR2QkKTGb0kOYWL3vnTta-ZDSQPN9yzQKdxpreDaqJIXKr5BEsZ51XNadW7lF6Bn4Afiq6dHWRO2hPnkIMjdVq2-QtHiuDFLQujmqgC-iEgZsjQ/s1600/2010_07_30+Workzmarter_005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIHOTfGOfiwYSisjl_i2abGKD9LbPiR2QkKTGb0kOYWL3vnTta-ZDSQPN9yzQKdxpreDaqJIXKr5BEsZ51XNadW7lF6Bn4Afiq6dHWRO2hPnkIMjdVq2-QtHiuDFLQujmqgC-iEgZsjQ/s320/2010_07_30+Workzmarter_005.png" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="color: #0b5394;">Contact</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Meeting people was the top reason for being in Second Life. People love to chat. Second Life is a 3D chat room, with added extras of being able to create your own content and express your creativity in many many ways. It also offers an opportunity to enjoy others' creativity too.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Findings from our recent survey show that people love to socialise, no matter what the virtual environment around them is. 35% people do prefer real 'mirrored' locations that they have either visited or want to visit. After that 15% enjoy the tranquility of a beach or nature environment. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is all in the perception. When you are sitting at your keyboard, the beach can have a calming effect. When you feel isolated this platform offers you a means for communication. To feel secure, you choose somewhere you know or have heard of.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Communication </span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Over a third of people who use Second Life, use it mainly as a communication tool with other people. An eighth use it to have adventures and discover new places as well as new personalities inside themselves (including gender change). They use it as a way to learn about what is possible in their own lives. <br />
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It truly is augmented reality if it can help enhance lives of those who use it. There is also a warning that people are people and sometimes people get hurt. All tales have their morality story. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Creativity</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was encouraging to see that ten percent of those surveyed wanted to create and to share their creativity. Second Life is a virtual world that supports and encourages this. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In Albert Einstein's words:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom." 'Out of My Later Years', 1950. </div> <div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As children who either have or are at high risk for bipolar disorder score higher on the creativity index, this would indicate that these people are offered an outlet for their creative expression. People with bipolar are amongst the best content creators in second life.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Entertainment</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As people enjoy taking the limelight and entertaining, we also love to be entertained. 11% wanted to visit clubs, pubs and bars (I notice this is significantly lower than in real life) and 9% like to engage in entertainment activities.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Shopping</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course shopping was on the list! 8% love to shop and visit shopping locations. For many this is a way to express the lifestyle they aspire to in their real life, but that they can attain within Second Life for a fraction of the cost.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b style="color: #0b5394;">Role Play</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally I will touch on Role Play. I thought Role Play would be one of the 'biggies' here. It wasn't. Although people enjoy role-play, I was told that there are better platforms out there. World Of Warcraft was cited as the best one and Second Life was seen as a totally different beast.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10% liked to go to role-play locations while 7% liked to engage in role-play and fantasy activities, I assume 3% simply watch? I was shocked at these figures because I believed that Vampire and Gorean roleplay was huge in Second Life.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They may be there, but role-play is not as big as the desire to engage with others at a social level and interact with them. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Second Life is more than a game, it is social engagement and augmented reality.</div>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-69192161702486068092010-08-26T17:07:00.000+01:002010-08-26T17:07:43.339+01:00Friend-Power<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How important are your friends in influencing what decisions you make, what you like, don't like, who you like and where you go? Do your 'friends' influence everything you do in life? And why?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Should we listen to our friends or make our own decisions for ourselves? One example of 'friend-power' is shown here with regard to the use of Second Life.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workzmarter TGIF</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Workzmarter</span></b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">London in Second Life recently held our weekly TGIF with Workzmarter. In this meeting, we had a few relatively new, yet established, users. So we posed some relevant questions to them. One was, “How did you learn about Second Life?”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An interesting question, which made people stop and consider for a while. This question was also important because how people learn about things affects how they think about them and whether they value them or not.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">People at TGIF mainly learned about Second Life through the press, mostly television programs, and they wanted to know more, so created an account and logged on. Others already used virtual worlds and wanted to compare the world they used with Second Life. I was curious and wanted to see if this was the case with most people.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Survey Results</span></b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, Virtually Linked did a survey on this interesting topic to find out if this was typical across the board. It was not.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rzpQp-pB_s1RcJ-HAiFP87-_djA4t4HF8JBUY79xBbo8zYuyfEuAoyKVJodVNCBJR8-ahQQhZ_k3TH8jcEw2PiRjYRhOKXBjyh1HTa9PfeITd7f_5AIIkMWVWqtxi6_4KHbmsTDqcis/s1600/Learning+about+SL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rzpQp-pB_s1RcJ-HAiFP87-_djA4t4HF8JBUY79xBbo8zYuyfEuAoyKVJodVNCBJR8-ahQQhZ_k3TH8jcEw2PiRjYRhOKXBjyh1HTa9PfeITd7f_5AIIkMWVWqtxi6_4KHbmsTDqcis/s400/Learning+about+SL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From our preliminary research we found that 60% of people learned about Second Life through their friends or word of mouth, that is – from another person they knew and trusted in the real world, not through the media and certainly not online.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Traditional media accounted for just 23% of people who joined Second Life, while the greatly praised and lauded New Media (which includes Social Media and also includes all Web searches and web page links) came in at just 20% of all respondents, still lagging behind traditional media such as television, radio, newspapers, books etc.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From this research it would appear that friends are the greatest influencers in our lives. However this comes with a warning notice on the package</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. Friends want us to be just like them, they don't want us to stray or make too many new friends, in case we leave them behind. There is a study in psychology called In-group and out-group and some of the most shocking research has been done by Philip Zimbardo on this topic. Many prejudices and fears are born of friendship.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This said, friends were indeed the most common reason for people to join Second Life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what is this telling us? </span></b><b><br style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One interpretation could be that people listen and take note of what their friends say over and above all other forms of communication. That people trust their friends. But it seems – not online friends. People appear to be sceptical about communications through new media and the Internet, and favour influences and recommendations from people they know and have learned to trust in their real lives.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Word of mouth here includes parents, friends, and other acquaintances too, not related to Internet based communication.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What does this say about how the way that something is learned influences what someone does and feels about it?</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our attitude changes towards something if it comes from what we feel to be a credible source. That new media avenues, including web sites, search engines and online communities are given less credibility than traditional media and people we know. Familiarity does not breed contempt, it makes us feel safe.</span> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If our friends have a positive experience with something they will tell us about it and excite us too. If we like it (in this case, Second Life) we can influence our other friends to like it too. We as individuals are still more powerful influencers than all the media out there (Traditional and New Media combined still only accounted for 43% of people who started an account with Second Life, compared to 57% getting recommendation </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">from </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">people and organisations they knew already).</span><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What If This Is Wrong?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What I do wonder though, is that if Second Life did more marketing through traditional means, would it gain more users?</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I see very little, if any advertising by Second Life through traditional mechanisms such as newspapers, or new media. Therefore, another interpretation of this data may be that Linden Lab relies on word of mouth to spread its message about Second Life. If more media coverage took place in the form of advertising – would these figures show a different result?</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This data is taken from the preliminary analysis of a survey done by Virtually Linked Limited.</span>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-70768354345056381132010-08-25T18:30:00.000+01:002010-08-25T18:30:17.994+01:00Second Life and Virtual World Viewers<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is a lot of noise around about Second Life and virtual world viewers these days. The apparent 'outing' of a rogue programmer has affected the fortunes of the Emerald Viewer resulting from its expulsion from </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Second Life as a credible </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">entry point.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As virtual world viewers are now under scrutiny</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, other viewers have come under suspicion and this dissent has raised murmurings about viewer satisfaction too.</span></span><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu08-iEU-Y0oIl80wIL1ezJZiFjrCLasWTNF-oztEKJSo4hoAsy9pgtbWmkIMVwUGhyRrlmFh2sFHGGwE0M5wBBa9DdJsbJMgXVF3lYu7QH6OAInu24goVxTu6niR9Bb9y1ujWefdJw44/s1600/Viewer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu08-iEU-Y0oIl80wIL1ezJZiFjrCLasWTNF-oztEKJSo4hoAsy9pgtbWmkIMVwUGhyRrlmFh2sFHGGwE0M5wBBa9DdJsbJMgXVF3lYu7QH6OAInu24goVxTu6niR9Bb9y1ujWefdJw44/s200/Viewer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Life Viewer</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Importance Of The Interface</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Above all things, the interface (or 'viewer') is the most important tool used in virtual worlds such as Second Life. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But they must be easy to use. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Traditionally WYSIWIG technology and intuitive tools have succeeded. Windows superseded DOS, Cloud appears to be superseding Windows all down the ease-of-use path. So what about virtual worlds – where do they and their ‘viewers’ lead to?</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Virtual worlds should note that in the past, usability has been the single factor for mass adoption and technology spread. After all, no one wants to spend many hours trying to figure out ‘how it works’ – they simply want to use the thing, as fast, cheap and easily as possible.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(‘fast, cheap and easy’ - borrowed from Martin Butler’s axioms in 2000).</span></span><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Statistically Proven</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An example is with the popular browsers. In July 2010 Firefox has 47% usage, while Explorer has 31%, Chrome 17%, Safari 3% and Opera 2%.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0a8aWBBag7whk-CwfUUXzWBUc-ThDVNOJF1H4AD8g2rII-8gE2ueAL-xSLxIsdT8-SF8M4XqScmjz95T58xpiXsH1KaDo2qLycsDc38pe2fOoYhEoKB071m9GefGfJdhgzapRp71ArLU/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0a8aWBBag7whk-CwfUUXzWBUc-ThDVNOJF1H4AD8g2rII-8gE2ueAL-xSLxIsdT8-SF8M4XqScmjz95T58xpiXsH1KaDo2qLycsDc38pe2fOoYhEoKB071m9GefGfJdhgzapRp71ArLU/s320/Picture+5.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From these figures it can be seen that Firefox is the most popular – but why? </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All these browsers are free, connectivity is at the same internet speed and some alternatives, such as Explorer, even come inbuilt within the system. So why do more people choose Firefox?</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am a Firefox user, I find it easy, intuitive, I can handle plug-ins easily and control how it works for me. That is why I choose Firefox.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Intuitively is important, makes it easy to use – the same goes for search engines: Google has 71% of market share, Yahoo has 14%, Bing has 9% and others share the rest. Why do people choose Google? - arguably it is the easiest to use.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvYo5735VEMbzIZWEWmy-8pMs3P6JWuhaUg3KlJRvjo9TV6sMj3MHSiHqUAl3rGWksZxxUf45CfUsCYv6ZEnR-CuweDWciGGdRQkswBS0OJi6t8dnaGW3WHPxsdla9QmErrIpz9yuccs/s1600/Picture+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvYo5735VEMbzIZWEWmy-8pMs3P6JWuhaUg3KlJRvjo9TV6sMj3MHSiHqUAl3rGWksZxxUf45CfUsCYv6ZEnR-CuweDWciGGdRQkswBS0OJi6t8dnaGW3WHPxsdla9QmErrIpz9yuccs/s320/Picture+4.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What I am trying to point out here is that ease of use is everything.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></b></span><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To View Or Not To View?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ease of use includes the right 'intuitive' name. A ‘viewer’ implies passivity simply by the choice of word. To the untrained mind, the user is perceived to be no more than an observer. Traditionally a ‘browser’ is understood to be simply that, a tool with which to browse. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Virtual worlds are based on interaction therefore a better word should be used to describe the interface. The interface name between the real user and the imaginary world should be sexier and more appropriate for this product type. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ease of use starts at basics as fundamental as this. Any ideas?</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Go Back To Basics</span></b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">‘Viewer’ creators have to get the basics right first – or people will go elsewhere for a faster, easier and cheaper solution - which may also mean another virtual world. Simplicity first will gain a loyal following, additional functionality can always be added later. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The message I want to end with is for creators of ‘viewers’. Firefox and Google made products easy to use – add-ons like adverts came later.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></span>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-8360733748176006362010-08-13T13:23:00.000+01:002010-08-13T13:23:32.534+01:00How Far Are We From The Matrix?Last night, I watched 'The Matrix' yet again.What a film, and surely one of those landmarks that sends shivers down the back of your spine.<br />
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The Matrix was where I personally got my taste for virtual worlds. From watching how those who understood it could change the fabric of reality and mold the world they inhabited around them. For myself, I came into virtual worlds with the desire to create my own perfect environment. As did many others.<br />
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</b></div><b style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">AE Or Reality </span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYOuwWJbixtnvvVcRkF3fDIWtp2GT08fKGL0DXT3QZRrBeBN6k4W3d11HH-Hlf1dRI3wduaoE87YgtlRT6xrAp5cgE1XoJmEU7aB4ar0imn3PBpJOyG4yagbbrwp8Kzgh8yfwsQ2xq_s/s1600/pixelguy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYOuwWJbixtnvvVcRkF3fDIWtp2GT08fKGL0DXT3QZRrBeBN6k4W3d11HH-Hlf1dRI3wduaoE87YgtlRT6xrAp5cgE1XoJmEU7aB4ar0imn3PBpJOyG4yagbbrwp8Kzgh8yfwsQ2xq_s/s320/pixelguy.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot the difference?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Then I realised that it was not this Artificial Environment I wanted changed, but my own reality. I wanted a better reality, an increased reality - after all, even in The Matrix, things were not fundamentally different. They were just added to and manipulated by the participants who understood the reality of the environment. To improve their circumstances - and yes, break free of the constraints of a false society.<br />
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Many comments can be made about societies as we have them here, but I will leave that alone. Instead I will comment on the utopia of virtual worlds - or rather, the perception of a utopia.<br />
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<b style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Truth </b><br />
The Matrix showed us a bleak future, one where we are all battery cells for machines (in fact that could be true of society - itself an endless controlling machine all around us). However there was an escape, but it came at a price - a high price. That of understanding the truth.<br />
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The truth for all virtual worlds, online games and social media is that you cannot escape from yourself. Wherever you are, whatever tool you use, you take yourself with you. These social media allow us to reflect ourselves through many more people that we would normally have in our lifetime. Yet all are embedded into the very societies that we already belong.<br />
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<b style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Respect </span></b><br />
If you interact with people online, respect them. Realise that - beyond pixels on the screen, there are humans too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZWRPXMODnlLKE7mO-MTLIJFmyYrPsr0V2yTA6_4wABrOAN0urHvFJXe_26tI-FsPoNEYEcOb7kF4u9w4Qwel2yVrJ9Q1wjGvpUHfByr-cBWXd2roQwePMzX85fTyWfwoWMlpUlnrMY0/s1600/respect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZWRPXMODnlLKE7mO-MTLIJFmyYrPsr0V2yTA6_4wABrOAN0urHvFJXe_26tI-FsPoNEYEcOb7kF4u9w4Qwel2yVrJ9Q1wjGvpUHfByr-cBWXd2roQwePMzX85fTyWfwoWMlpUlnrMY0/s200/respect.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What We Do Affects Others</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Behind the avatars and their 'handles' (CBers from long ago will recognise this term - it refers to a chosen name to represent yourself, as you would have other think of you), you will have correct etiquette in cyberspace if you treat others with the respect you want to receive yourself - offer integrity and transparency.<br />
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We are a long way from The Matrix, and in some way I am glad, because if we treated others with that level of inhumanity, then we are lost - but in other ways, we are just starting the ride.<br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;"> </span><b style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Technically Speaking</span></b><br />
Technically, Second Life and its sister platforms are the MS-DOS of virtual worlds. The prototypes and beginners. Infants ready to walk.<br />
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Just as MS-DOS was overtaken by Windows, virtual worlds as we know them in their pixelated forms, will be replaced by a superior technology, easier, faster and cheaper (in terms of processing power and financial cost) to use.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcC-rrgkz1zZ4Q_GJ54jz1L-wzoJ1Y7ilCFFz1AQe5Qf5tPvNT2GOjWdMAnZCKLcNprisedGALFENkvaj0_Fjrja74gfeHaf2_anWMN4Q01v9gz-ZucqvW5auPpRNsAKEIZ8WoRWdOvUA/s1600/doswin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcC-rrgkz1zZ4Q_GJ54jz1L-wzoJ1Y7ilCFFz1AQe5Qf5tPvNT2GOjWdMAnZCKLcNprisedGALFENkvaj0_Fjrja74gfeHaf2_anWMN4Q01v9gz-ZucqvW5auPpRNsAKEIZ8WoRWdOvUA/s400/doswin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It is my belief that in this world, as in 'The Matrix', we will primarily use virtual replicas of our real life space and want that as our base. From this safety we will venture out to the rest of the world, both real and imaginary.<br />
<br />
We are all waiting for The Matrix facsimile of virtual worlds. Somewhere someone will be building them, perhaps even now.Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-79319234074815780562010-08-10T12:40:00.000+01:002010-08-10T12:40:10.036+01:00Does Second Life need to be saved?I wonder if anyone has considered the notion of restructuring? That Linden Lab is ensuring the company has a sustainable business model for the future.<br />
<br />
This post is prompted by <a href="http://phasinggrace.blogspot.com/2010/08/save-our-ship-uss-second-life.html">Grace McDunnough's blog post</a> (and was unfortunately too big to post there )<br />
<br />
<a href="http://debsregent.blogspot.com/2010/08/second-lifes-second-life-through-to.html">I also posted around the issue of sustainability a few days ago</a>.<br />
<br />
Today I speak about comments on Grace's blog.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Uncertainty and Insecurity Spreads Rumours </span></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90aZQp9Z9_AZHMHXjEiHCRVu6-oeezOQ6TpQ7h3jBBfIyM1005l2Nfv5PuzbyviKhrjCkZ88qk_H4orCOMipTxFSorWHQ-BBz0pEsHDgp0DsIzoUd_JDC_Tfne5lmuea11Pq1pLKdQE8/s1600/163300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90aZQp9Z9_AZHMHXjEiHCRVu6-oeezOQ6TpQ7h3jBBfIyM1005l2Nfv5PuzbyviKhrjCkZ88qk_H4orCOMipTxFSorWHQ-BBz0pEsHDgp0DsIzoUd_JDC_Tfne5lmuea11Pq1pLKdQE8/s200/163300.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will this plug fit the vacuum?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I agree with Jamys notion that there is confusion in the market place over the future of Second Life. However, when a CEO leaves any company suddenly, this is often the case.<br />
<br />
Jamys also suggests that the vacuum is being filled with rumours and fearful whispers. Jamys must have been reading about Claude Shannon and one of the axioms of Uncertainty Reduction Theory - that high levels of uncertainty cause increases in information seeking behavior. <br />
<br />
- This vacuum needs a plug because when uncertainty levels decline information seeking behaviour also decreases so rumours will lessen.<br />
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People are naturally insecure, like putting money into a bank, many have invested a lot into Second Life, myself included. When there is uncertainty, people look for anything to plug that gap - rumours will do. People plug these gaps with whispers rather than deal with unknowing and uncertainty.<b><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Resistance to Change </span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://dwellonit.taterunino.net/2010/07/30/does-second-life-really-need-saving/">Tateru</a> is quite right (as always) in <a href="http://phasinggrace.blogspot.com/2010/08/save-our-ship-uss-second-life.html">Grace McDunnough's blog post 'Save Our Ship? USS Second Life'</a> and <a href="http://dwellonit.taterunino.net/2010/07/30/does-second-life-really-need-saving/">her own blog</a>.<br />
<br />
Change is natural and inevitable, as are death and taxes. Do we all need rescuing from change?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi85RPmvCWHGr6ydexMHHPw5NsBSwwyyVgVNWKY289YYlfImkJMxoxf5CKMY8s6wFDS6HrqZjFl8nU8WgGX4M6L7ce-YYGHnl2F9qqquHmt5LhK0A0950XiN05fr_KsVAGIIomgf_ovE/s1600/163500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi85RPmvCWHGr6ydexMHHPw5NsBSwwyyVgVNWKY289YYlfImkJMxoxf5CKMY8s6wFDS6HrqZjFl8nU8WgGX4M6L7ce-YYGHnl2F9qqquHmt5LhK0A0950XiN05fr_KsVAGIIomgf_ovE/s200/163500.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What am I supposed to do with this?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>From comments in Grace's blog, it would appear that there is a perception that some do not want to see Second Life grow or change. In fact, the perception is that it was all one big happy family and some would sooner see it die than change.<br />
<br />
Many of the people have a vested interest in the death of Second Life as they have now gone for the cheaper seats in other platforms and open sims, some to recreate the Second Life 'of old'.<br />
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What is left to Linden Lab is something that may indeed be sustainable.<br />
<br />
From my own recent research (soon to be published), it appears that new users expect expansion and growth.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">What is the Future Perception? </span></b><br />
<br />
Back to the comment of DrFran. Perception is everything indeed and good marketing helps improve perception. There is a well-documented phenomenon about technology adoption. As soon as the naysayers are out and on the street corners hewing and crying and the product is no longer newsworthy - that is when the company and product has come of age and is mature enough for corporations to consider climbing aboard.<br />
<br />
It is my belief that Linden Lab are regrouping and about to attack the market with a more powerful and sustainable marketing message - one that will be attractive and competitive internationally. Before you ask me 'Do I have insider sources?' - I don't, but I ask you, would I really reveal that if I did?<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0U75PB7_p3FW2abo1BAZ5r5RkyeoYnKVfcCQglBwPPYVe6tlGpbVJlP_VwV4rRi6iIwGl8JlB6thf8EENfAHpOR4GVDE8rss9HIQJ_R4CJHQjC2YDHSg1INQoEuSoC5hsGywLC7FP-M/s1600/152900+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0U75PB7_p3FW2abo1BAZ5r5RkyeoYnKVfcCQglBwPPYVe6tlGpbVJlP_VwV4rRi6iIwGl8JlB6thf8EENfAHpOR4GVDE8rss9HIQJ_R4CJHQjC2YDHSg1INQoEuSoC5hsGywLC7FP-M/s200/152900+copy.jpg" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaze into the future</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
- Of course, this is all just my own opinion.Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-88759821247510991572010-08-06T10:56:00.000+01:002010-08-06T10:56:19.344+01:00Does A Virtual World Avatar Have a Psyche?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI7LJv_rHs3N213WoJgyWQ1iONOnGciZ6Cq9rCeh8_o7HP1GQ3w8GTNz__1R0K5jzqZjttQSTLc90lz1ZAcWtr2_SrlWBv-TYhYKhllW3wKr8yUm9EQApg8KtYWq4bJT9wsCCkanZmAw/s1600/Debs+AV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI7LJv_rHs3N213WoJgyWQ1iONOnGciZ6Cq9rCeh8_o7HP1GQ3w8GTNz__1R0K5jzqZjttQSTLc90lz1ZAcWtr2_SrlWBv-TYhYKhllW3wKr8yUm9EQApg8KtYWq4bJT9wsCCkanZmAw/s200/Debs+AV.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Does an avatar have a ‘life’? Does it exist inside the virtual world, and outside of the person at the keyboard? Interesting questions, rather like ‘does a tree make a sound when it falls if there is no one there to hear it?’<br />
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Avatar, is a term that comes from Sanskrit for a being or God descending from a higher plane of existence, wearing an incarnate manifestation, before returning to the higher place. It is used in reference to gods, and by that definition, I guess we are all gods looking down into the virtual places, manifesting through virtual representations. <br />
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It is true, that we ascribe personalities to avatars, just as we do to cartoon characters on the screen. Yet, as with godly avatars, these are self-built creations, everyone has built them for themselves and decide upon the way they will look. <br />
<br />
Therefore, each avatar is an expression of those persons’ hopes, dreams, imagination and usually their ‘perfect self’. I admit this is not always the case, and some have a fun time trying out different styles, however after a longer period of use, people usually settle with something they feel will reflect who they are in the real world, or who they would like to be seen as.<br />
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As you can see above – my avatar reflects how I would ‘like’ to be perceived. It is my ideal self at around 18 years of age, how I looked and dressed... with the wisdom I have now of course. Oh! not the hair - that came straight out of my imagination - and a virtual shop.<br />
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Without going to deep into the psychology of it all. Studies in psychology have shown that each of us exists in the same mindset as one another; we share common vision and common goals. We are seen in virtual worlds as we are ourselves in the real world. Even thought we think we hide our true personalities, yes even as a ‘fox’, ‘rabbit’ or man in women’s clothes, we show who we are. We are identifiable and can be matched up with the human behind the keyboard.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKr1c4OI_1kNPTd8iLqhR03b32bi2q8N9o2prDbZEEMkRr7i_8gnMIBk5qtXX5EJJWNKqIAiHqLePLT5BauhdMPGqYl06AgtKeisg5zT95K7teMO3v_yOZmjPVXQO2EcONCgZjxsB-nnk/s1600/Picture-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKr1c4OI_1kNPTd8iLqhR03b32bi2q8N9o2prDbZEEMkRr7i_8gnMIBk5qtXX5EJJWNKqIAiHqLePLT5BauhdMPGqYl06AgtKeisg5zT95K7teMO3v_yOZmjPVXQO2EcONCgZjxsB-nnk/s320/Picture-3.jpg" /></a></div>Personality traits, characteristics bleed through so we are never as anonymous as we think. So those who cling helplessly to their anonymity may have to get used to the fact that even though they are trying to hide their true identity – there is no hiding in virtual worlds, we give ourselves away.<br />
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What I keep going on about is treating each other with respect. Many people who use virtual worlds have come across ‘griefers’ or people trying to do harm at a psychological level. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Again, I plead for mutual respect for each individual avatar – because behind every avatar there is a vulnerable easily hurt human, and like everything else in virtual worlds emotions are amplified fivefold – what you do to someone there is five times better / worse than in the real world because people are more vulnerable as they have not typically put up their defenses that are normally in place when dealing with others face to face.<br />
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For me, the best way I deal with these things is to ask to meet people in the real world, or at least talk with them on the phone. That way I try to get a real perspective of who they actually are, without the mask of the avatar. I know that people who know me will be saying "you don't always get it right" - but I don't always get it right in my daily life either.<br />
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Finally, I have to add that I have met some delightful people and made some great friends this way...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx-_VCnUUjoe-kqE6JSx6zQE2cZjoBMng4GzE7G29WhDh7ewK7xeFBNoewINodJi7y0SPsJnfVBN2eF171brA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_618085402"></span><span id="goog_618085403"></span></div>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-91410497677178662652010-08-04T17:18:00.001+01:002010-08-04T17:25:53.017+01:00Second Life’s Second Life - Through To SustainabilityIt’s official, Second Life is no longer sexy. Newspapers don’t want to write about it and its newsworthiness has gone. <br />
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No longer the darling of the games and entertainment industry, people are saying ‘it’s finished’. But that is not the way I see it. From a long career as a business and IT analyst, I have observed many organisations’ ups and downs over the years.<br />
<br />
Oddly enough in my own experience I have found that press coverage and revenues are often inversely correlated, that is - they are opposite. High press exposure (good or bad) = lower income. Lack of press coverage = increased income.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4IVKiwXwxkD-8EWR3pGGStcg2s1V3wD7vYG6bJd6fHXxnOfeWXGqVLbqw1F-Gcp6GkPBtUAPVaoaSMZrB94MITJK1tY-0dKiopPGKtJ3EdOZHyOa82IA-zL6WB7lzb8zrmMtkfgiuTo/s1600/press+revenue+correlation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4IVKiwXwxkD-8EWR3pGGStcg2s1V3wD7vYG6bJd6fHXxnOfeWXGqVLbqw1F-Gcp6GkPBtUAPVaoaSMZrB94MITJK1tY-0dKiopPGKtJ3EdOZHyOa82IA-zL6WB7lzb8zrmMtkfgiuTo/s320/press+revenue+correlation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Typically when a company is no longer ‘sexy’ it is either dead or sustainable. Linden Lab has been through a tumultuous couple of years, where it has been trying to find itself in the marketplace.<br />
<br />
Like many fledglings that are trying to fly, it has tried different methods to take off. Many of which have now been discarded along with inappropriate business models. However the organisation seems to have found some sustainable models to move forward with.<br />
<br />
The key here is ‘sustainability’. An associate of mine, a CFO from a mainstream organisation, has very recently been asking about Second Life as a platform for corporate use. This indicates a change in perception. Corporates play safe, they don’t want to be seen as ‘risky’ and therefore have a thing about sustainability, governance and compliance when looking at technology. <br />
<br />
These two things tie up (lack of newsworthiness and corporate interest in a technology), because often after a technology and company have crossed the adoption gap, they are no longer ‘new’ and newsworthy, so there is a lull - a disinterest - from a news point of view. Then, if the company survives the lull, mainstream people and their organisations take it up and we are into the realm of mass adoption.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcRBRVJtYeJcGMZcSDanbwuYP3prJ5kA-sH_19z5He66svFe7QOGZCjj5accTS06LLrqATRWiyrRdhwU4sA0DvKfVLKXaYyDFvn5dh13yyWclaEkU0P5zFjy-UfOTndIbWZ4sfyYYJNA/s1600/TECHNOLOGY+ADOPTION+LIFECYCLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcRBRVJtYeJcGMZcSDanbwuYP3prJ5kA-sH_19z5He66svFe7QOGZCjj5accTS06LLrqATRWiyrRdhwU4sA0DvKfVLKXaYyDFvn5dh13yyWclaEkU0P5zFjy-UfOTndIbWZ4sfyYYJNA/s400/TECHNOLOGY+ADOPTION+LIFECYCLE.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Many new companies and products fall into the sinkhole of ‘The Chasm’ never to return. This is where restructuring takes place, jobs, strategies and even businesses may be lost. Within surviving companies this is where a sustainable strategy is devised and pursued.<br />
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Products that succeed in making the leap out of the chasm can make it in the big time. Survivors then face the adoption phase – the mass-adoption phase, with it's own different set of trials and tribulations.. <br />
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Second Life has undergone the final climax of The Chasm and appears to have made it to the other side. Curiously within Second Life, I see growth occurring not falling away. As part of a team that runs a significantly sized community within that environment, we have more users and greater satisfaction.<br />
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Providing Linden Lab keeps its eye on sustainable growth, and that means supporting the people and organisations that use it, it might enjoy the rise in early majority and growth of a strongly sustainable business.<br />
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This means Linden Lab will need to behave as a sustainable IT vendor, such as Microsoft, Apple and Oracle, taking care of the people that promote it and its products (such as Second Life), and supporting its value added resellers.Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-83168939210255780962010-08-02T16:00:00.002+01:002010-08-02T23:08:28.626+01:00Relationships and romance in Virtual WorldsI never thought I would write about Second Life and romance... but here goes.<br />
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This post was prompted by an approach from a new user in the orientation area. He was around 6 minutes old and a brand new user . Let us call him Mike. <br />
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Mike ran up to me in this virtual world and immediately intruded on my private space, now that was OK, because I have been around a bit and know this is the behaviour of many new users. He was obviously used to ‘games’ because he managed to start up a conversation in Instant Message (private chat window) with me.<br />
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He said ‘Hello baby’... so I thought to myself – righty oh … here we go, another sexual predator to fend off and get rid of. So I responded with a ‘hi’. He was persistent and asked what there was to do in this game, so I told him it is a game of your own making that you can immerse yourself into any adventure you choose to. He wasn’t interested in all that and wanted to be my ‘friend’ instead, so I accepted his ‘friendship’.<br />
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He asked me to be his girlfriend (fast mover this one). I told him I wasn’t interested in a virtual romance and that I was old, fat and ugly – when this didn’t work I told him I was also married, thinking this to be the ‘piece de resistance’. This still did not deter him, but he changed tack slightly. He told me he wanted to find a girlfriend and had been told that he could do so in Second Life.<br />
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Of course being the usual female sucker for a guy in distress, I decided I could help him (I know, I know – you’re thinking ‘idiot’ – you fell for that old ploy). So I showed him part of the London Sims where he would meet people who are what I would call ‘relatively safe’. <br />
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The London Gateway is a place where newcomers are ‘born’ and where there is a team of helpers who are there to make their learning experience easier. When we arrived, he saw all these new females (I did tell you my avatar is female?) and as a friend I advised him to start a chat with one of them. I leave this story here because this is where I exited, after introducing him to a female I knew was kind and helpful.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
However, the real reason I am relating this story is as an acknowledgement that people do join Second Life looking for a relationship. Yet is that a bad thing?<br />
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Many young people (and not so young) look to these places for an alternative way to tackle issues they have in their lives. <br />
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As in my example, young people, learning how to deal with the opposite sex (and same sex) in relationships, both with different agendas, can learn how to negotiate these relationships with relative safety (unless they invite the other person right over to their place in the real world, and let’s face it, that’s rather a stupid thing to do).<br />
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More mature people, or those that have so far succeeded at navigating the pitted road called ‘relationship’ come up with a crisis at some point and seek a mechanic or alternative vehicle with better upholstery to tide us over, or even to transfer to.<br />
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Second Life is one place that there is a vehicle for these situations. Although it has been accused of causing them, it appears to be more of a victim of the symptoms that people have in their lives and of existing issues, rather than a direct cause of problems.<br />
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Over the years of using virtual worlds, I have found that some things people come to virtual worlds for when they are looking for a relationship are:<br />
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- To run away from circumstances in which they feel there is no escape, such as a disability or a situation in which they are a carer<br />
- Mundane circumstances they would rather leave temporarily and have a small part of themselves in a fantasy world, such as low income and no employment<br />
- To explore their sexuality and if they have never had a sexual partner, explore dealing with relationships in a relatively safe environment <br />
- To have sex, such as people who are in a tired sexual relationship with no external outlet (apart from pornography)<br />
- To have love and caring, those who are perhaps in a relationship where they feel the love is missing and need human compassion<br />
- The relationship with the life partner has fallen off the rails, such as those in difficult relationships, perhaps abusive or simply absentee partner<br />
- Finally, the first-timer, is someone who has never had a relationship, and is exploring the opportunities in a virtual world as a test for their future<br />
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So, is Second Life (and other virtual worlds – including World of Warcraft) a substitute or a searching for something missing in people’s lives and more than just recreation?<br />
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I would say that it is possible. People use virtual worlds as recreation, true. But often for one of the above reasons, they are also looking for a relationship. This is likely to be an unconscious need in them that is not openly expressed.<br />
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It is well to remember that the other person you are dealing with in these environments is not a ‘robot’ or a ‘character’ in your game, they are real people sitting behind the screen. Please always remember that because one day, you may meet them. Like you, they are looking for people in their life to add to their life and although they could possibly walk out of their front door to do this, most choose to do it virtually – of course with the exception of those who are not able bodied. Please treat one another with respect, and if you are not using virtual worlds, please remember that these people are not ‘freaks’. They are human like you.<br />
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However, there is a happy end to the story. Many people find happiness in virtual worlds like Second Life. Many ‘partner’ in the virtual world and develop close and intimate relationships in relatively short periods of time. The intensity of these relationships, can equate in a 1: 5 ratio. 1 day for every 5 in the real world, and many virtual relationships consume more attention than real relationships do. The intensity of the relationship is deep.<br />
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The result of this is that when people do come together, after knowing one another virtually, they know one another at a depth seldom (if ever) experienced in the real world. Thus many relationships formed through virtual worlds are subsequently very stable and enduring.<br />
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The message: -<br />
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For a good relationship, start it in a virtual world first.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ICQLpEfnIA5DJTYVCU6k3rgS71VWfpmHdb3sNJck7cAF7R0akmTUKWmm-yvZpSez1Tr5fXyZDWsn0zvVdvNNAfkfozbmne_1XGQMC_QfA4qUHnJadM-70cQZZpGsL4bBAivkvdszgDQ/s1600/wedding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ICQLpEfnIA5DJTYVCU6k3rgS71VWfpmHdb3sNJck7cAF7R0akmTUKWmm-yvZpSez1Tr5fXyZDWsn0zvVdvNNAfkfozbmne_1XGQMC_QfA4qUHnJadM-70cQZZpGsL4bBAivkvdszgDQ/s320/wedding.png" /></a></div>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-32160469043606055242009-10-27T10:22:00.001+00:002009-10-27T12:14:24.831+00:00When did Marketing turn into Social MediaMarketing as a function within an organisation appears to have declined. Similarly Social Media is springing up everywhere. How did this happen?<br /><br />I guess it was inevitable from the start. As the Internet spread, marketing has become more of a pull and connect activity than the passive TV style push ‘at you’ effort.<br /><br />‘Social Marketing’ has become the norm. Ad-words, Twitters, Blogs and emails are full of marketing material. Users are so accustomed to them. Messages thrust through the ether as subliminally constant droplets of marketing pour constantly through our friends and associates.<br /><br />This has been spreading since the Internet came about. The rising tide of Social Media jobs and loss of journalistic and marketing jobs points to a change in direction. Now it is big business – a flood of subliminal sales presentations that come by stealth behind us through our most trusted loved ones. <br /><br />As corporations are pruning their marketing teams, they are taking on Social Networkers, people who seem adept at making friends and influencing people. Stephen Fry is one example of a great social networker with interesting things to say and to tell us. He gives us useful information, entertains us and delights us with his life. <br /><br />Other networkers might be less altruistic and be less obvious in their intentions. They might be working for organisations to sell you things, as associates, on commission, even paid a salary or on a contract basis. They will be good at making you feel ‘special’, especially if you have a network of people too. This is guerrilla marketing, used as a weapon. We call it Social Networking. But can you really trust these people?<br /><br />In the world of social media, are we being ‘taught’ that this is a good product, by our peers and influencers. How do we know if our new found social friend is not just a human marketing bot ‘portraying’ a ‘typical’ person within that market segment – hopefully to catch you with the bait of ‘they’re just like me’ to try their product. Perhaps that ‘friend’ you made online, who you divulged your deepest secrets to, is nothing more than a social media expert who is cynically using you to sell to and to promote through your own network of pals.<br /><br />Social Media is the future. It influences small pockets of a target market, which have feeds into other small pockets via the individuals in that group. Other terms for it are viral marketing, or neural networks. This has been understood since the 1940’s but has only now been able to be fully exploited with the onset of social networking.<br /><br />To look at some of the theory behind this we have to look back to the 1940’s.<br /><br />The study of Neural Networks is a fascinating revelation of what is happening in marketing today. Alan Turing’s initially random B-type network from his 1948 work on ‘Intelligent Machinery’ shows what a loosely coupled marketing network looks like – the one we see today in Social Media. However, he aw computers as the ‘unorganised machines’ that eventually self-organise their information and get it to the right place through random distribution. Targeting individuals through connectionist models is part of a well-understood method of neural learning.<br /><br />As for the future, we will increasingly see the rise of virtual social ‘marketeers’ parrying and thrusting their offerings to us and through us. Virtual ‘avatars’ add you to their friends’ list of over 1000 people. They send you notices to events miles away from you – that you have no chance of attending. They ask you for personal information ‘because you are friends’ then use it to target you for their clients’.<br /><br /> ‘Social Media’ is the new ‘Marketing’. If your friend is really a ‘friend’, they will come over to talk to you in the real world, not email you or IM you. A friend is someone you touch, smell, see and hear – in the real world. Someone you party with and cry with – and hug, for joy and pain – to feel the real warmth in human interaction.<br /><br />We all have to watch out for social media experts masquerading as your friend. If virtual they are and virtual they remain, then can you trust them? – ask them for money – see if they will lend it to you, or ask to meet them next Wednesday.Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-57896115334801762302009-08-07T19:42:00.007+01:002009-08-07T20:02:13.583+01:00The commodity of informationInformation used to be highly prized, but with the advent of networking sites and social media, information value has decreased to almost zero. Information is now a commodity, easy accessible and at different qualities. Most people will go for cheap and cheerful, or even ‘free’ if it is available.<br /><br />We now have forager mentality, where people casually seek information from many sources, and use comparative sources to assess the value of the gleaned information. Some use sophisticated software to validate and authenticate the source of the information, but this is rare and usually inside the domain of the organisation.<br /><br />Does this mean that information has less value?<br /><br />The inevitable answer is - Yes.<br /><br />Just in any scenario of supply and demand – the more available a product is, the less value it has to the consumer. Perhaps information sources should take a look at the diamond market model – however, because of the relatively few diamond producers, diamonds can be kept at premium prices.<br /><br />However, due to a proliferation of information disseminators, there is unlikely to be a consensus agreement. One supplier will always break the cartel, even if it is Uncle George writing his blog in his garage.<br /><br />Whether to enter the fray is always an issue – so many ‘networking’ sites and ways to communicate now, how do you choose?<br /><br />One curious turn of events that appears to be coming out of this is the value of ‘following’, a known and valued commenter, who adds Insightful and relevant comments to blogs and other sources, might be thought of as more relevant than the initial blog item poster.<br /><br />Free e-books now proliferate the market, from great minds and novelists. I wonder what will happen as information keeps being reduced in value.<br />(See: "The latest craze: Free e-books offerings" http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090807/ap_on_hi_te/us_free_e_books )<br /><br />One free book that is worth reading as it is an expose of the IT industry written as a novel: http://www.martinbutlerresearch.com/<br /><br />So, in summary.<br /><br />Is the information we issue irrelevant, simply because as even 'history' changes at such a fast pace, we cannot keep up, or that one opinion is rapidly superimposed by others ?<br /><br />If this is indeed the case, and there are issues of task switching and attention deficit here also, where do we go from here?Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-55969875222285236422009-05-16T10:59:00.005+01:002009-05-16T12:29:07.204+01:00Why did they do that?<h3 id="comments">Response to “Why did they do that?” <cite class="fn"></cite></h3><h3 id="comments"><cite class="fn"><a href="http://www.virtually-linked.com/" rel="external nofollow" class="url">Debs Butler (Debs Regent inSL)</a></cite> <span class="says">says:</span></h3> <div class="navigation"> </div> <div id="div-comment-1056"><div class="comment-meta commentmetadata"><a href="http://dwellonit.taterunino.net/2009/05/16/why-did-they-do-that/comment-page-1/#comment-1056">16 May, 2009 at 2:25 am</a></div> <p>Thank you for this article Tateru, this is a nice article.</p> <p>It is true that everyone has their own set of utility values, which differ from person to person (as well as information, experience and circumstance).</p> <p>All choices are therefore subjective and according to each individual’s collective understanding, embedded into the experience and circumstance of that person who is making the decision.</p> <p>Therefore, I agree Tateru, with the underlying principle of Information Theory, we all make the best decision we can at the time based on the information we have at that time.</p> <p>I also agree that different people do not make decisions for the same reasons, because all our ‘reasons’ differ because all our aims also differ.</p> <p>Before you criticise another person (corporation or organization), it is wise to appreciate that they are doing the best they can with the information they have at the time, given their own particular goals and identifications.</p> <p>If you want to encourage an alternative decision, I suggest that the best way you do this would be to add to the decision makers information pool with accurate, detailed and quantifiable information.</p> <p>… criticism welcomed … add to my information pool please </p> <p>*smiles*</p></div>Continues......<br /><br /><cite class="fn"><a href="http://www.virtually-linked.com/" rel="external nofollow" class="url">Debs Butler (Debs Regent inSL)</a></cite> <span class="says">says:</span> <div class="comment-meta commentmetadata"><a href="http://dwellonit.taterunino.net/2009/05/16/why-did-they-do-that/comment-page-1/#comment-1060">16 May, 2009 at 3:59 am</a></div> <p>As I stated earlier, there is a body of evidence in Information Theory that supports Tateru’s arguments here, for corporations as well as individuals. </p> <p>Many large corporations follow well established and proven economic principles to increase profits - their ‘utility value’ is in maximising profits for the benefit of the shareholders whether it be legislated or not, massaging their individual bonuses in the process.</p> <p>With the recent increase in information (and collapse of share prices and occasionally bonuses), errors in the ‘thinking’ processes of the corporations are being made increasingly apparent making change happen with new choices being the outcome.</p> <p>Once again we go on the merry-go-round of information available + utility value leads to choice made (leaving out the added complexity of probabilities). </p> <p>Again, back to Tateru’s original posting, “they’re making that choice with good reasons”. - reasons to ‘them’ that is.</p> <p>*thanks you for feedback*</p>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-59169763277123362482009-05-15T22:36:00.005+01:002009-05-16T05:50:02.269+01:00Honesty, Trust and PrivacyFollow on from ..... http://zhaewry.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/honesty-trust-and-privacy/#comment-96<br /><br />Dear Zha and daleinnis,<br /><br />Truth and honesty as well as trust and privacy as well as clarity - and can I add, integrity to this list are all of the same quality - Sincerity!<br /><br />As you say, a totally pseudonymous person can be deeply honest, or totally deceitful, however this is also true of a non- pseudonymous person, I think of the snake oil salesman, who is undoubtably a con-artist, but little old ladies believe in him, his stories, and his wares. The same goes for pseudo-identities.<br /><br />What really matters is what goes on in a heart, how much sincerity is in our interaction with others. Too often a person will promise and cajole for their own aims, without considering the pain and hurt it can afford others.<br /><br />As a child I was taught a trick, which I call ‘switch’, where you imagine yourself in the position of the other person with whom you are having the interaction. This way, you may understand more clearly the effect of what you have said and done, on them.<br /><br />Ultimately, that is all that matters, the effect you have had on someone else, so consider carefully before you lie or conceal a truth, because eventually the real truth will out. Better always to tell the truth initially, rather than to cause pain and evade the issue, which will increase and escalate until it becomes unbearable or unconcealable.<br /><br />........................ Follow on >>><br /><br />Yes, Valliant.<br /><br />Many of us agree and have been writing on this subject for a while now. If you notice, I do not hide behind my virtual identity of Debs Regent at all, my real name is at the top of my posting, rather than my pseudonym.<br /><br />To demonstrate greater integrity, it is vital that we who do business through Second Life do not hide behind an 'avatar' or an avatar name. Because, just as actors are known for who they are in their real lives, we are also actors, albeit on a virtual stage.<br /><br />This alternate stage is one of greater reach and interactivity than those in film and theatre. Therefore it is more imperative that we operate with integrity and sincerity. Actors walk away from their characters, which in some cases their real lives emulate, we cannot.<br /><br />It is important to note here that there is an epidemic of apparent Second Life deaths and 'outs' (including some very deep-voiced ladies). It seems that virtual worlds are having their own variant of 'swine flu', one where our 'inconvenient' avatar character is either killed off or the actor behind it exposes their true identity, which often transforms the appearance of the associated avatar too.<br /><br />As we are all pointing out here, to be seen to have credibility in the real world is to give the belief to the other person that we are behaving in all honesty, this is still not the case in many business scenarios anyway.<br /><br />I envisage a seesaw effect in virtual worlds where - from the lack of trust due to hidden identity - we will swing to over-confidence about an individuals' integrity, simply due to the fact that they come out and 'unmask' themselves.<br /><br />Remember, virtual worlds have had many tales of robbery and overstatement, some by so-called 'credible businesses'. There are crooks everywhere and if you have something of value, whether it be your heart or your wallet - be sure to know that they will be out to take it from you, especially if you are unwary.Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-21195314971513381432009-04-26T21:29:00.002+01:002009-04-26T21:30:02.095+01:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdGmVWwc0w4ce9Vvu1kzPWp6Tqqd8vhect5fuW__mYRDzNtf4uBAEcKXf5T1ndcDuP4bvtZ65-7Ycl9eABveMJD0nGn_YQEXJ-XEz9dEyYb_MRIaORyLfzbZRBLA6Dr6P1yric9zqC1Q/s1600-h/Comic+VL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdGmVWwc0w4ce9Vvu1kzPWp6Tqqd8vhect5fuW__mYRDzNtf4uBAEcKXf5T1ndcDuP4bvtZ65-7Ycl9eABveMJD0nGn_YQEXJ-XEz9dEyYb_MRIaORyLfzbZRBLA6Dr6P1yric9zqC1Q/s320/Comic+VL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329100042051089906" border="0" /></a>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-5677285094062783412009-04-26T21:28:00.002+01:002009-04-26T21:29:23.978+01:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdjjUxFqA57aol3cZii82lwyDzBd9W40VO2fMNw1oDNxVExBQIYbZIfwU0MeCKg8X-E7PG6h04XKFJuxeMD_lFeKBA3SFrxu_fn8IsN8LPHc6mFUTbzRKxbVrusJL0dc4-o3-KbBY3d8/s1600-h/Bonfires.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdjjUxFqA57aol3cZii82lwyDzBd9W40VO2fMNw1oDNxVExBQIYbZIfwU0MeCKg8X-E7PG6h04XKFJuxeMD_lFeKBA3SFrxu_fn8IsN8LPHc6mFUTbzRKxbVrusJL0dc4-o3-KbBY3d8/s320/Bonfires.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329099896768903554" border="0" /></a>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-19221623879653492392009-04-26T21:24:00.001+01:002009-04-26T21:25:33.317+01:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83c9XC4CzAlOrCrelPdI6mlZz4S3pjn45pdsYhVtR-ra9QR41X8f8V8lu5GdthRZdE4CJccfbnAuD6zfmdwv_aieA6TpEkJQAIFpZ0d-BzClp6Pb2F6paiRzfNcn8yd-31I4I8zSNx24/s1600-h/Comic+pick+up.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83c9XC4CzAlOrCrelPdI6mlZz4S3pjn45pdsYhVtR-ra9QR41X8f8V8lu5GdthRZdE4CJccfbnAuD6zfmdwv_aieA6TpEkJQAIFpZ0d-BzClp6Pb2F6paiRzfNcn8yd-31I4I8zSNx24/s320/Comic+pick+up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329098905353303874" border="0" /></a>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-50877988890002020102009-04-26T21:22:00.002+01:002009-04-26T21:23:47.816+01:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzja3govB9Ubz-rP6qOGGkN24UvozijQ0YLUamnMX7F0xblHIkE8wMA_zDFSWmZ1DJ6i_jMc3zgCCT-odvL-W-4eFnxFt5wlzNHrsVvkqdhyJoAP_xu41LsaKXRgXGxfP5fYUgIlfOMRA/s1600-h/Comic+Greeters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzja3govB9Ubz-rP6qOGGkN24UvozijQ0YLUamnMX7F0xblHIkE8wMA_zDFSWmZ1DJ6i_jMc3zgCCT-odvL-W-4eFnxFt5wlzNHrsVvkqdhyJoAP_xu41LsaKXRgXGxfP5fYUgIlfOMRA/s320/Comic+Greeters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329098296703571778" border="0" /></a>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-63623501899282748592009-04-26T21:09:00.002+01:002009-04-26T21:22:01.115+01:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7R-7VtcKLeda_noLRzPW9yb8alIzKiuV5rdzXUY59xZ0W8m8Ql3OaivkGpgy3y5camAOkVd2XRi_dbdC11_5tFzzMyFvimCIX8FEv8b3C-zMReGIgWsHXAzmAt6uxO6suH9OuHbNcLs/s1600-h/Page_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7R-7VtcKLeda_noLRzPW9yb8alIzKiuV5rdzXUY59xZ0W8m8Ql3OaivkGpgy3y5camAOkVd2XRi_dbdC11_5tFzzMyFvimCIX8FEv8b3C-zMReGIgWsHXAzmAt6uxO6suH9OuHbNcLs/s320/Page_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329097628865164514" border="0" /></a>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-57684118382569761402009-03-01T07:01:00.003+00:002009-03-01T07:08:39.365+00:00South park characters as Avatars<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbccekAyjOIZ7XcTre4yXEbPe8rA_TRTXyYxof5uJfBNI-sM_FRpEP4jVDm2VxnaeNM_cE5RMslBOpIVkQadgJNzpoyME3hp_pkRgAKq-zBCzMf0bBBxld_Oe_KkZEYHTEDoE2DyVsVLk/s1600-h/SouthPark+guy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbccekAyjOIZ7XcTre4yXEbPe8rA_TRTXyYxof5uJfBNI-sM_FRpEP4jVDm2VxnaeNM_cE5RMslBOpIVkQadgJNzpoyME3hp_pkRgAKq-zBCzMf0bBBxld_Oe_KkZEYHTEDoE2DyVsVLk/s320/SouthPark+guy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308111278332431618" border="0" /></a>For Giannina - here is a socially constructed avatar - South Park style.<br /><br />I cannot decide what gender it is though - although it looks like it eats too many sweets and spends too long in front of a computer.<br /><br />Perhaps this is what people behind the perfect airbrushed avatars may look like?<br /><br />- confused by context-switching and only satiated by extreme highs, needing sugar rush satisfaction to appease instant gratification.<br /><br />This was created at: http://www.sp-studio.de/<br /><br />If you're readign this, I'd love to see your version and why?Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-60884248825234724962009-02-16T23:02:00.030+00:002009-02-17T09:50:13.361+00:00Avatar Under (Social) Construction<span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >With reference to and inspired by <a href="http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2009/02/04/i-am-not-really-me-and-i-probably-never-will-be-avatars-and-actual-identity/#more-1154">Dustan Writer's article 'I AM NOT REALLY ME, AND I PROBABLY NEVER WILL BE: AVATARS AND ACTUAL IDENTITY'</a></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Social Construction</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Anyone who has studied Social Psychology will be familiar with the extensive work of Kenneth Gergen about the constructed identity and its variants in different social groups and situations. Also group work done by Zimbardo and others underpins these significant findings.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This is a phenomena that has been well researched and well proven for many years now. Its findings and conclusions are well established, even in situations that are fabricated and not considered 'normal' interaction.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Constructed Identity</span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Our identity consists of parts. All are part of the whole, yet the sum of the parts is greater than the parts themselves.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Identity varies in differing situations and each person who knows us sees us with a different identity according to their own filter of experience and understanding. Just as we all have our 'telephone voice', we have a personality for every individual we come into contact with, depending on our previous stereotyping of people we judge as being 'like them' – in real life this judgement is often made by the colour of someone's skin, their gender, hair colour, age and dress. These categorisations are strikingly arrived at within 7 seconds, before a person even has a chance to open his or her mouth.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Pinker (2002, p. 202) writes that "some categories really are social constructions: they exist only because people tacitly agree to act as if they exist".</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Avatar Identity</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br />Avatars are a convenient way to decide on what stereotype you wish to be given, outside of those organically embedded into you. You already have an idea of what makes up that category. In Second Life, we are also defining new categories, such as Steam Punk and Furries. What we have is created a socially agreed norm for what constitutes that category.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Avatar names are also constructed like real names. Akin to nicknames, they are ones we chose for ourselves rather than having names like 'four eyes' thrust upon us. We construct our own chosen identities within the pressures of our real environment, it is much the same within virtual worlds.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span>Identities Linked</span></span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />I personally agree that real names and photographs should identify us and link us to the real world, however there too, we are in a continual process of constructing and deconstructing our identities, dependent on our own and others' expectations. No one has a consistent identity that they carry around with them intact, we vary al the time. When you row with your significant other or scream at your kids, are you the same person who greets the boss? I hope not because you'll soon be out of a job.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The same applies to virtual worlds, we fit in with societal expectations of us. Linden Labs has the intelligence to treat each cultural entity as distinct. They don't expect conformity as Twinity does (which is not surprising given its Germanic home – were we to stereotype this would be neat, tidy, organised and controlled). We are all bound by our own cultural expectations.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">What is Transparency?</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />When Dustan talks about trust, again the word transparency rises its ugly head. Authenticity, integrity, validity and other such words enter the arena too. He mentions 'RECOURSE', this is simply a culturally bound principle in the US and other western nations. Nations who do not have a blame/sue culture are not even aware of this. I have a lot of contact with Portuguese people, in both realms and people from this culture are eager to exchange personal information in Second Life. There is no 'blame culture' in that country. Perhaps the Western 'sue' culture is the reason for fear, not transparency itself.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I myself was at the sharp end of that phenomenon in hiring a builder who we shall call 'Dolly' here. Dolly was from the US, California to be precise. Dolly wasn't interested in the pittance I paid her to build in Second Life, she had a sick relative who needed money for medical care. Dolly had limited building skills and I took pity on her believing I could train her. Needless to say Dolly's work was never any good and was never completed. However, after she disappeared I was contacted by her lawyer who informed me that I had to pay $12,000 US because she had incurred stress during her work in Second Life. All this was set up well before I took Dolly on and needless to say, she had already tried the same stunt several times before this. If this is your culture, then indeed it is wise to hide your true identity.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Where there is money, the lawyers, accountants and tax men will always be there to take their cut.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">However this is nothing to do with 'who you are' and everything to do with preventing exploitation. As Dustan says, relationships are another construction, built over time and dependent on past performance. This is why social networks have become paramount during these information rich times.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span>Body of Evidence</span></span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />I have to disagree with Prokofy Neva, not because I personally disagree, but because there is a huge body of empirical research that reinforces these facts about the human psyche. I see the power of Prokofy's argument and know that might can sometimes be right, but not in this case - where masses of leading research over the past 100 years points in the opposite direction. Alberik did not write tripe, he wrote something that has been well substantiated. I am sure that those interested in this subject would find much of the work done by 'Social Constructionists' useful.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Value of Anonymity</span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />As Infocyde points out, Oscar Wilde was a wise man. Seldom are we given the opportunity for anonymity in life. However, the opposite is also possible, as people are shown to construct lies more liberally when given anonymity in courts. As even language is a fundamental construct, we can make ourselves and others believe anything we want to through language and image.<br /><br />The true value of anonymity is freedom of choice, the choice to tell the truth or to lie without the threat of punishment.<br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Why hide behind an Avatar?</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br />So why separate part of our personalities and split them off - as you would do if you kept your true identity hidden behind an avatar?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- To separate an aspect of your personality and contain it in an environment that is not threatening. People threatened in this way would find help in the study of PTSD, fragmented personalities and warfare to understand this more deeply.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">As Kwame AKA (Julius Sowu) says, fleeing from ourselves has caused more grief that integrating and understanding our various identities, or 'faces'. Personally I would encourage anyone resisting this move forward to look at themselves and identify what they are frightened of instead of resisting change.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Times are Changing</span></span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />Change is inevitable, even change of the 'self'. We grow older, we change jobs, we cannot resist it. Change can be positive, once we are across the barrier that is fear. We are more than one identity, we are many - changing, evolving and growing. I thank everyone who has given me the material and inspiration to join this discussion to help me change and grow.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">To show the world all that you are and share it with others is the most powerful expression of 'self' possible. To deny this to yourself and others is tragic.</span></span>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-9313049343713001052009-02-16T07:23:00.000+00:002009-02-16T22:29:54.789+00:00Moore's Law as applied to Second Life<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Moore's Law of Second Life</span><br /><br />Moore's Law is an interesting phenomenon faced by all new technologies and was highlighted by Geoffrey Moore as early as 1991. One well understood method for spanning the chasm is through the application of information. Thus education is key to mass adoption.<br /><br />As Moore says in 'Crossing The Chasm' "the notion that part of what defines a high-tech market is the tendency of its members to reference each other when making buying decisions-- is absolutely key to successful high-tech marketing."<br /><br />This being the case, the only way to achieve this is by educating the market and ensuring the word is spread - although I have to add here, this is only once you have established 'who' your market is. I am not sure that Linden Labs has a clear definition or appreciation of who their market actually is yet?<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Establishing the Market</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Linden Labs appear keen to adopt anyone who comes across to them. This does not strengthen or focus their initiative. Going off at many tangents dilutes power and lacks direction. To run a race you have to have a specific goal. Intangible end points at various locations simply reduces effectiveness.<br /><br />One thing I don't see is a consistent strategy or to put it into popular current business speak 'a Roadmap'.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Game play and war strategies - Follow history</span><br /><br /></div><div>My advice to them would be to watch what happened with the closest business model to theirs, the Internet. It evolved from military and educational use. Banks and Government followed rapidly with their need to connect between nations. Companies and corporations came last. Many who failed to adopt the Internet early enough, found their market being stolen from underneath their noses by online equivalents such as Amazon.<br /><br />I predict that this pattern will repeat in Second Life and other virtual interconnectivity solutions. New businesses will evolve from within the media, which will replace existing ones - this is good news for some of Linden Labs existing users as skill sets are already being honed even though the market is immature. Early adopters in the current gold rush will benefit, but will need to innovate, not just repeat 'online versions' of existing methods to market.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Increase productivity value</span><br /><div><br /></div><div>Other metrics include making products easier, cheaper and faster than existing adopted methods. When huge established corporations such as Microsoft, launch a new technology, they already have an established market to throw the new products into, leaving companies such as Linden Labs as the 'poor man' in a highly competitive environment. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can tell when a technology is mature by the behaviour of Microsoft, who will copy the best parts of existing products and launch their own product with those features in it. To date, the virtual world market is still immature and most platform creators are still yet to understand their market. We in the field can tell them who their market is, should they wish to listen to us rather than follow the latest whim. </div><div><br /></div><div>As information is part of the key to mass adoption, it would seem sensible for the solution provider to ask its existing market of early adopters. This seldom happens in young and small companies as they lack the resources to use strategies such as gaming and using information methods to understand their niche and outsmart their competitors in the form of huge corporations ready to pounce and swallow their market.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">History will repeat itself</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I found this to be true from examining Netscape's marketing policy in 1996. Remember them? - they were the market leaders at the time. They made an executive decision to let Microsoft spend it's money on marketing its new browser and they would tag onto its tail and get their (hat they expected to be - larger) share of the market from that. Anyone why has studied game theory would have been aware of the consequences from the example of the Americas Cup Race. In yachting wisdom it is commonly accepted that if you are in the lead, watch the guy behind and do everything he is doing because that way he cannot overtake you.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Advice for Linden Labs</span></div><div><br /></div><div>For Linden Labs the direction seems clear: stay focussed, watch your imitators and exploit the existing user base to spread the message 'virally'. Information, ease of use and lower costs lead to mass adoption. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A Footnote:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div>As a gateway owner and a firm aficionado of Second Life and virtual worlds, one thing I come across a lot is 'what is there to do here'. </div><div><br /></div><div>I just want to add here that the answer to 'anything you want' will soon be supplied with many opportunities and products to fill that 'chasm'.</div></div>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-6214177382317047922009-01-22T22:47:00.003+00:002009-02-17T09:24:28.000+00:00How Virtual Worlds affect Real Lives<span style="font-size:100%;">Virtual worlds will affect every aspect of everyone's life and in the future will be central to community, particularly as live events are broadcast and spread around the world mixing and meshing with virtual events.<br /><br />People often confuse virtual worlds with role play games. They are not the same. Role play games have several embedded features to them which can be copied in virtual worlds but are not necessarily part of the virtual world.<br /><br />Virtual worlds are the domain of real people, who use this medium to connect with and communicate across distance. The share ideas and ideals. Meeting up and creating their own selective communities, rather than those that are physically imposed upon them by location.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Virtual World domination</span><br /><br />At present there is only one dominant player in Virtual Worlds for adults. This player is Second Life. Recent distribution of its core software has weakened it's position as the only platform, however it remains the dominant brand.<br /><br />This distribution of Linden Labs source code was a strategic move that rebounded on them. They did not account for people's greed and meglomania. Instead of their naive belief that developers would help to make the basic platform better. Programmers built competitors from the source code.<br /><br />This meant that offspring were springing up from its flesh everywhere. Unlike other 'open source' offerings, the lack of competitors or a pricey market leader such a s Microsoft meant that Linden labs were perceived to be 'the enemy' to be vanquished by the programmers and coders.<br /><br />For inden Labs, this has meant the necessity of subsequent diversification for Second Life and entry into other market spaces. This has been achieved with partnering some of it's own 'child' businesses and buying out others. They have recently also entered the 'content' arena with the acquisition of Xstreet.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scalability in Second Life</span><br /><br />Other issues for Second Life are questionable scalability. Forever pushing at that 100 people maximum in a 16 acre area, it now has another apparent boundary of 75,000 concurrent users, after which logging on is a problem. Bandwidth also causes users to have a poor experience at present too and users expect a quality of service for any product they purchase or use. In Second Life this is seeming to be compromised at present.<br /><br />That said, it is still the dominant platform, with more diversity than other platforms are capable of delivering and more people there too. Education is prominent with courses such as 'Beyond Google' by the Open University now being offered. It has become the de facto platform of choice, to challenge it, a competitor has to adopt and adapt many of its basic principles.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">User experience</span><br /><br />The main thing that </span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Virtual</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Worlds offer is a user experience. Linden Labs provide an excellent and evocative user experience, good or bad, it provides stimulus for those brave enough to go through the preliminary challenge of getting to know how to use the software. People are naïve to expect to be able to use it in one hour, like driving a car or learning Windows, it takes time. Oddly enough, the excitement people feel about this experience often leads them to neglect their basic training with the software.<br /><br />With experience, having gone through the learning cycle, people realise the potential of this platform to transform their lives.<br /><br />People initially make a friendship, often with another newcomer and explore the 'world'. If they continue, they find commonalities and shared interests. For some it is simply finding a cool gadget or a nice pair of shoes, for others it is finding a peer group or social connection. This usually draws them in to other people and wanting to take ownership of their own 'part' of this world.<br /><br />The things that are important in our lives are family, friends, home and personal expression. These are all fulfilled inside the communities of virtual worlds.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Benefits of virtual worlds</span><br /><br />Some people in these worlds are currently active because they have special reasons to exist inside their heads. Some are housebound for physical and psychological reasons, others are cut off from their peers due to their physical location. These platforms benefit these people greatly, enabling us to continue long distance relationships and not discriminate because of physical affliction or imperfection. Indeed emotionally vulnerable people can also benefit from these methods of interaction too, provided they find the right environment.<br /><br />Stereotypes are dismissed or exaggerated, even played with by crossing race, gender and age. By being what you want, you can escape from what you are perceived to be by those who apparently 'know' you and judge you out of hand.<br /><br />You can find friends with similar yet unusual interests, so having hem local is unlikely, but connecting with someone across the world is easy. Virtual worlds therefore benefit people wishing to share knowledge and create friendships with kindred spirits.<br /><br />Up river from friendships are personal relationships such as witnessed in 'Brie and Seany', romance and sex are and always have been high in the game of technological innovation. This will never cease.<br /><br />As well as virtual events. meet ups happen in the real world such as in The Greyhound in Kensington. Real and virtual friends meet up at the same time, and mix reality with the virtual experience in an unexpectedly rewarding mix for everyone. This make the difference between a separate virtual and real existence and draws both together uniting personalities and forging even deeper friendships than occur either in reality or virtually.<br /><br />Communities are the mainstay of society and their extension into virtual platforms is simply as important as the railway, telephone, radio, TV or Internet. We are all interested in 'connecting' with one another. Humankind is forever looking to have bonds forged with each other. Virtual worlds affect real lives not because they are different, isolated, imagined lives, but because they are simply an extension of real lives, one where w can experiment in physical safety before venturing out and taking risks with our lives and expend time and commitment.</span>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-38212853601135132132008-12-13T06:39:00.000+00:002008-12-21T06:33:30.977+00:00Action and regret in the Twilight ZoneFor me, there is always a hiatus in travel between finishing your visit and actually travelling. I call this the 'Twlight Zone', because as far as everyone you have visited is concerned, you have left and are no longer relevant to their lives, but your actual departure doesn't occur for many hours.... <div><br /></div><div>I am currently in that zone. You can't sleep, you can't eat, you just wait.. regretting things you didn't get done during your trip and dreading the many hours still left to spend, just waiting in this limbo of irrelevance to anyone's lives that I call the Twilight Zone.</div><div><br /></div><div>You try to fill it with an endless landscape of meaningless tasks. I am sure that if a study were done, more books would get read during this time than any other. I now have 10 hours to while away, 6 in the hotel, until I get thrown out (officially called checkout) and then 4 in the interim period in which I will idle away ambling around the shops here and in the airport. If I were to scrutinise my trip, the purpose of my visit was over after the first day here - it usually is. The rest of the time has been filled with social visits and meaningless banter, whiling away the time until I leave.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regrets, always. I heard it once sad that you only ever regret the things you didn't get done, and have always found it to be true. As actions are far harder than ideas and 'stated' intentions they take much more energy to get done, and often a lot more courage. This hiatus to ponder allows me to reflect upon this very thing. Actions are the only thing that takes our ideas and converts them into reality. </div><div><br /></div><div>Indeed, I have heard so many 'ideas' and 'intentions' over the past few days that I am completely full of them and am simply able to regard them as no more than hot air. Intentions and ideas unfulfilled lead only to regret, missed opportunities and inaction. </div><div><br /></div><div>Inaction, albeit sometimes not conscious, is in itself 'action'. it is failure to ensure things are done, failure to deliver, failure to keep promises, excuses given etc etc. But however it is dressed, it ends up the same 'what if?' and usually ends up in regret. However this regret is meaningless because participation was taken. Action was in fact taken, even though that action was the action of non-action.</div><div><br /></div><div>Presently I am regretting not delivering some of the messages I tried to effectively. Regretting not seeing some of the people I hoped to do. Regretting not doing some of the things I wanted to, such as taking the last day here to see my son whom I haven't seen for over 2 years. Regret leads to self-criticism and dissatisfaction. </div><div><br /></div><div>Given the current climate generally, many people now out of work will regret all the things they never got done during that time. However if you look at it pragmatically, you never would have done the things you yearn for having done because by your 'active inaction' your decision was already made. Therefore best to stop regretting and let go if the idea that you would have done 'if only things had been different' - you never would have done. Simply accepting this and letting it go is the best remedy for regret.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regret is never action, it is always inaction, but taken as a positive, it is a decision made and acted upon. Regrets are usually only reflected on in twilight zones such as these, and approaching death, where you have the slack in life to enable you to see how pathetic it all is.</div><div><br /></div>Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3496372919919685259.post-45399930888583932932008-12-03T10:46:00.000+00:002008-12-21T07:04:18.193+00:00Making Money in Virtual WorldsThere is a popular misconception that it is easy to make money in virtual worlds people even believe that there paths can be paved with gold.<br /><br />This is a myth, similar to the one that anyone can make money on the stock market. Both come from the impression that some people have made it very rich for very little effort or investment. However, like most things that yield high dividends it is due to working the system and having knowledge - preferably from an 'insider' source.<br /><br />As it was with the now failing stock market, everyone's cousin is suddenly an expert on this matter. Uncle Bob is now a Digital Media expert. After his job as a shelf stacker at Woolworths, he now turns his talent to networking in virtual worlds and engaging within social networks. <br /><br />Auntie Dora has become a PR exec in Digital Media with a list of clients that don’t know exactly what she’s doing for them. However, her PR sounded good so they are confident that she knows what she’s doing. Thankfully they haven’t got a clue, because she hasn’t either. For her, at last, her long chats over the garden wall are paying dividends in baffling people with her rhetoric. <br /><br />Previously unemployed cousins are now Heads of Digital Media in companies they founded themselves. It sounds good anyway and because they used to carry the tea tray in a PR firm they know all about PR too. These people all get away with it because we, the rest of the world, are the uninitiated in this new digital world.<br /><br />It is easy for anyone to become a Digital Media guru. It is a young discipline with a low cost of entry. All you need is free accounts with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Upcoming, Plick and a few virtual worlds, such as Second Life. Next step is to get someone to write about you – any online or media press will do. You can even give yourself a false identity and write about your alter ego so you become a publisher and blogger as well.<br /><br />Finally, publicise yourself as being the best PR for digital media. This is a sure fire way to grab companies’ attention. They will immediately look up to you as someone with some credibility and knowledge of the situation, mainly because they have no knowledge on this area themselves and are groping in the dark more than you are.<br /><br />Congratulations, you are now a Digital Media expert.<br /><br />This is a scary scene and not uncommon. At this point, if you represent a company or your own enterprise, you would do well to remember the dot com bubble where everyone got on the bandwagon and some got sorely burnt. Virtual or digital media space is the new ‘dot com’ – or ‘dot con’ bubble if you get it wrong.<br /><br />'Me too' is a very compelling scenario and no one wants to be left out in the cold. However, this phenomenon is moving along at such a rate that no one can keep up. Either people are afraid of being left behind so grab whatever looks like the best eye-candy or alternatively are too blinded by media headlights to move at all.<br /><br />My advice is, as with all innovative technologies, when faced with a new environment or technical innovation follow best practices used in the past when adopting new technology.<br /><br />Check out your provider for their track record, speak to their existing and previous clients to assess satisfaction. There are already a lot of disaffected and disillusioned companies out there that spent a lot of money for very little return. It would no do your CV any good if you were to help your company become one of them.<br /><br /><br />I hope this illuminates potential pitfalls in this expanding market. Please post a comment here should you need further opinion.Debs Regenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691130119814505729noreply@blogger.com0