I attended a conference recently. It was an all day event that included speakers from a variety of business, government and industry sectors. The conference activities were located in three buildings: an auditorium for the speaker presentations; an exhibition hall where a number of companies in the security industry presented their products and gave away gifts to visitors for which conferences are so well known; and a lounge where attendees could mingle and talk with speakers and company representatives. In attendance was a monkey typing away on a typewriter, a ballerina, an alligator, a unicorn, and a large number of blue heads. This was a virtual conference held in a virtual world. The participants were avatars. Welcome to the newest face of E-Commerce: Virtual Worlds.
It is common knowledge that with the rise of the collaborative Web 2.0 technologies, the face of E-Commerce has evolved from a static presentation of products and services to an interactive participatory relationship with customers. The use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, podcasts, discussion forums, Twitter, YouTube, and other technologies have brought businesses closer to their customers. However, these relationships are still primariloy asynchronous in nature and cannot parallel the real-time face-to-face communication that the brick and mortar world provides. This constraint is lifted through the use of Virtual Worlds where participants are immersed in a world that provides real-time communication and relationships with other customers and companiy representatives.
Virtual worlds are digital worlds. They are created using computer technologies and often model elements of the real world such as buildings, roads, trees, etc. Participants in virtual worlds use avatars to represent themselves. Avatars are graphical characters that can resemble humans, animals, or mythical creatures. Virtual worlds allow multiple users to share a common space that is represented in visual formats employing a variety of two and three dimensional designs. Immersion is an important aspect of virtual worlds. The more participants feel that they are a part of the digitally created world, the more they will interact and participate in the virtual world activities. E-Commerce providers use Virtual Worlds to interact in real-time with their customers and develop personal relationships with them -resulting in stronger loyalty to the company – translating into sales and revenue. It is for this reason, that the newest face of E-Commerce is the face of Virtual Worlds.
TECHademia 
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April 1, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Chaz Maz
Second Life: Land of the WEAK home of the BROKEN
First of all, I have been there, have done that. Had clubs, owned land, made friends, money, and fell in love. Second life on the surface, especially for the newbie and Entrepreneur/artist is a fun and cool place to make some friends, and make some money. It is looked at as a supercharged chat room, a video game. But the nature of its name is where the insidiousness is. As much of a second life (SL) as it might be, in order to operate you still have to use your Real Life (RL) abilities. You do not follow a different thought and emotional pattern when in SL. You can only use what you know in RL. But kidding yourself is one of the appeals of SL. You eventually get lost in it.
At first it is new and exciting. Like a new video game. Learning the functions that move your avatar around, visiting places and socializing with the natives. You are perfect, and you can fly. No sickness, no need for money (well not as much) and people don’t have bad breath and, as a “normal”, “intelligent” person, it is an interesting place to explore and learn. But it eventually becomes one of three things. 1. Boring, like a video game you have played over and over. 2. An environment to explore your creative ability to design and sell things. Or, 3 it consumes your psyche.
The first two are what they are; the third is the meat and potatoes of SL. This is the one that is more consistent. Do you really think the folks at Linden Labs are spending their free time on SL.? No, they are spending the money they are making in RL (SL is a business so it is RL for them) on RL things.
There comes a saturation point where you walk away or get sucked in. I will say this for the last time and it does not apply to you newbie’s, or the smart ones that are making money off the lonely. It is a place to hide from reality. It is a place where weak, lost souls go to escape from the depth and breadth of life. I will allow some latitude for you shut-ins. Some people have nothing else but the four walls of the room they are in. SL can provide a form of “human” entertainment that they otherwise would not be able to get. But, that just causes the shut-in to let go of their emotional self being even more. This is a hard pill to swallow, no one wants to take a good look at them selves and most do not. But the covert nature of SL allows you to cut loose. Sort of the absolute power corrupts absolutely theory. People that stay too long get lost in it. And yes, justifying all the way, that it is just a game. For the predator, and a predator is weak by nature, it is a place to be free of thought and persecution. To dominate the weak that makes SL their home. And, it is a place for the weak to not be judged, a place that they can feel and accept that who they are is ok, even if it is with the few. Some people can handle the trials and tribulations of life, some can’t and they end up in SL. You start to see a symbiotic circle of relationships in SL. For the people designing objects to sell, they may not interact totally and directly with the person/s and, their sales may come from across the board. The newbie that is playing the “game” to the obsessed, but, the obsessed is a long term customer. Theses business individuals usually get in, add new product, convert their lindens to dollars or pounds and get out.
The tragedy is the weak and broken. Don’t roll your eyes, In the Real World we are always conned with flashy marketing to get us to buy something or believe something in order to be more acceptable. Magic creams or potions. Don’t kid yourself; Second Life is about making money. Making money off of what? Our loneliness and our lack of self worth in the real world. HELLO, McFly!! It is called Second Life.
It might be simple, you build a club, people come and visit or create a group, and you solicit for members. People get together and boom, you feel wanted and needed. Building your dream home in the clouds and littering your lawn with cool things like jets and swimming pools. That can make you popular. Walking in a park with your perfect Avatar girlfriend/boyfriend, no RL issues so it is a perfect relationship. That leads to good puppet sex. Mmmm nice. All this is accomplished by tugging on your weakness, your emotional frailty. Either you are not getting it in RL or are too afraid to face the truth of how to exist in RL. You can’t handle the truth and if you are a long term SL puppet, you just can’t handle life, Real Life. Don’t get me wrong, we all like to escape from time to time.
In some places it is much darker, like I said before, predators hunting the weak. The Gorean Master and the slaves that he takes control of. This one is unusual, in that the Master has total control over the slave. The “slave” giving not only total control of their Avatar, and who can communicate to them, but also, control as to when they will or will not talk to what they can wear. Believe me this does carry over to real life. Imagine the fun of kneeling next to your Avatar Master and saying nothing. Second life being nothing more then a place to be told what to do, serving fake food and ale. You want to call it guided, or taught? Hey, what ever floats your boat? I know just a video game, right? This setup just allows the predator to get in that persons head and develop a false sense of security. Tell that to your husband, wife, girlfriend, or boyfriend. Why you are glued to the PC instead of enjoying life, REAL LIFE. And, couples also get on there too, as couples, this is a nutty one. Worked hard all week, beautiful weekend, and, you both are on a computer, every free moment, building and designing that special home, having that child you never could have. (Yes, people do play the part of the child.) I find it unhealthy when instead of developing a better real life and real relationship in RL. You take that precious time and waste it. Yes, ok… You are free to do what you want. But there are plenty of damaged people on SL. And your fantasy could be causing them to loose sense of reality, along with your lost sense of reality. Their marriages, get funky, destroyed, their children get neglected. And you get a ridiculous God complex that makes you anti social in the Real World, which just plummets yourself deeper in to SL. Cha Ching! Sweet business you got Linden People.
You have the 50+ couple that spends every “free” moment in SL being the King and Queen. Oh, and so good to their obedient subjects. At their beckons call, at their total command. Or, the sexual perverts. Ok, my opinion….. That can now live out the fantasy of doing it with a farm animal. Or, kneeling down and being the public toilet. Sex is rampant in SL. The anonymous nature of your avatar is something too. You really do not know if the man is a woman or the woman is a man, plenty of men that are living out their desire to be a Transsexual, or a woman. Plenty of women that want to love another woman, so she hides in the body of a man. I guess what you don’t know won’t hurt you. Hey, no one is getting hurt, no aids. Nicey nice. The soul is willing but the flesh is weak. So, the wall that SL provides, allows for an easier transition to experiment. Sad part is as your getting deeper and deeper; you are getting more lost in fantasy then reality and they start to blend. Actually, you probably were lost between the two to begin with. Now you go out into the real world. Take a break; meet one of your SL friends. Break the rule, cross that line; remember SL and RL are supposed to be two different places. People meet up, some get married, the rare few. But mostly it is a letdown, disappointment, and harm to others. It is a dirty little secret. Who wants to tell people that you got into that trouble because you decided to meet your “make believe” friend?
Lips stay sealed, people get hurt. And in the end, the only place they feel right, the only place that people understand is right back on Second Life. CHA CHING!
April 1, 2009 at 9:33 pm
techademia
I agree that as in all aspects of technology there is a dark side to virtual worlds. It can become too mesmerizing– too immersive. But the reality is that virtual worlds are growing in popularity for use by businesses. As those familiar with this world we need to stay tuned and provide our thoughts and guidance to businesses and virtual world participantsl. We need to understand how to use these new technologies well and not prey on people’s weaknesses.
April 10, 2009 at 12:42 am
Happy Gilmore
Virtual Worlds kick butt… for a few.
It really doesn’t appeal to people that do not want to sit for hours in front of a computer.
The other part is it really requires a decent machine. If you have an average computer with a second class video card your going to be introuble.
There is a huge opportunity for commerce in the virtual worlds, the hard part is switching your brain to marketing to real people in a much different way.
RavenSachel
April 25, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Joia Arduinna
I’m really sorry to read the ChazMaz’s disillusioned and cynical comments. It’s too bad that he/she is so angry at life that he/she can’t celebrate the adventure and creativity and joyful aspects that are also inherent in virtual worlds. I agree with Techademia that there can be dark aspects to immersive virtual worlds, hey, just don’t spend your time in those places or with those people! There is no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water!
I have been active, primarily as a participant and observer, in virtual worlds for 12 years, practically since they started, and I have been an online multiplayer game player for 22 years. It hasn’t stopped me from, at the same time, getting a master’s degree, working as an executive for several Fortune 50 corporations, having a solid 25 year marriage, meeting several close friends through games, and being highly interconnected to my real world family, even though we are all scattered all over the US. Over the past 20 years, I have met literally dozens of “friends” I socialize and play with in virtual worlds in real life, either individually when I traveled or in groups at special gatherings. They are highly enjoyable meetings, even though occasionally disillusioning! The fact is, we get from virtual worlds what we bring to them from the real world. Our “baggage” can turn a situation that is funny or intellectually interesting to one person into a psychotic episode to another. There are plenty of ways to protect oneself from the unpleasantries of the virtual world, just as there are in the real world.
Many organizations are starting to find bottom line value in virtual worlds, as they gain acceptance in the consumer community. Not all virtual worlds are Second Life. WebKins is highly successful with the 7-12 year old group with real world product tie-ins/toys. Habbo Hotel is successful with obtaining paid corporate sponsors eager to reach 10-13 year olds through virtual special events and product tie-ins. Because of Habbo’s excellent and ongoing research into their target audience, they are able to charge a premium to corporate partners to participate. Educators are beginning to provide extremely interesting and engaging courses and classes in virtual worlds, and there is a booming business in virtual corporate meetings and virtual travel. There has also been a lot of research in the last two-three years that shows the value and the potential for improving certain aspects of life that immersive virtual worlds offer to individuals, and I won’t go into those here. (start at Nick Yee’s The Daedalus Project for some of the best).
Just because one sad person has a bad romantic experience caused by a meeting with a virtual personality in the real world doesn’t make a virtual world a bad or a worthless place any more than being injured on a roller coaster ride at Coney Island makes all theme parks dangerous.