I’ve been following an entry over on Raph Koster’s blog (Link) discussing the MySpace phenomenon. There are some interesting comments that are worth reading imo. The most recent comment as of this writing included this bit:
I think the first step between connecting a MMOG with a true social network is to grow it FROM an existing social network and allow a virtualization of that social network into a visual representation.
Interesting. I guess by going from Second Life to LinkedIn I’m doing this all backwards (see earlier post for reference – Link). I’ve not actively pursued making virtual person-to-virtual person contacts on LinkedIn; no time at the moment. Perhaps next week.
btw, would a cover of The Who classic song now use the lyric “don’t try to grok what we all s-s-say”?
I love the quote you posted “the first step between connecting a MMOG with a true social network is to grow it FROM an existing social network and allow a virtualization of that social network into a visual representation.” I think that’s dead-on. Just imagine if a site like MySpace one day in the near future announced a pernership with IMVU or SL, and made it super easy (push a button, click a box) to covert that info into the 3-d.
It’s also interesting to think about what the info derived from existing 2-D idea markets would look like in the 3-D. I can imagine many uses.
Some time back I posted something along those lines; even going so far as to suggest Second Life might be on the auction block after a comment made by Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale. But I was thinking it might be a major player that might pick up SL. Then again, MySpace is now owned by a major player…
Right on. I believe your instinct will be proved accurate due to the huge value that can be generated by such a move in a really short period of time. Something like that is destined to happen to SL, Multiverse, and IMVU (and perhaps new software released on 360 and PS3). My suspicion is that this hybridization of social networks and 3-D/4-D VW’s will define a period of time in the evolution of the web, and the broader economy, and generate many Time Magazine, Business Week and Wired covers. Perhaps 2007 will be the year of the hybrid, or such.
And this is the beginning of something bigger too, the rapid flattening of the world. I can’t wait to see how it figures into the Metaverse Roadmap discussions.
Another thought, in order for SL to reach 1,000,000 users by 2007, something the SL insiders seem to believe will happen, such a merger seems almost necessary.
In January, I was thinking I was going to have to eat my words re: LL hitting the 1M user target. But population growth seems to have slowed, so anything is still possible.
Personally I like the idea of LL connecting with niche internet communities (like the Suicide Girls). But the growth of Web 2.0 applications means – imo – that we’re reaching a point at which voice chat is going to be a necessary option. People are going to start to expect that level of function inside SL imo; it’s not an “action-packed game” – communication is a bigger part of SL than, say, Project Entropia where you can spend almost all your time chasing sweaty animals.
And of course, the obvious integration for voice chat is Skype. We’ll see.