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Seems like a long time ago now, but about a week ago I received word from Paul Hemp, senior editor at the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, informing me of a virtual discussion scheduled to take place inside Second Life<\/a>. Some of you might recall Mr. Hemp’s recent article, “Avatar-Based Marketing”, about which I posted last month (reLink<\/a>). Anyway, I made some time to attend and at least several other bloggers have since covered the discussion – most notably Ilya Vedrashko over on the MIT Advertising Lab\/Brands in Games blogs (Link)<\/a>, and Wagner James Au over on the New World Notes blog (Link)<\/a>.<\/p>\n A couple of things I’d say at this late point is that the transcripts I’ve read aren’t actually complete; they’ve been cleaned up and parts have been removed. That’s the problem with texting inside a simulation: not everyone knows to what it is that someone else might be referring when a comment is made out of order (and most are). I suspect the raw log is posted somewhere, but I didn’t read everything all that closely since I was at the thing and don’t need the rehash. The bigger issue, however, is communication. And I mean communication on a much broader scale. Think internationally; think culturally. In a virtual world that spans global borders, communication on a variety of levels – including marketing – becomes a different and more complex endeavor. In Kenzo<\/strong>: Good timing, too. I have a conference call in 15 minutes with a potential new partner. They know NOTHING of SL. My question regards how to explain the possibilities here in just a few words on a phone call….<\/em><\/p>\n Csven Concord<\/strong>: When I explain that to someone, I ask them if they’ve ever seen on the News a story with a 911 call and if they felt … touched or affected by the voice. That’s television – a passive medium – giving the viewer something less connected to them than what they’ll have in here. It’s difficult to comprehend, but seeing how we react to other “virtual” things helps.<\/em><\/p>\n That last bit becomes an issue for many academians and researchers. Just exactly how far will they allow themselves to become immersed; to be affected?<\/p>\n Not so long ago an acquaintance of mine inside Second Life, who’s real life identity is known to other residents, confessed an attraction for me (undoubtedly minor). We’ve never met. And while flattered, the real point is that this could not have been a casual thing for this person, because for them there is no refuge in anonymity. The same applies to those who take their professional lives inside virtual worlds as Mr. Hemp and others have done. Will they say or do something that might be inappropriate? Will it reflect on their real lives? How deeply immersed can someone become if they’re concerned about such things? Will they even get an “alt” and explore these other possibilities? This is where I suspect there will be a disconnect, because I’m not sure they all will. Watch for it. That disconnect could be very interesting.<\/p>\n {Image Copyright \u00a9 2006 Wagner James Au}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Seems like a long time ago now, but about a week ago I received word from Paul Hemp, senior editor at the Harvard Business Review, informing me of a virtual discussion scheduled to take place inside Second Life. Some of … Continue reading
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\nIn addition, I get the sense that there is going to be a disconnect between what some researchers report and what’s really going on inside these new worlds. For anyone who has followed my own blog entries, you’ve probably read at least once that for me one of the surprising things is how deep the immersion can get… even if the visuals aren’t all that sophisticated. That sense of immersion was the point of my last comment that you’ll find in the transcripts (should you read them). If not, here’s the primary exchange:<\/p>\n