One Very Cool Virtual Space


Thursday, January 11, 2007


Imagine a virtual space where you can create another image of yourself, a new name, a new body and make friends with new people from around the world. Where you can walk and talk and buy the clothes you want to buy, the house you want to build or live in. Pick a second career, shop at stores, and buy new furniture. Go out at night, dance or walk in the park. Sail in your own boat or climb a mountain.

That space exists today in a web site called Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com/) and people are joining by the thousands. It is free if you want to play that way or very inexpensive for the "premium account". I needed something to stimulate my mind while recovering from back surgery this summer so I found this place and now I am hooked. As are hundreds of thousands of other people around the world. It's not a game, rather a "place" and it's not just for entertainment anymore. Companies like Dell, IBM and Reuters are all in the space with offices, advertising and work going on. Harvard is holding law classes there and the governor of Virginia has held town hall meetings.

What enamors me is not the game itself but rather the applications of so many technologies available to us today in one place. Remember when the internet was in its infancy? We all wondered where it would go. Now, with space like Second Life, we have a 3-D space that makes the human-computer-human interface so much richer. I can envision that this use of technologies will significantly change the way we use the "net", how we shop, hold meetings, program and work and play together.

In my virtual house, I have a TV that I can make any size, watch live streaming TV in my virtual living room or rent a movie from the Second Life store or watch MTV recordings. I can have company over from all parts of the globe, like my neighbor from Belgium who likes to talk Dutch also. I can call my dog over and teach him how to do tricks or build and program an object to do special effects while I sit on the virtual couch. I can teleport instantly to places I want to go or fly my avatar, like Superman, if that's my preferred means of travel.

Think about these concepts and how we are going to communicate and work in the future. So many trips will be unnecessary; we can all meet in a 3-D room and get up and talk or show a presentation. It makes net meetings look prehistoric. The implications are boundless - I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you the changes that this type of technology will bring; but like the internet in early form, I can't.

I am challenging our IT people and leaders to think about how we can use technology like this to better serve our clients. Why don't we go ahead and build the building you have in your mind, the offices you want to see, the furnishings you want to have. And have your people use the space to see if it works. I really don't see why we can't do this today.

I would suggest that you try it and see what you think! Perhaps in a few weeks, you can come over and visit MBI in the new world!


posted by Scott Messmore @ Thursday, January 11, 2007   0 comments