but there is still a steep learning curve for absolute beginners. This is a known issue -- Linden Lab's business affairs manager Ginsu Yoon told the Standard last month that making the service easier to use was the most important item on Linden Lab's to-do list after improving stability and scalability. But in the meantime, companies that want to use Immersive Workspaces will need to consider how to train employees before they can call a virtual meeting.
Rivers Run Red says geographically distributed companies can realize travel and productivity benefits using Immersive Workspaces. The company claims several clients, including financial institutions and a "fast-to-market" consumer goods company, but declined to name them.
Sources cited, referenced, or consulted: Mimi Browning (Rivers Run Red), Justin Bovington (CEO, Rivers Run Red), Ginsu Yoon (Linden Lab), riversrunred.com, secondlife.com, Chris Ulbrich/Lewis PR.
Images of Immersive Workspaces:
Comments
Linden's collaboration with a particular company to develop what others in the community have already developed hundreds of times is a joke and undermines the open nature of Second Life. It is unfortunate that Linden has decided to favor a single developer over the many others that have created and successfully launched virtual workspaces on the Second Life grid.
Having seen the demo film, I have to say I'm excited by the potential of this collaboration. As a brand manager, I have been wary about companies offering me a Second Life, especially as the past structure of Second Life content developers has meant I would have to originate and pay for them to develop a bespoke solution. This does give a clearer direction for Linden Lab, although the adoption at this stage will still be experimental and have a learning curve.
I also understand from the SL developer who we're working with, this is being sold by affiliates and will be sold on by selected Second Life developers. It also gives me the opportunity to sell this on, in partnership with our SL content developer, to our internal client base. Sib, not too sure why you're so concerned that other developers have not be consulted or offered the opportunity. From what we've been experienced, they've been consulted and are working with Linden Lab to offer this to their clients.
You could be missing out here on an opportunity, presuming your a registered Second Life developer, perhaps you need to contact LL and ask for an update?
Also how arrogant to openly state that Linden Lab cannot make their own decisions? As for other developers offering other solutions, this is not a barrier, surely they can continue to market and deliver their own solutions? Playing exactly to the strengths to the open nature of Second Life you are talking about. Doesn't this happen already with IBM, Cisco, Intel, OpenSim?
The real issue here, Second Life has reached a cross roads. Mark Kingdom, the new CEO of Linden Lab has stated the development road map. With a split now being defined as the following: Consumer World, Education World and Enterprise World. The problem I see here, having read other blogs, is that the incumbent Consumer World users don't approve of Linden Lab being a 'business'.
I cannot see how and why they're so concerned, as any platform needs to evolve or die. Mark Kingdom also said that 80% of their effort is still in the Consumer World, with these new ventures being start ups. The problem Second Life has had in the past is exactly that, no clearly defined point of entry, they seem to have addressed that. Lets see what happens next. The big challenge for Linden Lab, is the making that transition. This is brand issue, Linden Lab has a product called Second Life, can they be seen as anything different?
As someone who has been running enterprise-oriented live events in Second Life since September 2007, I see virtual worlds as a valuable long-term solution for these types of events, but admittedly still have a ways to go before they are ready for mainstream adoption. I am very happy to see companies like RRR take on the challenge!
For those who want more information, and an inside look at what enterprise-oriented events can be like in Second Life, join me this coming Monday, Dec 15th at noon Pacific time, for my weekly conference series in Second Life, Metanomics. Justin Bovington, founder and CEO of Rivers Run Red, will be our guest, and we will discuss the Immersive Workspaces platform, the challenges to enterprise adoption of virtual worlds, recent improvements in data display and collaborative tools designed to create a more familiar business and branding environment, and the company's experience in collaborating with Linden Lab.
You don't even need to come into Second Life to participate: you can also watch on the web at http://metanomics.net/watchnow.
See http://www.metanomics.net/event121508 for event information, and http://metanomics.net for more general info about the Metanomics conference series.
Companies interested in the cost savings (who isn't especially these days) of virtual meetings should take a good look at Second Life. Don't overlook talking with colleagues and the most active SL users, i.e. those running successful groups and events there.
Our foundation's First Opinions Panel of 12,000 of the most active SL residents including 2000 group owners, can instantly create a panel to your demographic specifications.
Our FREE 2008 Second Life survey report, with 50 questions from F500, key bloggers, Metanomics etc is at http://socialresearchfoundation.org/report/index.html
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