What came first? The prim or the plan?
The following is an excerpt from a team report I did investigating Second Life as a possible solution for some business needs. It represents my thoughts (concerns even) about what needs to be considered first before making the leap into a virtual presence. There is so much that is shiny and sexy about virtual worlds in all the attention they are receiving that the desire to participate can sometimes be premature, imho. And not wanting to add another empty presence to the virtual landscape, these are the points I feel should be considered prior to any construction. Not all might be answered in a satisfactory way, but it wont' be a wasted effort for trying.
The reason I posted this here is that I'll be addressing these points in a case study post later for what I consider to be a very successful and well-thought out implementation for Second Life: Coldwell Banker's sim island. That particular adaptation does not address the particulars of my team's needs but it does represent a successful adaptation into virtual scope. And it does meet all of the points below.
The following is an excerpt from a team report I did investigating Second Life as a possible solution for some business needs. It represents my thoughts (concerns even) about what needs to be considered first before making the leap into a virtual presence. There is so much that is shiny and sexy about virtual worlds in all the attention they are receiving that the desire to participate can sometimes be premature, imho. And not wanting to add another empty presence to the virtual landscape, these are the points I feel should be considered prior to any construction. Not all might be answered in a satisfactory way, but it wont' be a wasted effort for trying.
The reason I posted this here is that I'll be addressing these points in a case study post later for what I consider to be a very successful and well-thought out implementation for Second Life: Coldwell Banker's sim island. That particular adaptation does not address the particulars of my team's needs but it does represent a successful adaptation into virtual scope. And it does meet all of the points below.
1. Try to find a realistic business use for one’s own employees to function in the simulation. (a)
2. Establish a handsome presence with prominent branding. Advertise your sim and its location.
3. Offer a contribution to the simulation’s community and function (b)
4. Offer unique goods or services that customers can only get within the simulation but which are used in the real world. (c)
5. (optional) Offer an activity or goods that are useful or entertaining, but which can only be used within the simulation (d)
6. Offer an in-sim business activity, viable goods and services that reflect the services or products you sell. Make any such apparent along with contact information and methods of access and payment. (e)
7. Don’t be lured by hype but don’t be slow to adopt, if such seems to make business sense.
8. Really should be the first step, but everyone seems to leave this last so it appears last here. Plan and architect all of the above on paper and make sure it’s viable before laying down a single prim. Otherwise, consider coming back later when better uses and functions suggest themselves. (f)
(a) This will help traffic flow while your sim is still waiting to be discovered, and provides a baseline value in and of itself, regardless of how much revenue traffic is generated.
(b) Perhaps it were best if this has nothing to do with the company services in the pursuit of altruism? – With tasteful branding nearby, the benefits will happen in due course. IBM’s sandboxes are a good example of such.
(c) Continue to refresh this service over time adding to it or revolving the material for something else. This might be something like free expert tech support during certain hours, or as Apple does, offering desktop pictures – or even revolving coupons or offers.
(d) (since these currently are what draws in visitors). Just like offers for real goods or services, keep this content fresh by either adding to it or revolving it over time. An example of such might be cosmetic social embellishments that people actually want to buy (such as Mercedes’ virtual cars, which are fun to drive and help keep the brand name prominent). Suggest that you also sell these, for a modest cost, as it helps offset the cost of the simulation.
(e) Education, recruitment, demo evaluation, user testing are all areas that have found adapted uses for virtual worlds. New uses are being discovered and learning how to effectively use virtual space is part of the function and value of being there.
(f) The words user-testing seem to have fallen out of favor. Don’t assume you know best. Run it past some people, hopefully with some different backgrounds. A mature plan can stand a few questions and challenges as a test of how solid it is. And the questions raised can help you plug some concept holes or fill needs you hadn’t considered.
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