January 5th, 2007
Do you have a Second Life?
That's me, "AlanLepo Lotus", wearing my Lotus Notes t-shirt (designed by IBMer Darren Adams) standing (actually flying) in front of one on the many IBM buildings in Second Life.
Hopefully by now you've heard about Second Life. IBM is extremely active in this space. Even before the hype began, lead by the efforts of Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM was helping shape the foundations for this virtual world. Similar to how IBM introduced the industry to e-business as the web became a house hold name, Irving is propelling IBM forward into v-business, or virtual business. So much so, that we have set up a new division of the company dedicated to virtual worlds and related technologies and services. This is about much more than just "gaming", it is about the dawn of highly interactive user interfaces for collaboration, learning, and forming communities.
There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of web sites, blogs, and news articles about Second Life for you to read. I suggest starting with Irving's blog, as well as the following:
News: IBM's virtual pioneer
News: IBM Accelerates Push into Virtual Worlds
News: IBM's chief steps into 'Second Life' for incubator launch
News: IBM to open islands in virtual world. More about the islands: here and here.
News: IBM to give birth to 'Second Life' business group
News: IBM and Circuit City Join to Explore the Application of Virtual Worlds to Business
News: IBM Expands in Virtual Worlds Initiatives with a First-of-It's Kind Block Party in Second Life
Blog: IBM Eightbar
Blog: The Greater IBM Connection
As part of the Lotus strategy team, my days have been filed with Second Life lately. Were discussing everything from marketing in virtual worlds, to integration of features of our product portfolio, to brand new products based on a emerging set of requirements. This is an incredibly exciting space. At the moment I'd say it is a mix of hype and actual usefulness, but the point is, we're at the dawn of "something", and it is great to be a part of it.
