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.
Created 1/5/2007 8:08:05 PM by Christopher Byrne
(Christopher Byrne http://ww.controlscaddy.com/)
Sorry Alan, but Second Life in its current incarnation is horrendously unacceptable. After reading about it in Time Magazine I went and took a look at it. There are absolutely no controls for age restrictions in there, and too easy a path of access for children and teens to access clearly objectionable content.
I am ashamed that IBM is a part of this.
[2] re: Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/5/2007 11:11:22 PM by Alan Lepofsky
(Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net)
Sorry Chris, but I have the opposite opinion. I think it is critical that a company like IBM get in early, learn about the process, propose best practices, help create standards, help define security, etc. We are just at the very beginning here. I believe virtual worlds will be far different in the future than places like Second Life are today. I predict that there will be "on premise" vs. "hosted", much like the differences between Sametime and WebEx today. I think companies will have the equivalents of internets, intranets, and extranets. They will have virtual communities internally, externally, and in controlled DMZ type environments. Already today there are several parts of the IBM islands you do not have access to. We use these areas for secure meetings, interactions with specific customers, press interviews, etc. I am far from ashamed, I think it is excellent that IBM take part in this emerging area. Let's talk about this in Orlando. I believe Irving will even be there on BD Day as part of a panel.
[3] Yes, and...
Created 1/6/2007 3:58:27 AM by Gerco Wolfswinkel
(Gerco Wolfswinkel http://www.domino-weblog.nl)
..how do I get a hold of that cool t-shirt :-)
I haven't been in all that much recently, due to the holiday season, but I visited the SL offices of dutch bank ABN AMRO a couple of times. I'd love to take a look at a public IBM place, but I believe there's only closed IBM islands. Is that correct?
[4] re: Yes, and...
Created 1/6/2007 12:00:20 PM by Alan Lepofsky
(Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net)
Almost all of the IBM islands are public. Search for IBM on your map screen, and you should see them numbered 1-12. There are tours available, on foot and even a train that will fly you around.
[5] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/6/2007 2:13:20 PM by Gerco Wolfswinkel
(Gerco Wolfswinkel http://www.domino-weblog.nl)
Ok, great - will check them out later this evening!
[6] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 6:25:07 AM by Darren
(Darren http://www.dadams.co.uk)
Gerco... hang around the IBM island for a while and if you see someone with the Notes 7 t-shirt ask them to give you one. They're transferable. I'll be there sometime this evening (but can't say when exactly).
[7] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 6:59:38 AM by Gerco Wolfswinkel
(Gerco Wolfswinkel http://www.domino-weblog.nl)
Hi Darren,
Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure to be around, but I think I won't make it this evening due to other commitments.
It will probably wednesday before I'm able to take a look!
I think you can upload stuff into someone's profile, though. If you open a calling card, there is an option to put something in someones inventory. But I haven't got SL here, can't check out the details.
I have also found eightbar. Interesting blog on this subject.
The IBM island *is* big, btw. Nice place!
[8] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 8:59:27 AM by Alan Lepofsky
(Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net)
Gerco, when you find out about the inventory thing, please let me know. I am looking at the profiles now, and I don't see the option. This really is a learning experience! ;-)
[9] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 12:50:05 PM by David DeWell (SL: Anubis Ah)
(David DeWell (SL: Anubis Ah) http://workdomosphere.blogspot.com)
Well, I have to add some comments in here. This is definately a heated topic that should be looked at from the proper perspective.
There is not going to be a public system that can keep the undesirables out. This is human nature and really needs to be looked at with extreme scrutiny as far as your participants are concerned. If you start this completely restricted, it stifles the creativity that is inherent to Second Life.
As far as IBMs involvement in this project, it seems that venturing in to this land is very valid. There are already companies looking at using this as a sales system. There are countless people creating "products" (more like mini-software) and selling them to other people. So we are looking at opening a whole new economy with Second Life.
Yes, there are some smarmy and nasty places in Second Life. There are ways of keeping people out of areas and I think it would be something as simple as adding an age restriction control or updating all of the profiles that are verified adult to an adult group. The land owners can decide whether or not to block those people.
This system is truly built upon a realistic model, but with the real model we live in today, this "Second Life" is under an anarchist dictatorship.
I had an incident happen over the week after Christmas where I was on Almaden (one of IBMs islands). Thinking that this is a test ground I pulled out a weapon that made a loud noise, just to see what it would do. After using said weapon a few times, I was approached by a lil smarmy fellow warning me not to use those on the island. Honestly, I appreciate the gracious warning, but it reminded me of the old days of AOL. Remember the AOL Chat Monitors? It seemed like this same scenario. I am not exactly sure how to fix it, but I would imagine if a company like IBM wanted to make a significant investment in to this land, they should have governing rights AND the ability to add or subtract controls to the land as they see fit... more so than they do now.
Benefits to SL (an example): For us Lotus people - Imagine the whole Epcot Resort area being recreated to create a Virtual Lotusphere for those who cannot go. Still getting the experience as far as sessions are concerned, but maybe paying a lower fee. (No need to feed virtual people).
[10] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 12:59:02 PM by Darren
(Darren http://www.dadams.co.uk)
@9 - some people do take things a bit too seriously. The first time I was thrown out of a house I was surrounded by a group of virtual guys with guns. The second time I was ejected I told someone that I was innocently exploring a region and they said "not in my house you don't". I was then threatened with a ban from Butterfly Island after I drove a go-kart around. The owners of all these places have the ability to control entry or the use of personal items, so if they don't want people wandering around (or speeding around) they should use the controls. I mean, get real... it's all pretend.
[11] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 1:12:29 PM by Anonymous
( )
Maybe I'm not 100% understanding "Second Life", but it looks like a game to me. Please correct me if I'm wrong. BTW, nice avator, Alan.
[12] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 2:27:05 PM by Alan Lepofsky
(Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net)
Anonymous. This has nothing (ok, little) to do with gaming. It is about creating immersive user experiences for collaboration. For example, I just gave a tour of an IBM conference room in Second Life to a few people. The experience differs greatly from a regular web conference. Here, you actually begin by choosing your seat. Right away, much more "real world". Where do you sit? Front row? Back row? By someone you know? By the pretty girl avatar? Also, each time the speaker changes, you move to the podium at the front. You even take the microphone, which auto adjusts to you height! You can have an "out of body experience" and zoom and pan around the zoom to see the audience from any angle. It is really interesting to pan to the screen, and look back at the audience as they are looking at you (the screen). The audience gets much more of a sense of being there than in today's conferencing tools. Similarly, when showing something other than "slides", you can look at it in 3 dimensions. For example, if you are showing a new product, you can actually "produce" it, and give demos and get feedback in 3D.
[13] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/8/2007 10:29:08 PM by Chris Reckling
( http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/InsideLotus)
@10 - Darren - if you get killed by those virtual guns, do you get a second Second Life?? :)
Chris
[14] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/9/2007 6:03:59 AM by Mike Smith
(Mike Smith http://www.turtleweb.com)
Went and logged in after seeing your post. Great fun. I liked the look of the IBM area, first time I have flown through a stadium in my waking hours, and the "cars" in the parking area bear a closer look (I think we may have some "Tron" fans out there).
The IBM train was useful to see what was around - after I had figured out how to get on. My avatar's shins must have been black and blue - duh.
IMHO a very interesting new way of making online collaboration and "presence" a more complete experience. I for one would be interested in coming along to a "show" there.
[15] Some "controls" updates.
Created 1/9/2007 9:05:01 AM by Alan Lepofsky
(Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net)
I wanted to provide some updates. First, children under 18 are not meant to be on the main grid (eg. where IBM is). There is a special Teen grid for them, seperate from the full SL world.
http://teen.secondlife.com/parents
- "Is Teen Second Life Safe for My Teen? Linden Lab is committed to providing a safe online environment for its teen residents. Teen Second Life will always be staffed with Liaison coverage during open hours."
- "Why Can't my Teen be on the Second Life Adult Grid? The Second Life Adult Grid is an exciting and attractive place, and some teens may be tempted to try to access it. However, the Adult Grid is just that: adult. It is not intended for minors, and some of the content is geared toward mature users above the age of consent. Linden Lab is committed to providing a secure environment for teen residents in Teen Second Life; to that end, violators of the Adult Grid policy may face suspension and permanent ban from Second Life. "
Second, take a look at sites like http://secondseeker.com/. Their motto is "Let Second Seeker be your travel and cultural guide to the “no-sleaze” parts of Second Life."
[16] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/9/2007 10:54:21 AM by Christopher Byrne
(Christopher Byrne http://ww.controlscaddy.com/)
But teenagers never lie about their age on sites, right?
[17] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/9/2007 12:05:31 PM by Gerco Wolfswinkel
(Gerco Wolfswinkel http://www.domino-weblog.nl)
@16 - Chris, if a teen lies about his or her age to get access to SL, he or she will probably also lie about movies, alcohol, viewing pr0n online or other stuff. That kind of behaviour is definitely not limited to SL. What I've been wondering about: how do you propose SL limits access for teenagers? What technical solution is there for this issue? Something that works worldwide?
@8 Alan, view someone's calling card. On the first tab, "2nd life", there is an option to "give item". It seems you can drag/drop something from your inventory to the other persons' calling card.
[18] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/9/2007 4:16:19 PM by Christopher Byrne
(Christopher Byrne http://ww.controlscaddy.com/)
Yes they would probably lie anyways. The question is whether or not a company (Linden Research or any other compoany) should even allow non-mainstream behaviours, or offer such content, in a site they own? (and yes I know this definition is subjective) What is in there is clearly "Adult Content", so this is perhaps the discussion that should take place (but then again, the porn industry has driven the development of so many tools on the web we take for granted now).
Ultimately Linden has to assess their risk and make decisions.
However, in Time Magazine's write up of the site, I believe they immediately focused on how people make a bee-line for the adult sections when in there. Whether this is true or not, I do not know. But I do know there is a high risk factor, especialy for companies and congressmen who do business in there (and no, I am not referring to Mark Foley).
I think this would make a good discussion over beers or food at Lotusphere. I am game for it if anyone else is. We wil have to leave our geographic biases out of it. Hmm maybe we should do it on Second Life.
I also want to make clear, if I have not done it loudly enough yet, there are some very exciting things going on in this space. Whether or not they all have business value remains to be seen, but there seem to be limitless possibilities. Imagine making collaborative medical evaluations with data ported to an environment like this. That would be pretty cool.
[19] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/9/2007 4:26:08 PM by Per Henrik Lausten
(Per Henrik Lausten http://per.lausten.dk)
Alan, nice meeting you in SL - and thanks for the t-shirt! :-)
[20] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/9/2007 4:38:31 PM by Gerco Wolfswinkel
(Gerco Wolfswinkel http://www.domino-weblog.nl)
Chris, I'd love to! Unfortunately, this year I am not one of the chosen few to visit LotuSphere on behalf of our company (to be true, it's only fair that another one should have the chance to visit that great event, but it's still a pity :-)
a meeting in SL is always possible, though!
[21] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/10/2007 5:18:28 AM by sandra kearney
(sandra kearney )
All very interesting points. It opens the door for many strategic concerns/issues that we must consider beyond simply the web. Truly this era has other dimensions: operational security, identity management, Nation building in all aspects. What opportunity to make 3Di FIT FOR BUSINESS similar to what has been done with the Web in the past. This is all good discussion, leads to good ideas and better yet can lead us and companies down the path to really great solutions. Smart Participation has been one of the core areas in this work, discussion threads such as this, only serve to make our work outstanding.
[22] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/10/2007 4:31:43 PM by Charlie Hope
(Charlie Hope http://www.tactics.wordpress.com)
Does this mean that I will need to submit an expense report for to buy Linden dollars to get to Lotusphere when it happens in Second Life?
[23] re: Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/10/2007 7:07:28 PM by Alan Lepofsky
(Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net)
LOL Charlie. It may sound funny, but it is an honest question! I actually asked my boss the other day if I could expense some of the $s I am spending in Second Life on things like uploading file. New technology... new challenges. However, to answer your main question, no Lotusphere in Second Life will be free :-)
[24] Which begs the question..
Created 1/11/2007 2:07:14 AM by Gerco Wolfswinkel
(Gerco Wolfswinkel http://www.domino-weblog.nl)
..will there be any LotuSphere related content in SL?
[25] re: Which begs the question..
Created 1/11/2007 9:21:43 AM by Alan Lepofsky
(Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net)
to which I can only offer the typical IBM answer.... stay tuned!
[26] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/17/2007 8:14:50 PM by Harald
(Harald )
Agree ... just found a place with "work in progress" ... worth to check back next week ;-))
[27] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 1/18/2007 10:42:03 AM by Peter
(Peter )
I do not understand this excitement about Second Life, I have spent about a month trying to figure it out...immersive user experience? The end user experience is bad, from bad graphics, to lag to unintuitive user interface. Maybe sometime in the future these spaces become attractive and fun to explore...
[28] Do you have a Second Life?
Created 3/14/2007 1:05:00 PM by Chris Badger
(Chris Badger http://www.forterrainc.com)
Alan, my company Forterra Systems, builds virtual worlds that can be deployed behind a company's firewall, has security, scalability, and integration to other back office systems and data feeds. We target selling to companies so provide many of the features that corporate clients can't get with SL. We are a new partner to IBM, and are very focused on integrating with the new Lotus products (SameTime, Connections, Quickr) to create a complete virtual office and team environment to solve specific use cases like business continuity, training, team collaboration. I noticed you are part of the Lotus strategy team, so would like to share notes how we as a partner can work more closely with Lotus around virtual solutions. For example I've been told the Lotus Social Collaboration group would be great for us to work with. I have just joined Forterra as VP Marketing (not reflected on our website yet). Can we arrange a call? Thanks, Chris
