Philip Rosedale, the founder of the virtual world Second Life is stepping down as CEO. He explains why in this interview at Fast Company. He also talks about how many companies are using Second Life for business meetings, and why. A business meeting in Second Life could go something like this, he says: "We could have had three or four people on the call without having to use a 1-800 number. We'd just show up at a park somewhere in Second Life. Audio quality would be better than the telephone and you would hear the nuances of the voice better. If I wanted to show you a prototype of a new product, I'd just pull it out of my pocket and rez it — meaning it would just show up and float in front of you. If we were working on cellphones, I could show you a big 3D model of our newest cellphone and we could play with it. If you put people in an immersive space that's also somewhat novel — in Second Life you can actually rent tiki huts on a beach — I guarantee you that you would remember the content of this conversation better than you would driving in your car and talking on the phone. I guarantee you would have laughed once or twice when I put on a funny hat or changed clothes with my avatar. The applications just make it more fun to do business. We're in a creative economy now and people have choices about where they work and how they work. Being able to do your work in a virtual workspace that makes it fun and reduces your travel time is a tremendous benefit to a company."
I haven't spent time in Second Life yet — though many friends and colleauges have. I have to say, I'm curious, especially given this possible application. I find conference calls tedious (at least in format — though the content and conversation may be engaging), and WebEx presentations and the like suffer from similar limitations in engagement. Hmmm…
Second Life's Web site targets the potential business user with Second Life Grid, which boasts: "The Second Life Grid™ platform enables your organization to create a public or secure private space using the leading 3D online virtual world technology behind Second Life®. Discover how your organization can create its own space for communication, collaboration and community engagement. Use the Second Life Grid to hold virtual meetings and classes, construct product simulations, provide employee training and lots more."
Tags: conference, meetings, second life
