Business Communicators of Second Life®

Infinite Vision Media Social Responsibility Initiative Offers High-End Services to Second Life Bound Non-Profits

By almost any measure, the gold rush in virtual worlds is here.  Infinite Vision Media is taking a step to ensure non-profits can stay with the pack with the introduction of their Social Responsibility Initiative.

Drew Stein, CEO of IVM tells me that the “IVM-SRI” is an end-to-end suite of services for non-profits and academic institutions to tap into the same enterprise-level creative and development services large brands can command.  IVM will be offering pro-bono services to structure the projects while assisting each non-profit to access and secure funding resources.

In conjunction with their Social Responsibility Initiative announcement, IVM disclosed they will be undertaking the pro-bono development of the American Cancer Society’s headquarters in Second Life.

As the demand for virtual world services heats up, so goes the retail prices for services to develop 3D content projects.  Developers will naturally be more than tempted to put greater attention and resources to easy-come, well-paying projects from corporate brands.

IVM’s initiative will level the financial playing field for their clients and help bring important and worthy projects into 3D spaces.

April 29, 2007

Gartner Predicts 80% Active Internet Users Will Live In Virtual Worlds by 2011

Gartner, of the famous Hype Cycle, released news out of their Gartner Symposium/ITExpo:2007 going on through tomorrow, that they are predicting 80% of active Internet uses will have some kind of a "second life" in a virtual world by 2011. 

Gartner also predicts that meaningful corporate use of virtual worlds will lag behind the influx of individuals into them, but that "the collaborative and social aspects of these environments will dominate in the future."

The Symposium is Gartner's premier annual event, geared to IT professionals, and it focuses on the emerging trends in business, technology and the economy.

According to their press release, Gartner is advising clients that virtual worlds is an emerging trend, and to go slow in investing until platforms are more stable the environments mature. 

Toward this end, Garnter offers five "laws" for participating in virtual worlds:

• Virtual worlds aren't games, but they aren't parallel universes (yet)
• Behind every avatar is a real person
• Be relevant and add value
• Understand and contain the downside
• This is a long haul

Gartner's "laws" and advice are not necessarily more insightful than the conversations going on within the virtual world community, but it does encapsulate them nicely.

It also lends Gartner credibility to virtual worlds for businesses and as an evolution of the web and social networks, for commerce and business operations. 

The gold quote from the release:

"Despite the concerns within companies, don’t ignore this trend. They will have a significant impact on your enterprise during the next five years.”
---Steven Prentice, Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst

April 25, 2007

Virtual Life: Business Week Offers a Summary

Those of you who stop by here from time to time tend to be the business-type and up on business-y stuff, but just on the off chance you haven't seen it yet, Business Week has a nice summary on the current state of virtual worlds in business in a Special Report, Virtual Life.

The Coming Virtual Web offers various opinons on whether virtual worlds is Web Future.  In competition for my favorite sentence, these are running neck and neck:

"In contrast to the Web, where there's almost no assumption of a human heartbeat behind the Web page, virtual worlds are inherently social settings."

"It's no secret that the same efficiency that drives e-commerce also makes it a boring and lonely pursuit."

Will 3D replace WebEx? The article The Virtual Meeting Room asks the question.

The prestigious INSEAD is entering Second Life and I Was A Second Life B-School Student takes a look.

Digital Suburbia tours Kaneva, one new virtual world currently in public beta.

And there is more.

Photo credit:  Business Week

April 24, 2007

Coke in Second Life: Inspires Thoughts on How Companies Market In SL

Coke announced and launched their official Second Life presence, Virtual Thirst, with a low-key press event in SL last Monday. Low-key is part of the strategy; as is the hope that Coke’s initiative will spread virally within and outside SL, according to Coke’s agency, crayon.

It inspired me to share some thoughts about marketing success in SL through the filter of some of the recent SL market research.  Some of these general remarks here were also made over the weekend in SL during a presentation I made at the ITE Expo.

There was a question posed at Coke’s press event about how closely the “mean” demographic of SL (32-year old female) dovetails with Coke’s target market.

Michael Donnelly, Director Global Interactive Marketing for Coke admitted teens is Coke’s market “sweet spot,” but that they are also a “ubiquitous” brand so all consumers are important to Coke.  C.C. Chapman of crayon quickly punted the question to the Second Life web site where the demographic information and SL statistics Linden Lab collects are available.  C.C. did not want to offer an “interpretation of demographics,” probably based on the well-publicized debate about the meaning of LL’s numbers.

This puzzles me since there is credible demographic and behavioral data available to marketers that doesn’t require interpretation of LL statistics. There are at least three professional market research companies actively doing research in SL, gathering both detailed resident demographic information and credible in-world market data.  One company, First Opinions Panel offers its growing research panel demographic data available free on their web site.

Besides this better demographic information, researchers are also releasing some insightful studies on resident attitudes towards brands that can help companies make informed decisions about their SL initiatives, strategies and audiences.   

Some early and loud backlash caused many brands to tread so lightly in promoting their SL presence it borders on "sleuth marketing."  Well, the research suggests that following such a strategy may wind up impeding the success of an SL brand presence. 

Almost all the emerging market research shows that brands are welcome in SL - or at least not unwelcome.  It suggests brands are however,  doing a very poor job of employing an SL communications strategy to make their presences known and/or connecting with SL audiences (empty sims is different topic for another post).

A Reperes study about resident experience with brands in SL is particularly striking along these lines - and it supports the earlier Market Truths' research about unaided brand awareness of RL brands versus SL business.  In the Reperes study 44% of respondents said they have visited a RL brand sim, and 42% said they would if they had the opportunity. 

Also, 37% said they have talked about a RL brand in SL to a friend, and an equal number said they would if they had the opportunity. 

Opportunity in SL is just a teleport away, so there is no real barrier to opportunity - except awareness, choice and appeal. 

Word of mouth and RL media are the two most important information paths for SL.  The SL search function is about equal to WOM in effectiveness - each reporting about 30% penetration, and blogs are next, at roughly 20%.  Yet, many brand presences cannot be found via SL search, they are not actively engaging in blogger outreach, and not creating word-of-mouth-generating activities.  There are a number of dedicated SL media outlets that are also highly under-utilized.   As is any integration with RL marketing efforts.

Metrics is the holy grail of measuring a successful marketing initiative.  Very few brands are integrating their SL presence with any RL marketing channels, such as a blog, a web site or a RL call to action.   Because SL metrics are very immature, integration with RL channels is vital.  Until SL metrics mature, that is the only hope for any real measure of success.

Most companies are hoping only, as Coke articulated, "to land well" in SL.  That humble goal dismisses the opportunity to measure successful SL initiatives and diminishes the probability that brands will receive ROI and therefore have sound business reasons to stay on in SL.

April 23, 2007

Meeting Transcript: SL Business Communicators Meeting April 20

SL Business Communicators met in-world today hosted by Edelman at Edelman Island.  Gary Goldhammer (aka G24khamr Goodfellow) of Edelman Interactive Solutions was our host; with Mary Ellen Gordon (aka Pebbles Hannya) of Market Truths.  Pebbles shared insights from the Market Truths' recent Brand study and G24khamr spoke (too) briefly about his view of SL and the business plan competition Edelman sponsored several months ago.

We had a most engaged group, although our time went by much too fast.  Many thanks to both G24K and Pebbles for a great meeting!  G24K, we need to meet with you again!

The transcript of our meeting follows.

Welcome and Introductions:
[12:07]  ZnetLady: Welcome to the SLBC meeting here at Edelman Island. We have G24Khamr here from Edelman Interactive Solutions and Pebbles Hannya from Market Truths. G24khamr is Gary Goldhammer, VP of Edelman Interactive Solutions. Pebbles is Mary Ellen Gordon, founder of Market Truths, a RL market research company who has expanded their services into virtual worlds market research.

ZnetLady: As promised, Pebbles is going to give us some insights into the Brand perception report her company, Market Truths recently completed. G24khamr and Pebbles will also discuss the business plan competition. You may recall that Market Truths won that competition and I'm hoping we get some insight into the initiative as well as what it has meant to Market Truths so far.

ZnetLady: We will open the floor to questions - and I have a couple that people already submitted.
ZnetLady: I think we'll let Pebbles discuss the brand study and then we'll give G24K the floor.
ZnetLady: Pebbles? Please take it away.

Pebbles Hannya / Mary Ellen Gordon, Market Truths

Thank you Znetlady.
To begin, we’ve all heard concerns about brands having their images tarnished in some way as a result of being here, but our results suggest that while there are definitely SL residents who are opposed to the whole concept of RL brands being present in SL, overall, being present within SL seems to be helping the RL reputation of brands rather than hurting them.

For example…

as Znetlady said in the Business Communicator’s blog a week or two ago, we found that nearly half (49%) of the SL residents we surveyed view the current presence of RL brands in SL as being more positive than negative overall, and another third (34%) have a neutral attitude.

Fewer than one in five (17%) view the current presence of RL brands in SL as being more negative than positive.

SL residents have both hopes and fears about what the entry of more RL brands might mean to SL. On the positive side, they expect them to bring publicity, resources, and credibility to SL, and they expect that their presence will cause SL infrastructure to improve and make SL look and feel more realistic.

On the negative side, they fear that RL brands will receive preferential treatment from Linden Lab, put upward pressure on land prices, cause SL to become more regulated, and harm small content creators.

In the focus groups we did, that last point, about the potential for RL brands to “squeeze out” small content creators, was one that came up a lot.

In addition to considering RL brands in general, we also looked at the perceptions SL residents have of the SL presence of particular brands. Of course, to even have a perception, you need to be aware that a brand is represented here in some way, and the brands that had the greatest (unaided) awareness were IBM and Adidas.

One of the things that is perhaps most interesting about the awareness data we collected is that several of the brands that rated among the top 21 in terms of awareness had no official SL presence at the time we conducted the survey – they were being “represented” by fakes, knock-offs, etc.

Interestingly, one of those was Coca-Cola, which tied with Reuters for 5th place in terms of awareness. As we’ve heard this week, Coke is now creating an official SL presence, but what’s noteworthy about all of those brands with an unofficial presence is that even their unofficial representation is having a positive impact on RL brand perceptions.

We looked at attitudes towards brands that are represented here in SL (either officially or unofficially) in two ways – both in terms of residents’ impressions of the SL presence of the brand, and the effect that SL presence has had on their overall attitude toward the RL brand.

Reuters scored most highly on both of those measures, but once again there was a surprise in the sense that an unofficially represented brand — in this case Apple — also did well. Apple was third on both measures, following Nissan in terms of attitudes toward their SL presence, and NBC in terms of the effect of the SL presence on RL brand attitudes.

The brands receiving the most benefit from their SL presence are those that are perceived to be making a contribution to SL, and doing that in a way that links to their RL product or service.

In addition to looking at what brands ARE doing in SL, we also investigated what they COULD do.

As you can see here (1 is bad, 5 is good), tactics that result in a deterioration in brand attitudes are SL variants of traditional one-way communication. (Ads in notecards and IMs are seen as the SL equivalent of spam.)

Tactics that score well are those that link RL and SL and also create opportunities for interaction between the company and the customer.

The blue bars in the graph represent how respondents would feel about a brand toward which they have a favorable attitude (but is not currently represented in SL) undertaking a particular tactic, whereas the white represents how they would feel about a brand that they have a more neutral attitude toward undertaking the tactic. As you can see, most tactics are viewed more favorably when undertaken by brands that are already viewed favorably.

Often the neutral brands were fast moving consumer goods (e.g., things you buy in grocery stores), whereas the favorite brands tended to be higher involvement type products (e.g., cars, clothes, electronics), so that’s likely to be part of the reason for the difference. A topic that came up in the focus groups was what point would there be for lower involvement type products to be represented within SL.

Given these results, it seems clear that if such lower involvement brands do want to create an effective SL presence they will need to work harder to establish their relevance in this environment. That’s both because they start at a disadvantage, and because their RL marketing mixes often lean toward the tactics that don’t work well in this environment so to be successful they may need to be willing to experiment with new approaches.

That’s a brief summary of what’s in the report. I’ve brought a notecard dispenser so you can grab a notecard with the table of contents and executive summary if you want to. The full report is available for sale in our SL office and on our Web site (http://sl.markettruths.com).

Q&A
[12:21]  Anthony Reisman: May I ask a question?
[12:22]  Pebbles Hannya: Znetlady, did you want time for questions about the report now, or do you want to leave them until after G24 has finished?
[12:22]  ZnetLady: Yes, let's take some questions.
[12:22]  ZnetLady: Go ahead Anthony
[12:22]  Pebbles Hannya: Sure, you first then Anthony. What was your question?

[12:23]  Anthony Reisman: Was there any relationship noticed between the amount of money spent versus product attitude or is it mostly based on the actions taken/
[12:23]  Pebbles Hannya: Money spent by the brand you mean? In terms of the cost of their presence here?
[12:23]  Anthony Reisman: Yes.
[12:24]  Pebbles Hannya: Well, I didn't have access to the cost of each build, but if you just look at what the brands are doing here there does seem to be a relationship.
[12:24]  Anthony Reisman: Ok, thank you.
[12:24]  Pebbles Hannya: For example, IBM had the greatest awareness and it has multiple islands.
[12:25]  Jolanda RiversRunRed: heelo eeryone
[12:25]  Pebbles Hannya: Reuters scored most highly in terms of its SL presence, and it has people devoted to SL full time.

[12:25]  ZnetLady: Metamo posed a question earlier: A blue-sky question: For the moment, assume that technical limitations can be surmounted. What might be an ideal scenario for RL/SL branding, given Market Truths' perception that the best brand efforts integrate both?

[12:25]  JimmyJet Fossett: So a correlation if a facility is manned with AV helpers??
[12:26]  Anthony Reisman: Yes, but I wonder about the awarness gain they've recieved (by putting in millions) compared to say someone who put in small fraction of that.

[12:26]  Pebbles Hannya: To JimmyJet's question first -- we looked at that specifically in our women's clothing report, and people did say they would be more likely to buy from stores that did have "real" sales people present.

[12:26]  Pebbles Hannya: Now to Metamo's question...
[12:26]  Hermione Watanabe: i agree with that
[12:27]  G24khamr Goodfellow: Anthony, I think it depends on goal a bit -- personally, I think there is better long-term to gain by going small and making real connections with the community
[12:27]  Pebbles Hannya: In terms of the ideal scenario, I really think it's linking between the two places.
[12:27]  Pebbles Hannya: My pet example in this regard is Lands End.
[12:27]  Pebbles Hannya: As some people might know, Lands End uses a virtual model on their regular Web site.
[12:28]  Pebbles Hannya: You can try clothes on your virtual model (who is an avatar with your proportions, skin and hair color -- sort of anyway).
[12:29]  Pebbles Hannya: If that model looked even more like you, and you could try on, customize clothes here, keep a virtual "closet" of RL clothes you've bought from them, etc., I think that would be fantastic and really illustrate that idea of blending SL and RL.

[12:29]  ZnetLady: Terrapin Writer has a question.
[12:29]  Terrapin Writer: The interesting question to me is - what is the real world impact of a successful experience here. For example, a cool Nissan Sentra dispenser doesn't really make me want to go check out that car. Arfe there any examples yet of real real life impact of success in SL?

[12:30]  Estaban Graves: Has anyone considered teh SL presence of Coldwell banker yet?

[12:30]  Pebbles Hannya: With regard to Anthony's point, I agree with G24 -- it depends on the objective.
[12:30]  Pebbles Hannya: Purely in terms of awarenss, spending more does seem to help (but not without creativity, a clear idea of what you're trying to achieve, etc.).
[12:31]  Pebbles Hannya: But awareness may not be the key objective for every business, so I think as with everything, the key is to start with the objective and then work backwards to see what resources are needed to achieve that objective.
[12:31]  Anthony Reisman: Ok, thank you.

[12:32]  Pebbles Hannya: With regard to Terrapin's question, I think it also comes back to the objective.
[12:33]  Pebbles Hannya: If the objective is, for example, to get you to buy a car, then I think it's true that no car company here is achieving that (not yet anyway)...
[12:33]  Pebbles Hannya: but if it's something like changing brand attitudes, I think that is possible.
[12:33]  Pebbles Hannya: For example, to pick up on the Nissan example, I think what they've done probably is effective at getting across particular attributes of the car (I'm thinking here of Altima island not the Sentra vending machine).
[12:34]  Pebbles Hannya: Because to figure out what those gadgets do you need to read the information which also gives you a message about car attributes (in a fun way).
[12:34]  G24khamr Goodfellow: Like anything, it comes down to strategy. Simply coming into SL or any virtual world is not a strategy. It's also not a passive enterprise, like traditional web sites. This is something I think companies are struggling with.
[12:34]  Pebbles Hannya: So if their objective is to let people know that model of car has those particular attributes (which perhaps people didn't expect), then I suspect they are achieving that.
[12:35]  ZnetLady: Estaban asks: Has anyone considered teh SL presence of Coldwell banker yet?
[12:35]  Terrapin Writer: I like what they're doing

[12:35]  G24khamr Goodfellow: Pebbles, can you talk about Tango and H&R Block? that to me seemed like a great integration of online/offline.

[12:36]  Pebbles Hannya: Both Caldwell Banker and H&R block were too new to feature in our report, so I haven't looked at either of those in much detail.
[12:36]  Albert Falck: I see
[12:37]  Pebbles Hannya: With regard to H&R block, I think it comes back to some of the questions and points that were raised at our last meeting...
[12:37]  Pebbles Hannya: ... if they can contribute something here, like offering the types of advice that is likely to be important to people in SL (cross border issues, virtual employees, etc.)
[12:37]  Pebbles Hannya: ... then I think it is a really good example.

[12:37]  ZnetLady: Albert has a question.
[12:38]  Albert Falck: yes
[12:38]  Albert Falck: Did you find any difference in the perception between companies trying to create services for SL (for example reuters, or coldwell bancker), and others coming for promotion of their brands or RL products?
[12:38]  ZnetLady: Albert - and then we'll go go G24K for a bit.
[12:38]  Pebbles Hannya: Well, in terms of resident attitudes, people are really looking for the companies to make a contribution and interact with them insome way -- not just tell them stuff.
[12:39]  Pebbles Hannya: So in that sense, those who are creating services are likely to be perceived more positively.
[12:39]  Albert Falck: I see tks
[12:39]  Pebbles Hannya: It would be possible to make a contribution with promotion only, but as you will have noticed from that graphic I showed, some traditional forms of promotion -- basically straight advertising, just don't go over well here.
[12:40]  Pebbles Hannya: OK, so at this point, I'll turn it over to G24...
[12:40]  Albert Falck: Yes I see

G24Khamr Goodfellow / Gary Goldhammer, Edelman Interactive Solutions

[12:40]  ZnetLady: Can we call on G24K of Edelman? We can take more questions.
[12:40]  ZnetLady: In a few minutes.
[12:40]  G24khamr Goodfellow: sure!
[12:41]  G24khamr Goodfellow: I just have a few comments. First of all, thanks to Pebbles for the great overview. As many of you know, Pebbles was the winner of our business plan contest, and she jsut showed you a big reason why.
[12:41]  Albert Falck: :-)

Like Pebbles, I believe that SL has great potential for brands, but only if those brands integrate with the community as well as with their RL strategies and focus.

And with regard to Second Life in particular, I think we also need to counsel companies to not just look at SL, but at 3d environments in general.
[12:43]  ZnetLady: G - stand up so we can see you!

[12:43]  G24khamr Goodfellow: SL represents a shift, a trend toward where the web is going in general -- to more community minded, immersive environments. So being in a world like SL has great impact and importance for how interaction will occur on the internet as a whole, not just in worlds like SL>
[12:44]  Estaban Graves: oh - he's the guy maincally typing away over there...
[12:44]  G24khamr Goodfellow: sorry! That better?
[12:44]  ZnetLady: Yeah!

[12:45]  G24khamr Goodfellow: What I also like about SL, as you can see if you go to my blog (http://belowthefold.typepad.com), is that I get to have hair :-)
[12:45]  ZnetLady: So G, what was the purpose with Edelman sponsoring the biz plan competition?
[12:46]  G24khamr Goodfellow: As for Edelman's role, I would like to see us do more with the community, such as with contests like the business plan. I'd like to see us get "off our island" as well.

The purpose was in some sense to come into SL with something more than a simple "we're here." but in a larger sense it was to connect with the business community and explore the possibilities of this space. This is a place of very creative people, many of whom will help build the next generation internet I referenced earlier.

I'm also curious as to what people think of The Grid Review. Are these kinds of shows valuable to the community? Do they give a good impression of SL? These are issues I'm focused on, among others.

[12:49]  ZnetLady: Is anyone familiar with the Grid Review here?
[12:49]  JimmyJet Fossett: Yes
[12:49]  ZnetLady: Thoughts?
[12:49]  Carbonel Tigereye nods emphatically.
[12:50]  Estaban Graves: yes - watched the current epidose today before this event
[12:50]  Anthony Reisman: I've heard about it, but haven't seen it yet.
[12:50]  Basba Babenco: I have seen abit
[12:50]  Estaban Graves: not sure if it is speaking to the business community
[12:50]  Maryrose Mariani: Turn on your movie control and you'll see it
[12:50]  JimmyJet Fossett: Great production, may appeal to a certain demo only
[12:50]  Carbonel Tigereye watches it on his portable MP3 player when stuck in line or trapped in an airplane.
[12:50]  Basba Babenco: agree
[12:50]  Estaban Graves: agreed Jimmy
[12:50]  JimmyJet Fossett: Aw shucks ;-)
[12:51]  Estaban Graves: the production values might need to be a bit stronger to draw in the business community
[12:51]  G24khamr Goodfellow: I'd appreciate your feedback. We are exploring how best to engage our SL presence...
[12:51]  Lora Rasmuson: what is grid review?
[12:51]  G24khamr Goodfellow: Agree -- it's the business audience I'm interested in.
[12:51]  Terrapin Writer: Gatherings like this are great - just to see other people. Most brand spaces are ghost towns most of the time
[12:52]  G24khamr Goodfellow: It's a weekly machinima "news show" about what happening in SL. Very funny, quick and cute.
[12:52]  Estaban Graves: me too - it's the business community that HAS to find SL as a viable venue for connecting to the Web2.0 audience
[12:52]  G24khamr Goodfellow: yeah, like this space -- it's nice to have company over :-)
[12:52]  Lora Rasmuson: where do you get that?
[12:52]  Estaban Graves: LOL - have a BBQ!!
[12:52]  ZnetLady: YUM
[12:53]  G24khamr Goodfellow: thegridreview.com
[12:53]  Carbonel Tigereye thinks about the fact that most of the hip nightclubs in New York are empty more often than not.

[12:53]  ZnetLady: Pebbles, would you comment about what the business plan win has meant for Market Truths?
[12:53]  G24khamr Goodfellow: and be nice ;-)
[12:53]  ZnetLady: hee - this is an open forum.
[12:54]  Pebbles Hannya: Sure. For us it has had several benefits already.
[12:55]  Pebbles Hannya: For one thing, we found the process really useful. I think it's important in any business to take a step back every now and then to look at the big picture...
[12:55]  Pebbles Hannya: ... I think that's probably even more important in SL given how quickly things are changing, but also probably even more tempting to skip for the same reason since there are so many day to day things to do...
[12:56]  Pebbles Hannya: The contest gave us external dates to work to to do that sort of a review, and those coincided with times it would have been good for us to that anyway.
[12:56]  Pebbles Hannya: Secondly, it was useful in terms of getting feedback -- from people who understand both business in general and SL in particular...
[12:57]  Pebbles Hannya: ... that was a great reality check for making sure we were on the right track and not overlooking something obvious because we were too close to the situation.
[12:57]  Pebbles Hannya: Third, it really gave us a boost in terms of publicity...
[12:58]  Pebbles Hannya: We had a huge spike in traffic to our Web site right after the contest, and continue to get media and potential client inquiries as a result.
[12:58]  Pebbles Hannya: Last but not least, the prizes were good too, but I think it's too soon to really assess the full impact of those.
[12:59]  ZnetLady: Thanks, Pebbles.

[12:59]  ZnetLady: Before we start to wrap up I have another question about the research.
[12:59]  G24khamr Goodfellow: Of course one of those prizes is working with me, which is priceless :-)
[12:59]  ZnetLady: But first, I'd like to mention that Pebbles and I will be presenting tomorrow
[12:59]  Pebbles Hannya: Indeed :))
[12:59]  ZnetLady: At the ITE conference on Silicon Island.
[13:00]  Estaban Graves: reagrding Silicon Island
[13:00]  ZnetLady: Stop by - we will be going into more depth on the report and I'll be talking a bit about the implications for
[13:00]  Estaban Graves: I understand access is restricted?
[13:00]  ZnetLady: marketers.
[13:00]  Anthony Reisman: It's open to everyone now.
[13:00]  Estaban Graves: ty
[13:01]  Anthony Reisman: They are limiting the number of people to about 80 though, (74 are there when I checked earlier).
[13:01]  ZnetLady: It is a great conference - a way too for businesses to connect with in world talent / technologists.
[13:01]  Basba Babenco: That is great!
[13:01]  Albert Falck: good

[13:02]  ZnetLady: Carbonel has a questions about the market study. Go CT.
[13:02]  Carbonel Tigereye: Thanks, Znetlady
[13:02]  Carbonel Tigereye: Pebbles, Thank you for sharing your important research findings with us! I was wondering if you could explain the sampling methods used for both your survey and the focus groups. Were there any intrinsic limitations of SL-based research that you had to overcome when designing and implementing the surveys and the focus groups? Are there any methodological caveats or limitations that we should mention to our clients when sharing your findings?
[13:02]  Pebbles Hannya: Good questions CT....
[13:03]  Pebbles Hannya: Participants for both the survey and the focus groups were selected from our research panel.
[13:03]  Pebbles Hannya: That is limited to people who have been in SL for at least 30 days and have verified accounts...
[13:03]  Carbonel Tigereye nods.
[13:04]  Pebbles Hannya: therefore, one caveat is the results may not apply to newbies (we don't include newbies because 1) the SL population is too transient, and 2) they are too new to have formed stable opinions about things here).
[13:04]  Hermione Watanabe: what counts as a newbie?
[13:04]  Estaban Graves: any data on the transient nature of the SL [population? churn? etc.
[13:04]  ZnetLady: under 30 days Hermione
[13:04]  Pebbles Hannya: There are SL issues that we need to consider in designing research methodology, but those things would not affect the results.
[13:05]  Hermione Watanabe: thank you
[13:05]  Lora Rasmuson: How big is the panel/
[13:05]  Pebbles Hannya: Well, the data that Linden Lab has released previously suggest that only about 10% of people who sign up for SL stay.
[13:05]  Estaban Graves: 90% churn...
[13:05]  Pebbles Hannya: I haven't seen any more detailed break down of that in terms of how many register one avatar, discard it and come back with an alt, etc.
[13:05]  Carbonel Tigereye wonders how many people were surveyed for the big report, and how many people were in the focus groups.
[13:06]  Pebbles Hannya: Or any data to see if that percentage is changing.
[13:06]  Estaban Graves: and data below that? 1 week, 2 weeks, etc?
[13:06]  Lora Rasmuson: You recruit from your panel for focus groups, etc. How many people on the panel?
[13:06]  Pebbles Hannya: No, we've actually tried to get Linden Lab as a client because we would love to look into that (and the reasons for it) for them, but so far, no luck :(
[13:06]  Basba Babenco: Do they know how many of those 10% are rl business related?
[13:06]  Albert Falck: LOL

[13:07]  ZnetLady: Can we pause one second and thank G24K? He has to leave but he says we can stay around and chat.
[13:07]  ZnetLady: /clap
[13:07]  Pebbles Hannya: No Basba, I've never seen that data broken down in any way (use, demographics, etc.).
[13:07]  Carbonel Tigereye: /claps enthusiastically.
[13:07]  Petuel Prieto: thx G24K
[13:07]  G24khamr Goodfellow: Our island is your island -- thanks everyone!
[13:07]  Jolanda RiversRunRed: /clap
[13:07]  Carbonel Tigereye claps again.
[13:07]  ZnetLady: Thanks G24K for hosting us here at Edleman Island
[13:07]  Albert Falck: tks G24k
[13:07]  JimmyJet Fossett: Thanks G24K
[13:07]  G24khamr Goodfellow: Wish me luck in the RL of LA's freeways :-)

[13:07]  Pebbles Hannya: Lora there are a couple of other panels in SL, so for competitive reasons we don't reveal the number of panelists we have...
[13:07]  Adri Saarinen applauds!
[13:08]  Anthony Reisman: Thanks G24k
[13:08]  Pebbles Hannya: We can tell clients how big a sample we can give them for a given project because it's actually quite complex...
[13:08]  G24khamr Goodfellow: you are all very welcome! bye!
[13:08]  Carbonel Tigereye raises his hand.
[13:09]  Pebbles Hannya: ... in addition to considering the overall size of the panel, that is determined by things such as the categories people opt in or out for, response rates, the number of projects we have going and the number of times we've done research on similar topics....
[13:09]  Pebbles Hannya: Yes CT?

[13:09]  Lora Rasmuson: Thank you, Pebbles. Do you profile the people demographically when they join your panel?
[13:10]  Pebbles Hannya: Yes, we do -- and match our demographics to those LL releases for SL as a whole.
[13:10]  Carbonel Tigereye: Is it possible to find out the number of respondents for the report that you recently released? The basic n? I mean, without giving away strategic information, of course.
[13:10]  Pebbles Hannya: Sure, usable responses was 201 (after reliability and validity checks).
[13:11]  Carbonel Tigereye smiles. Awesome, thanks!
[13:11]  ZnetLady: What is interesting, is that I just got the results of another study done by the French research company here in Sl
[13:11]  ZnetLady: And they *directly* correspond to the MT report.
[13:12]  ZnetLady: They used different methodology
[13:12]  ZnetLady: and a different sample size - and the results are almost identical.
[13:12]  ZnetLady: Do we have any more questions?
[13:13]  Carbonel Tigereye wonders when Znet and Pebbles are presenting tomorrow.
[13:13]  ZnetLady: Pebble you have a notecard for everyone , yes?
[13:13]  ZnetLady: We are presenign at 5:00 pm LST
[13:13]  ZnetLady: SLT
[13:13]  ZnetLady: wow I messed that up.
[13:13]  Pebbles Hannya: Oh yes, sorry I took it away so people could see the screen, but I will put it back.
[13:13]  Estaban Graves: LOL
[13:13]  Estaban Graves: so then where and when?
[13:13]  Estaban Graves: anf you have landmark cards?

[13:14]  ZnetLady: Another questions from Basba: How do you handle cultural differences in branding/PR/ advertisement in SL?
[13:14]  Pebbles Hannya: Just touch the report on the podium to get the notecard.
[13:14]  Estaban Graves: ohh great question...
[13:14]  Pebbles Hannya: It includes the contents, executive summary, and information about how to get the full version.
[13:15]  Real Life Brands in Second Life (Q1 2007) + ES gave you Real Life Brands in Second Life (Q1 2007) + ES.
[13:15]  Albert Falck: yes really good
[13:16]  Pebbles Hannya: Well, we have been looking to see if we find country-based differences in all of the reports we've done so far.
[13:16]  Estaban Graves: how does a Babbler figure into internationalization?
[13:16]  ZnetLady: Pebbles is typing away :-)
[13:16]  Pebbles Hannya: So far, there have been surprisingly few, but I think where we will start to see them is if / when companies do start offering more representation as part of their SL presence rather than the current self service type model.
[13:16]  Estaban Graves: go pebbles, go
[13:17]  Estaban Graves: english seems to be the predominante language
[13:17]  Pebbles Hannya: Well, so far we have been doing all of our work in English (which is why it's particularly gratifying that the French study gave a similar result).
[13:17]  Estaban Graves: but in the social media world, enlish is not #1
[13:18]  Estaban Graves: let me see if i can find that stat
[13:18]  Pebbles Hannya: Babbler (I prefer Babel Fish myself) will come in, I think, if companies do try to use more live service people.
[13:18]  ZnetLady: True, Estaban, but I think different cultures have different expectations about interaction with brands - customer service for example
[13:18]  Pebbles Hannya: There are just so many languages spoken here, and between that and the 24/7 nature of SL it's going to be a challenge to provide good customer service here if that's what companies want to do.

Wrap Up
[13:19]  ZnetLady: We are going to wrap up the formal meeting here.
[13:19]  Carbonel Tigereye suspects that companies like Sony are a great model for multilingual, transnational service.
[13:19]  ZnetLady: Thank you Pebbles SOO much for the great information and for the executive summary.
[13:19]  ZnetLady: I will post the transcript later today.
[13:19]  Carbonel Tigereye: Thank you, Pebbles!
[13:19]  Adri Saarinen applauds!
[13:19]  JimmyJet Fossett: Thanks Pebbles and Znet
[13:19]  Albert Falck: tks pebbles!
[13:19]  Anthony Reisman: Thank you!
[13:19]  Estaban Graves: hmm - can't find the stat
[13:20]  Basba Babenco: /applauds
[13:20]  Pebbles Hannya: Thanks everyone :)

General Networking Ensues...

April 20, 2007

SL Business Communicators April Meeting: Market Truths and Edelman PR

You may be aware of the recent release of Market Truths' Brand Perception study that indicated 49% of Second Life residents feel positively about brand presences in SL.  If you follow such things, you may also put Market Truths' name together with the recent Edelman PR Business Plan competition - Market Truths' business plan came out on top.

I thought we should get Edelman and Market Truths together with SL Business Communicators to explore the compettion and the intriguing findings of the Brand study.  So, mark your calendars for:

Friday, April 20th at 12:00 noon, SLT.

Pebbles Hannya (Mary Ellen Gordon), President of Market Truths will join us in Second Life along with G24khamr Goodfellow (Gary Goldhammer), Vice President of Edelman Interactive Solutions.   Pebbles will delve into the SL Brand Perception study, it's findings and it's methodology - and answer your questions about it.  She'll also share her experiences with the SL Business Plan competition and what the results of her win have been.  G24Khamr of Edelman will share information on Edelman's decision to sponsor the SL Business competition as well as their work with Market Truths as its winner.  We might even persuade him to share his thoughts  on the findings of the Brand study, and what virtual world issues Edelman is addressing with their clients.

Our membership has grown to nearly 300 members, so if more of you wish to attend than we can accommodate at once, we will offer a second meeting/session to accommodate as many as possible.  So RSVP-IM me (Znetlady Isbell) in-world to get your name on the attendee list.

If you need any assistance with joining the group, attending the event, or have a question, IM me.

Note to calendar:  SLBC Meeting, April 20 - Noon SLT.

Hope to see you there!

April 12, 2007

Talent Across Generations

Virtual spaces are changing so much in our business lives - and not just virtual spaces of the 3D kind. 

Although not intuitive or on our radar, virtuality influences some very real generational challenges happening now in the work force.  In fact, access to virtual spaces  and connectivity has seeded new career orientations and motivations for GenXers and GenYers (Millennials).  These orientations and motivations cause new management challenges in integrating these workers comfortably into a work force dominated by Baby Boomers.

For example, GenXers want to build a portable career, influenced in part by one of their defining moments - the dot com boom and subsequent crash.  Millennials want to build multiple careers and to pursue multiple interests simultaneously. Simultaneous and instant access to all kinds of media and information for these digital kids mean they don't limit themselves much by time and space.  GenXers value autonomy, technology and informality.  Millennials need constant feedback, diversity and teamwork.

How do we recruit, retain and manage these dynamic Creative Class Garage Influentials who are Hypertasking while breathing Online Oxygen and who likely see their future in the Second .Coming?

First, check out some of the resources at the Interchange Group.  And, if you are in the Los Angeles area, I urge you to consider attending a workshop on June 8, 2007, Talent Management Across the Generations.  I have had the pleasure of hearing Annika Hylmo, an Interchange Group partner, speak on this topic before and the information is absolutely indispensible to executives, HR professionals, organization developers - and a "must know" for marketers and communicators.

The workshop description promises:

• identify different generational markers and motivations for work
• Communicate effectively with each generation
• Tailor recruitment strategies to attract target populations
• Create orientation, training and performance management programs to increase retention across generations
• Align compensation and benefits strategies to generational needs and expectations

The workshop is $399 if you register early, and I promise you it is worth every cent.  I plan to attend.

Get more information and register here.

Photo credit: unk. Help me [update] Khamon Fate (via Snapzilla).

April 12, 2007

Dr. Dobbs Life 2.0 Summit in – and of – Second Life: April 28 – May 4

Dr. Dobbs Life 2.0 Summit kicks off with a Second Life weekend bootcamp, also known as LSL University, comprised of eight 1-hour tutorials and demos.  These are advanced scripting language sessions, and they cover everything from animations to SL-Web integration - but don't let that scare you if you aren't a techie - there is information of interest to everyone.   

The opening bootcamp will be followed by five days of Second Life and real-time web-streamed panel discussions on topics such as the SL platform, 3D user interfaces, metrics and ROI, transactions and other topics.  There wil be a showroom for SL toolmakers and service providers, and a guided tour of “genius builds,” RL brands and “centers of innovation” in SL software development.

Life 2.0 Summit is an ongoing project of CMP Technology/Dr. Dobb’s to provide a series of mixed in-world and web-based events.  The event, beginning April 28 and continuing through May 4, will be the first Life 2.0 Summit.  Registration is free, however there will be daily drawings for seats in SL due to sim capacity – register early because the lottery starts next week.

On the evening of Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th will be guided tours: Mind-Boggling Builds; and Brave New World, Shiny New Toys, respectively.  Mind Boggling Builds will tour some of SL’s most impressive software-enabled builds, while Shiny New Toys will feature creators demonstrating some of the “most beautifully designed objects and applications.”

Even if you are not a developer or technically inclined I encourage you to register.  You will learn some fascinating stuff and get ideas important to marketers, communicators, or content providers.  Check out at least these two panel sessions, as well as the guided tours.   

Tuesday, May 1, noon - 2:00 p.m. SLT:   Toward the 3D UI
Thursday, May 3, noon - 2:00 p.m. SLT:  Cashing In (economy, ecommerce, IP, metrics)

There will be no daytime programs on Wed., May 2nd during the Summit week, but evening entertainment will be available every night, including shopping trips and “(mostly) safe and (maybe 80%) wholesome late-night entertainment.”

According to their web site, the entire Life 2.0 Summit will be simulcast on the web, including a chat bridge – and even if you can’t join in-world, register and still receive all the swag, freebies, scripts, t-shirts and most importantly “those little fluffy, google-eyed critters with the adhesive feet that stick to your shoulder offered to inworld guests.”  Gotta get me one.

On-demand video and transcripts will be made available after the summit concludes.

A career center is planned for all registrants. After the summit it will be opened ip to all residents and visitors.

If you are interested in presenting – or in exhibiting contact information is here.

Get full information at Life 2.0 Summit website.

April 9, 2007

Virtual World 2007 Conference: Learnings

The theme of the recent Virtual Worlds 2007 Conference in NYC was “The Future of Media and Marketing.” 

I’ve been musing and then musing some more about the conference, wondering what jaw-dropping insights I could share.  I see that others did the same.

I purposely did not blog the conference, hoping to absorb it all and then distill it into some kind of virtual world Wisdom Soup.  Well, that and the fact the wireless connection there couldn’t sustain all the connected people a conference like this tends to draw.  I resorted to Twittering instead which proved to be a fun, humorous and an often more insightful back channel to the conference.

What became apparent though, ten minutes into the affair, was that there were two quite distinct groups there – 1) the virtual world platform owners / developers;  and 2) the content owners (marketers / educators).

Urizenus Sklar at the Second Life Herald calls them 1) "the philosophers;” and 2) "the marketing guys wringing their hands about ROI and looking for quick answers.”   Unfortunately in his estimation one group “gets it” and the other doesn’t. 

Actually, VW2007 was a classic paring of two populations who simply do not speak the same language.  At times, the frustration was quite palatable – and even visuals and sign language didn’t help any. 

That said, here are my personal take-aways and commentary about VW 2007:

VW developers and owners currently dominate the public conversation surrounding virtual worlds. 
I have huge respect and liking for these talented and visionary people.  However, more voices need to be brought into the conversation to broaden the perspective for every stakeholder, current and future.   Translators will emerge and both groups will learn what is needed from the other. VW developers have a vital view, but it isn’t the only vantage point on the landscape.   Audience members, in fact, provided some of the most insightful questions and challenging perspectives.

Marketers are hungry for metrics and demo/psychographics.
A concrete manifestation of that was the nearly 150 requests I received for a copy of the Real Life Brands in Second Life research study and the First Opinions Panel demographic survey I presented in my five-minute (well, maybe 8 minute) panel talk.  Contrary to popular wisdom, it is possible to apply success measurements to a vw initiative.  It doesn’t have to be just about “marketing R&D.”  While it is true that we do not yet have sophisticated metric tools specific to virtual worlds, we do have very sophisticated metrics for our other marketing initiatives.  By integrating VW initiatives with some more mature metric systems marketers can at least partially satisfy this real business need until vw metrics mature.

There is some real marketing, sociological and psychographic research being done in virtual worlds – and it is not well known or publicized.  Market Truths and Reperes are just two companies that can provide marketers with the intelligence and credible research marketers need pre- or post-vw initiative. 

Marketers expectations of their VW developers are too high.
Marketers expect their VW developers to have all the marketing answers.  They don’t.  They can’t.  Marketers need a team approach and a real commitment (not necessarily monetary) for a truly successful vw initiative.  Integration is key. Social media marketing concepts are key.  My suggestion for a success team:

• Marketing and PR staff / agency
• Social Media specialist / consultant
• Virtual World Developer
• Virtual World and Real World market researchers (maybe)
• Platform Owner (perhaps)
• IT Group (if appropriate)
• RW & VW Customer

Intellectual Property Rights Conflict Lost in Translation
This was an area in which the two populations at VW 2007 were particularly linguistically mismatched. I’m the first one to agree that marketers have spent millions and millions so that consumers will make a brand part of their identity, and therefore it is not surprising that when avatars are re-creating themselves in virtual spaces they naturally want to integrate the brands they identify with.  It is an absolute fantasy for any marketer.

The prevailing advice from several panel members was to allow or even encourage customers to “play with” the brand, be the brand, mashup the brand or take some kind of personal virtual ownership of the brand. 

The problem for the marketer is current trademark and copyright laws aren’t in line with this.  If a brand allows unlicensed, unstructured and free use, it will in practice be putting the brand/marks into the public domain and the brand owner may lose its right to claim it as a valuable IP.  A real big, real world issue for business.  Not a simple conundrum.

Trademark and copyright laws will need to be revised to address the collaborative digital mind.  In the meantime, marketers need to employ smart strategies that protect both the identity with the brand - and the brand identity.

Virtual worlds have a future.
Even as they are evolving, the enthusiasm for and potential of virtual worlds are driving factors.  A path has been set for their growth and eventual entry into mainstream use. Some panelists predicted five years; some said ten. How far that is away and how we define “mainstream” is to be seen.  We still have millions unconnected to The Network, much less the Metaverse.

But if they follow the evolution of everything else - and there is no indication they are any different - virtual worlds will not progress linearly.  The momentum behind them is undeniable, however, for the Future of Media and Marketing - and a whole lot of other things.

April 8, 2007

Photo credit:  Dedric Mauriac, Snapzilla

Second Life Brand Perception Research Study Released by Market Truths

Think SL residents are opposed to real life brand presences?  Not true.

According to the research report, Real Life Brands in Second Life, released last week by Market Truths, 49% of SL residents think the presence of real life brands is positive; and about a third have a neutral attitude.

   

This is just one of the sometimes surprising findings of the only statistically rigorous market research study done to date on SL resident attitudes toward brands (that I am aware of – Komjuniti study referenced below).

Market Truths did allow me to share the report with the attendees of the recent Virtual Worlds 2007 conference in New York where I presented several of its key findings, along with other SL data and virtual world marketing issues.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing of those findings is that residents were asked to name and react to up to ten brands they have encountered in SL.  Of the 21 brands ultimately named (unaided), four do not actually have an official SL presence.  They are, however, still getting positive brand impact from their “unofficial” (or perceived) presence.

[Update:  158 brands were ultimatly named in the unaided awarness question.  The 21 named in the report reflects mentiones by 3% or more of the participants, and who had no affliation with the companies named.]

The 35-page report goes on to examine the perception of individual SL initiatives by major brands, and how each has helped or harmed the perception of that brand in real life. One brand, who has no official SL presence, garnered a negative RL brand perception due to its perceived SL presence.

[Update:  Microsoft, who has no public SL presence, had the greatest proportion of negative mentions, however overall, they gained a more positive than negative perception as a result their SL presence.]

Overall, the Reuters' SL presence comes out on top with residents – both in SL and RL.

Real Life Brands in Second Life directly contradicts conventional wisdom that SL residents are against RL brands coming into SL.  In fact, residents see some real benefits to corporate presences, such as credibility for SL and more resources for infrastructure; even while they harbor fears brands will harm small content creators and put upward pressure on land prices.

When asked what activities residents would like to engage in with their favorite brands (whether currently in SL or not) co-creating products and customizing products were among the top three of the eleven preferred activities.

Finally, the report points marketers to some important implications for their SL presences, including several tactics I’ve written about before such as the importance of effective in-world communications strategies, RL and SL integration and quality experiences.

The study is grounded in recognized research methodologies, including statistical sampling, quality control techniques, panel validation and adjustments for biases and panel member time in SL. You will find a thorough discussion of the research methodology included at the end of the report.

Last week German agency Komjuniti released a survey of 200 Second Life participants that reportedly showed 72% of respondents “expressed themselves as being disappointed with the activities of companies” in SL, however Komjuniti also reported more than a third of respondents weren’t even aware of “the branded presence.”  A few statements in the Komjuniti press release didn’t ring true to me, so I went looking for the study.   I was unable to find the study itself to look into this seeming discrepancy - only the press release announcing the study - which does not indicate the methodologies used or the activities studied. Of all the online reports and posts I have found about the Komjuniti survey they each only reference the content of the press release.

The conclusion Komjuniti draws from their study is: “The brand sites on Second Life currently look like they’re being treated in pretty much the same way as advertising campaigns, placed with the hope of getting high visitor frequency and good PR scores”.

It is impossible to tell whether the Komjuniti survey was a statistically representative study, if it considered factors such as participants’ time in SL, business ownership in SL, or if the survey was devised by active SL researchers  – any of which could impact the overall outcome. 

Given the wide disparity in the findings of these two studies,  I’d be intensely interested in seeing the Komjuniti study and its methodology in order compare it to the findings of the Market Truths study.  I suspect the differences come from the focus of each study: Komjuniti seemingly focused on customer service/interaction while Market Truths focused on brand perception impact and not a specific activity.

The Real Life Brands in Second Life research report is available for purchase ($200) at the Market Truths website.

If I find the full Komjuniti study I will update the link here.

April 6, 2007

H&R Block SL Business Communicators Meeting Transcript

Right after our meeting with H&R Block on March 26th, I had to jump on a plane to NYC for the Virtual Worlds 2007 conference.  So with travels and terrible Internet connectivity for the most part during them, I am finally returned and just now posting the transcript of our last SLBC meeting. 

Those present received a invitation post-meeting to the disco to try out the H&R Block tango animation and a free t-shirt.  We had the pleasure of meeting with Paula Drum, Vice President of Marketing, Digital at H&R.  Here is the transcript of her presentation and the Q&A session.  Thanks to avatars PeterMike and Alexandra for an informative meeting!

The [You] in the following transcript is me, Znetlady Isbell:

Greetings

[12:03]  You: Everyone, I am delighted to have you all here and equally delighted to introduce you to Alexandra.
[12:04]  You: She is H&R Block's VP of Marketing, Digital and she wil going to tell us a bit about their SL initiative and their hopes and dreams here as well.
[12:04]  You: As you know they have just opened their island and we are the first group to join them here.
[12:05]  You: So, with that I will ask Alexandra to take it away and please tell us about what SL means for H&R.

Alexandra Bleriot a.k.a. Paula Drum, VP of Marketing for Digital, H&R Block

[12:06]  Alexandra Bleriot: Thank you all for joining us her on H&R Block island. My real life name is Paula Drum and I am the VP of marketing for digital.
[12:06]    I'm going to provide an overview of our Second Life initiative and then leave pleanty of time for questions and answers
[12:07]    So, why did we create H&R Block Island? We wanted to reinforce H&R Block's leadership position in the digital space. With H&R Block - you've got people, even in Second Life.
[12:09]    H&R Block is a very innovative company in its traditional business and withing the digital category. However, most people only think of H&R block as the brick and mortar office on the corner. Entering SL's virtual community gives us the ability to demonstrate some of our innovation in products and in marketing
[12:11]    We also want to egage customers where they are and create a relevant dialogue instead of standard one-sided conversations. We all know that media is becoming more and more fragmented. As a marketer, we need to look at all the ways that consumers are gathering and consuming information. Second Life is very interesting platform because it can allow our brand to have deeper interactions with consumers than traditional marketing channels. This allows us to be three dimensional and interactive with customers who do not visit a brick and mortar location but seek expertise through digital products and online
[12:13]    And finally, we wanted to provide a sneak peak of our new online tax prep product, Tango. Given the technology enthusiast nature of SL, we though this would be the perfect forum to introduce our new online product
[12:13]    In essence, we wanted to capture tech-forward audiences with non-traditional marketing which is whey you'll see us not only have a presence in SL but also have several events through the year

What Is Tango?

[12:16]    So, what is Tango? Tango is a new and inventive way to do your taxes online. It is based on "emotional design" concepts combined with the expertise and support from H&R Block. The video in this auditorium provides the back - story on the development of Tango from the VP of Digital Division, Tom Allanson. I invite you all to watch the video if you have not yet.

How is H&R Block Using Second Life for Tango?

[12:17]  Alexandra Bleriot:So, how are we using Second Life for Tango? We are offering SL residents a unique product bundle that includes a lot of fun Tango logo products like a scooter, t-shirts, dancing shoes and a Tango product key code so they can try out the service
[12:17]    The entire bundle cost 100L, Tango alone will retail in the real world for $70. It's a fablulous deal.

[12:18]  Johan Chandrayaan: May I ask when your project launched in Second Life?

[12:20]   First, there are the obvious metrics such as visitors to the island, sale of H&R Block products, number of resellers, etc.
[12:21]   However, what we are interested in is becoming a part of the SL Community and that will not happen overnight. We want to build a relationship with this community which is why our focus right nmow is on offering free tax advice.
[12:22]   We also have an email address for anyone who can't make it through office hous. It is sl-tax@hrblock.com.
[12:23]   H&R Block's mission is to help our clients achieve thier financial objectives by serving as their tax and financial partner. Our presence in SL is about becoming a partner with this community.
[12:23]   We have also created a reseller program where residents can put up their own Tango kiosk and earn revenue for the Tango Bundles that they sell. It is a way to extend the reach of Tango beyond our own island.

How Will H&R Evaluate Success in SL?

[12:24]   Alexandra Bleriot: And, now for the more interesting questions. People keep asking me how are we going to evaluate our success in SL?
[12:24]    We are in a learning mode. We don't profess to know everything about this community. We want to continue our presence and learn what works best. The most important part is that we want to speak to this community on their own terms
[12:24]    So what are some of our early observations?
[12:25]    It has been very gratifying to see interest from teh community as evidences by the event we are holding here today!
[12:25]    We are currently hosting office hours on tuesday and Thursday nights with live tax advisors who are here to answer tax questions that any SL resident may have about their real world taxes.
[12:25]    We continue to be amazed by the deep interactions and conversations via chat that we can have with residents here in SL
[12:27]    We have been surprised by the internal interest we have seen from our own associates. H&R block is a very large company with over 90,000 tax professionals across the US, We have many of our tax prefessionals visiting us virtually on H&R Block island and sharing experiences with each other!
[12:27]   And finally, I personally am surprised at how difficult it is for me to fly with some semblance of grace. It is a skill that I have not yet mastered - LOL
[12:28]  Shannon Burns: lol
[12:28]  Ono Noh: Try using mouselook while flying :)
[12:28]  Alexandra Bleriot: Thank you so much for joining us here today. I would love to open the floor up to questions as I have as much to learn from you.

Q&A Session

[12:28]  LowKey Shepherd: this is very cool but still limited can't wait to see the future of SL when they expand their servers...
[12:29]  You: We had one question earlier.
[12:30]  Vlad Breyer: I think this is great, and I do apreciate that you guys have come to SL to promote your new product.
[12:30]  Vlad Breyer: I like the price ;)
[12:30]  Rocky Maddaloni: where do you get the tango package?
[12:31]  Alexandra Bleriot: Joscha - We do have a worldwide presence and a sister company RSM MCGladdrey
[12:31]  Ono Noh: Will you post a transcipt of this meeting somewhere?
[12:31]  Alexandra Bleriot: Rocky - the tango package can be purchased from a Tango kiosk in the Tango Pavillion.
[12:31]  You: When did you launch H& Block Island?
[12:31]  Rocky Maddaloni: thanks - did you do your own development (inside H&R Block) or use a sherpa?
[12:32]  You: Yes, transcript will be posted in full.
[12:32]  PeterMike Harpoon: Znetlady...you will be posting a transcript on the SL Busienss Communicators blog right?
[12:32]  Alexandra Bleriot: Isbell - the date was March 12th
[12:32]  LowKey Shepherd: so is this suppose to become a virtual tax prep office?
[12:32]  Alexandra Bleriot: Rocky - we used a third party development company named Electric Sheep Company
[12:32]  Joscha Fuhr: How much inworld contacts do you expect?
[12:33]  Joscha Fuhr: meetings with people here
[12:33]  Alexandra Bleriot: Lowkey - We have a virtual tax prep product today called online office. You can have a tax preparer prepare your tases and never leave your home.
[12:34]  Robins Hermano: Do you have any plans to partner up with educational instiutions?
[12:35]  Alexandra Bleriot: this is the third week that H&R Block island has been open to the public
[12:35]  Joscha Fuhr: IDoes HR Block have worldwide expertice or only US expertice?
[12:35]  Alexandra Bleriot: Robins: H&R Block has one of the most extensive tax research institutions. We are looking at events that may be of interest to this community and take advantage of the expertise that we have
[12:36]  Joscha Fuhr: Will you keep giving free advise? or are you planning to make it a paid service?
[12:36]  Robins Hermano: Thanks
[12:36]  Alexandra Bleriot: Joscha: We are still in the testing phase. We have the office hours twice a week through the rest of tax season (April 17th). We plan on having additional events during the tax season and throughout the rest of the year around topics that interest this community
[12:37]  Bean Wollongong: Are all Tax ADvisors. Like Shannon Burns, Members of the "Sex on the Beach Club"?
[12:37]  Alexandra Bleriot: Joscha - Great question. We actually have a service available outside of Second Life where people pay for tax advice. We are testing our current SL approach this year and will determine the best way to continue in the future
[12:38]  LowKey Shepherd: i think sl need more work
[12:38]  MikeG1 Schumann: Have you considered having some tax advisors with specialty knowledge in areas of interest to residents? Seems like things like telecommuting (for example) might be more prevalent here.
[12:38]  Joscha Fuhr: yes
[12:38]  Shannon Burns: Bean - I am an Island Owner, and that Club is one of our Renters, so yes i am a member in a business sense
[12:39]  Joscha Fuhr: and also cross border tax issues
[12:39]  Joscha Fuhr: lol
[12:39]  Ono Noh: How about services that cater to virtual business ventures specificly?
[12:40]  Rocky Maddaloni: where will the transcript be posted?
[12:40]  You: Alexandra - a question from earlier: Does HR Block have worldwide expertice or only US expertice?
[12:40]  Alexandra Bleriot: Mike - that is another great question. We are looking at the "special circumstances" that may impact residents of SL the most and want to find ways to help them the most. We have expertise in all those areas. We just need to determine the best way to connect our expertise with the residents of SL
[12:41]  You: Transcript at http://freshtakes.typepad.com/sl_communicators - and on the wiki too.
[12:41]  Alexandra Bleriot: H&R Block does have worldwide expertise. RSM McGladdrey is also a sister company.
[12:41]  Rocky Maddaloni: thanks
[12:42]  You: Can you talk a little about how you are integrating SL presence with RL marketing?
[12:44]  Johan Chandrayaan: Have you looked at a way to integrate the existing virtual tax prep. product and enhance it using the SL platform?
[12:44]  Alexandra Bleriot: Isbell: There are many ideas that we are exploring right now. The biggest step we have taken so far is to incorporate it into our traditional communication plans. But that is only the beginning. As we learn more through this season, we will be looking at more integrated plans for next year.
[12:45]  Johan Chandrayaan: integrate it into SL that is.....
[12:45]  Rocky Maddaloni: you definitely have shown a very innovative approach! Impressive!
[12:47]  Alexandra Bleriot: Thank you Rocky! Johan, as we continue this initiative and get more grounded I think it would be interesting to see how it would play into deeper ties with all our products, not just digital. Could you imagine chatting with your tax professional in SL?
[12:47]  Johan Chandrayaan: I'd prefer to chat with him in SL
[12:48]  Ono Noh: Yes, they never answer the phones.
[12:48]  Alexandra Bleriot: We currently provide digital products that do include chat features. This is an exciting and evolving space.
[12:48]  Johan Chandrayaan: given the choice of the dentist or accountant, unfortunately I'll take the dentist
[12:48]  Johan Chandrayaan: no offense
[12:48]  Alexandra Bleriot: None taken. LOL
[12:49]  Johan Chandrayaan: may I ask if you approached your third party developer, or if HR Block had the idea to get into Virtual Worlds on its own
[12:49]  Pebbles Hannya: I think Johan's point is particularly true if they were really good at dealing with some of the issues that are likely to affect people in SL, such as those that have already been mentioned.
[12:49]  Johan Chandrayaan: or if the idea was presented to you
[12:49]  Alexandra Bleriot: Taxes are not fun, that is why Tango is an exciting tax product. The story it tells while you are doing your taxes, make it seem almost enjoyable!
[12:49]  Alexandra Bleriot: Our heavy marketing spends traditionally occur early in the year. Second Life is one of our initiatives we are looking to build as a year-round program
[12:49]  Delphina Audina: the the tax-key for the tango product is currently for US taxtation info or also to other countries over the world?
[12:50]  You: lol
[12:50]  Johan Chandrayaan: thank you
[12:50]  PeterMike Harpoon: That's me. :-)
[12:51]  Billy Mapp: Any thoughts / advice on getting buy-in to the SL concept from staff / members? (We are a membership organization.)
[12:51]  Alexandra Bleriot: Johan: We at H&R Block along with our agency Fleishman Hilliard were the ones to identify the opportunity with this emerging community. We then found the appropriate developer who could turn it into a reality
[12:51]  Alexandra Bleriot: First Delphina's question - Tango is only for US taxes. Sorry
[12:51]  Alexandra Bleriot: Billy - aRe you looking for internal sell-in?
[12:51]  Ono Noh: Exactly how is the story in Tango being told for/with the customer?
[12:52]  You: I'd like to know hear more about that too, Ono.
[12:52]  Billy Mapp: A little of both. We're fairly new to SL and want to easily show our staff and members the value / potential of SL.
[12:52]  Alexandra Bleriot: Ono - It sets up a conflict. The IRS has taken your money and we are here to help you get it back. Through each step of your taxes, we set up and resolve some of the story with you being the winner at the end
[12:53]  Alexandra Bleriot: Ono - Our team actually went to Hollywood to understand some of the key elements in story-telling
[12:53]  Joscha Fuhr: I think if you want to offer usefull services for SL inhabitants you really should have expertise in international cross border issues. Is that something you want to develop?
[12:54]  Ono Noh: How do you tell this story? Is it told as a fictional metaphor or as a process you take part in?
[12:55]  Alexandra Bleriot: Billy - There is a lot of education that needs to occur to build buy-in. I'm fortunate that I work for a progressive company. I think the most useful thing we did was continual education on the changing behavior and social networking
[12:55]  Alexandra Bleriot: Joscha - Thanks for the advice we will look into more of the cross-border issues as a potential subject of interest
[12:56]  Joscha Fuhr: your welcome ;)
[12:56]  Alexandra Bleriot: Ono - It is with you as the active participant. You are the hero of the story - it is really your journey. So each step is relevant to you and your tax return.f
[12:57]  Johan Chandrayaan: Does HR Block plan to use this space internally, such as for training etc?
[12:57]  Ono Noh: Hence the "movie posters" that are around, eh?
[12:57]  Alexandra Bleriot: The other great thing about Tango is that it includes a new support model. So you always have a partner while doing your taxes. Through our one-touch support, we will answer your tax questions, technical or customer support questions.
[12:58]  Alexandra Bleriot: And yes, you got the concept of the movie posters.
[12:58]  Alexandra Bleriot: Any other questions?
[12:59]  You: When will a demo of Tango be available?
[13:00]  Alexandra Bleriot: We will not have a formal demo of Tango this year. We currently have more product information available on tangotax.com and the product will be open to the public on hrblock.com in a week or so
[13:00]  You: Besides office hours here on the SL Island, will there be a way for residents to contact H&R here?
[13:01]  You: Any last question before we wrap up? Anybody?
[13:01]  Alexandra Bleriot: For tax advice and general questions, anyone can email us at sl-tax@hrblock.com. If you have a specific question for me, please feel free to contact me via my IM or at paula.drum@hrblock.com
[13:02]  PeterMike Harpoon: And don't forget to take a kiosk if you own land!
[13:02]  Joscha Fuhr: Thank you Alexandra!
[13:02]  You: Great!
[13:02]  You: Thank you so much Alexandra!
[13:02]  Shannon Burns: Johan Chandrayaan: Does HR Block plan to use this space internally, such as for training etc?
[13:02]  PeterMike Harpoon: If anyone purchses the Tango product bundle on your land...you get $L75 of the $L100 price.
[13:02]  Alexandra Bleriot: Thank you all for joining us here today
[13:02]  PeterMike Harpoon: You can find the kiosk to take in the Tango platform area behind your seating area.
[13:02]  You: Oh - Alexandra, can you canswer that last question?
[13:03]  Alexandra Bleriot: Shannon - we are evaluating all our potential uses for the island and have not ruled out a tax training class.
[13:03]  You: That would be great for residents too. :-)
[13:03]  JimmyJet Fossett: Thanks Alexandra. The tax training class sounds interesting
[13:03]  You: Thank you Alexandra and other H&R staff here.
[13:04]  Alexandra Bleriot: Non-employees actually do get a lot of benefit from taking our tax training courses. I think this may be a great event for this community
[13:04]  Johan Chandrayaan: Thank you
[13:04]  You: Everyone - thanks for coming!!!
[13:04]  PeterMike Harpoon: And here are some fancy moves from one element of the Tango product bundle...Tango shoes with a 3 loop dance HUD.
[13:04]  You: I will post the transript today. Come back and try the tango dance - it is pretty fancy. :-)
[13:05]  JimmyJet Fossett: Thanks Znetlady Isbell, and another great SL Bus. Communicators event!
[13:05]  You: I havent' tried the rose between my teeth though.
[13:05]  Alexandra Bleriot: Thank you Isbell!
[13:05]  Delphina Audina: Very Interesting meeting --ty Alexandra
[13:05]  Alexandra Bleriot: I also have HR Block t-shirts for anyone interested
[13:06]  You: Alexandra, how much time are you spending in sl these days?
[13:06]  Alexandra Bleriot: At least four to five hours a week :)
[13:06]  Alexandra Bleriot gave you H&R Block Shirt.
[13:08]  You: By the way SLBCers - Linkedin has finally approved our RL networking group. I'll set it up next week.
[13:08]  You: Will be heading out to Virtual Worlds 2007 conference tomorrow - is anyone going?
[13:08]  Johan Chandrayaan: I will be there
[13:08]  CAT Dean: i do not know what is it about?
[13:08]  You: Yay Johan!
[13:08]  Alexandra Bleriot: Anyone else who would like a t-shirt, please feel free to IM me
[13:09]  PeterMike Harpoon: And I will be at the Virtual Worlds Confernece this week too. Pete Klaus is my name in RL... with Fleishman-Hillard Digital in DC.
[13:09]  You: Thanks , Alexandra and PeterMike.
[13:09]  PeterMike Harpoon: Please come up and say hi if you see me. :-)
[13:09]  You: Excellent!!
[13:09]  CAT Dean: thanks for the t-shirt
[13:09]  PeterMike Harpoon: Znetlady and everyone from SL Business Communicators...thank you so much for spending time with us today.
[13:10]  JimmyJet Fossett: Yes, thanks for the T-Shirt. I like to collect them :-)
[13:10]  PeterMike Harpoon: And please stay in touch and let us know your thoughts and ideas.
[13:10]  You: We had fun = thanks for letting us "christen" the Island.
[13:10]  Billy Mapp: Thanks so much for the tour and information!
[13:10]  PeterMike Harpoon: Anytime!
[13:10]  You: Check out the disco while you are here.
[13:11]  Alexandra Bleriot: The disco is a great place to put on your dancing shoes and enjoy some latin jazz!
[13:11]  PeterMike Harpoon: Yes...feel freeto tour the island. I'm also happy to give anyone a personal tour.
[13:11]  PeterMike Harpoon: Just let me know.
[13:13]  PeterMike Harpoon: All, Paula and I are going to head over to the disco...feel free to join us.
[13:14]  Alexandra Bleriot: Thank you all again. I'm heading to the disco with my dancing shoes. Please feel free to tour the island and come bakc tomorrow night if you have any tax questions. Great to meet you all.

April 5, 2007