Business Communicators of Second Life®

CNN Joins Second Life by Looking for Citizen Reporters

MediaWeek, a Nielsen Business Media publication, seems to have broken the story this morning that CNN is joining other major news outlets in reporting on happenings in Second Life.

The buzz is humming among those who care about such things, but any hard news behind the announcement is very hard to come by at the moment.

CNN is reportedly slated to open an “outpost” next week, that will serve to expand its i-Report initiative into SL.  The MediaWeek story indicates CNN will provide resident reporters with a toolkit and plans weekly “news meetings” that will train SL citizens on reportage.

Although CNN has done some toe-dipping toward harnessing “citizen media,” such as their YouTube Debates,  we’ll have to reserve judgment on how committed they are to SL media until we see the outcome.  I doubt we will see a concerted effort to actually train citizen reporters, based on CNN’s existing web i-Report toolkit. It is limited to tips on broadcast-friendly recording techniques and instructions for submitting audio and video files to the CNN newsroom.

A few of CNN sibling companies have jumped into SL in some form or another, including AOL, HBO and the most recently, Warner Bros with their I Am Legend game and film promotion.

October 29, 2007

Playing Catch-Up: Business News Briefs

Manchester Evening Star has a nice follow up article on the launch of virtual Manchester, UK last February.  According to the story the Manchester International Conference Center has plans to offer virtual exhibit space to compliment exhibitors' RL installations.  In addition, the UK consortium behind the Second Life Manchester initiative is in talks with RL property developers to showcase apartments in SL so RL buyers can take a tour of their new homes before being built. 

Government agencies and developers are no strangers to joint ventures in RL, but I don't think there is another such initiative between two such entities that extends into the virtual world.  The consortium who brought Manchester to SL is made up of Manchester Digital Development Agency, the Urbis Museum and consultants, Clicks and Links.

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Recruitment
Business & Decision,  a France-based international consulting and systems integration company, is launching a recruitment campaign in Second Life.  They hope to connect with and recruit IT professionals across France.  According to their announcement:

"When connected on the site http://recrutement-secondlife.businessdecision.fr the candidates schedule a meeting with the recruitment team and access detailed information on the various positions offered by Business & Decision. After registering and creating an individual avatar, candidates are then able to connect to Second Life, attend their appointment, and discover the world of Business & Decision.

3 candidate meeting sessions:

Monday 5 November, 18h - 20h
Tuesday 6 October, 12h - 14h
Tuesday 6 October, 18h - 20h"

...
The state of Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (US) has launched an SL presence aimed at expanding its IT recruiting efforts.  They say it was the demographics of SL that attracted them, and they will be experimenting with a worldwide job fair in SL in the coming months.  They are on Eduisland at EDUISLAND 3 (137,95,23).

...
Kelly Services launched their phase II Second Life presence on Friday with in-world festivities.  Kelly will be offering public seminars, conferences, job fairs, interviewing, job scenarios and general job-placement related activities.  Although Kelly initially launched in SL earlier this year, their in world services are not unique to Kelly alone.  Kelly joins numerous individual corporate recruitment efforts and TMP Worldwide has been a leader in 3rd party recrutiment services and activities in SL.

...
Wipro Technologies (India) plans recruitment via their soon-to-be-launched Innovation Isle.  The firm has also set up an Offshore Development Center (ODC) model campus with a client engagement centre, learning centre, 3 floor ODC set-up with cubicles, security desk at the campus entrance gate, amphitheatre, press announcements hall, basketball and volleyball courts, admin, data centre and library. It will be regularly staffed by Wipro’s own avatars.

“Our upcoming Innovation Isle will showcase Wipro’s innovation initiatives to our stakeholders and how they deliver increased flexibility and predictability, lower cost and faster time to market for our customers,” said Jessie Paul, Chief Marketing Officer, Wipro Technologies, in a release.  This will also be a virtual forum for customers, partners, and other like minded people to collaborate with Wipro in the area of co-innovation and business transformation.” 

--  via Business Line, Sify Walletwatch

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TV Beams Into and Out of SL
If you missed the press or the show, The Office ran an episode on NBC this week featuring a plot line around Second Life.  Says character Dwight, he loves his first life so much he wanted a second one.  Rumor has it SL will be weaved into future episodes with Dwight's co-workers perhaps going in to play virtual pranks on Dwight. 

CBS's CSI:NY debuted a storyline on Wednesday that continues in SL until February when the show will unveil the plot's villan.

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For Fun:  Social Media SL Mashup
I know I keep banging the drum... but you don't need a Facebook, MySpace or Twitter tactic - you need to think broader into a social network strategy.   Daden Limited (UK) illustrates why one site/technology can't be the focus with a little mashup of Twitter and Second Life in which Twitter posts float into SL like bubbles in a fountain.  It is located in Halo's Garden on Daden Prime 207, 95, 24.

October 27, 2007

World Bank Presents Global Doing Business Report in Second Life

The World Bank presented their fifth annual global Doing Business report in Second Life yesterday.  It was a notable effort to expand knowledge and understanding about the work of the World Bank to end poverty across the globe. Case in point as to the need for that very effort:  Nobody Fugazi and Canuckflack (two very tuned-in people) wonder how the clients of the World Bank "many of them living in remote corners of the internet" were supposed to sign on to hear the presentation. The World Bank customers were not the intended audience - in fact, it was the exact opposite.  It was intended to inform those who know little about the role of the World Bank. The role of the World Bank is to finance states (countries), not individuals or companies - but to my point, it is a widespread misconception that developing countries are "unconnected."  Connectivity is in fact a driving force toward their overall economic development. 

The event was extremely well attended (gratifying to see!) and the presentation summarizing the 2008 report by Dahlia Khalifa, senior communications officer for the Doing Business project of the World Bank, was chocked full of the high-caliber information you would expect to come from such an institution.  Most unfortunately the session was also full of audio technical snafus and avoidable SL event-planning mistakes - but I for one found the session thoroughly engrossing and it upped my global economic market perspective quotient several notches. I am delighted to see the World Bank living up to their goal of innovation.  And Second Life can indeed be a most suitable communication platform - if sometimes tricky.

To learn more about Doing Business 2008, to review market data or to view a variety of videos on regional economies and reforms visit the Doing Business website:  http://www.doingbusiness.org/  For more information on market approaches to development and toward ending world poverty, check out the World Bank blogs:  http://psdblog.worldbank.org/.

On a related note, The World Bank is not only employing social media to distribute information on global ecomonies, but it is watching the space for its implications toward ending poverty, growing businesses, and providing peer-to-peer support structures.  They note in a recent blog post for example, a favorite site I reference in my social media "It's Sociology, Not Technlogy"© presentations, the peer-to-peer lending site Prosper.

Social media - and you thought it was just a new-fangled marketing or PR tactic.  Go figure.

October 27, 2007

Cisco To Announce Winners of Connected Life in SL

Cisco’s expert panel has judged over 600 entries in their Connected Life creative-networked-experience-idea contest. The 11 winners will be announced on Tuesday, October 30 in Second Life.

The grand prize winner is receiving $10,000 (US), ten runners-up will receive $1000 (US), and the winning ideas are being demoed on the Cisco sim.

Join Cisco’s winners presentation and entry demos:

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 @ 12:00pm PT
Cisco Sim 1 Stage
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cisco%20Systems%201/76/57/23

Cisco originally announced the contest last June.  To see some of the ideas submitted to date, visit Cisco’s Connected Life web page.

You can learn more about the larger Connected Life initiative in Cisco’s brochure (PDF) or get the background in their white paper (PDF).  Cisco plans to enable the future “experience providers."  From their "Living the Connected Life" white paper and the genesis of their contest:

"The connected life reflects the growing consumer desire to have “many services to many screens” – integrated voice, video, and data services that are available anytime, anywhere, on any device. At the same time, consumers’ preferences are shifting from a discrete service model to one of a consistent, personalized “experience” that accommodates their content preferences, access types, and chosen devices. To realize the significant possibilities and profitability that the connected life can offer, service providers must transform themselves into “experience providers.” This transformation will require service providers to redefine themselves as something greater than merely their access technologies to more of the branded, rich, integrated experiences they provide."

October 26, 2007

Telemedicine Conference In Second Life: October 22-23

The Center for Connected Health will be bringing their upcoming telemedicine symposium, “Building the Connected Health Economy” into Second Life.  The symposium, being held at the RL Harvard Medical Conference Center, begins on Monday, October 22nd and continues through Tuesday the 23rd.  The sessions will be streamed into SL at Connected Health Island auditorium.  The SL audience will be able to ask questions during the live sessions.

A key panel session on Monday will be simulcast in Second Life and RL.  At 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. SLT Monday the RL/SL panel, Second Life: Healthcare Enters the Virtual World, will explore the potential of virtual worlds in the delivery of medicine.   The panelists include:

•    Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, . Director, Center for Connected Health, Partners HealthCare
•    John Lester (Pathfinder Linden), Boston Operations Director, Linden Lab
•    Daniel Hoch, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
•    Roger Edwards, ScD, Managing Consultant, PA Consulting Group
•    Karen Gans, PhD, patient advocate

The full conference schedule is available here.

The Center for Connected Health tapped Involve, Inc. to develop the Connected Health Island sim and to provide in-world production services.

To attend the conference sessions, teleport to Connected Health Island.

October 18, 2007

CSI New York in SL: Information Week 10/16 Gridtalk

Mitch Wagner/Ziggy Figaro of Information Week is hosting Electric Sheep Company tomorrow, October 16th at the regularly scheduled GridTalk at 8:00 a.m. SLT to discuss the ESC and CBS initiative that will bring the CSI: New York TV show into Second Life.  Dr Dobbs Island is the place to be.

The news of this particular move into SL by CBS has been widely reported in both the SL and mainstream press, but in case you haven’t gotten the skinny, here’s the news:  In an episode to air on October 24, CSI: NY detective Mac Taylor enters Second Life to chase an avatar suspect.  In the episode the virtual world is not renamed to protect its identity.  The story line seeks to meld the virtual and the real, with a RL victim who is a wildly popular avatar in SL, and a killer who attempts to assume her virtual identity.  Taylor (and you, should you decide to accept this mission) goes in world to track down the killer.

We’re seeing with this the logical evolution of the 7 million-dollar investment in Electric Sheep Company in which CBS participated in February of this year; the acquisition around the same time of machimists, ILL Clan; and the success CBS/Showtime experienced with The L Word in SL.

CBS plans to air two 30-second spots that will direct viewers to experience SL for themselves.  The uninitiated will be able to choose from 12 avatars – smart move – and the promise is CSI creator, Anthony Zuiker’s avatar will greet the newly virtual viewers. For the occasion, ESC will provide a customized version of their new browser-like Second Life viewer to make SL easier to navigate and to join in on the planned CSI activities.

The SL CSI environment will reportedly include CSI forensic lab activities, clues left at the virtual murder scene and a field kit of tools for those who want to become a virtual CSI agent.  The aim is to provide various levels of participation.

The “episode” will continue until February during which time Zuiker hopes to draw the connected crowd back to television by integrating show content with the immersive and interactive.

Although not unexpected, I’m delighted to see this move by CBS and I sincerely hope CBS and ESC will share the ups and downs they experience with their initiative. Dare I say this is an important milestone for TV.  This is the future of television in one form or another - from both a content and advertising perspective.  This is one to watch and learn.

Various details at the Virtual Worlds News, the Scotsman and the SF Chronicle.   But be at GridTalk on Tuesday as that promises to be the best bet for up-to-the-minute info.

Here’s the CSI:NY promotional machinima:

October 15, 2007

RL Event: Oct 11, Second Life: Open for Business? UC Irvine

The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology at UC Irvine has simply fantastic events - open to the public, stellar industry hosts, researchers and presenters on everything from telemedicine to gaming and virtual worlds.   Always great networking, wine and food too.

Well, this week on October 11 at 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., I am extremely privileged to be moderating a panel titled Second Life: Open for Business?  This particular event is being co-sponsored by UCI and Women In Technology International.  I invite you to come out in the O.C. and join us! 

Our panel covers a range of expertise and experience with the aim of giving us a broad and thoughtful perspective on Second Life as a business application/environment:

Crista Lopes of UC Irvine, co-inventor of Aspect Oriented Programming and creator of SLBrowser, will join the panel.  She is also using immersive environments to model and simulate a transportation system called SkyTran, according its real-world specifications.  Professor Lopes came to UCI from Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center.

Jeanette Gibson will join us from Second Life as a panelist.  She is the Director New Media & Corporate Communications at Cisco Systems.  Jeanette is responsible for extending Cisco's innovation with all types of new media. She will share Cisco’s insights related to their initiatives in researching 3D environments for enterprise applications.

A first mover in market research in virtual worlds, Mary Ellen Gordon, President of Market Truths is taking a detour on her way to Virtual Worlds 2007 to be with us to discuss her prolific and respected marketing research with avatars in immersive environments.

And on the virtual world development side, we have Ian Teapoot, Chief Creative Officer at Involve, Inc. In addition to his considerable experience in designing 3D environments, he also instructs game art, interactive media, animation and design at the Art Institute of California.

Get all the information - and register –at the WITI website here:  or at the Calit2 website under “Upcoming Events.” 

IM me if you have any questions - hope to see you there!

October 7, 2007

SLBC Meeting Transcript: 1-800-Flowers

Seth Lasser of 1-800-Flowers joined us for our September SL Business Communicators meeting to discuss 800 Flowers' Fields of the Virtual World initiative.  However, he turned the Q&A tables on us.  Our casual gathering in an apropos and beautiful garden on Market Truths Island evolved into a brainstorming session for an 800-Flowers next step in Second Life.

Below is the transcript of our meeting:

[17:07]  Znetlady: Before we start intros, let me first say hello and thank you to Kal Winkler - who is Seth Lasser in RL.
[17:07]  Kal Winkler: happy to be here
[17:07]  Znetlady: He is director of special project as well as assistant to the CEO of 1-800 Flowers.
[17:08]  Znetlady: He's going to get lots of time to talk, but please let him know that we are delighted he has taken the time to be with us tonight.
[17:08]  Znetlady: Thanks, Kal.
[17:08]  Pebbles Hannya: Welcome Kal :)
[17:08]  Kal Winkler: no problemo

Individual introductions deleted...

[17:14]  Kal Winkler: thanks everyone for coming out today for this chat
[17:14]  Kal Winkler: I am definitely more interested in hearing your questions than "typing away"
[17:14]  Kal Winkler: so i'll give a couple of sentences on the current 1800flowers activities
[17:14]  Kal Winkler: and then let the bullets fly . . .
[17:14]  Kal Winkler: sound good?
[17:14]  Znetlady: Sounds perfect!
[17:14]  Pebbles Hannya: Sure
[17:14]  Sparkle Dale nods
[17:14]  Austen Scanlan: Ok
[17:15]  Kal Winkler: So, last week we launched a contest with Cranial Tap
[17:15]  Kal Winkler: Fields of the Virtual World
[17:15]  Kal Winkler: In RL we have a new product line called Fields of the World
[17:15]  Kal Winkler: and consumers have been invited to submit pictures that represent where we should go next to source
[17:16]  Kal Winkler: flowers - we have bouquets from Israel, Ecuador, etc.
[17:16]  Kal Winkler: Our thought was to create a parallel set of activities in SL
[17:17]  Kal Winkler: with the goal of getting input for our new / upcoming SL space on Costa Del Sol
[17:17]  Kal Winkler: We talked for a while about incentives and prizes
[17:17]  Kal Winkler: As the winner of the RL contest gets their picture on a billboard in Times Square
[17:18]  Kal Winkler: I wanted to use this as an opportunity to bridge RL and SL
[17:18]  Kal Winkler: so we hatched the idea of filing a machinima video of the winning entrant
[17:18]  Kal Winkler: and screening it on the billboard in Times Square in November along with the winning RL entries
[17:19]  Kal Winkler: so, I am first interested in knowing whether people heard about this before tonight, and if so where
[17:19]  Znetlady: So the contest is both RL and SL?
[17:19]  Pebbles Hannya: I did through the Business Communicator's Blog
[17:19]  Sparkle Dale: No I hadn't heard about it.
[17:20]  Geri Kuhn: I haven't either.
[17:20]  Kal Winkler: well technically it is 2 contests
[17:20]  Znetlady: I heard about it from you, Kal.
[17:20]  Austen Scanlan: CI've heard about your effort at least I read about it in the New YOrk Times.
[17:20]  Kal Winkler: right :)
[17:20]  Kim Chihuly: no - i visited your space the other day and didn't see the info on that contest - saw one that was over
[17:20]  Vorren Voltaire: I havent heard of either...but I do like the concept. The machinima would work, I think
[17:20]  Kal Winkler: interesting . . .
[17:20]  Sparkle Dale: Why not make the bridge between worlds even a bit stronger by making the RL winner a lookalike avatar and film the two meeting in SL?
[17:20]  Pebbles Hannya: Have you tried the SL Media (M2, SLNN, etc.?)
[17:20]  Kal Winkler: it is very hard to communicate things to the SL community
[17:21]  Sparkle Dale: Exchanging bouquets
[17:21]  Austen Scanlan: Curious, could tell us a bit more about the contest.
[17:21]  Pebbles Hannya: I like that idea Sparkle :)
[17:21]  Kal Winkler: it has been covered by SLNN, SLI, our very own Znetlady
[17:21]  Znetlady: Me too - very nice idea, Sparkle.
[17:21]  Sparkle Dale: hmmm I didnt even know you guys were in SL
[17:21]  Kim Chihuly: that sould be fun sparkle
[17:21]  Kim Chihuly: would*
[17:22]  Kal Winkler: sparkle - perhaps if the winner is up for it we can film their "person" and avatar meeting
[17:22]  Znetlady: Kal, maybe a little history on your presence would be helpful starting in June.
[17:22]  Kal Winkler: cool

[17:22]  Kal Winkler: so in June we kicked off the very beginning of our SL presence
[17:22]  Kal Winkler: we had a SUmmer Flower Show
[17:23]  Kal Winkler: and gave away a bunch of Happy Hour Bouquets - versions of our RL products where the flowers are in
[17:23]  Kal Winkler: margarita classes, martini glasses, etc.
[17:23]  Kal Winkler: the goal for all of this is, primarily, internal R&D and customer engagement
[17:24]  Kal Winkler: so we focused on having people in world from our team
[17:24]  Austen Scanlan: Curious to know if you could do anything with the flowers, change colors, make arrangements...
[17:24]  Kal Winkler: training them, encouraging them to interact with residents
[17:24]  Pebbles Hannya: Are you going to make it possible for people to order RL flowers in SL? For example, as I mentioned, I live in NZ but have a lot of friends and family back in the US. I would love to be able to put together a bunch of flowers in SL to send in RL.
[17:24]  Kal Winkler: and learn about what kinds of things we might want to be in the future
[17:24]  G24khamr Goodfellow: how did residents react to your team initially?
[17:24]  Kal Winkler: Pebbles - the answer is yes
[17:25]  Pebbles Hannya: And like Austen was saying be able to pick and choose what I wanted.
[17:25]  Pebbles Hannya: That would be great!
[17:25]  Sparkle Dale: Did you get much press on your launch in here Kal?
[17:25]  Kal Winkler: though unfortunatelhy it is much easier to customize a bouquet in world than in the Real World, so you're stuck with what our fabuloius designers can make
[17:25]  Kal Winkler: that is a major priority in the real world
[17:26]  Pebbles Hannya: Is that because of the availability of the flowers?
[17:26]  Kal Winkler: G24 - 99.9% of people wewre extremely positive
[17:26]  Austen Scanlan: Hmmm. I'ms sure there are programmers who could give you a work around. Perhpas a very simple tool kit. Heck, you can customize your cloths, why not your flowers?
[17:26]  Znetlady: Sparket askes: Did you get much press on your launch in here Kal?
[17:26]  Znetlady: Sparkle that is...sorry
[17:26]  Vorren Voltaire: Excellent. That is one thing thats been lacking here. I've seen a small mom-and-pop place do that sort of thing with chocolates. Will this be something that can be sent without the recpiant giving away their RL identity?
[17:27]  Sparkle Dale laughs at Znet
[17:27]  Pebbles Hannya: It sounds like it's the other way around Austen -- OK to customize in SL harder in RL. Is that correct Kal?
[17:27]  Znetlady: as she shoulds, Sparkle
[17:27]  Kal Winkler: i like to think that was due in part to our brand - which has positive associations
[17:27]  Pebbles Hannya: There's a place in the UK doing it with candy
[17:27]  Pebbles Hannya: Cybercandy
[17:27]  Kal Winkler: and partly due to our approach, which has been to avoid a giant build and focus on people
[17:27]  Kal Winkler: or, i should say, avatars
[17:28]  Austen Scanlan: Yes, I understand, but SL in my view offers its own opportunities. You don't eat flowers in real life, but you can eat them here.
[17:28]  Kal Winkler: we did get a bunch of press
[17:28]  Sparkle Dale: Of all the biz coming in here Kal, I would say your product has the most opportunity to make money here.
[17:28]  Kal Winkler: sparkle: i think you are right, and we will begin selling bouquets in the next month or so
[17:28]  Sparkle Dale: There is a lot of "romance" going on in SL where the avatars in relationship want to remain anonymous with RL
[17:29]  Kal Winkler: but clearly it is a long time before it will provide as much benefit as our ability to engage customers in sl
[17:29]  Kal Winkler: i think i missed a question, or three :)
[17:29]  Sparkle Dale: You could actually send flowers to someone using avatar name... get virtual flowers here but also receive flowers at their home if they give consent but only 1800 flowers actually gets the address ...and real name not the sender.
[17:30]  Kal Winkler: sparkle: thanks for the brainstorm. that is a great idea.
[17:30]  Austen Scanlan: Kal, I realize people invest a lot in their brand identity, but if you're talking about engagement then, in by view, you should be able to allow avatars to do something different in SL.
[17:30]  Sparkle Dale: I know 3 couples who are now married in RL who met here in SL ;)
[17:30]  Kal Winkler: do you think people would trust us to hold the "double-blind" information?
[17:30]  Vorren Voltaire: yes
[17:31]  Sparkle Dale: I think so if they went to a site and gave consent... you are a well-known brand.
[17:31]  Vorren Voltaire: 1-800 is a big enough name that it folk wouldnt worry as much
[17:31]  Pebbles Hannya: I do, Kal, but I think you would need to provide them with a lot of assurance about how you do that. We run in to some similar issues with our research panel.
[17:31]  Kal Winkler: austen - i agree 100% - though to your point there is some natural limit of what makes sense
[17:31]  Kal Winkler: pebbles: i agree - that is the issue we have grappled with
[17:31]  Sparkle Dale: The point is ... they can decline or accept. So up to the individual.
[17:32]  Kal Winkler: do we need to have a 3rd party manage the info?
[17:32]  Sparkle Dale: So some may wish to only receive the virtual bouquets... while others may accept both.
[17:32]  Kal Winkler: right
[17:32]  Znetlady: sort of a double-blind data collection - lol
[17:33]  Sparkle Dale: example where you wouldn't accept if you had RL relationship lol that needed managing ;)
[17:33]  Znetlady: Kal, what do you consider successful about your initial Summer Flower Show that convinced you to expand your presence here?
[17:33]  Pebbles Hannya: I would think the key is really the process and what controls are put in place to ensure not only does the sender not find out who the receiver is but there are good controls against overall hacking, etc.
[17:33]  Austen Scanlan: I really must come back to this idea...if user -generated content is working as a tool of brand engagement then "why" can't it work for flowers?
[17:34]  Kal Winkler: user gen content is something we are working on. it can definitely work. that is the driving idea behind our contest
[17:34]  Kal Winkler: user-generated snapshots
[17:34]  Sparkle Dale: Yes, its a great contest idea.
[17:35]  Sparkle Dale: What is the time period Kal?
[17:35]  Pebbles Hannya: I would think the process of choosing flowers here could be engaging just on its own. For example, if I were ordering flowers for mother's day or something, I would prefer to do it here rather than looking through page after page of photos on the Web.
[17:35]  Kal Winkler: entries are due on october 1
[17:35]  Kal Winkler: pebbles: we are big believers in 3D commerce
[17:35]  Vorren Voltaire: its a sound idea, but would it reach enough people?
[17:36]  Austen Scanlan: Hmmm...I think you can go a lot further in my view...perhpas more whimsical.--magic flowers with special powers. Just a question of coding in an animation.
[17:36]  Kal Winkler: in a way it brings us back to our origins - when we had one store and we had in person interactions with all of our customers
[17:37]  Kal Winkler: that is what 3d commerce can be - we can have our team members in world (or wherever our 3d store is) to help people choose products, customize them, etc.
[17:37]  Pebbles Hannya: Oh, I can certainly see benefits in both Austen, but for me personally, being able to order RL flowers would be more valuable -- and increase by engagement more with a brand -- than cool virtual flowers. I accept that could be different for different people though.
[17:38]  Pebbles Hannya: *my
[17:38]  Kal Winkler: austen - i think you are right - we are just scraping the surface with the virtual products
[17:38]  Znetlady: Austen Scanlan: I really must come back to this idea...if user -generated content is working as a tool of brand engagement then "why" can't it work for flowers?
[17:38]  Vorren Voltaire: thought, the scripted , more whimiscal designs could be almost like greeting cards in a way
[17:38]  Austen Scanlan: You might consider offering permissions to modify on a limited scale. Who knows the avatars might come up with something that you can apply to RL.
[17:38]  Sparkle Dale: Even as a business in here... it would be great to send flowers to clients through avatar client connections here.
[17:38]  Znetlady: Sorry - I accidentally pasted in that question again.
[17:38]  Pebbles Hannya: That's true Vorren
[17:39]  Kal Winkler: interesting sparkle
[17:39]  Kal Winkler: a b2b application :)
[17:39]  Kim Chihuly: yep - sending virtual flowers in world would be useful for a lot of people
[17:39]  Pebbles Hannya: Actually one thing I've seen mooted somewhere is the idea of growing flowers.
[17:39]  Znetlady: And, it is an on-going R&D Austen, seeing what avatars come up with.
[17:39]  Pebbles Hannya: Virtually growing that is.
[17:39]  Pebbles Hannya: Is that something you're working on Kal?
[17:39]  Kal Winkler: what do you mean "mooted?"
[17:39]  Pebbles Hannya: Oh, I know where it was -- the Science Friday program about SL
[17:40]  Austen Scanlan: Good point pebbles, Afterall, people have their virtual children grow.
[17:40]  Kal Winkler: science friday?
[17:40]  Sparkle Dale: Kim I'm meaning the ability to send real flowers to an avatar... they accept and they give their real address and get flowers delivered to them.
[17:40]  Pebbles Hannya: Suggested or discussed.
[17:40]  Znetlady: Yes - growing. Svarga grows all kinds of things!
[17:40]  Znetlady: Based on the sun and the bees and the entire environment.
[17:40]  Pebbles Hannya: On that Science Friday program (radio program on NPR but you can hear it via their Web site)...
[17:40]  Sparkle Dale: Kal, does 800 flowers serve internationally?
[17:40]  Kal Winkler: i'll have to check that our
[17:40]  Kim Chihuly: ahh - ok then - i'd like virtual flowers too (allergic to the real things)
[17:40]  Pebbles Hannya: .... they were interviewing one of the Linden Lab developers about the plants here in SL....
[17:40]  Vorren Voltaire: I agree with Sparkle. There have been times when I would loved to have a service like that.
[17:41]  Pebbles Hannya: ... and the interviewer pointed out that nothing grows, and asked if there were plans to change that....
[17:41]  Kal Winkler: we do deliver flowers pretty much anywhere
[17:41]  Kal Winkler: though nearly all of our business is in the U.S.
[17:41]  Sparkle Dale: You could make a lot of money here Kal lol
[17:41]  Pebbles Hannya: ... the Linden Lab person sort of dodged the question, which leads me to believe that from their standpoint the answer is no :)
[17:41]  Austen Scanlan: I'm into the idea of having fun. Maybe you could make a flower that causes people to sneeze. Why not?
[17:41]  Sparkle Dale: unlike a lot of RL biz here atm who are just getting the brand building
[17:41]  Kal Winkler: it is interesting that objects can't grow here
[17:42]  Kim Chihuly: but they don't die here either - that's the saddest part of getting real flowers
[17:42]  Znetlady: they can - it just takes a lot of work to make it happen
[17:42]  Kal Winkler: i would think that would be an easy animation
[17:42]  Kal Winkler: go0t it
[17:42]  Pebbles Hannya: I suspect it would be possible to animate them to make it happen -- but as Znetlady says -- it appears no one has done the work.
[17:42]  Znetlady: Svarga has all kinds of things growing and dying.
[17:43]  Kal Winkler: kim: they wouldn't be valuable if they didn't die - we all love ephemeral things
[17:43]  Znetlady: if the clouds cover the sun toolong, the landscape fades
[17:43]  Pebbles Hannya: Are they animations Z or are they replacing one object with another?
[17:43]  Znetlady: or if the bees die the plants don't get polinated.
[17:43]  Austen Scanlan: AI is just around the corner. Afterall, this whole thing is built on a game engine.
[17:43]  Kim Chihuly: in sl things dont die - they just get lost in the inventory - ha ha
[17:43]  Znetlady: It is an amazing environment
[17:43]  Sparkle Dale: haha in Sims Online, my plants always died
[17:43]  Vorren Voltaire: well....a time delete script is certainly easy enough
[17:43]  Znetlady: It is all scripted animations.
[17:43]  Sparkle Dale: just like RL
[17:44]  Kal Winkler: does anyone have feedback for me about our SL approach?
[17:44]  Znetlady: I have to say the comment about b2b services is really intriguing.
[17:44]  Znetlady: There is not much here to serve the professionals doing "relationship" things here.
[17:44]  Vorren Voltaire: simulating life...much harder ;)
[17:44]  Kim Chihuly: is there a reason your greenhouse building (forget the island) is so low-key - there's a sign inside, but nothing outside?
[17:44]  Znetlady: Kal, you of course are going for a broader market
[17:44]  Sparkle Dale: Well, the only feedback I have is that there hasn't been much awareness of your presence here both in RL and in SL
[17:45]  Znetlady: Tell us what you feel was successful about your initial presence which is leading you to expand it.
[17:46]  Kal Winkler: sparkle: i think you are right, and yet we truly got a lot of coverage
[17:46]  Vorren Voltaire: Yes, advertising seems an issue..problem being that so many stay within their own groups that its hard to get to these different places.
[17:46]  Kal Winkler: i am trying to figure out other ways to get the word out
[17:46]  Sparkle Dale: Awareness inworld is tough.
[17:46]  Austen Scanlan: Perhpas you might consider enlisting Second Lifers to hand our your flowers all around SL. Aferall, this is a very viral environment. Perhpash using a HUD they could wear them. ...If you're going to San Francisco...wear some flowers in your hair.
[17:46]  Vorren Voltaire: unless you tailored ads for all SL's little subcultures
[17:47]  Pebbles Hannya: Here's the link to the radio program I mentioned before: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14087749
[17:47]  Vorren Voltaire: or perhaps sponsored events at key clubs and locations?
[17:47]  Znetlady: You really need to tap into the social networks here in SL Kal.
[17:47]  Kal Winkler: austen - great thought.
[17:47]  Kal Winkler: i suppose recruiting people can't be too hard
[17:47]  Znetlady: there are trust networks here that are key.
[17:48]  Sparkle Dale: sponsorships are good... there are always new clubs opening
[17:48]  Kal Winkler: interesting. what do you think is the key to getting to some of those networks?
[17:48]  Austen Scanlan: People in SL will work for Linden dollars, it's better than cleaning floors or sitting on benches which some avatars do for Linden dollars. This is absolutely doable.
[17:48]  Kim Chihuly: providing flowers for conferences and other events might be cool too
[17:49]  Pebbles Hannya: Though I would think one thing to be careful of is not alienating the SL only businesses who already make plants and flowers -- that could lead to bad PR.
[17:49]  Sparkle Dale: Also, holiday times are great. Avatars decorate for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. .... just like RL
[17:49]  Znetlady: Weddings are a big deal here -
[17:49]  Vorren Voltaire: or supporting SL charities.
[17:49]  Sparkle Dale: Have events around those key times.
[17:49]  Kal Winkler: sounds like we need a lot of "feet on the ground"
[17:49]  Vorren Voltaire: weddings alone would do it!
[17:49]  Znetlady: Yes, the SL businesses are very important to support.
[17:49]  Sparkle Dale: Great idea, Znet. Kal get your team to get in with the wedding planners here.
[17:50]  Sparkle Dale: It's big biz here
[17:50]  Austen Scanlan: Kim, I like the idea of providing flowers, but there should, in my view, be something very SL about them. Maybe they should spores like in a Star Trec episode and everybody falls in love, just like Spock did.
[17:50]  Pebbles Hannya: And there is a lot of concern in the community in general about big businesses coming in and squeezing out the small SL only ones -- much better to work with those businesses whenever possible.
[17:50]  Sparkle Dale: lol Austen
[17:50]  Vorren Voltaire: heck, I know people that have been married several times a year.
[17:50]  Znetlady: If you really want to embrace the existing SL community, providing solutions that facilitate their businesses would be very valuable.
[17:50]  Sparkle Dale: I have friend who is wedding planner here... I can pass on her name.
[17:50]  Kim Chihuly: who knew weddings were such a repeat business!
[17:51]  Kal Winkler: we have been trying to tread pretty carefully with the in world businesses
[17:51]  Pebbles Hannya: :)
[17:51]  Kal Winkler: sparkle - that would be gtreat!
[17:51]  Znetlady: Yes, you need to because they truly are the key to the community here.
[17:51]  Znetlady: Everyone has a relationship with some in world business.
[17:51]  Austen Scanlan: Amen, Znetlady...help people have a better SL experience, now there's the ticket.
[17:51]  Sparkle Dale: Again, with weddings.... there is opportunity for real life sale. Send flowers to your bride in RL on your SL wedding day.
[17:51]  Pebbles Hannya: There are some really talented people making flowers here already so besides just the PR side, it seems like they would have good development input in terms of doing some of the more fanciful things Austen is suggesting.
[17:52]  Znetlady: Yes. Think about turning your model in SL on its head -
[17:52]  Znetlady: not direct to consumer necessarily, but b2b - meaning helping the businesses.
[17:52]  Kal Winkler: one thing we are doing on the subject of helping people is engagement with one of the new registration portals
[17:53]  Kim Chihuly: maybe feature the in world designers in your choices in upcoming contests?
[17:53]  Kal Winkler: cool idea kim
[17:53]  Vorren Voltaire: I like that idea, Kim
[17:53]  Kal Winkler: do people engage with these contests or are they boring at this point
[17:53]  Kal Winkler: i'm a little bored by them myself :)
[17:53]  Sparkle Dale: Yes, Coke did that.... asked for ideas from SL residents.
[17:54]  Sparkle Dale: Peeps always like contests ;) .... I'm contest junkie myself.
[17:54]  Austen Scanlan: You don't have to answer this question, but do the powers-that-be understand the play aspect of SL?
[17:54]  Znetlady: Pebbles has some research on that
[17:54]  Kal Winkler: austen - what do you mean?
[17:54]  Pebbles Hannya: It's interesting. One of the things we found in a report that we did on RL brands in SL is that people really do want to engage with / collaborate with brands here, but I do think contests are becoming a bit overused as ways to do that. I think more creative thought needs to be put into finding different ways to do that.
[17:55]  Sparkle Dale: A lot of residents here are rpg Kal
[17:55]  Znetlady: Play is so important - and it is often misinterpreted as strictly "games"
[17:55]  Sparkle Dale: role-playing
[17:55]  Kal Winkler: got it
[17:55]  Kal Winkler: i don't entirely think everyone on the team understands that
[17:55]  Kal Winkler: though Jim certainly does
[17:56]  Znetlady: that is one aspect that is so appealing about SL itself
[17:56]  Sparkle Dale: For sure
[17:56]  Austen Scanlan: Well, this is not easy to say, but it comes down to how people are allowed to play with your flowers. I realize that you have a look and feel that you wish to carry over form RL, but I wouldn't tie myself to it here.
[17:56]  Pebbles Hannya: For example, with a contest, everyone does something and one person wins, but what would be even better is if there would be a way in which everyone could collaborate more directly -- for example, if you could get around the logistics issues, being able to customize a bouquet here to send in RL.
[17:56]  Sparkle Dale: You could actually have flowers that appeal to the different rpg groups -- like furries for example
[17:56]  Znetlady: Or - create something entirely out of flowers.
[17:56]  Kal Winkler: agree - our RL flower look and feel can be "blown up"
[17:56]  Vorren Voltaire: One promotion that sticks out in the mind was when NBC was promoting the movie Smoking Aces (I think) a while back
[17:56]  Sparkle Dale: or goth
[17:57]  Austen Scanlan: Great Pebbles, colaboration is already a strong feature in SL. Why not use it?
[17:57]  Sparkle Dale: vampires, etc
[17:57]  Znetlady: like a virtual Rose Parade
[17:57]  Vorren Voltaire: it had a role play aspect to it, and I think thats what got people out to the NBC sim
[17:57]  Kal Winkler: building on all of these ideas, maybe partnering with local businesses - almost like "franchises" could be an interesting option
[17:57]  Pebbles Hannya: Yes, exactly -- and especially where everyone can collaborate and interact with the company -- not just one contest winner.
[17:57]  Kim Chihuly: and such a parade could involve lots of groups - all making floats
[17:58]  Kal Winkler: ahh
[17:58]  Znetlady: or ARG - with a narrative
[17:58]  Austen Scanlan: Virtual Rose parade fantastic considering how SLers like to strut their stuff...
[17:58]  Kal Winkler: very cool
[17:58]  Pebbles Hannya: I love the rose parade idea Z
[17:58]  Vorren Voltaire: I like it, Znetlady
[17:58]  Znetlady: Exactly - teams of people - that taps into the social networks already in existance.
[17:58]  Sparkle Dale: Great idea.
[17:58]  Austen Scanlan: This is getting better and better.
[17:58]  Kim Chihuly: and just like the real parade - commercial floats and community floats
[17:58]  Kim Chihuly: so everybody can play
[17:58]  Znetlady: indeed - and lots of pride
[17:58]  Sparkle Dale: Oh I can just imagine it.... there is such creativity here
[17:58]  Pebbles Hannya: Yes, you could tie it into some of the charities that are active here in SL Kim
[17:58]  Kim Chihuly: just watch those sim crossings - they're worse than that one sharp corner in teh real parade
[17:59]  Znetlady: lots of ways for people to show their creativity
[17:59]  Kal Winkler: yes - could have business floats, charity floats
[17:59]  Vorren Voltaire: hmmm...and more people would turn out, so they would let all their freinds know
[17:59]  Vorren Voltaire: could be viral
[17:59]  Sparkle Dale: businesses could sponsor a float with builders
[17:59]  Austen Scanlan: Vorren...you bet this viral...
[17:59]  Pebbles Hannya: And it could flow across regions to prevent huge lag problems in any one place
[17:59]  Znetlady: yes, and the animators and machinists can get involved in other way
[17:59]  Znetlady: ways.
[18:00]  Kim Chihuly: adn the SL media would cover it - the tv network would probably stream it
[18:00]  Znetlady: the secret is tapping into the "social technographics" here.
[18:00]  Austen Scanlan: Now how about you offering up free textures and prim designs. The avatars will come running...
[18:00]  Znetlady: not just the creators, but all the different interests and talents and participatory cultures here.
[18:00]  Kim Chihuly: yep AUsten - freebies! free textures are great !
[18:00]  Pebbles Hannya: Oh, with the new sculpties, there is a lot of potential for new things too.
[18:01]  Kal Winkler: if anyone is interested in working on this parade idea, let me know
[18:01]  Znetlady: Well, does that mean we get the contest prize? LOL!!!
[18:01]  Vorren Voltaire: Sure. I love the concept, and I am sure that its never been done before
[18:01]  Austen Scanlan: Yeah, sculpties....now think about working with the new MAYA import tool that's coming from Japan...I think.
[18:01]  Kal Winkler: well certainly you get to be the judges :)
[18:02]  Pebbles Hannya: We'd love to help if the parade needs any research Kal ;)
[18:02]  Kim Chihuly: naw - i want to be the commentator up in teh sky booth telling dumb jokes<G>
[18:02]  Pebbles Hannya: lol Kim :)
[18:02]  Znetlady: Kal, your initiatives can be different because your "product" is so "distributed" - it can go where the avatars are, rather than you trying to bring them to you.
[18:02]  Kim Chihuly: I have students interested in event management - I'll see if smoe of them want to get involved (we do sl in all my classes)
[18:02]  Austen Scanlan: Wow me too...I'd love to sit in the sky booth and speak trivial nonsense.
[18:02]  Kim Chihuly smiles big at Pebbles
[18:02]  Vorren Voltaire: dibs on being the celebrity weatherman interveiwing the crows
[18:03]  Vorren Voltaire: ..and the crowds
[18:03]  Znetlady: Austen - you look the part too!!!
[18:03]  Sparkle Dale: lol
[18:03]  Austen Scanlan: Thanks.
[18:03]  Znetlady: Well, Kal. We've taken up an hour already!
[18:03]  Kal Winkler: well folks, this has been awesome
[18:03]  Kim Chihuly: like right now - with hte burning life event - lots of hippies looking for floral head wreaths
[18:03]  Kim Chihuly: go where the people are
[18:03]  Znetlady: Does anyone have a last question?
[18:03]  Kal Winkler: thanks for having me!!
[18:04]  Sparkle Dale: Yeah, when's the parade scheduled for ;)
[18:04]  Znetlady: Let me know if you are interested in the parade idea and I'll pull a list together for Kal.
[18:04]  Austen Scanlan: Kim that's exactly what I was thinking about. I recall a movie for the sixties called, "You are what you eat."
[18:04]  Pebbles Hannya: Any thoughts about offering RL discounts to SLers ordering on you Web site Kal?
[18:04]  Znetlady: Exactly kim!
[18:04]  Kim Chihuly: any metrics for your success on teh island? (that's the stuff i teach about)
[18:04]  Pebbles Hannya: Some SL specific promotional code?
[18:04]  Kal Winkler: pebbles: they are their
[18:04]  Znetlady: distributed. lol
[18:04]  Kim Chihuly: success in SL i mean
[18:04]  Kal Winkler: use FOTVW at checkout for 15% off
[18:05]  Znetlady: Kal, this has been fun!!!
[18:05]  Pebbles Hannya: Well, you'll have made a sale from today's event :)
[18:05]  Znetlady: Thanks so much for meeting with us.
[18:05]  Kal Winkler: well then, time well spent :)
[18:05]  Kim Chihuly: austen - that doesn't sound good - i am macaroni and cheese! ewww<G>
[18:05]  Austen Scanlan: Yes, wasn't this a bit of fun.
[18:05]  Znetlady: lol!!!
[18:05]  Kim Chihuly: Thanks Kal!
[18:05]  Vorren Voltaire: I love the ideas. Looking forward to seeing what happens
[18:05]  Kal Winkler: have a great day / evening / night / whatever
[18:05]  Kal Winkler: and check out the contest on Costa Del Sol
[18:05]  Znetlady: Thanks Kal. I'll be in touch offline.
[18:06]  Znetlady: And I'll post this transcript -
[18:06]  Sparkle Dale: Thanks for sharing what your team is doing, Kal. I love the sharing and collaboration with biz in SL
[18:06]  Znetlady: maybe we'll get more volunteers for the parade.
[18:06]  Znetlady: I sense a grassroots effort already.
[18:06]  Pebbles Hannya: It sounds like a really fun event!
[18:06]  Austen Scanlan: Yes, Kal, you've been a real good sport. It takes courage.
[18:06]  Znetlady: We really appreciate your time, Kal.
[18:06]  Kal Winkler: nah
[18:06]  Znetlady: And being willing to be available to the SLBC members.
[18:06]  Sparkle Dale: I'll submit an entry into the parade Znet on behalf of TELUS.... let me know if it goes ahead.
[18:07]  Kal Winkler: so landmark for the contest is "Shops at Costa del Sol, Montserrat (190, 159, 22)"
[18:07]  Znetlady: Thanks everyone!
[18:07]  Sparkle Dale: /clap
[18:07]  Znetlady: Tell your friends about the contest
[18:07]  Kal Winkler: hope everyone enters their favorite snapshot
[18:07]  Pebbles Hannya claps
[18:07]  Geri Kuhn: Thanks for organizing it.
[18:07]  Vorren Voltaire: I know a few organizations that would go all out for that
[18:07]  Sparkle Dale: oops not activated lol
[18:07]  Znetlady: Thanks for coming everyone!
[18:08]  Sparkle Dale: Thanks Znetlady, as always for organizing us.
[18:08]  Znetlady: I'll be around a few more minutes - be sure to IM me iif you want me to put you on the parade list for Kal.
[18:08]  Pebbles Hannya: Yes, thanks Znetlady
[18:08]  Kal Winkler: bye everyone