Business Communicators of Second Life®

Virtual/RealWorld Custom Manufacturing Project: Double Happiness Jeans

It took me some digging to put all the pieces together, but this is just too fascinating not to have made the effort. 

Without a doubt Second Life is helping companies innovate products and processes - even though 2007 mainstream media was seemingly all about SL marketing efforts.  Often such innovation is being done inside organizations that are quietly tapping the collaborative, cost-saving virtuality of it all.    But Double Happiness Jeans is a public and shining example of the innovation potential of Second Life.  This is product innovation, design innovation, process innovation, business model innovation - and perhaps much more lying just below the surface.

Double Happiness Jeans are real world custom-made jeans that are "manufactured" virtually – and then delivered to your local Kinkos or Double Happiness Jeans express store location. The jeans are the product of the  Invisible Threads, project that explores telematic manufacturing through Second Life. 

The project is virtually replicating a RL assembly-line manufacturing facility, with ten manufacturing stations each correlating to a specification of the custom jean order.  The physical “just in time” inventory system allows customers to place an order for one of several styles of jeans with a live factory representative at a terminal.   The process then enters Second Life. 

Customers can watch their jeans being created in real time in the virtual factory via projection screens.  At the end of the manufacturing process the jeans are output on Tyvek material to a large-format printer in physical space.  With simple assembly the jeans are ready to wear. The manufacturing process takes about 20 minutes. 

Double Happiness Jeans is employing an “indentured servitude” model for its SL workers.  Workers will be given land (and Lindens) in exchange for their factory service over three months’ time, emphasizing the relationship of the exchange of real world dollars for virtual assets. 

From the Invisible Threads web page:

"At the start of each workday, workers will need to clock-in. The worker will then be assigned to a specific department and workstation and given a specialized task to perform. Just as in a real life factory, workers will be monitored by a department supervisor and be held accountable for their speed and efficiency and any production errors. The erratic flow of supply and demand and extenuating circumstances such as equipment failures and irrational dispositions may result in docked pay, layoffs and overtime."

Project collaborators and Double Happiness Jeans co-owners, Dr. Stephanie Rothenberg and Jeffrey Crouse of Eyebeam also hope to shed light on the politics of outsourced labor and the role of “play” in cultural production, according to Adam Elenbass over at Reality Sandwich.

The project will have a special debut at the Sundance Film Festival in the New Frontier Theater on Main Street in Park City, Utah January 17 – 27.  On-site sales staff in Park City will help you customize your jeans, or you may order your jeans on the web site through February 2008.

Double Happiness is currently hiring and training SL factory workers.  Check out their promotional video.

Eyebeam is supporting the project on their Second Life Island, and the profits from the project will be used to maintain the project and pay factory workers.

Double Happiness Jeans is located in SL here: secondlife://Eyebeam%20Island/204/43/27.

Questions come to mind: 

How might this disrupt the clothing manufacturing industry?

How might this open up unseen revenue opportunities for Kinkos?

What new businesses might develop to “receive” in the physical world that which was “manufactured” in virtual space?

Might this potentially impact equipment manufacturers in the future?

Edward Castronova’s book Exodus into the Virtual World dicusses the possible impacts on the economy when segments of the population are spending time and energy producing in virtual economies rather than real ones.  How might such virtual telematic workers impact economies, labor, laws, society?

Are you at least considering how practical virtuality might impact your business?

Is SL really just some cartoon interface?

December 31, 2007

Getting Involve: Name Change or Shape Shift?

The bit of a buzz around some mysterious “Involvium” last week proved to be the plot of a corporate name change story.  Interactive/metaverse agency Infinite Vision Media is now Involve, Inc.

I have to admit that I’ve known the back story for a while, so I’m coming at this from, well, a rather distant “sideliner’s” perspective.   Still, it is exciting when one catches a glimpse at a leader.

Drew Stein, founder and CEO of Infinite Vision Media-turned-Involve is a loyal reader of this blog (oh, bless you, Drew), and every once in a while we chat about something metaversial - exchanging thoughts on topics from virtual identity to social marketing.  He clued me into the name change earlier this summer.

I admit the new name sits well in my ears, since I’ve been emphasizing the concept of  “involvement” on this blog for a while as the means to successful virtual marketing initiatives (3d or otherwise). 

But from my perspective, within their name change Involve is articulating a fundamental mind-shift that marketers need to heed.

Involve’s corporate narrative is shifting the focus from “the sim” to “ the avatar.”  And that is where the virtual magic lies.

Involve’s campaign is nicely multi-layered, but more importantly, it is aimed straight at the heart of involvement.   They are walking the walk.

Let me backtrack a little to put this in context. 

Involve’s rollout campaign is centered around an augmented alternate realty game (ARG), in which a mysterious ‘company”(Involvium Energy Ventures) discovers somewhere in the metaverse the equally mysterious Involvium crystal. The crystal holds powerful energy properties – yet to be fully understood.  A freelance journalist (J.S. Tomorrow) is sent along on the latest Involvium Energy expedition to explore and report from the island within the Metaverse where Involvium was first discovered.  J.S. is filing expedition reports on her weblog.  The island and it’s various inhabitants seem to shape-shift, presumable due to the effects of the Involvium crystals.

Involvium Energy Ventures does not claim to know all the secrets of Involvium, but their early analysis of it has discovered three properties:

• Energy saturates the ether of the Metaverse
• Energy intensifies around people
• Energy currents are strongest between bonded or associated individuals

You can see the Involvium Energy Ventures website for more information and the promotional video contemplates the possibilities. Or see J. S. Tomorrow reportage.

So, here is my point.  The campaign itself is aimed at actually illustrating involvement –drawing one into a mixed reality fantasy that spans both the real world and the metaverse.  The messages underneath the fantasy are the corporate values (virtual strategies work best when focused on people/avatars).  An illustrative implementation is the story's island and blog – these are the places where the story will play out (with you, should you choose) – and where real and virtual mix.  The “shape shifting” island is both a story element as well as an outcome (with those who get involved and contribute to the evolving story).  More importantly, it is a metaphor for discovering the evolution of the metaverse and going beyond the known (or the predicatable).

The apparent message: this is what Involve is as well as where they hope to lead their clients’ initiatives. Toward involvement.

On the tactical side the initiative brought several “social media” into the mix to accomplish it’s goals: some Twittering; a little pre-announcement Pownce discussion; a micro web site; the expedition blog and the SL island where the ARG takes place; and the Involvium video. 

Personally, I think Involve has drawn an interesting line in the virtual world development sand.  I hope the ARG, and most especially the corporate narrative, play out.

August 26, 2007

Crowne Plaza Opens Place to Meet in Second Life

At the moment of rez, I was greeted by avatar, MaggieBrowning and was promptly escorted into the Theater Room and asked to sit on the left. “We’ll be starting in just a moment,” MaggieBrowning informed me.  I walked down the center aisle and sat in a front row seat.  The atmosphere was hushed and a little anticipatory.  The chairs were roomy and inviting and sitting on the stage in front of me were the five panelists facing the podium, clearly waiting to start the program.

Steve McGookin of Forbes Magazine soon took control of the podium as moderator of the program, “Leading Brands Summit on the Impact of Emerging Media.”  and with his opening words about the impact of emerging media  InterContinental Hotels Group launched The Place to Meet, their Second Life initiative and island.

The Leading Brands Summit held last Friday morning was excellent.  The assembled panel responded thoughtfully to some smart questions.  The panelists were the attraction and the topic delivered nicely:

• Henry Jenkins, Head of the Comparative Media Studies Department, MIT
• Del Ross, Vice President, Distribution Marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group
• Cory Van Arsdale, General Manager, Microsoft Online Services, New Business Integration
• Andrew Markowitz, Director, Digital Marketing & Media, Kraft Foods
• Michael Donnelly, Director Worldwide Interactive Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company

I have to say I think this is one of the smartest launches in Second Life to date.  But then I am also smack inside their target market.

To say the launch was quiet is beyond an understatement.  The event was invitation only, professional and dignified. But, more importantly, the whole thing just felt so right for ICH’s Crowne Plaza brand.

Del Ross, Vice President, Distribution Marketing for ICH managed to work in the fact that this event was indeed their SL launch, explaining that meeting offerings were a large part of what Crowne Plaza provides their RL customers (“the place to meet” is after all the brand’s tag line).  Thus, offering similar services seemed logical for them in SL.

As someone who holds regular business group meetings in SL, I have to admit it is a welcome service – and an approach that feels comfortable since it closely mirrors corporate meeting spaces in RL.  While there are many great meeting places available in SL, the approach here will feel in sync to corporate meeting planners.

Much of the island seems to be restricted to those on the access list.  I suspect this is to restrict access to only people who are there for meetings and which also ensures corporate meetings the security they need.  You can teleport to a small section of the island, however, and get a view of the facilities and grounds. 

The Theater Room where we gathered for the Emerging Media Summit event is only one of three areas specifically designed for professional meetings.  There is also the Executive Conference Room for small groups and the Lounge Room meant for social or casual meetings. The spaces accommodate groups of about 10, 20, or 30.  They each offer streaming video and audio capability and image (slide) projection.  And, according to Ross, staff is on hand in SL to assist you with meetings. I like the idea of a dedicated greeter being available and I hope that is part of the meeting space package.

But I think the best part is the SL Place To Meet website.  It is fully integrated into the Crowne Plaza RL website.  You can check availability of each of the Crowne Plaza SL meeting spaces there and reserve your time slot.    You will have to register on their website, but in doing so you get a dedicated page that lists your SL space reservations with dates and times.

Del Ross indicated the SL meeting space is being offered free of charge.

I’ll comment on some of the insights from the Emerging Media Summit discussion in a seperate post.  But I will say the topic of IHC's SL launch was not really even subtext to this launch event.  The panel discussion was focused on the advertised topic and I for one applaud IHC for providing an interesting event which allowed me to experience Place To Meet.

For those interested the island was developed by SpunLogic.

You can check out the Crowne Plaza SL website here.

Visit Place to Meet here.

Read the press release, see more photos, and get additional background information at the Crowne Plaza SL media site here.

July 1, 2007

S.Pellegrino Celebrates Opening of its Cafe Society in Second Life

If you've ever wanted to be part of the high-brow Italian art and club scene, come join in on Sanpellegrino's launch pool party in Second Life Tuesday, June 26 at 1:00 p.m. SLT (9:00 p.m. GMT).  Residents "who really know how to 'live in Italian'" are invited.  I visited the island last evening, Virtual Italian Parks, and I must say there is definitely a vibe going on - Italian, high-class, and oh so chic. 

During the event Sanpellegrino will also launch the Second Life Map of Stars, a free in-world navigation device to the top bars in Second Life.

Sanpellegrino is opening the Cafe Society with a vernissage to promote their two new sparkling adult beverages, as well as their sponsorship of the RL annual Cafe Society photographic competition. The recent RL event captured 35 of Melbourne, Australia's most exclusive cafes, photographed by students of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.  The top 12 images appear in the Cafe Society's annual calendar - and they will be featured in SL during Tuesday's vernissage event.

I chatted with avatar, and the project's manager, Betta Munro of Accenture, Italy who brought Sanpellegrino into Second Life.  Betta told me that Second Life is part of Accenture's marketing services offerings. Accenture corporate officially moved into SL last month with a tradeshow on the island, and appropriately sits next to one of my favorite SL places, Parioli.

But back to Sanpellegrino... . The Cafe Society event is the first in a series for S.Pellegrino that aims to promote new talents in design.   In my opinion, the brand - and the purpose of their SL initiative - is impeccably represented in their sim.  Even without partying avatars, and with almost no signage, it captures the brand experience.

The Sanpellegrino presence accomplishes what Playboy's should and does not - "an exclusive club, a chosen few" experience. This is a brand that knows who it is.

What is particularly interesting, is that while this space clearly invites in SL residents, it is a space intended to be used by Sanpellegrino for Sanpellegrino purposes and unapologetically doesn't try to be an SL resident destination.  A strategy; well-executed.

The Cafe Society exhibition will be open throughout the summer.  Visitors will get swag too - SL Murano glasses and some "sparkling" gadgets.

Learn more about S.Pellegrino's Cafe Society and their Design Arts & Lifestyle programs here. 

Visit Sanpellegrino SL, (and work the bar) here:  Virtual Italian Parks 17, 198, 43

June 23, 2007

SLBC Meeting Transcript: The Weather Channel

A big thank you goes out to The Weather Channels' Lawrence Pede, Sr. Manager, Corporate Development, for meeting with us and sharing his perspective on their Second Life presence and initiative.

We met at the welcome center, flew over to the beach to see the surfing area, then up the mountain to see the extreme skiing area.  Although the trip up the mountain was a bit dicey, we all eventually managed to re-group there for the balance of our discussion.  Below is the transcript of the entire meeting - there was lots of Q&A along the way. 

Welcome & Weather Channel Introduction
[12:06]  You: Everyone, this is Weather Merlin, aka Lawrence Pede of the Weather Channel Companies. Thank you so much for hosting us today!
[12:06]  Weather Merlin: My pleasure. thanks for coming!
[12:07]  You: Is it okay with everyone if I record the chat and post? any objections or want to be edited out?
[12:07]  You: If so, just IM me and I'll honor your wishes.
[12:07]  Weather Merlin: Great
[12:08]  You: Weather Merlin is going to tell us a bit about the island and then show us some of the activities here. It is great fun if you haven't been here before.
[12:08]  You: He will take questions, which we can do along the way so feel free - we'll try not to talk over each other, Weather.
[12:09]  Andy Evans: I went skiiing once in RL and went off a cliff... should be safer here!
[12:09]  Maryrose Mariani: lol it's not
[12:09]  Pagan Bishop: afraid not ;P
[12:09]  Andy Evans: hahaha
[12:09]  Weather Merlin: :)

Why is TWC in Second Life
[12:09]  You: So, please tells us why you came into SL and what is happening for TWC in SL, Weather!
[12:09]  Pebbles Hannya: I'm curious about the weather in SL generally. Do you know much about that Weather -- is it different here than everywhere else in SL?
[12:09]  Weather Merlin: Sure. Happy to.
[12:10]  Weather Merlin: We launched Weather Island primarily to promote a new show we launched in March called Epic Conditions
[12:11]  Weather Merlin: Our objectives were to pick a topic that we felt was right for the strengths that the SL platform provides and to develop something that residents would enjoy
[12:11]  Weather Merlin: An unofficial tag for Weather Island is Stay. Play. Watch
[12:12]  Weather Merlin: because the island is focused on 3 game like activities, skiing, surfing, and mountain biking and we have video scattered throughout the spacew
[12:12]  Ana Herzog: /has it been a successful? how do you measure that succes?
[12:13]  Xzavia Yifu: did you time this to coincide with sl's new 'weather' capabilities?
[12:13]  Chime Bellman: Weather, are you with TWC or with the agency that built this?

Thoughts on Success & Agency, Infinite Vision Media
[12:13]  Weather Merlin: It has been successful. We believe success for this project is best defined by the initial promotional support we received, about reenforcing our brand message (Bringing Weather to Life) and about connecting with consumers in a truly interactive way
[12:14]  Weather Merlin: And we believe we have done all that
[12:14]  Ana Herzog: :-)
[12:14]  Weather Merlin: We have been in the top 5 of the New World Notes ranking of real lworld brands in SL since we launched with the exception of last week when we were #6
[12:15]  Weather Merlin: And people continue to come to the island...without any promotion up until this point!
[12:15]  You: Weather was the concept developed internally?
[12:15]  Outbreak Fastback: may i ask how you gathered such information?
[12:15]  Weather Merlin: I saw a questioon before about whether I am from TWC...and yes I am.
[12:15]  Chime Bellman: `Thanks.
[12:15]  Chime Bellman: Who was your agency for this?
[12:16]  Weather Merlin: I work in the Corporate Strategy group
[12:16]  Weather Merlin: Our agency was Infinite Vision Media
[12:16]  Pagan Bishop: where do you find the New World Notes brand rankings?
[12:16]  Weather Merlin: Linda, please tell me your last question again.
[12:16]  Xzavia Yifu: was the timing for this planned to coincide with sl's new weather capabilites or was that just serendipitous?
[12:16]  Weather Merlin: Sorry trying to catch up!
[12:16]  You: Was the concept for the build developed internally?
[12:16]  Ana Herzog: You "got" SL. How did a corp group manage that?
[12:17]  Weather Merlin: Yes. We developed the concept internally. Strategy together with our Consumer Marketing group
[12:18]  You: New World Notes does a ranking every money.
[12:18]  You: Monday - ha what a slip.
[12:18]  Ana Herzog: LOL!
[12:18]  Outbreak Fastback: and this ranking could be found where?
[12:18]  Codeme Sands: Could you perhaps briefly explain what the weather channel in RL is? (For us Europeans)
[12:19]  Weather Merlin: Yes, it is the only source of such a comparison so until someone like Nielsen gets into the SL measurement game, there;'s not a lot to go on!
[12:19]  Weather Merlin: Sure happy to.
[12:20]  Weather Merlin: The Weather Channel is an independent media company with a cable television network distributed in 90 million homes, weather.com with over 30 millino unique visitors per month, mobile products, etc.
[12:20]  Codeme Sands: thats pretty sharp for the typing limits:) thanks
[12:20]  Xzavia Yifu: was the timing for this planned to coincide with sl's new weather capabilites or was that just serendipitous?
[12:21]  Albert Falck: it's a blog
[12:21]  Weather Merlin: I think the timing has been quite good!
[12:21]  Weather Merlin: Is that an ok explanation? :)
[12:21]  Albert Falck: from hamlet au
[12:21]  Heidi Sturm: New World Notes: : http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn
[12:21]  Andy Evans: yep
[12:21]  Andy Evans: thx
[12:21]  Andy Evans: What is New World Notes, where do we see it?
[12:22]  Weather Merlin: Should we take a tour or are there more initial questions?
[12:22]  You: Ana asks: You "got" SL. How did a corp group manage that?
[12:22]  Weather Merlin: Your call Linda
[12:22]  Weather Merlin: Sure...
[12:22]  You: Let's do a tour and then we can ask more along the way.
[12:23]  Weather Merlin: That is a good question. Perhaps a little luck in that we had the right content for SL and hopefully a little bit of just understanding the medium
[12:23]  Codeme Sands: very modest
[12:23]  Ana Herzog: so many corps that should have gotten it haven't Nike Coke....
[12:23]  Weather Merlin: Epic Conditions was the right content for this phase and SL provides an excellent platform with which to bring weather to life, if you will.
[12:24]  You: Would you mind sharing how you chose the agency who would do the build?
[12:25]  Weather Merlin: By the way, I am happy to accept friendship with anyone on my personal avatar, Larry Abruzzo.

Tour Begins - To the Beach! - And Weather in SL Questions
[12:25]  You: Shall we take a tour?
[12:25]  Weather Merlin: Sure.
[12:25]  You: We'll follow you Weather!
[12:25]  You: Where to first?
[12:25]  Pagan Bishop: need a tour bus ;P
[12:25]  Weather Merlin: How about the beach?
[12:28]  Albert Falck: ok here we are
[12:28]  You: I just love the surfing here!!
[12:28]  Maryrose Mariani: it is fun
[12:28]  Weather Merlin: Linda, how should we proceed?
[12:28]  You: Tell us what is available here and how someone can surf. please.
[12:28]  Weather Merlin: What is great is that you can do that in SL on Weather ISland!
[12:28]  Ana Herzog: did i miss the answer to who did the build and how you found them
[12:28]  Pagan Bishop: seems like the surfing area gets the majority of the traffic
[12:29]  Pebbles Hannya: What bits of the weather here were done for you and what parts are just the basic SL stuff -- for example those little puffy clouds going by...
[12:29]  Weather Merlin: ok. There are a few questions...we used IVM and yes the beach gets the majority of traffic on the island
[12:29]  Weather Merlin: We build our own dynamic weather systems for rain and snow
[12:30]  Weather Merlin: Precip happens randomly over the beach, desert, and mountain
[12:30]  Pebbles Hannya: And the wind?
[12:30]  Weather Merlin: The beach is all about surfing as you can see
[12:31]  Weather Merlin: We waves are supposed the biggest waves in SL and we hope to continue to improve them
[12:31]  Weather Merlin: Residents seem to love them and we want to keep those folks coming back
[12:31]  Weather Merlin: We also have video behind me and on similar screen throughout
[12:32]  You: You've used audio a lot on the island - why did you decide to incorporte that?
[12:32]  Weather Merlin: The video consists of clips from Epic Conditions and some other shows in our headquarters building on the pier
[12:32]  Weather Merlin: We used audio to incorporate our talent in a somewhat subtle way
[12:32]  Weather Merlin: If you know our television network, you may recognize several on air folks in the audio on Weather Island.
[12:33]  Weather Merlin: But we did not make a big deal of the fact that they are talent because we know it would only be meaningful to some folks in the US
[12:33]  Pebbles Hannya: Do you have any plans to stream you live content here?
[12:33]  Pebbles Hannya: *your
[12:33]  You: Does anyone want to give a surfing demonstration?
[12:34]  Albert Falck: yep znet make as see
[12:34]  Weather Merlin: It is a possibility but there are some issues to work out first
[12:34]  Weather Merlin: with streaming live that is.
[12:34]  Heidi Sturm: I can if you don't mind me surfing in heels
[12:34]  Maryrose Mariani: get your boards in the hut
[12:34]  You: Go Heidi!
[12:34]  Zeb Ewing shouts: Lilla !
[12:34]  Heidi Sturm: ok
[12:34]  Weather Merlin: There are free boards and wetsuits for everyone
[12:34]  Outbreak Fastback: May I ask the reason why you decided to join second life?
[12:35]  Maryrose Mariani: tthere goes Heidi
[12:35]  Maryrose Mariani: lol
[12:36]  Maryrose Mariani: I think we've lost the goup Z
[12:37]  Maryrose Mariani: Weather how can I get rain on my island?
[12:37]  Pagan Bishop: very nice :)
[12:37]  You: Thanks to Heidi!
[12:37]  Weather Merlin: We shoudl talk about that.
[12:37]  You: Shall we go on to the next area?
[12:38]  Weather Merlin: We are thkning about ways to offer other SL land owners and residents weather in various forms so I'd love to speak with anyone who is interested.
[12:38]  Heidi Sturm: So there you go, surfing!
[12:38]  Maryrose Mariani: I wou ld love to have some rain at the beach
[12:38]  Ana Herzog shouts: full sim ---- don't lose us
[12:38]  You: Thanks Heidi, well done!
[12:38]  Chime Bellman: do you need a towel?
[12:38]  Weather Merlin: So then, shall we fly to the mountain?
[12:39]  You: lol
[12:39]  Pagan Bishop: mountain next, or desert?
[12:39]  You: Mountains we'll follow you!

On the Mountain - and Comments on Lessons Learned
[12:40]  Weather Merlin: Inside the cabin is more video and the free skiis if anyone wants it.
[12:40]  Weather Merlin: Behind the cabin is our ski lift which is very cool.
[12:41]  Weather Merlin: What is the group interested in seeing?
[12:41]  Weather Merlin: The mountain top, desert, ski lift, etc
[12:41]  Pebbles Hannya: Ski lift :)
[12:42]  Albert Falck: let's begin with the ski lift
[12:42]  Noneget Barnes: :>
[12:42]  Weather Merlin: Great ski lift it is
[12:42]  Codeme Sands: and maybe throw in an avalanche:)
[12:42]  Weather Merlin: One cool thing is...at the top of this tower is a weather vane that actually measures wind speed SL.
[12:43]  Albert Falck: cool
[12:44]  Weather Merlin: So this is the ski lift...and attraction itself.
[12:44]  Codeme Sands: love the sound effects
[12:44]  Weather Merlin: if you touch the button behind me and then sit and touch the chair, the ride wil start. Its a bit long so you might want to stand up and fly to the top
[12:45]  Pagan Bishop: looks like you can also touch the sign here to get to the top
[12:45]  Weather Merlin: That is one of the great details that our developers at IVM provided for us
[12:45]  Outbreak Fastback: are you ok sir?
[12:48]  Weather Merlin: So we have audio up from one of our talent
[12:48]  Weather Merlin: and three trials of varying degrees of difficulty
[12:48]  Chime Bellman: this is a huge ski lift
[12:48]  Rissa Maidstone: This is really great.
[12:48]  Weather Merlin: although all of them are pretty challenging!
[12:49]  Rissa Maidstone: I think I'll bring our InfoWeek group here sometime.
[12:49]  Codeme Sands: now how to get off elegantly;)
[12:49]  Weather Merlin: My apologies if I am not seeing everyone's questions
[12:50]  Weather Merlin: I am trying to keep up
[12:50]  You: Sorry I got delayed so I couldn't keep up. Please ask again.
[12:50]  Ana Herzog: can we get a notecard of question and answers. i've missed the last 5 minutes
[12:50]  Weather Merlin: Any questions at this point?
[12:50]  You: Yes, ana.
[12:50]  Maryrose Mariani: Z will pose the log on the web site
[12:50]  Pagan Bishop: now may as good a time as any to ask,
[12:51]  Weather Merlin: The noise you hear is supposed to be an avalanche
[12:51]  Ana Herzog: which web site?
[12:51]  Codeme Sands: 'serious injury' ouch!;)
[12:51]  You: I love the sound effects, but I've not quite mastered the skiing.
[12:51]  Chime Bellman: let me get my umbrella
[12:51]  Maryrose Mariani: lol I've been caughtinone o f those here
[12:51]  Weather Merlin: The skiing is pretty difficult
[12:51]  Pagan Bishop: I'm curious what some of the lessons learned in coming to SL and doing this project were for TWC
[12:51]  Weather Merlin: Lessons learned...
[12:51]  Rissa Maidstone: Good question.
[12:52]  Weather Merlin: That there is a lot to do in Second Life and not a very effective way to finding all of it
[12:52]  Pagan Bishop: and also, what parts were you most happy with in the result?
[12:52]  Maryrose Mariani: too true
[12:52]  Albert Falck: yes true
[12:53]  Weather Merlin: That there are many things that people and companies create in SL but only some truly effectively use the medium for its strengths
[12:53]  Joachim Liveoak: So what do you think is most effectve then?
[12:53]  You: Hve you gotten any direct feedback from people in SL, those using the island?
[12:53]  Ana Herzog: and you are successful, so without any proprietary divulging, what is your secret
[12:53]  Rissa Maidstone: Good point, Weather, couldn't agree more.
[12:53]  Weather Merlin: And that SL is certainly a peak into what is to come for the internet and interaction with content in general

Comments on Promotion/Community
[12:53]  Mikki Writer: How has TWC been promoting this? Only in SL or in RL too?
[12:54]  Weather Merlin: I see the last question
[12:54]  Joachim Liveoak: Yes. I've already heard it called 'web 3.0'
[12:54]  Weather Merlin: We have not been promoting it at all until this point
[12:55]  Weather Merlin: We will be launching a custom registration page for Weather Island on epic. weather.com in the very near future and starting to run on-air promos
[12:55]  Weather Merlin: What were the two other questions?? sorry!
[12:55]  Chime Bellman: oops
[12:55]  You: and you are successful, so without any proprietary divulging, what is your secret
[12:55]  Chime Bellman: fell off the mountain
[12:55]  Chime Bellman: you were not kidding
[12:55]  Codeme Sands: How did you search for a technical company?
[12:55]  Weather Merlin: Our secret?? Good question
[12:55]  Pagan Bishop: another question was, what were you most pleased with in how the project turned out?
[12:56]  Weather Merlin: I think, again, that we simply picked an appropriate use for the SL medium and that we are appealing to groups that are already established in SL, like surfers.
[12:56]  Weather Merlin: There is actually a large subculture of Sl surfers and we want to give groups like that a great place to be
[12:57]  You: Have you gotten any direct feedback from people in SL, those using the island?
[12:57]  Pagan Bishop: that explains why the traffic at the beach is so high then I'm guessing
[12:57]  Weather Merlin: We have built in a "comment box" feature throughout the space to gather visitors' feedback and it has been largely positive
[12:58]  Maryrose Mariani: lol
[12:58]  Dragan Milev: think it has been asked before, how did you search for a development company?
[12:58]  Weather Merlin: I took a look at about 5 companies and did a simple RFP for the project
[12:58]  You: Pagan Bishop: another question was, what were you most pleased with in how the project turned out?
[12:58]  Pagan Bishop: Z, I think he already spoke to that one :)
[12:58]  Pagan Bishop: thanks
[12:59]  You: sorry...
[12:59]  Weather Merlin: We went with the group who showed the most passion for our concept and could deliver onbudget and on time of course!
[12:59]  Mikki Writer: can you share what the budget was?
[12:59]  Weather Merlin: It was a very fast process though...RFP to launch in about 6 weeks.
[12:59]  You: whoa - that is fast.
[12:59]  Weather Merlin: I would rather not
[12:59]  Mikki Writer: k
[12:59]  Codeme Sands: 6 weeks!!!
[13:00]  Heidi Sturm: Weather, you said a 'custom registration' on epic.weather.com. Are you meaning a custom introduction via TWC into Second Life (similar to Showtime's L Word)?
[13:00]  Pebbles Hannya: Is there a plan for how it will evolve over time?
[13:00]  Joachim Liveoak: How many developers to do this in 6 weeks?
[13:00]  Dragan Milev: just what i wanted to ask, how many developers
[13:00]  Weather Merlin: The custom reg wil be like Showtime's, yes.
[13:00]  You: You have an orientation island here, yes?
[13:00]  Heidi Sturm: great, thanks for the clarification.
[13:00]  Weather Merlin: I am not sure how many IVM had working on it, to be honest.
[13:01]  Weather Merlin: We have a very small orientation island that we might have to enhance before we launch the registration page
[13:01]  Rissa Maidstone: Can you divulge how much you spent for the development and production of the island?
[13:01]  Weather Merlin: I would rather not, rissa.
[13:01]  Rissa Maidstone: hehe ok
[13:01]  Rissa Maidstone: had to ask!
[13:01]  Dragan Milev: ballpark?
[13:01]  Weather Merlin: Of course!
[13:01]  You: Pebbles Hannya: Is there a plan for how it will evolve over time?
[13:01]  Rissa Maidstone: yes a ballpark...or range would work
[13:02]  Weather Merlin: Less than $1M. :)
[13:02]  Pagan Bishop: lol

Goals in Second Life
[13:02]  Joachim Liveoak: Is Weather Channel clear on what it hopes to get out of SL? If so what?
[13:02]  Codeme Sands: lol
[13:02]  Weather Merlin: Perhaps off line?
[13:02]  Weather Merlin: Our goals?
[13:02]  Joachim Liveoak: yes
[13:03]  Weather Merlin: Right now, we are here to understand SL consumers better, virtual worlds and the opportunities they might present TWC, and perhaps offer partners and advertisers a way to try out something new
[13:04]  Weather Merlin: We were one of the first on the web with weather.com, in a truly scalable way and we tried to be one of the first in a virtual world like SL
[13:04]  You: How do you see advertisers integrating here.
[13:04]  Pebbles Hannya: Ads on the lift posts like in RL ;)
[13:04]  Weather Merlin: Not sure about that yet but not in traditional ways
[13:05]  Weather Merlin: we do not want to put up billboards and the like but could have a virtual sunscreen product for example
[13:05]  Maryrose Mariani: ski equipment
[13:05]  Majuscule Munro: has there been any consideration for event sponsorship, weather?
[13:05]  Albert Falck: LOL
[13:05]  Weather Merlin: Or an SUV challenge in teh desert
[13:05]  Weather Merlin: An event on our island?
[13:06]  Pagan Bishop: wasn't there a surf competition here a while back
[13:06]  Joachim Liveoak: Maybe you could sell wether packages for other sims?
[13:06]  Majuscule Munro: or a way to liaise with other organizations. sundance channel has a sim that is screening films on global warming, for example
[13:06]  Weather Merlin: there was. we sponsored the "prize money" for it
[13:07]  Albert Falck: or bringing him other biz interested in selling and creating equipment for ur entertainement
[13:07]  Pagan Bishop: how'd that go?
[13:07]  Weather Merlin: The surfing contest was great. We had lots of people here...by SL standards
[13:07]  Weather Merlin: And the contestants enjoyed the waves
[13:07]  Weather Merlin: we hope to do more of these events

Wrap Up and Thanks
[13:07]  You: We are past our promnised hour - so before we wrap the "formal" meeting can you share any future plans?
[13:07]  Mikki Writer: why did you decide to go after the extreme sports demo as opposed to broader demos? do you feel that better typifies SL users?
[13:09]  Weather Merlin: We are past the hour and i have another meeting. I'm sorry. I didn';t realize the time.
[13:09]  Weather Merlin: i woudl love to continue the conversation and answer other questions. My email is lpede@weather.com
[13:09]  Joachim Liveoak: Thanks for the hour Weather
[13:09]  You: Thanks so much!!! This was very interesting, Weather.
[13:09]  Maryrose Mariani: Thank you Weather
[13:09]  Codeme Sands: Really interesting... :) thanks.. we could do with another hour (or 10!)
[13:09]  Heidi Sturm: This has been really enlightening - thanks Weather!
[13:10]  Weather Merlin: Sorry that I have to run. And thansk for coming. I would love to know who was here, if that is possible, linda
[13:10]  You: Yes, Weather. Will do.
[13:10]  Outbreak Fastback: A great tour indeed. Good job sir
[13:10]  Maryrose Mariani: if anyone hasn't done the biking, that is also fun.
[13:10]  Weather Merlin: Sure. Thanks all! I have to run. My apologies again
[13:10]  Dragan Milev: thank you...
[13:10]  Ana Herzog: Thank you!
[13:10]  Albert Falck: tk u very very much
[13:11]  You: Thanks everyone! We didn't make it to the biking area, but stop by there - it is fun too.
[13:11]  Albert Falck: lol I will not miss
[13:11]  Codeme Sands: Thanks for an excellent event Z
[13:11]  You: I think getting everyone up the mountain was quite an ordeal. lol
[13:11]  Rissa Maidstone: thank you all, was great
[13:11]  Albert Falck: thank to u too znetlady
[13:11]  Ana Herzog: wonderful!
[13:11]  Heidi Sturm: Z, I'll try to send you what chat I have
[13:11]  You: I'll post it - and I think we should have a beach party here. lol

Party planning and extreme sports activities by avatars ensues....

Thanks to Heidi Sturm whose transcript helped fill in what I missed!

June 13, 2007

1-800-Flowers Opens Pavilion in Second Life

This Second Island  is hosting 1-800-Flowers.com pavilion and greenhouse, featuring flower facts and seven free bouquets for residents to carry away.  They held a launch party on June 1st, according to their blog.

On Friday, June 15th, 1800Flowers.com founder and CEO, Jim McCann, will kick off a planned series of events with a roundtable discussion at 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. SLT.  A floral design contest is slated for July and a series of focus groups with residents will guide the future of Flowers in SL.

The promotional pavilion and greenhouse is dubbed “Summer Flower Show” and residents are being invited to consider it open for small group events and gatherings.

According to their announcement, 1-800-Flowers has representatives and nearly two-dozen volunteers available in world to dispense flower knowledge or handle limited real life customer service issues.  The plan is to have the area staffed from 3-9 p.m. SLT weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  The blog indicates the staffing is planned only through June 30th.  They are likely still getting their staffing up, as I was there a little after noon today (Saturday) and didn’t find any 800-Flowers.com people to chat up.   

SL marketing agency, This Second Marketing brought 800-Flowers.com into Second Life and is handling the recruitment and training of the Flowers volunteers, who will travel the grid promoting the new space, in addition to greeting and guiding. It appears from a hiring announcement near This Second Marketing's offices on the island that promoters and greeters will be paid for their resident-facing services.

[update 6-13-07]  Seth Lasser, Director of Special Projects/Assistant to the CEO, of 1800Flowers.com was nice enough to contact me after reading this post to answer questions and provide me a bit more information.  We chatted by phone yesterday about their SL initiative and he clarified a few things for me.

Staffing at the sim is being handled by a "volunteer army" of employees who are quite enthusiastic about the SL presence.  Staffing is currently planned only through June. 

800Flowers is looking at this initiative as a new path to innovation, primarily because they can be close to customer interaction.  Customer interaction has been a core activity of the company, according to Lasser, and has been at the heart of many past innovations at 800Flowers.

While the company is spending time listening in order to decide on next steps, they already view the initiative as successful based on the number of visitors to the virtual shop, which has already exceeded their expectations. And, they do have future plans in this arena.  Lasser said they are considering entering other virtual worlds. [end update]

Visit the 1-800-Flowers Second Life pavilion here.

The 1-800-Flowers.com Second Life microsite is here.

The initiative blog is here.

The press release is here.

June 9, 2007

Whimsy, Women, and Wheels: Ask Patty in Second Life

AskPatty.com officially launches their automotive haven for women in Second Life on May 11th, but it is open to all now.  I have to admit the $50,000 automotive spending spree got my attention – and that’s not Linden dollars.

It is a thoroughly charming and whimsical build on a corner of Pontiac’s Motorati Island, built by women intended for women and about all things automotive. 

Jody Devere, president of AskPatty.com, as well as the president of Women’s Automotive Association International waves away the notion that car culture is just a guy thing in an interview about their SL strategy over on the Diva Marketing Blog.

The build and promotional machinima were created by Osprey Therian.  The free instructions on how to drive a car in Second Life is a thoughtful touch.

I hope AskPatty brings as much into Second Life as they get underway as they have brought to the web.

Catch the machinima here.

The press release is here.

AskPatty web site is here.

AskPatty in Second Life is at: Ride 22,209,29

May 5, 2007

The Weather Channel Second Life Island: Seriously Fun

I may be late to the party in reporting on The Weather Channel’s Second Life Headquarters and Epic Conditions simulation but frankly, I’ve been busy surfing.

Second Life may be called Seriously Engaging, but TWC’s Epic Conditions is Seriously Fun.   It is an excellent realization of the pairing of the unique capabilities of the virtual world and a content brand.

Built by virtual world developers Infinite Vision Media, this first phase in the virtual space is to promote the premier of  TWC’s new series, Epic Conditions, where extreme sports meet ideal conditions.   And, by measure of a Google search on “Epic Conditions” I’d say it has done the job particularly well – almost all the results reference the opening of the SL sim rather than the series alone. 

SL presence aside for a moment, The Weather Channel teamed with Warren Miller Productions, known for their extreme sports features, to create the new series which debuted on The Weather Channel on March 4th.  In researching for the show, the series developers say they found viewers wanted to learn about “the science and spectacle of weather conditions and unique geographic locations affecting sports”: 

“Through vivid storytelling, this series effectively demonstrates what happens when the perfect weather conditions meet the perfect sporting activity,”

Enter Second Life.  Epic Conditions sims employ – well, simulations for an experiential aspect of that storytelling – weather teamed with extreme biking, surfing and skiing.  And thanks to the scripting, some of the most experienced in-world sports creators and the SL physics engine – it’s extremely fun.   A lot of LOL heard about here.

More importantly, it is a very memorable way to introduce Second Lifers to the show, its purpose, and its content.

I tried everything.  I learned I’m a really bad skier, a moderately talented biker – but surfing…oh yeah!  That's me sitting so sweetly in that curl….

In each of the venues there is free gear – which you need.  Not only do you look the part, but the equipment has all the necessary scripting to make the experience meaningful – and fairly easy for the keyboard-movement challenged.

While the surfing for this native California beach girl is a little addicting, the ski lift is probably the most experiential of all.  After you call the chair and sit in it, your view is forced into mouselook.  The combination of this first-person point-of-view and movement up the ski lift with snow swirling gives you a real sensation of heading to the top of the mountain.   I didn’t make it down quite as smoothly, however.

There is just a smattering of educational content at present, but Drew Stein of Infinite Vision Media tells me phase II will bring more weather education to the sim, and phase III will include new simulation content.  There is an auditorium for group viewing of the TV shows, and there are also a couple of screens tucked away in more intimate spaces, like the Watering Hole in the mountain bike region. The sim is using the audio channel for some effective voice over.  I was warned of an impending avalanche just as I was heading down the mountain, for example.

Better ways to communicate to new visitors is needed, including general orientation to the space at the island’s landing spot.  Although the island does include a nice "help island"  type area to practice basic avatar navigation skills. I was asked by a couple of new comers what the place was (with a little help they caught on quickly, as I met up with them again at the bike shop), and some better explanation (outside of the notecards) on how to acquire the gear would go a long way to those less familiar with SL inventory conventions.   I helped a couple get bikes and learn how to get started.  This points to a need for – my mantra – staffing of the space. 

The growth of SL means more and more of the population is new and retention at both an individual sim and in SL in general is important to the return on the brand experiments here.  The best way to do that is with people combined with engaging experiences such as Epic Conditions.  People encourage others to try the experiences - and to stay and play.  That said, there are avatars playing here.

The Weather Channel is as close as they come to using Second Life for what it is good for. 

Overhead coming from a group of nearby avatars while resting on my board in the surf: 

OMG LMAO.

Read the official press release here.

Weather Island is located at Weather 142/162/27.

March 18, 2007

SL Business Communicators Meet with BMW in Second Life

In early December BMW quietly opened their sim in Second Life.  Around that time I met up with Munich Express, also known as Achim Muellers, Head of Brand Relations and Cooperations at BMW, who spoke a bit about their interest in Second Life.

It is best described in his own words: 

“...we try to focus on the residents - get in touch with them, get their views. We're fascinated. I mean this is user generated content at its best.”

At that meeting Munich generously agreed to meet the SL Business Communicators Group in-world and the following is a transcript of that meeting held today on BMW New World.  He took questions for over an hour and was extremely generous with both his time and information.

So generous, in fact Munich has agreed to meet with us again, and I’ve promised him next time he can do some of the questioning.  Join the in-world group, SL Business Communicators to get announcements of this and other upcoming meetings, presentations or classes.  Links to all meeting transcripts are also included on the group wiki.

I’ve included snapshots of the BMW build I took while the sim was still under construction -  as well as a few from the group meeting today.  As always – general hellos and goodbyes have been edited out.

We Waste No Time

Welcome to BMW New World whispers:
[8:55]  Munich Express: hi there
[8:55]  You: The crowd is gathering. We have a full house today.
[8:55]  Maryrose Mariani: Yes I saw where there was a waiting list
[8:55]  You: I think we managed to get everyone in - a couple people couldn't make it.
[8:56]  You: Because of a change of plans.
[8:56]  Munich Express: as i said before, i'm more than happy to do a follow-up on this meeting for those that couldn't make it
[8:56]  You: I think we'll take you up on that Munich. It is very generous of you.
[8:57]  Munich Express: ok, i don't have a powerpoint presentation with me so how about a straight q&a?
[8:57]  You: Sounds good. I'm sure we have plenty of the Q's.
[8:57]  Munich Express: ihope i have the right a's
[8:57]  You: lol
[8:57]  You: I'm sure you do!
[8:58]  Munich Express: who volunteers to do the icebreaker then?
[8:58]  You: Would you like us to sit or just gather here?
[8:59]  Munich Express: whatever you prefer - standing makes it a bit more relaxed and avatars don't become tired from what i understand
[8:59]  You: Okay sounds good.
[8:59]  Lukas Chadbourne: First off could you please state your position with BMW? :-)
[8:59]  You: While we are waiting for everyone ...
[8:59]  You: I was just going to do an introduction - but Munich you are on ...

Munich Speaks to BMW’s SL Strategy

[8:59]  Munich Express: sure: I’m in charge of brand relations and cooperations and in what we call marketing innovations
[9:00]  You: Munich will you talk for a moment about BMW's ideas of coming into SL and a bit of the history first?
[9:01]  Munich Express: sure. we've been following this for quite some time now, as a matter of fact there was no way of avoiding sl :) last year in the press
[9:01]  Munich Express: we then recognized the potential - i mean this is consumer generated content at its best and decided to come in
[9:02]  You: Has it met your expectations?
[9:03]  Munich Express: i guess everybody has a different strategy - our's was to come in, talk and learn from the residents - that's one of the reasons we're meeting today
[9:03]  You: Please jump in with questions if you have them - this is informal.
[9:03]  You: Why did the idea of consumer generated media make you want to be here?
[9:04]  Munich Express: because we're convinced that this is the future, actually it's here already. companies will have to come to terms with that
[9:04]  Soluna Sassoon: what is your long term goals here?
[9:05]  Munich Express: step one is to understand exactly what is going on,get to know what the residents are looking for and then come up with win-winactivities
[9:05]  Davee Commerce: How do you expect users to contribute - and what are you doing to ensure their contributions fit in with the brand?
[9:06]  JimmyJet Fossett: Munich, do you plan to offer product demos here? Went to a motorcycle expo on Sat. and loved sitting on some of your fine BMW bikes?
[9:06]  Munich Express: consumer contributions could focus on experiences surrounding the product for example
[9:07]  Soluna Sassoon: so you are planning to distribute/sell your vehicles in world?
[9:07]  Munich Express: as far as actual product demo’s in-world are concerned, we believe that the programs provided so far don't allow us to create what we would call a driving experience
[9:08]  Soluna Sassoon: that was my next question :)
[9:08]  Soluna Sassoon: what needs to change to make second life a better engine for your product?
[9:08]  Cal Gemini: so the Nissan cars inworld right now aren't your idea of the driving experience you want to portray?
[9:08]  Munich Express: as far as retail is concerned, that may become an issue, but not today
[9:10]  Munich Express: right at this point in time there's a definite trade-off: if you want to do a good design, like to showcars that we have here, you need many individual parts. if you have a product composed of many parts, you can't really move it around or drive it
[9:10]  Munich Express: be a bit patient with me - we drive fast but type slow:)
[9:11]  Swirler Giles: do you see SL affecting BMW either as a whole (or in part) or merely BMW seeing SL as another "vehicle" to another market?
[9:11]  Cal Gemini: :)
[9:11]  Munich Express: i thnk there's more to sl than that: 3d combined with the creative element will force others to react

Intellectual Property

[9:12]  Nobody Fugazi: Regarding intellectual property and copyright... how does BMW feel about mimicry within SecondLife? For example, I have a 'BMW' motorcycle in my inventory that I'm pretty sure BMW didn't make. Is that something BMW will encourage within SL?
[9:12]  Munich Express: we'll have to take a look at it - how it's done and may be talk to the creator to check if and what could be done together
[9:13]  Nobody Fugazi: gave you one. :-)
[9:13]  You: Do you see allowing SL creators to mashup something with BMW?
[9:13]  Munich Express: thanks for the bike, i'll test it after our meeting and get in touch with you
[9:13]  Nobody Fugazi: (I didn't make it.)
[9:13]  Komuso Tokugawa: ask for 10%
[9:13]  Munich Express: do you know who did?
[9:14]  Swirler Giles: it will be on the info
[9:14]  You: and how do you plan to engage audiences here?
[9:14]  Soluna Sassoon: you can tell that by pulling it out and trying to edit it
[9:14]  Munich Express: 10% of what?
[9:14]  Nobody Fugazi: nope. It's a freely distributed motorcycle.
[9:14]  Komuso Tokugawa: joke;-)
[9:14]  Sparkle Dale: You can just check properties while in inventory to see creator.
[9:15]  Munich Express: we have several ideas about that: becoming part of communities like yours, developing our own and "learning by doing"
[9:15]  Davee Commerce: How well do others in BMW understand what you are tyring to do?
[9:15]  JimmyJet Fossett: So you are here for learning, some branding, and what are near and future virtual world plans if you can think out that much?
[9:15]  Munich Express: well the're catching on some faster than others
[9:16]  Munich Express: i believe that george bernard shaw once said "all great truths begin as blasphemies" that statement got soemthing

Some Car  & Technology Talk

[9:16]  You: Munich you opened this sim without a lot of fanfare - very quietly in fact in December.
[9:16]  You: Why did you do it so quietly?
[9:17]  Komuso Tokugawa: it seems this sim is focused on promoting the BMW Clean Energy website..could you elaborate a little more on that please?
[9:17]  Munich Express: yes we did - in the second half of last year, we had the impression that at times the expected pr hype was more important than the involvement as such
[9:18]  Munich Express: that's definitely not what we want to communicate
[9:18]  Swirler Giles: What things, if any, do you feel are lacking from SL, as it stands now?
[9:18]  Swirler Giles: besides the vehcle prim limitations you mentioned
[9:18]  Cal Gemini: Munich, will you build SL representations of your vehicle manufacturing sites or showrooms ?
[9:19]  Munich Express: what we would love to see are improvements in the technology provided - to enable everybody to create better things
[9:19]  Munich Express: sorry i think i missed the last question
[9:19]  You: it seems this sim is focused on promoting the BMW Clean Energy website..could you elaborate a little more on that please?
[9:19]  Komuso Tokugawa: it seems this sim is focused on promoting the BMW Clean Energy website..could you elaborate a little more on that please?
[9:19]  Kamichat Watson: Will teh fact that teh code is open source now help with that?
[9:20]  Munich Express: yes i can, but just a short intro. i think that would be a perfect topic for a separate session with some of our clean energy experts
[9:20]  Munich Express: if that's ok with you
[9:20]  You: Sure :-)
[9:20]  Komuso Tokugawa: sure..and bring a mechanic too if you could...I've got some squeeking in my joints
[9:21]  You: Why did you decide to focus on the Clean Fuel vehicle here?
[9:21]  Munich Express: yeah i'll bring the mechanic
[9:21]  Komuso Tokugawa: ty!
[9:21]  Soluna Sassoon slides some oil to komuso
[9:21]  Komuso Tokugawa: grazi!
[9:22]  Munich Express: we believe that clean energy or our hydrogen concept is the future of mobility - doesn't sound very modest, i know
[9:22]  Greater Goode: Munich, one argument I hear about hydrogen is that its a red herring - its perhaps 10 years down the road where the infrastructure can accomodate it. This despite the fact that we need to switch to alternative fuels very soon.
[9:23]  Greater Goode: What else is BMW working on, i.e. fuel cells, etc. that will work with existing infrastructure?
[9:23]  Munich Express: you are right - it is a bit down the road and it can only work if everybody cooperates: the car industry, the enrgy providers and politics of course
[9:24]  Munich Express: we dicided to start now, because the development process take time for one and we felt the need to start an initiative to get things going
[9:24]  Soluna Sassoon: thats true
[9:24]  Swirler Giles: you have to start sometime
[9:25]  You: Do you view the creativity and minds here in SL may contribute?
[9:25]  Greater Goode: do car manufacturers, then, feel pressure from Big Oil to invest in certain technologies and not others? In other words, Who Killed The Electric Car?
[9:25]  Munich Express: as far as other solutions are concerned -like hybrids for example - we are convinced that his can not be a final solution
[9:25]  Nobody Fugazi: hmm. Have you seen the Tesla Roadster? You could look at that too. http://www.teslamotors.com/ ;-)
[9:26]  Munich Express: the electric car isn't necessarily dead - but it's important to check how the electricity is created if it's with fossile materials, it's not really a win
[9:26]  Greater Goode: ah, but what's hydrogen created with?
[9:26]  Munich Express: yes i've seen the tesla - interesting concept
[9:26]  Swirler Giles: lol
[9:27]  Swirler Giles points to the chart of elements
[9:27]  Soluna Sassoon: lol
[9:27]  Komuso Tokugawa: yeah..that's a little technical hurdle under development still!
[9:27]  Lukas Chadbourne: :-)
[9:27]  Munich Express: there is a natural hydrogen cycle, but that's one explanation that i'd love to leave to the experts, if that's ok with you

Using Second Life

[9:28]  Ludwig Stapleton: will bmw be using sl for training purposes munich?
[9:28]  Ludwig Stapleton: staff training i mean
[9:28]  Sparkle Dale: Would you see SL as a way of hosting events on such topics? And bring in the experts on particular subject matter?
[9:28]  Munich Express: funny you should ask that, because that is one of the things that we are definitely looking into
[9:28]  Munich Express: events, panels yeah we will be doing that.
[9:29]  Munich Express: actually i have set up a group - if you're intterested in joining just drop me an im after this meeting and i'll send you an invite
[9:30]  Munich Express: very soon we will host panel discussions and bring in other bmw experts as well - hopefully they type better than i do
[9:30]  You: Sl is often referred to as a wiki - will you be using it for open collaboration?
[9:30]  MSGiro Grosso: Munich, are there any plans to tie your SL experience into your dealer network to set up appts for service, test drives, etc?
[9:30]  Kamichat Watson: So, you are looking to use SL as more of a discussion vehicle than a brading excercise?
[9:30]  Kamichat Watson: branding
[9:31]  Montgomery Silverstar: From a PR and Marketing perspective, how does BMW envision using SL in its marketing mix?
[9:31]  Munich Express: so far everything is wide open. we just have to make sure that we use every platform where it's best and not as an "aspirin", if you know what i mean
[9:32]  Munich Express: sl is great to get very honest feedback - more honest than in any focus group - that's one important feature
[9:32]  Davee Commerce: thats an interesting comment
[9:32]  Soluna Sassoon: why do you feel you are getting more honest feedback in Second Life rather than focus groups?
[9:33]  Munich Express: the other and that's a bit of a vision of mine is to create experiences that can't be created in the real world
[9:33]  Munich Express: well in a focus group, you sort of know what's expected from you - that's a bit sarcastic, i know
[9:33]  Munich Express: my impression in second life is that the residents are more extroverted and honest about their feelings
[9:34]  Sparkle Dale: more anonymous
[9:34]  Swirler Giles: or atleast more vocal :)
[9:34]  Greater Goode: Munich, I'd like to see this place be less of a showroom, and more of an energy pavilion, where BMW can show different types of Clean(er) Energy being researched and deployed. For example, are there BMW bio-diesel trucks on the road?
[9:34]  Munich Express: well first of all we don't build or offer trucks at all
[9:36]  Munich Express: secondly and that's a great feature of sl as well is that we could basically change the structure overnight. so if we get solid feedback from the residents telling us what they would like, we'll see what we can do
[9:36]  Greater Goode: fair 'nuff.
[9:36]  You: Who at BMW besides you spends time in SL?
[9:37]  Munich Express: at the beginning it took some convincing that sl is not a game - administrators have a problem with that.
[9:37]  Munich Express: now more and more are coming on board, not only from marketing but also r&d
[9:37]  JimmyJet Fossett: Which build on at what level in BMW is this effort supported, and how do the higherups feel about it?
[9:38]  Komuso Tokugawa: How do you feel using this as a business platform with the current stability of sl? or do you see it as more early stage market research?
[9:38]  Munich Express: innovation being an important part of our brand identity means that the support is there . we've been given the time to develop this as an innovation project
[9:39]  Kamichat Watson: I am liking the idea of using SL as sort of focus group, albeit without any of the controls we usually put on it
[9:40]  Munich Express: we think that this can really work, for us the great advantage that we could sort of pilot stuff in sl before launch
[9:40]  You: Not to miss Komuso's question ...How do you feel using this as a business platform with the current stability of sl? or do you see it as more early stage market research?
[9:41]  Munich Express: i think the platform is stable and growing. once the initial hype is gone, the 'believers' will stay on board and move it forward. a lot more potential than market reserach
[9:41]  You: Cisco would like to get corporations together to discuss security with Linden Lab. Do you have security concerns?
[9:42]  Munich Express: security at this point in time no
[9:42]  JimmyJet Fossett: You should!
[9:42]  Munich Express: it depends on what you do i guess
[9:42]  Munich Express: why do you say that?
[9:42]  Nobody Fugazi: I think buying a BMW with Lindens is a bit far in the future. O.o
[9:43]  moo Money: =O
[9:43]  You: Communication in SL is not private for example.
[9:43]  Munich Express: i agree with that
[9:43]  Swirler Giles: actually it can be, with the proper precautions
[9:43]  Sparkle Dale: Never say anything in an email or on Internet you don't want known ;)
[9:43]  Munich Express: the bmw with L$ is a project of the future
[9:43]  You: Good advice.
[9:44]  Munich Express: that is true - but doesn't that also apply to the good old telephone or email?

About Munich/Achim

[9:44]  JimmyJet Fossett: Munich what about your RL background and what got you here today?
[9:44]  Swirler Giles: especially cell phones
[9:44]  Munich Express: where do you want me to start?
[9:45]  JimmyJet Fossett: Post toddler stage LOL!
[9:45]  Swirler Giles: he was born at a young age
[9:45]  Munich Express: ok - i'm not sure that i got that, but here we go:
[9:45]  Munich Express: i went to school (college and grad school) in the US
[9:46]  Munich Express: i then returned to Germany and started looking for a job
[9:46]  Munich Express: and decided to get into marketing and cars
[9:46]  Munich Express: bmw offered me a position, i took it and have been with the company since
[9:47]  Komuso Tokugawa: what's the fastest you've been on the autobahn in a BMW?
[9:47]  Maryrose Mariani: lol
[9:47]  Munich Express: any cops in-world? 250 km per hour to be honest
[9:47]  Ludwig Stapleton: bmw having a presence here now munich, does it allow/encourage its employees to be on sl? and does bmw internally communicate on this project?
[9:47]  Komuso Tokugawa: get yourself a red suit
[9:47]  Munich Express: and a helmet
[9:48]  Munich Express: internally it's a bit problematic - firewalls and what have you.
[9:48]  Munich Express: but the company is very flexible as far as working at home is concerned
[9:49]  Munich Express: last but not least for the time being, sl becomes interesting in terms of traffic after normal german business hours

Developing the BMW SL Presence

[9:49]  You: One of the questions IBM has posed is how corporations feel about the lack of control over the infrastructure for their environments here. So you have any comment?
[9:50]  Munich Express: it's not only the environment i think it's the brand all together - comes back to what we discussed earlier in terms of consumer generated content
[9:51]  Komuso Tokugawa: Did you decide to develop your sl presence with an internal team like IBM or outsource it?
[9:51]  Munich Express: we developed the design internally and had it built by a german agency that have worked for us in the past
[9:52]  Swirler Giles: since SL is going opensource does BMW plan on developing with it in-house?
[9:52]  Sparkle Dale: Was the idea generated internally or did your agency bring it forward?
[9:52]  Munich Express: it is an option, what we're also looking at is to get residents involved
[9:52]  Alicia Encinal: involved in waht way?
[9:53]  Munich Express: the idea come on board didn't come from the agency - we did
[9:53]  Munich Express: involved in what way - may be they could develop/build stuff for us - why not?
[9:54]  Munich Express: we think there are tremendous creative ressources and we are convinced that creativity is the differentiator in the future - so why not tap into these resources?

Brief Tour of the Sim

[9:54]  You: Munich, would you give us a brief tour of the sim and talk a little about what is here and why?
[9:55]  Munich Express: yes i can do that, so if you just follow me please
[9:55]  Komuso Tokugawa: *cue shopping muzak*
[9:55]  Munich Express: actually these three small screens that you see in front of you are identical
[9:56]  Munich Express: they are a direct link to our clean enrgy site - there you find all the information on the topic
[9:56]  Munich Express: on the big screen you can see a film with the h2r
[9:57]  Munich Express: the h2r is our protoype which we used to test the hydrogen concept
[9:57]  Munich Express: to the left and right you have the h2r showcar i mentioned earlier - the one that's perfect in terms of design, but doesn't drive (due to the programs provided)
[9:58]  Munich Express: the h2r incidentally holds a world speed record for hydrogen powered cars.
[9:58]  Munich Express: when it was on our testrack in southern france, we clocked t at over 300 km per hour
[9:58]  moo Money: wow
[9:59]  Komuso Tokugawa: is it true that current hydrogen production techniques rely on fossil fuel tho?
[9:59]  Cal Gemini: ok when can I get the SL version Munich?
[9:59]  Munich Express: ok, next to the left is our meeting area
[10:00]  Munich Express: not for sale i'm afraid
[10:00]  Kamichat Watson: couldn't afford it anyway lol
[10:00]  Sparkle Dale: How come?
[10:00]  Munich Express: but would you be interested in a showcar?
[10:00]  Sparkle Dale: How come its not for sale in SL?
[10:01]  Munich Express: basically because you can't drive it, just look at it
[10:01]  Ono Noh: I have a question that you might have discussed before: how will peole be able to use and possibly even participate in what you have created here?
[10:01]  Sparkle Dale: Well it might be nice to have parked in our garages ;)
[10:02]  Cal Gemini: yes- be fun to just look at it inside and out and pretend to drive it :)
[10:02]  Munich Express: i'll put you on the list and keep you posted
[10:02]  Sparkle Dale: Nice status symbol for those who have houses here ;)
[10:02]  Stae Young: :-)

A Few Ideas for BMW

[10:02]  You: Munich it is interesting that people in sl would like to have the car but not for the purpose of driving.
[10:02]  Pebbles Hannya: Ah, but lots of prims I imagine :)
[10:03]  Sparkle Dale: hehe not a problem for a lot of people I know.
[10:03]  Kamichat Watson: Yes, hope you have a big property
[10:03]  Munich Express: ok, ok interesting proposal - one that we never hear in RL - shows you how things are different in SL
[10:03]  Alicia Encinal: not too many prims... only 153 :)
[10:03]  Sparkle Dale: Also people like to pull out of Inventory and say ... Hey, look what I have.
[10:03]  Munich Express: but seriously drop me an im if you're really interested and we'll see what we can do
[10:04]  Komuso Tokugawa: maybe you can do a bundle deal with the new physics cards...when sl finally upgrades to use them
[10:04]  Pebbles Hannya: Actually isn't it like people in RL who can't afford a BMW getting something (t-shirt, etc.) with the logo?
[10:04]  Cal Gemini: So would the BMW still maintain its status symbol if it were given away free in SL :)hmmmmm
[10:04]  Munich Express: we'll definitely do some driving experience once the physics are right - i can promise you that
[10:05]  Ono Noh: Most things in SL are symbolic and used to show affinity rather than be actually workable replicas.
[10:05]  Sparkle Dale: I didnt say free... I asked if for sale.
[10:05]  You: I agree Sparkle. :-)
[10:05]  Munich Express: we are actually thinking about something in the direction of an intelligent gimmick - keep you posted on that as well
[10:06]  Kamichat Watson: I don't know, but it woudl be cool to get a BMW car that was scripted to say, fly
[10:06]  Sparkle Dale: Good idea Kam... also to follow you and have passengers that can sit in and auto follow you
[10:06]  Munich Express: interesting thought. did you know that our company history starts with an altitude record for airplane engines?
[10:06]  You: A great "tour machine!"
[10:07]  Kamichat Watson: Yes, what if you coudl plug in two or three destinations and visti them
[10:07]  Soluna Sassoon: actually, I did know that :)
[10:07]  Sparkle Dale: Didnt know that Munich :)

Wrapping Up

[10:07]  You: We should probably wrap up.
[10:07]  Maryrose Mariani: There is a tourism hud for that
[10:07]  You: Munich tell us again how to join the group.
[10:08]  Munich Express: i have some time left - so if anybody< wants to stay along it's no problem.
[10:08]  JimmyJet Fossett: Thanks to Munich/BMW and SL Bus. Comms. ZnetLady Isbell for the presentation.
[10:08]  Munich Express: for those that have to leave, send me an im if you'd like to join the bmw group
[10:08]  Munich Express: thank you all for coming - i hope that it was worth your time
[10:09]  Davee Commerce: thanks
[10:09]  Sparkle Dale: Thanks Munich, so great to see other biz taking SL seriously.
[10:09]  You: Thanks, everyone.
[10:09]  You: Munich has agreed to another meeting with us.
[10:09]  You: So watch for more announcements.
[10:09]  Munich Express: for me these meetings are important, beacuase i keep learning that way and that allows me to improve the bmw appearance in sl
[10:10]  You: Maybe we can do a "we talk to you" next time, Munich.
[10:10]  Sparkle Dale: The key is to keep it fresh and add new things and experiences for the avatars.
[10:10]  Komuso Tokugawa: carefull...we'll have to start charging BMW tutition fees soon then!
[10:10]  Munich Express: does that mean i get to ask the questions ?:)
[10:10]  You: Some ideas, brainstorming - yes you get to ask questions.
[10:10]  Soluna Sassoon: go ahead :)
[10:10]  Sparkle Dale: Fore sure Munich.... listening is the best way to learn.
[10:10]  You: It is the least we can do is answer yours
[10:11]  Alicia Encinal: i agree
[10:11]  Komuso Tokugawa: avatars = people
[10:11]  Komuso Tokugawa: lol
[10:11]  Munich Express: and also if there's anything you'd like to know about bmw etc. don't hesitate to send me an im
[10:12]  You: Everyone I will post the transcript. They are all archived via the SLBC wiki.
[10:12]  moo Money: What's the URL for the wiki?
[10:12]  Munich Express: there is one last thing i'd like to show you for today
[10:13]  Komuso Tokugawa: ->separate session with some of our clean energy experts
[10:13]  Munich Express: if you follow me please
[10:13]  JimmyJet Fossett: Great, perhaps a few event photos can also be shared
[10:13]  You: slbusinesscommunicators.pbwiki.com

BMW Pioneers Club

[10:14]  Munich Express: this link will take you to the club of pioneers - an initiative we have set up
[10:14]  Munich Express: it's all about sustainablle lifestyle where you can also voice your opinion
[10:14]  Soluna Sassoon: oh interesting. :)
[10:15]  Munich Express: check it out there are some very intersting comments/blogs in there
[10:15]  Soluna Sassoon: i will have to check that one out thorougly :)
[10:15]  Munich Express: very cool
[10:15]  Sparkle Dale: Oh a picture of the Ice Caves .... I toured there :)
[10:15]  You: Munich, this has been so interesting. Thank you so much for your time.
[10:16]  Munich Express: yeah that there as well
[10:16]  Munich Express: you're very welcome. next time we'll have some virtual drinks as well
[10:16]  Lukas Chadbourne: :-)
[10:16]  You: I will connect with you and set up another meeting and discussion.
[10:16]  Soluna Sassoon: oh not this early in the morngint
[10:16]  Alicia Encinal: yes!!
[10:16]  Soluna Sassoon: :)
[10:16]  Soluna Sassoon: morning rather
[10:16]  Sparkle Dale: Thanks I really enjoyed the tour. I have to run everyone, most interesting talk.
[10:16]  JimmyJet Fossett: Okay, a good Pilsner perhaps
[10:17]  You: You've made yourself very available and that is extremely valuable to us.
[10:17]  Munich Express: i'm flexible - i think we're 9 hours ahead, over here it's 7:15 pm right now
[10:17]  Soluna Sassoon: ahh true enough. :)
[10:17]  Munich Express: as long as you don't propose to meet at midnight cet, it's fine with me :)
[10:18]  You: lol
[10:18]  Soluna Sassoon: lol
[10:18]  Swirler Giles: heh
[10:18]  Swirler Giles: SL... afterdark
[10:18]  You: Munich, we have our SLBC wiki - if BMW has an essay or article about its SL presence, I invite you to put it on the wiki.
[10:18]  Munich Express: thank you - we'll do that
[10:19]  You: If anyone else wants to become a contributor IM me and I'll invite you to join.
[10:19]  You: Thanks, all!
[10:20]  You: It all happened because Munich is so generous.
[10:21]  You: Stay tuned for more meetings. We are also thinking of classes.
[10:21]  Pebbles Hannya: What kind of classes?
[10:21]  You: I am putting together our RL networking site at Linkedin or Xing.
[10:21]  Kamichat Watson: Are you posting a transcript ZNet?
[10:22]  You: Yes transcript will be posted.
[10:22]  You: Classes - we're thinking three tracks.
[10:22]  You: Some for newbies
[10:22]  You: some on social structures here in sl
[10:23]  You: and some on practical applications from those who are doing practical applications. :-)
[10:23]  Pebbles Hannya: It's a great idea Znetlady.
[10:23]  Alicia Encinal: yes, very
[10:23]  Kamichat Watson: We woudl be interested in that too, ZNet
[10:23]  You: If you have ideas - plllleeeeaase tell me.
[10:23]  Munich Express: if you ever need a classroom, drop me a note - may be i can help
[10:23]  You: And, if you'd like to GIVE a class let me knwo.
[10:23]  Munich Express: will do
[10:24]  You: Kay. I must run. It is great to see you all. Munich, this has been wonderful.

From SL Business Communicators:  A huge Thank You, Munich/Achim!

January 16, 2007

Virtual NBC Launches in Second Life. Communicators, Rethink Media