Business Communicators of Second Life®

MTV Avatar Marketing?

MTV is expanding its fans’ virtual “playgrounds” by enabling avatar widgets for three of its online and virtual properties; partnering with Oddcast and using its Voki platform for the widgets (example below).  MTV refers to its online environments as “thematic galleries” – an interesting concept in itself.

MTV hopes fans will use the customized, speaking avatars to interact with each other exchanging gossip and messages. Voki offers an impressive number of combinations of avatar features to allow for quite a bit of personalization – but the fun is adding the text-to-speech or synchronized recorded voice to deliver content via the avatar.  (Warning:If you are going to browse some recently created avatars some of the audio content is very un-PG.)

MTV of course also hopes fans will place the avatars on their other online spaces, such as social networks, blogs, or other virtual environments.  The availability of embed code is immediate upon creating your Voki avatar.

But way more importantly for MTV, is that they may be looking to these distributed avatars as an advertising channel.

Checking out the very-hard-to-find-until-you-create-your-MTV-avatar Voki terms of service, it appears you will be giving them the right to do just that.

I’ll not bore you with the TOS language (relevant portion posted below) but it basically says, we own you, your avatar, anything you record or create, and we can do anything we like with it – anywhere it is – without compensating you in any way if we do.

ClickZ reports that MTV banks on being able to eventually push messages directly to those distributed avatars.

It’s a little disturbing to think MTV may be planning to co-opt its fans by making it appear their avatar is endorsing something without their explicit permission nor endorsement.  This takes “word of mouth” to a new level, I suppose.

I think it is a great idea to think about concentrating on the avatar, since it is the only constant in a sea of social spaces – indeed I’ve been advocating the idea for quite a while now.  But I can’t say this particular kind of potential co-opting is a “best practice” I’d recommend jumping into.  I sincerely hope MTV treads into these waters very carefully. 

Social networks are just beginning to feel the restlessness of members, who are collectively coming to the realization that it is they who create the market value of the network.  It is just a matter of time before they will be exerting that power, and perhaps the expectation of reaping at least some of the benefit.

I see another, bigger Beacon potentially brewing.

Voki Terms of Service
…you agree that any materials, including but not limited to questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, discoveries, plans, notes, drawings, arts, original or creative materials or other information, provided by you in the form of email or submissions to Oddcast, or postings at this Web Site, are non-confidential and shall become the sole property of Oddcast to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Oddcast shall own exclusive rights and shall be entitled to the unrestricted use of these materials for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or additional compensation to you. In the event applicable law operates to prevent Oddcast from becoming the sole owner of any such property, then this provision shall be effective as granting to Oddcast (with unfettered rights of assignment) a perpetual, worldwide, paid-in-full, non-exclusive right (including any moral rights) and license to make, use, sell, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, communicate to the public, perform and display the content (in whole or in part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed, for the full term of any rights that may exist in any such material.

April 30, 2008

SL Business Communicators Transcript: The Office in SL with Clear Ink

Kiwini Oe (aka Steve Nelson, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer) of Clear Ink is a great typist!  And beyond that, he is funny, incredibly interesting and opened up a view for us into Clear Ink's production of their machinima segments and "back lot production" for NBC's The Office episode, Local Ad which aired October 25. 

Kiwini shared what NBC hired them to do, how the process went and what lessons were learned.  He also illustrated out how quickly and unexpectedly a community can form.  One lesson - always be prepared for what to do next.

The chat transcript follows below.  The SL voice versus chat issue always rears it's head these days. Reporter Draxtor of Life4U was there needing video and audio, but the chat transcripts are so valuable for our purposes. As a compromise, Draxtor will interview Kiwini further this week and that interview will be up on Draxtor's channel on YouTube next week.

A huge thank you to Kiwini for joining us and taking our many questions in stride. Thanks to Pebbles Hannya of Market Truths for hosting us once again - and for capturing the transcript as my machine kept crashing.  Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting!...now on to the interesting conversation:

Znetlady Isbell: Everyone, I will introduce Kiwini Oe of Clear Ink.
Znetlady Isbell: He has some fun stuff to share with us today.
Znetlady Isbell: He's going to talk about his project on The Office for NBC - and lessons learned as well.
Znetlady Isbell: It is informal - text chat for transcript purposes.
Znetlady Isbell: Please ask questions.
Znetlady Isbell: And, unless it gets unruly, should we just use chat for q's Kiwini?
Kiwini Oe: that's OK by me
Znetlady Isbell: Great. Thanks sooo much for being here, Kiwini and everyone.
Znetlady Isbell: I'll turn it over to the guy we came here to hear!
Znetlady Isbell: Kiwini..
Znetlady Isbell: all yours.
Kiwini Oe: Thanks, Z
Kiwini Oe: These will be mostly off-the-cuff recollections
Kiwini Oe: and my colleague, Keystone Bouchard is here as well in case I need my memory refreshed
Kiwini Oe: Clear Ink has been doing work in SL for about a year and a half
Kiwini Oe: though we usually take on about one project at a time
Kiwini Oe: the one I'm talking about today was one we did this Sept-Oct over a very short timeframe
Kiwini Oe: we were in the middle of another project - about a week away from an event
Kiwini Oe: with Newt Gingrich at Second Life Capitol Hill
Kiwini Oe: which was pretty time consuming in and of itself
Kiwini Oe: when I got a call from Kent Zbornak, co-executive producer of "The Office' ON NBC
Kiwini Oe: They had a script that included some of their characters getting into Second Life
Kiwini Oe: and could we help
Kiwini Oe: After thinking about a half second
Znetlady Isbell: lol
Kiwini Oe: We jumped into that one. He said it would be a very tight deadline, so we started working on it as soon as I hung up
Kiwini Oe: It was an interesting process -
Kiwini Oe: We never really signed a contract with them - they signed one with us about a week later
Kiwini Oe: but as soon as we hung up, they mailed us a script, and digital photos they took on the spot
Kiwini Oe: of Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski
Kiwini Oe: so that we could start on avatars
Znetlady Isbell: fun!
Kiwini Oe: The script looked good - it was written by BJ Novak
Kiwini Oe: who plays Ryan the temp who turned into Ryan the executive
Kiwini Oe: So we started right away on the avatars, and also spent the weekend location scouting
Kiwini Oe: Kent said basically, "run with this" - saying they were trusting us to do what was right in Second Life.
Goldie Goodman: Nice to have a client like that!
Kiwini Oe: That was the main directive from the get-go, and that was an important thing for him to tell us, and for us to recognize.
Pebbles Hannya: You might want to answer this later, but did they know that SL avatars don't usually look like the RL people? It seems like almost the only ones that do are people who come in for TV things. I wonder if that's a deliberate decision or lack of understanding of SL?
Znetlady Isbell: or branding? heheeh
Kiwini Oe: The script called for Dwight to make an avatar that was *exactly* like himself because he liked his first life so much
Pebbles Hannya: Yes, true about the branding
Kiwini Oe: he wanted his second one to be just like it
Znetlady Isbell: ah- so true..
Kim Chihuly: did you have a connection with them from some earlier project? How had they heard of you?
Kiwini Oe: We looked at the script for locations, and Kent said to send over shots based on the script, or based on any other locations that would be familiar
Kiwini Oe: Good question, Kim -
Kiwini Oe: I had thought it was a direct reference from Linden Lab
Kiwini Oe: but I think they gave NBC a list of who might be able to do this
Kiwini Oe: and given the quick turn
Kiwini Oe: we were available
Goldie Goodman: how quick?
Kim Chihuly: thanks
Kiwini Oe: Well, we got the call on Sept 21, and the show was to air Oct 25
Maryrose Mariani: ouch
Robbie Kiama: :)
Robbie Kiama: fast
Goldie Goodman: A whole month??? lol
Kiwini Oe: But they had to do shooting for the show Oct 1-5
Pebbles Hannya: :)
iAlja Writer: :)
Kiwini Oe: so they put off the shooting of the SL scenes until the last day - Oct 5
Maryrose Mariani: so a couple of weeks barely
Kiwini Oe: right
Kiwini Oe: The first weekend was location scouting and avatar creation
Goldie Goodman: What were your criteria for locations?
Kiwini Oe: Then that week we narrowed down the locations and did snapshot storyboards
Kiwini Oe: We needed locations that mapped to the script, that would be recognizable in SL
Kiwini Oe: and that were practical for filming - low lag, etc
Goldie Goodman: That last one is always a concern.
Kim Chihuly: recognizable - to whom? SL users or ??
Kiwini Oe: They had one scene scripted as "downtown urban"
Kiwini Oe: recognizable to SL users
Kiwini Oe: I did my location shots at the "Downtown" sim - and the producers really liked it
Kiwini Oe: When I went back for a test shoot - "Downtown" was gone!
Znetlady Isbell: ah!
Kiwini Oe: I IMed the owner, who said it had just closed
iAlja Writer: ouch
IYan Writer: whoops
Goldie Goodman: Yikes
Kim Chihuly: aarrgh!
Maryrose Mariani: lol
Kiwini Oe: so we went over to Amsterdam, which worked great
Maryrose Mariani: truly an sl moment
Goldie Goodman: What type of permission did you have to get from the sim owners?
Kiwini Oe: There was a scene in a nightclub where Dwight plays his recorder
Kiwini Oe: So I talked to Ham Rambler and Sitearm Madonna at the Blarney Stone in Dublin
Kiwini Oe: and we filmed a scene there
Kiwini Oe: There was a paintball scene - we actually filmed a test at Paintball Funhouse - but the producers had something more specific in their heads, so Keystone built one
Kiwini Oe: We went to Boardman to film Dwight just walking down the streeet
Kiwini Oe: That was in the first still shot that NBC put on their web site
Kiwini Oe: and people immediately started commenting on blogs that they recognized it.
Robbie Kiama: cool
Kiwini Oe: So we ended up with 8 locations for shooting, and we did most of the shooting on Oct 2
Kiwini Oe: Tuesday before they needed it in Van Nuys on Friday
Znetlady Isbell: How involved were the producers in that shooting?
Kiwini Oe: The producers had given feedback based on some test shots at the end of the previous week
Kiwini Oe: In addition to Kent, we also talked with Greg Daniels, the showrunner, who created the American version
Kiwini Oe: after that, we were on our own during the shooting and editing
Znetlady Isbell: wow
Kiwini Oe: We did edited clips to fit the time frames they asked for for each scene
Kiwini Oe: and also had all the raw footage
Pebble Hannya: Were all the avatars shown created specifically for this, or did regular SL residents end up on TV as unofficial extras?
Goldie Goodman: It's tough to have a producer on site during shooting, since they can't really see what you're shooting!
Kiwini Oe: we did versions with type chat as well as voice with green waves over the head
Kiwini Oe: yeah - the other thing was -
Goldie Goodman: So they'd have a choice of which to use?
Kiwini Oe: we were getting direction and feedback from the producers - Kent and Greg
Kiwini Oe: and not the director - Jason Reitman - or the writer BJ Novak
Kiwini Oe: which can be a problem
Kiwini Oe: We filmed most everything in one day:
Goldie Goodman: because?
Kiwini Oe: A scene at Ginny Business Systems
Kiwini Oe: (I'll get to that, Goldie :-)
Kiwini Oe: which was a great office complex
Kiwini Oe: Dublin was fun
Kiwini Oe: because the audience was already there for Kiki Dee at the real Blarney Stone
Kiwini Oe: and when she was done, I got on stage and said
Kiwini Oe: the next act won't be so good
Kiwini Oe: in fact you'll boo him off the stage
Znetlady Isbell: lol
Kiwini Oe: and then he'll take out his paintball gun
Kiwini Oe: and spray the lot of you
Goldie Goodman: Bet they loved that!
iAlja Writer: lol
Kiwini Oe: yup
Kiwini Oe: we filmed at boardman, and at amsterdam
Kiwini Oe: then we needed to create 3 sets on our "backlot"
Kiwini Oe: which is actually the Clear Ink dev island:
Kiwini Oe: The paintball arena that the producers envisioned
Kiwini Oe: Dwight's "apartment"
Kiwini Oe: and a bar.
Kiwini Oe: Not that there aren't a lot of bars in Second Life, but we made our own.
Kiwini Oe: As soon as each scene was shot, the files went to our editors, who worked to get them in shape to send to NBC
Goldie Goodman: So you did rough editing of your raw footage, before sending it out.
Kiwini Oe: we were going to do it all electronically, but of course the files were so big that really wasn't practical
Goldie Goodman: Did you capture in HD?
Kiwini Oe: we actually edited into specific lengths:
Kiwini Oe: 30 second scenes mostly
Kiwini Oe: So they could load them up on the computers on the set
Kiwini Oe: and run them during filming
Goldie Goodman: Good idea.
Kiwini Oe: Because the scenes played out on the computers in "The Office"s office
Kiwini Oe: we didn't do HD
Kiwini Oe: and they weren't really to look like machinima as much as look like someone actually in SL
Kiwini Oe: which means that it was all shot from first-person perspective
Znetlady Isbell: and they did!
Kiwini Oe: which means driving the avatar that does the filming, for the most part
Kiwini Oe: and coordinating directing the extras. TROI Timtam and Keystone were at each scene,
Kiwini Oe: making sure things were prepared and lined up
Goldie Goodman: how did you communicate with the extras?
Kiwini Oe: We mostly did that over open chat -
Kiwini Oe: setting up the scene before hand
Kiwini Oe: and communicated among the crew over voice IM
Kiwini Oe: I had to learn to say "cut" instead of "crap" when I needed to do a retake
Goldie Goodman: ha ha
Znetlady Isbell: LOL!!
Pebbles Hannya: lol
Kiwini Oe: but they knew what I meant!
Robbie Kiama: :)
Joi Koi: :)
Keystone Bouchard: lol! =)
Kiwini Oe: We were doing edits until Thursday PM
Kiwini Oe: they wanted the files by about 8 AM on Friday.
Znetlady Isbell: yikes
Kiwini Oe: So at 10, we were on the phone with the producers
Kiwini Oe: and our Clear Ink project manager, Nicole
Kiwini Oe: whose IM icon has *always* been Dwight from the office
Kiwini Oe: and was still in our office at 11PM
Kiwini Oe: coordinating the edits
Kiwini Oe: decided she could probably see fit to deliver the hard drive in person the next morning
Kiwini Oe: so she, without any sleep, having worked till 11 - went and changed clothes and got on the 6am to burbank
Kiwini Oe: hard drive in hand
Kiwini Oe: Kent picked her up at the airport and took her to the studio
Kiwini Oe: where she loaded up each of the computers in "The Office"
Kiwini Oe: met the crew and cast
Kiwini Oe: and got to hang out all day.
iAlja Writer: nice :)
Kiwini Oe: It got interesting when the director tried to continue directing the machinima
Znetlady Isbell: lol
Pebbles Hannya :)
Kiwini Oe: as though Second Life were a module within Final Cut Pro
Tynan Clary: /now that's the best part of the story
Shred McMillan: hilarious
Znetlady Isbell: hilarious
Kiwini Oe: "Can Dwight walk a little slower ther... or go backwards?"
Kiwini Oe: "No."
iAlja Writer: lol
Znetlady Isbell: lol!!
Goldie Goodman: Re-shoot time, huh?
Znetlady Isbell: too funny
Kim Chihuly: that's a great picture<G>
Robbie Kiama: :))
Kiwini Oe: so one lesson - let the director in on it a little earlier
Goldie Goodman: Surprised he didn't insist on it!
Kiwini Oe: but at the end of the day - they had their scenes shot - and Nicole left there around midnight
Tynan Clary: or add another month - which you didn't have
You: Is the story line such that they'll go back to SL (I don't watch the Office)?
Kiwini Oe: and we waited...
Kiwini Oe: Well, they didn't use all the scenes
Kiwini Oe: next thing we heard was that the edit on the 21 minute episode was down to 41 minutes
Kiwini Oe: and that maybe all the SL scenes would be cut
Goldie Goodman: oooohhh
Tynan Clary: groans
iAlja Writer: :(
Kiwini Oe: and we'd know the next day.
Kim Chihuly: how awful!
Kiwini Oe: yeah
Znetlady Isbell: oh noooo
Kiwini Oe: But the next day, Kent said that they managed to keep bits of about half the scenes - and by that time, for me the glass was WAY half full!
Kiwini Oe: having been ready to hear the worst
Shred McMillan wishes he could see the whole 41 minutes
Kiwini Oe: And NBC had already released a still photo from it
Kiwini Oe: and that's where it got interesting
Kiwini Oe: And about the question about real SL avatars aren't really photorealistic
Kiwini Oe: After we had filmed it all
Kiwini Oe: Kent asked if we could use the characters real names for avatars
Kiwini Oe: Dwight Schrute instead of Dwight Shelford
Kiwini Oe: etc.
Goldie Goodman: you mean, visible over their heads?
Kiwini Oe: "no"
iAlja Writer: lol
Kiwini Oe: right - which of course would have meant reshooting
Kiwini Oe: and getting the names from Linden Lab overnight
You: Good luck with that.
Goldie Goodman: Or, they could composite new graphics in post, lol.
iAlja Writer: ia anyone from the cast or makers of the series an SL user?
Kiwini Oe: But as soon as NBC put a photo out with "Dwight Shelford"
Kiwini Oe: people started IMming him, friendship requests, etc.
Kiwini Oe: This is part 2:
Pebbles Hannya: :)
Robbie Kiama: :)
Kiwini Oe: In order to give Dwight and Jim the right titles,
Maryrose Mariani: lol
Kiwini Oe: we made groups
Kiwini Oe: and TROI made them very realistic groups and profiles
Kim Chihuly: i know my students went right in the next day in class looking for dwight
Kiwini Oe: Like the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. group
Kiwini Oe: with dwight's title "Assistant to Regional Mgr"
Kiwini Oe: and did detailed profiles for others
iAlja Writer: nice touch :)
Robbie Kiama: yeah
Kiwini Oe: This turned out to be important for the viral aspect of this.
Goldie Goodman: the after-life, so to speak?
Kiwini Oe: NBC never engaged us to do promotion, viral marketing, etc.
Kiwini Oe: But when a viral phenomenon happens
Kiwini Oe: you don't ask questions - you just follow your instinct
Goldie Goodman: it can't be stopped!!
Kiwini Oe: I had said that Luck = Preparation + Opportunity
Kiwini Oe: and because of the details that went into the profiles and groups
Kiwini Oe: people connected
Kiwini Oe: We were trying to be true to two passionate communities at the same time:
Kiwini Oe: Second Life residents
Kiwini Oe: and fans of "The Office"
Kiwini Oe: and in the end, we heard from SL people who had never watched "the office" until then
Kiwini Oe: and from Office fans who had never heard of SL
You: And you also created an opportunity for them to come back and pick up on some of those groups in a future episode :)
Kiwini Oe: and each got from the experience what they thought it should be
Kiwini Oe: I read about someone's kid who laughed for 4 minutes, just because Dwight was flying
iAlja Writer: lol
Robbie Kiama: hehe
Kiwini Oe: So we understood from about a two weeks out, when the first picture was up
Kiwini Oe: that fans would get hold of Dwight, Jim, etc
Kiwini Oe: so we decided that after the show aired
Kiwini Oe: we'd open our "backlot" for the night
Kiwini Oe: and invite people to party there
Goldie Goodman: nice of you.
Znetlady Isbell: smart too
Maryrose Mariani: yes very cool
Kiwini Oe: Because of the response, we kept it open for the next week, until the next episode aired
Kiwini Oe: we hated to close it down, but we had to get back to our development - and we didn't want to be running NBC's 3D fan site forever!
Kiwini Oe: Though we let them know what the response was, they didn't pick up on any followup
Kiwini Oe: for several reasons, I'm sure:
Kiwini Oe: Immediately after the show, they had the first Real Life fan convention in Scranton
Kiwini Oe: most of the producers were there, and that was keeping them busy
Kiwini Oe: They have their own community site: dundermifflininfinity.com
Kiwini Oe: that was giving them some fits
Kiwini Oe: and I think they wanted to attend to the one that they probably paid big bucks creating and promoting
Kiwini Oe: (I almost typed "big bugs")
Kiwini Oe: and finally:
Znetlady Isbell: lol
Kiwini Oe: they were distracted by the writers strike that was about to hit th em
Goldie Goodman: (could have paid you big bucks to continue the SL promotion :-)
Kiwini Oe: I saw in EW magazine that "the office" had the least amount of finished scripts before the strike
Znetlady Isbell: such a shame they didn't too Goldie
Kiwini Oe: The SL group has about 840 members
Kiwini Oe: based on word of mouth
Pebbles Hannya: Wow
Robbie Kiama: wow
Znetlady Isbell: 844
iAlja Writer: impressive
Kim Chihuly: Man - nbc missed out!
Kiwini Oe: the dundermifflininfinity.com site is based on people creating "branch offices' based on their city
Znetlady Isbell: Big time.
Kiwini Oe: without any promo, the SL group would be in the top 25% of their "branch offices"
Znetlady Isbell: Wow - so easy to extend that into SL.
Salt Voom: Sorry to interupt but Kiwini Oe your 1st life website has some of the smartest marketing i have seen in a long time!
Pebbles Hannya: I'm guessing you pointed that out to them?
Goldie Goodman: There's a brief window of opportunity, and it sounds like they lost it.
Kim Chihuly: yeah - since they could actually "build" the branch ovffices
Kiwini Oe: I agree - though there are some other fan groups that have formed
Znetlady Isbell: Clear Ink rules!
Keystone Bouchard: ;-)
Kiwini Oe: We did what we did because we thought it was the right thing to do in SL
Goldie Goodman: Can I ask again about the permissions thing?:
Kiwini Oe: but we can only go so far
Kiwini Oe: sure, Goldie
Goldie Goodman: Did NBC give you legal release forms to have "avatars" sign?
Goldie Goodman: And location owners to sign location releases?
Kiwini Oe: As I said, our client was not very formal in any of this - they did not do any avatar or location release management
Goldie Goodman: Did you?
Goldie Goodman: To protect yourself?
Goldie Goodman: Or just informally by asking?
Kiwini Oe: we asked permission of the property owners, and announced to anyone in the scene that we were filming
Kiwini Oe: so that they would know to leave if they didn't want to be in the scene
Kiwini Oe: the only "crowd"' scene was at Dublin
Kiwini Oe: One lesson learned:
Goldie Goodman: OK, thanks. Curious that NBC wouldn't pay attention to releases in this situation.
Kiwini Oe: I don't think this whole endeavor rose through the corporate machine at NBC
Kiwini Oe: that was part of the quick turn nature of it
Goldie Goodman: ahhh, the content police didn't even know about it, then, lol
Kiwini Oe: And from the other side, we were careful in how we used NBC IP
Goldie Goodman: That's the way to do it -- get in, do it, and get out before they even know what's happeing.
Kiwini Oe: that everything we did was an extension of the assignment
Kiwini Oe: the group, the sets, the avatars, etc
Kiwini Oe: and informing them along the way
Kiwini Oe: So a good lesson was:
Kiwini Oe: when the client says they trust you to do the right thing -
Kiwini Oe: that means you'd better pay attention -
Kiwini Oe: and use that as a real opportunity
Goldie Goodman: and earn their trust.
Kiwini Oe: Also, know the routes of amplification of the story
Kiwini Oe: I had my Google Alerts well tuned
Kiwini Oe: and made sure to comment on blogs
Kiwini Oe: and track how the story progressed
Goldie Goodman: You're very conscientious.
Kiwini Oe: And to let fans know what was going on
Kiwini Oe: It's all been interesting in the context of the writers strike
Kiwini Oe: that NBC is showing the episode we helped them create
Kiwini Oe: on the web
Kiwini Oe: selling advertising
Kiwini Oe: but not compensating the writers for that
Znetlady Isbell: yeah...
Kiwini Oe: The Office was one of the first staffs to get laid off
Goldie Goodman: that's the writers' key gripe, i sn't it?
Kiwini Oe: so beyond the stars, the writers, etc
Kiwini Oe: there are 102 people who have lost their jobs, just on the Office
Pebbles Hannya: Wow
Znetlady Isbell: wow...
Kiwini Oe: Not to make too blatant of a pitch, but a fan is working with Kent Zbornak on a Office Fans Christmas Fund for those 102
Kiwini Oe: http://www.myspace.com/ofcf
Kiwini Oe: like the props people, the crafts people, the medic, the interns etc., fired without severance
Znetlady Isbell: great idea!
Kiwini Oe: but that's enough of my soapbox :-)
Kiwini Oe: any more questions?
Kiwini Oe: I feel I've scratched the surface of a lot of the experience
Znetlady Isbell: Kiwini, this was soooo interesting!
iAlja Writer: yes!
Goldie Goodman: Very nice presentation. Thank you very much.
iAlja Writer: is the writer of the episode in SL?
Robbie Kiama: thank you a lot
Znetlady Isbell: I can't thank you enough for everything you've shared.
Robbie Kiama: that was very interesting
Kiwini Oe: iAlja -
Maryrose Mariani: Thank you so much Kiwini.
Kiwini Oe: I don't know - someone there is
Kiwini Oe: because the script really showed knowledge of it
Tynan Clary: I'm still realing at the short timeframe you had
iAlja Writer: yes, that's why I asked :)
Znetlady Isbell: Kiwini, i there anything I shouldn't publish on the blog?
Kiwini Oe: No - it's all open, Z
Znetlady Isbell: thanks - just making sure.
Goldie Goodman: Thanks for setting this up, Znetlady.
iAlja Writer: yes, thanks for sharing - interesting story!
Znetlady Isbell: Please thank Kiwini, who has been so generous.
Pebble Hannya: Yes, this has been really interesting!
Kiwini Oe: If anyone has any other questions, just IM me
Znetlady Isbell: An Pebbles for letting us meet here.
IYan Writer: thank you for an interesting insight into the project
Goldie Goodman: applause
Tynan Clary: /claps
Kiwini Oe: Thanks everyone
Znetlady Isbell: Yay!!!
Znetlady Isbell: Thank YOU!!
Znetlady Isbell: Thanks everyone for coming.
Joi Koi: cheers
Tynan Clary: :)
Tynan Clary: thanks you for having us
Znetlady Isbell: Since I've been crashing Pebbles is giving me the transcript and it will be up on the blog later today.
iAlja Writer: awesome!
Znetlady Isbell: Thanks, Pebbles.
Tynan Clary: and sending me a landmark when I emailed a few days ago - that was helpful Z
Znetlady Isbell: np Tynan
Znetlady Isbell: Thanks for spreading the word.
Tynan Clary: Love to
Znetlady Isbell: Check out Clear Ink's site too....they are awesome.
Tynan Clary: Nice to see you again too Joi
Robbie Kiama: yep they realy are :)
Joi Koi: u2 Tynan ;)
Kim Chihuly: thanks znet - another good talk
Znetlady Isbell: Every event I have been too that they have held has been so well handled - and just smart.
Znetlady Isbell: smart, smart, smart.
Znetlady Isbell: Thanks again, Kiwini for taking the time.
Kiwini Oe: yw, Znet
Kiwini Oe: I'll see you all later!

Next month SL Business Communicators are slated to meet with Orange.

November 20, 2007

SL Business Communicators November Meeting: Producing "The Office" in SL

SLBCers unite in Second Life on Tuesday, November 20th to meet with avatar Kiwini Oe a.k.a. Steve Nelson, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer of digital marketing agency, Clear Ink.  We'll be getting first-hand accounts and insights as to what was behind producing the Second Life TV segments for The Office "Local Ad" episode which aired on NBC on October 25th.

Clear Ink and Kiwini worked with NBC producers to create the in-world set design, character and extra avatars and to produce the machinima, plus all the  behind-the scene logistics that contibuted to the episode storytelling. 

Come on out in SL to meet Kiwini and learn what it took to put their piece of the total together, and why they made the various decisions they did when creating the in-world TV experiences.  The installation in SL is now closed - but this is your chance to go beyond visiting it and getting the low-down on what it took to make it happen.

I have to admit the subject of the production fascinates me as it fondly throws me back to my days of live webcasting  - some of which were simultaneous live broadcasting for TV.  In those days we were dependant on satellite for such complex broadcasting.  Fast forward to today and companies like NBC, CBS, CNN, MTV and film producers are moving to HD and 3D immersive  TV/movie/web experiences that are also both real time and on-demand.

There are important lessons to learn from Kiwini for communicators and marketers who must be thinking in multimedia, and bringing both real-time and "on-demand" experiences to niche communities of people as we meld all media into a myriad of virtual, personal (and still social) experiences.

We will be meeting at Market Truths Island in the gardens.  If you RSVP I'll send you an LM and a reminder.

Tuesday, November 20
9:00 a.m. SLT
Market Truths Island

Here's a couple of recommending readings on the project:
Clear Ink and NBC's "The Office" in Second Life - A Quick Recap
The Office: A Viral Approach to Second Life

Please join us!

November 17, 2007

CNN Second Life i-Report Officially Opened Today

Since the coverage of CNN's launch in SL is rather robust already, I'll just mention here that CNN's first in-world training session for i_Reporters is tomorrow, Tuesday, at 2:00 p.m. SLT.  It will be held at the i-Report hub on Future Island.

Slurl:  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Future/195/201/26/

Subscribe to the SL I-Reports weblog to follow the SL citizen journalists' filings.

November 12, 2007

 

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.

----
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

----
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.

----
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

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

Sky News Gets Rolling with Its 'Be A News Reporter' Challenge

Sky News has been tinkering around in Second Life since the Spring, and launched their SL island early this summer.  In a welcome sign that they are moving forward with an in-world strategy, news comes from Armin Ruede at Sky News that they have launched a Second Life "Be A News Reporter" challenge. 

The UK news service is exending its RL commitment to citizen journalism into SL with this - "cit-j" is something Sky News has fostered since 2005.

Their promotional machinima gives you the low-down on submitting on-machinima news reports to Sky News for use on their web site - or if the reporter avatar has enough charimsa and news-worthy savvy - the virtual report may end up on UK TV.  Sky News is inviting uploads of the news machinima via their SkyCast social network and video sharing site.

Sky News has also assembled a reporters' kit that is available in their virtual offices.  It includes helpful notecards on how to frame a news report, some do's and don'ts, and some technical tips on audio and video.  Included is the "must have" Sky News microphone - "must have" because it is a requirement to have it in order for a news report submission to be considered.  And a nice, subtle, professional reporter-type animation that microphone enables for your avatar as well.

The Sky News reporter challenge runs through September 30th. 

There are some indications that News with a big "N" is starting to mature in-world - and that would be "News" as traditional public relations people know it.  There are of course many existing exceptionally good SL news outlets reporting on the day's events and analyzing the big issues - and they actually get it right. 

But the launch last month of SLPulse, a free press release service (web-based) by Cold Fusion Intertainment, in-world news HUDs like Reuters', and Sky News now encouraging in-world cit-j video news reports are just a few of the elements in the overall effort toward tackling the organization and distribution of News using methods businesses, media and communictors are comfortable with.  With luck these tools and services will take on SL news models that are less "gatekeeper" and more "News Infrastructure/Enabling." 

This is Znetlady Isbell signing off for SL Business Communicators.  See you next time!

August 13, 2007

Virtual NBC Puts Out Audition Call for Second Life Talent

The NBC franchise, America’s Got Talent goes virtual, and presumably international, with Virtual NBC’s call for auditions to find the most talented avatars in Second Life.  But not much time to rehearse – auditions are this Tuesday, June 5th and Wednesday, June 6th on NBC 1 in the Peacock Room.

The chosen avatar will be featured in a future RL episode of the NBC show and will snag $1,000,000 Linden dollars.  The final competition will be at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13th at Virtual NBC Studios on NBC 2 island.

This promises to be fun.  The depth of talent is as endless in Second Life as anywhere and it is only right the fantastical gifts bestowed on many SL avatars be showcased.

Pierce Portocarreo gives us a sample of the possibilities in his machinima:

I like what’s behind this competition.  It expands and mashes the experience of one medium into another; obviously taps into a valued aspect of Second Life; it is all around fun; the prize is meaningful and respectful of the work it could take to participate; and it gives a real someone a real life value as well.

NBC and Infinite Vision Media, NBC’s virtual world agency, are being “social media” savvy with this.  It potentially offers several key social networking activities to draw in the broader SL audience – especially if avatars get to vote along with judges.  Depending on how the competition is ultimately implemented, and harkening back to an earlier post, it offers at least three, and maybe up to five ways avatars can participate – not everyone has to be a creator-type.

Kudos to NBC, although the short time frame is unfortunate.  I hope they expand the concept for next season and announce it in time to allow for more avatars to participate.  It would also encourage some ongoing community formation.

In-world kiosks have rules and more information, although I didn't have any luck at the time I tried with getting it at the NBC 1 kiosk.   The auditions are June 5th, 4 – 8 p.m. SLT; and June 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Kiosks are located here:

NBC 1 – 30 Rockefeller Center
NBC 1 - Peacock Room
Midnight City
Crayonville
Dell Island
Dublin
Diegoland
The Edge
Artropolis
Pi
Innovations

June 3, 2007

Virtual World Marketing Measurement is 3D

Does Engagement destroy Frequency?

Joel Greenberg asks over at his Sheep blog, Tuple vs Kipple, and in that context also nicely lays out the "Frequency" training - oops, I mean measurement - method of the traditional TV advertising model: Reach x Frequency (how many people mulitpled by how often). 

Television is a flat medium, so a flat, two-dimensional measurement system (reach and freqency) seems like a perfect fit.  Good enough.

Joel rightfully suggests this measurement system can't work in today''s virtual and social media spaces.  He believes that "Engagement" is the lifeblood of some marketing and may be the main path to measurement in virtual worlds.

Engagement - especially in a place like Second Life is key. I absolutely agree with Joel on that.

But engagement is a means, not an end.  Engagement is only the "permission" part of the [measurement] equation - the "okay, I'm willing to give you my attention for now" part. 

Virtual worlds measurement must be as three-dimensional as the spaces we market within there. 

Depth is the third dimension - in virtual worlds and in all good marketing.

Photo credit: Akoi Jubilee

 

June 2, 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

A Virtual World - The New Black

3pointD points us to the launch of the Tyra Banks Virtual Studio last night as her virtual Grammy party. 

Tyra’s Virtual Studio appears to be a lot about Tyra - but for fans of her show, it is the hottest new hang out spot to listen to music, chat with other fans and get the inside scoop on the Warner Brothers television property.  I don’t recommend you download the Mac version, by the way – it’s in “alpha.”  It crashed my Finder and I spent half an hour cleaning up the mess.

The move falls on the heels of Nickelodeon’s, Nicktroplis, MTV’s latest virtual-world-TV-show tie-in, the L Word, CBS’s upcoming Second Life Star Trek virtual mashup experience, and Disney’s PiratesOnline.com (launching this Spring in conjunction with the movie release).

While each of these web properties is built on different platforms, for different reasons and different audiences, the thing they have in common – and that is the hallmark of all modern media - is that they are connecting people to each other. 

Marketers and communicators have struggled with this concept in the flat 2D web, but the spatial qualities of these virtual spaces – and the success of social network sites in general - seems to be driving home that this is the element that holds the “magic juice” of "new media.”

This Spring be watching for the launch of several new virtual worlds.  It is the new black, dahling.

February 13, 2007

Virtual Worlds: Where Communications and Art Collide

With the airing of the pre-Superbowl machinima promotion of CBS’s TV show Two and a Half Men and the Star Trek machinima spot CBS commissioned for State of Play and CES, machinima is obviously getting attention from the “massive media” outlets.  This may be due in small part to the interest surrounding Second Life, but I suspect it is more due to exposure to some outstanding machinima that TV and film talent scouts are finding on various video sharing sites.

Machinima actually has its roots in the 1980’s (yes, it pre-dates Second Life) on the earliest of personal computers, but the first “modern” machinima was in 1996, and were often referred to as “Quake movies.” Moo Money of The Grid Review in a Second Thursday meetup presentation about machinima talked a bit about the history, saying that players of Quake first started recording their in-game matches, which then evolved into creating story lines, acted out in-game by the players.

Machinima is indeed picking up steam, moving from a highly niche media format and audience to a wide number of interest groups.  Academia has embraced it as a serious medium for several years.  The University of Kansas is just the latest to announce a graduate course in their theater and film school called New Media and Cyberculture.   John Hopkins offers a course through their Digital Media Center; Harvard in their extension courses, and the University of South Australia through their (yay) communications department.

Why should machinima interest you?  Because it is exactly where web-based communications and marketing is moving to within 3d spaces like Second Life - where content and performance art collide.  As more immersive spaces become more accessible (to both the user and the content creator) content becomes animated, 360-degree, un-flat, multi-dimensional and multimedia.

Communicators will need to move toward thinking in visuals, about auditory experiences – and about how space (props) communicate the message.  Eventually performance art will be a required course for that communications, marketing or journalism degree. 

Take 5 minutes and watch this machinima, The Regenerated Dante Hotel.  It documents work going on in Second Life to animate an archive housed at Stanford University.   The project is ambitious and utterly fascinating, but to my point it examines: “innovative technologies to investigate archives and develop new digital models for introducing new forms of active engagement with them. ..The usual static notion of "document" is replaced by co-creative remaking."

By the way, this machinima sits in The Machinima Archive, which is being jointly created by Stanford University, the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Internet Archive and Machinima.com for the historical preservation of this emerging media.  I encourage you to go there and browse through a sampling of the outstanding 500 or so machinima there produced in Halo, The Sims2, Doom, Half-Life, Second Life and more.

Photo credit: Netribution

Februrary, 11, 2007

CBC Television Documentary Examines $25 Billon Gaming Industry

I'm a big fan of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, even though my U.S. status means I can only catch them nighly on the radio and what they make available on the web.

They are kicking off their 2007 documentary series with a two-part look into the $25 billion gaming industry, Gamer Revolution. From the miltary (the largest financial partner of the industry) to game-celebs; the culture to the economies, CBC says it is the first comprehensive report on the industry - and how it is changing the way we play but also the way we think.

Part 1 airs on February 1, and part 2 is slated for February 8.  It was filmed in HD in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Canada and the U.S.

If you see it, stop back by and give us a report.

January 28, 2007

Second Life Starship a CBS Mashup Enterprise

Okay, I admit I reached a bit for that title - but it is indeed, according to CBS President and CEO  Leslie Mooves.  A seminal, yet little reported comment Mooves made during his CES keynote speech earlier this week about an upcoming Star Trek project in Second Life:

    "In fact, eSheep [The Electric Sheep Company] is currently building out [our] very own Starship Enterprise to allow the Second Life community to mash-up a slough of Star Trek episodes. It's a great way to give back to the fans who make the show as successful as it is. Who knows, maybe some day we can even broadcast one of their virtual works on one of our television networks."

Philip Rosedale, CEO of Second Life set up this segment of Mooves' presentation by showing this video, at the end of which Mooves makes the comment.

If this plays out the way Mooves hints...well now, that's social media.

We can only speculate on the meaning of ..."virtual works on one of our television networks."  Could it mean machinima going mainstream?

For a high-quality version of the machinima go here (via ESC).

To browse through the entire text of Mooves keynote go here (pdf) or view the video here (WMP).

January 13, 2007

Virtual NBC Launches in Second Life. Communicators, Rethink Media

Reuters reports today on Virtual NBC which launches [a movie promotion] today in Second Life.  It appears I wasn't too far off in my earlier post about iVillage's Girls Night Out in Second Life signalling NBC Universal's intention to explore 3D environments for new programming categories.

With CBS' Star Trek project also in development it is simply time to Rethink Media.

If you've doubted virtual worlds are a force to be reckoned with in communications, this should make you sit up and take notice. 

Televison is a natural fit for virtual worlds.  We can fairly easily see how stories in moving pictures translate well into 3D environments.  Afterall, in a production environment there are 3D sets which replicate a "real world" environment where actors take on roles and words to tell a story.  With film and tape, the experience for the audience is 2D.  No more - and we won't have to wear those silly glasses.

Our brain's pre-frontal lobe has a natural capacity to simulate experiences in our minds.  Add the sensory, interactive and spatial properties a 3D environment offers and you have the ultimate "theater of the mind."    

TV (and film) is about telling stories.  So is business communications.  The term "telling stories" is part of our professional lexicon - telling the company story, advocacy story, the product story.

As communicators, we often rely on massive media to tell our stories.  They will always be part of the media mix.  But, if the channels for our stories are beginning to think 3D, we will need to provide them with appropriate content.  We need to think 3D.  Our audiences will think 3D (game babies already do).  We need to think new content categories.

Framing virutal worlds as theater of the mind opens new possibilities for all types of business, media and learning applications.  The ability to create and set any virtual stage, build the props and animate the environment is bringing performance art to a new level - the desktop.

January 12, 2007

NBC ‘Rethinks Media” with Second Life (and more)

The media and blogosphere is abuzz this week over iVillage’s foray into Second Life with their new Girls Night Out initiative.  According to the Girls Night Out blog, the event will be held every two weeks and will showcase existing SL locations, SL women and sub-cultures within Second Life.  The inaugral event is to be held this Thursday, December 14 at 6 p.m. Second Life time. 

iVillage, which was purchased by NBC in March, notes that at least half the residents of Second Life are women and that women spend more time in Second Life than men.  This suggests their move into Second Life is a natural fit.

But far more interesting is the bigger picture. Bob Wright, NBC chief executive has indicated that iVillage is slated to become the cornerstone of the GE-controlled group’s online activities.  The iVillage web site is being completely redesigned and relaunched – and iVillage is going to be more closely tied to NBC television programming.  In fact Wright is indicating there will be far more “editorial combinations” of content across NBCs programming.  As part of the new branding campaign, a new daily talk show, iVillage Live will be simultaneously broadcast on NBC Universal local stations, BRAVO, and at ivillagelive.com.  I suspect the big-screen TV in the new Second Life iVillage Loft will also be tuned into the show.

Girls Night Out may signal NBC’s plan to seriously explore tying television programming to immersive environments like MTV has done with its Virtual Laguna Beach.  If iVillage is to be the cornerstone of NBC’s online activities, Girls Night Out may be just the beginning of new content categories for the conglomerate, leveraging virtual environments. 

Wright also indicated NBC would be looking  at acquiring some marketing services companies.  Hmmm. I am pondering if one of them just might be a virtual world services company.

For more information about iVillage's brand campaign see the GE web site.

iVillage Loft is on Sheep Island in Second Life at:  41/156/25.

 

December 13, 2006

Edelman's Grid Review Machinima Property Launches