26 August 2008
Some corporate virtual worlds have become "ghost towns"
But there's still life in Second Life for communicators, experts say.
Theage website reports that many corporate Second Life sites have now become “ghost towns”. Companies hoping for online brand engagement might have been wasting their time, the article suggests. But virtual worlds are actually developing a strong foothold as internal business applications.
The IBM story
Anders Gronstedt is president of the Gronstedt Group, which provides next-generation training programs to help companies “improve sales and workplace performance in Second and Real Life.”
He told the Hub that 15,000 IBM employees use Second Life and other virtual worlds to collaborate, inspire and teach; also to visualize objects, data and concepts.
- IBM recruitment offices are available in Second Life 24/7.
- Thousands of new hires are onboarded via Second Life annually. They get to see IBM facilities around the world, roleplay sales conversations, meet executives and peers.
- Sales reps rehearse sales pitches with IBM executives from all over the world who roleplay client prospects and give feedback.
Second Life is one of many environments
Philippe Borremans (pictured, right), managing director, Blackline was formerly IBM's European new media lead and is now an independent consultant specializing in applying social media to business communications.
He reminds us that, while Second Life is a well known 3-D environment, it's one of more than 200 virtual worlds. He feels Second Life doesn't hold the same attraction it had say, two years ago because, “There are now more specific, better adapted virtual worlds.”
But improvements are still necessary for end users.
“Interaction with the environment is so new and we’re not adapted to it yet. We’re used to a PC with a keyboard and mouse.” Not all users are 3-D gamers or proficient in thinking within a 3-D environment. Mouse design, however, is being improved and there will be further developments for travelling in a 3-D world, such as better voice interaction for avatar movement.
We have to use social media because of the next generation coming through.
Today’s need – tomorrow’s virtual world
Will 3-D gamers be tomorrow’s employees? Companies often say, “We have to use social media because of the next generation coming through.” But Borremans thinks this is a spurious reason for change.
Instead, new applications must answer a business need – what's the business objective and added value?
When companies say they need a place in Second Life because everybody else has one, Borremans challenges their thinking about the business benefit. “It’s like blogging,” he says. “If it’s not linked, it doesn’t add value.”
Many companies are keen users
Car manufacturers to pharmaceutical companies and consulting firms are using virtual worlds to their advantage. Oil companies can simulate life on a drilling platform; the army uses virtual worlds for training purposes; nurses receive first-aid training and doctors can practice open heart surgery.
“Second Life is now quite old – it started in 2003,” Borremans points out. “We have many users now and lots of companies have been playing with virtual worlds over the last four years.”
In addition, many conferences and publications specifically target these worlds. Borremans says there will eventually be better interlinking. “I can imagine logging on to Melcrum to read an article then following a link to discuss it in a virtual environment.”
But others are still reluctant
Gronstedt believes there's one main reason some companies are reluctant to use virtual worlds. “Because of fear and ignorance by the bureaucratic class of decision makers who are vested in the past and not the future; in status quo instead of change; in risk avoidance instead of opportunity maximization; in preservation instead of innovation.”
I can imagine logging on to Melcrum to read an article then following a link to discuss it in a virtual environment.
The company may lack resources, have security concerns or see IT road blocks. “The cold fact is that new generation workers don’t care why you're still staring at a phone and listening to disembodied voices on a conference call instead of meeting in rich 3-D environments,” Gronstedt says.
He sees talented young workers as representing the lifeblood of a forward-looking company. “For this reason, it's critical you don’t let your legal or IT departments intimidate you – they haven’t embraced a new idea since the electric typewriter. These are the same people who fought the PC in the work place just 20 years ago.”
Advice for communicators
Gronstedt advises communication professionals to experience Second Life for themselves. He suggests getting a free Second Life account and joining around 40 other communication professionals and virtual worlds experts at Gronstedt Group’s weekly Second Life meetings, Thursdays noon-1.00 EDT.
Communicators should experiment with a test island, an employee-only “intraverse,” to encourage immediate feedback and build success stories during regular company meetings or sales roleplay.
This “skunkworks” approach irons out kinks early, creates a groundswell of support and an army of evangelists. “Aggregate upwards and outwards to generate scale and drive the organization toward enterprise-level adoption,” Gronstedt advises.
“The barriers to entry are low. Once you’ve set up your island you only have to pay a nominal hosting fee to Linden Lab. When people get a taste for the 3-D web, there’s no turning back to the 2-D web flatlands.”
It's critical you don’t let your legal or IT departments intimidate you – they haven’t embraced a new idea since the electric typewriter.
Read more about virtual worlds within Gronstedt Elearning! Magazine.
Have your say
Is your organization using virtual worlds to get things done? What examples have you come across – in learning and development, communication, decision-making, coaching?
“Face-to-face” has always been the watchword of communication practitioners, but are today’s business needs – particularly of the global business – making this principal a thing of the past? Let us know your thoughts on the subject, below.
Recommended resources:
Melcrum report: How to use Social Media to Engage Employees
Virtual worlds can offer internal comms benefits
Launching into a brave new world at IBM
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