I’m not a big fan of Second Life but only in a rather general way. I have yet to see a really good articulation of what works and what doesn’t about it.
Well, I came across this great insight from Tim Pendry who is a friend and nouveau blogger. Tim’s background – I think it’s fair to say – isn’t really tech but I think that’s what gives him the edge I analysing SL.
It is definitely worth reading… here’s a snapshot of what I think is a central piece of his argument:
“SL is confusing at least five different tasks – psychotherapy, gaming, community building, sales promotion and public relations … It is our suspicion that the tool will only become revolutionary when it learns to concentrate on function, much as Web 2.0 products such as Facebook have done, rather than on offering a general platform.
Virtual worlds are not like simple telephony or e-mail. They have to deal with multiple identity within open societies. People are guarded. They will want to restrict access (to themselves) to a community such as friends or associates (as Facebook does) or they will want anonymity – or they will want a platform where there are guarantees exerted by the platform owners on what and who they are facing.”
His blog is also worth subscribing to for insights into contemporary British and international current affairs and politics…. and and a healthy interest in online communication.
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