Columns

Thu, Mar 24 2011
Is the username dying?

Is the username dying?

What would happen if at a school’s talent show some parents stood up and started heckling the child playing the piano or dancing in front of them? “You’re awful!” or “You call yourself... 

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Tue, Mar 22 2011
The Many Advantages of Virtual Collaboration

The Many Advantages of Virtual Collaboration

The results of this Harvard Business School study, and many others like it, provide ample and compelling evidence to suggest that virtual collaboration is a powerful means of achieving new levels of efficiency... 

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Mon, Mar 7 2011
Ten Challenges 3D Virtual Meeting Platforms Face in Corporations

Ten Challenges 3D Virtual Meeting Platforms Face in Corporations

Corporations are comfortable with using WebEx-like solutions for their virtual meetings, with some using pseudo-3D platforms for large-scale virtual conferences and trade shows. When they need more sense... 

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Thu, Mar 3 2011
Successful virtual engagement marketing

Successful virtual engagement marketing

Sometimes, people new to the concept of virtual engagement ask: “How do you market a virtual event? Is it necessary to drive attendance with email and other tools?” As experienced marketers, we know... 

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Thu, Feb 17 2011
Watson On Jeopardy: One small step for AI

Watson On Jeopardy: One small step for AI

They say it’s not the winning that counts but the taking part. Watson managed to do both — but perhaps the winning actually counted for less. All the indications are that Watson’s win... 

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Mon, Feb 14 2011
Report: associations’ virtual events to triple

Report: associations’ virtual events to triple

According to a new report, virtual conferences are not longer a novelty for associations and are expected to triple in number this year. And while reducing costs remains a major driver for virtual events,... 

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Tue, Feb 8 2011
Failure to Disrupt: Why Second Life Failed

Failure to Disrupt: Why Second Life Failed

Am I being premature? Second Life has outlived its many obituaries. This is not an obit. At the same time, only the most ardent SL-cheerleaders would deny that the virtual world has stagnated. In the... 

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Mon, Feb 7 2011
Lessons of the NBC agreement with Battlestar Galactica fans

Lessons of the NBC agreement with Battlestar Galactica fans

In early December, I wrote about the cease & desist order sent by lawyers representing the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum in Second Life – which had recently... 

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Sun, Feb 6 2011
3D text effect with OpenSim

3D text effect with OpenSim

OpenSim makes for a good, and free, tool for 3D animation work. I have spoken at conferences and webinars on the use of Second Life for creating video for branched scenario-based eLearning because it... 

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Fri, Feb 4 2011

No Excuses for Poor Signage

It was an honor to present to the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life. A wide range of organizations were represented by their avatars in the central arena. There to discuss signage, I discussed tips and... 

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Thu, Feb 3 2011
Why should virtual events look like in-person events?

Why should virtual events look like in-person events?

Since we launched Altadyn nine years ago, we regularly hear the questions: Why should virtual events look like in-person events? Why meet in a 3D space? Why use an avatar? Why isn’t the virtual... 

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Wed, Feb 2 2011
American, Japanese virtual habits differ

American, Japanese virtual habits differ

Online virtual worlds boast an expansive global fan base, and effectively communicating with and marketing to this diverse user base can present opportunities for professionals. At TinierMe, an avatar-based... 

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Mon, Jan 31 2011
Bringing Virtual Events into the Mainstream

Bringing Virtual Events into the Mainstream

It seems like more and more marketers are looking into virtual and hybrid events. With tight event budgets and opportunity to scale reach online, virtual events can look attractive. Craig Rosenberg from... 

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Tue, Jan 18 2011
Why Must Virtual Events Look Like In-Person Events?

Why Must Virtual Events Look Like In-Person Events?

Every year I look forward to attending the Virtual Edge Summit online. Not only is it free to consume the content online and saves my travel budget (one of the keys for virtual events) but it also showcases... 

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Thu, Jan 13 2011
Virtual Event Strategies for 2011

Virtual Event Strategies for 2011

I’m a believer in hybrid events and the benefits of extending reach through that strategy. Associations that go down the hybrid road, and make it financially attractive, are putting their profession... 

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Wed, Jan 12 2011
Game Dynamics and Games in Virtual Events

Game Dynamics and Games in Virtual Events

On a recent trip to London, I found myself sitting in a Yo! Sushi. As I watched the colored plates winding their way around the room, I noticed a poster on the wall advertising “Blue Plate Mondays”... 

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Fri, Jan 7 2011
10 Things I Won’t Miss About In-Person Events

10 Things I Won’t Miss About In-Person Events

Event management is tough… really tough. In fact, if you are an experienced event planner, you are probably one of the only people in the world that knows how to ship an elephant from Dallas to... 

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Tue, Jan 4 2011
Got Free Milk? Virtual Events that Won’t Kill The Cash Cow

Got Free Milk? Virtual Events that Won’t Kill The Cash Cow

Despite their brave faces, the producers of live events are still frightened about the impact of virtual events to erode their attendee base and diminish their profit margins. After all, if you can... 

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Tue, Dec 14 2010
Generate Sales Leads With Virtual Events

Generate Sales Leads With Virtual Events

The following is an excerpt from a new book, Generate Sales Leads With Virtual Events. I can vividly recall my first experience exhibiting at a trade show.  It was the early 1990’s and I was fresh... 

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Tue, Dec 14 2010
The Numbers are In: Virtual Events are The Real Deal

The Numbers are In: Virtual Events are The Real Deal

The numbers are in on virtual. After being immersed in all things virtual the last four months through my work with the Virtual Edge Summit, it was interesting to attend IAEE last week and be brought back... 

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Thu, Dec 9 2010
Why face-to-face meetings are here to stay

Why face-to-face meetings are here to stay

Sure we’re advocates of virtual meetings. But we’re not foolish enough to think a day will come — soon or ever — when face-to-face meetings go away. That’s just not going... 

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Thu, Dec 9 2010
How to Price Your Virtual Currency

How to Price Your Virtual Currency

One of the key early decisions to game design or creating a virtual currency platform is designing the price and exchange rate of virtual currency. Unfortunately after it’s been released, it’s also... 

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Mon, Dec 6 2010
ProtoSphere and Lync: more than voice

ProtoSphere and Lync: more than voice

Last week, ProtonMedia made a formal announcement about a project I first reported on in September  of this year that ProtoSphere, the 3D enterprise collaboration and learning tool, is  now fully integrated... 

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Fri, Dec 3 2010
Despite Cease & Desist Order, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Spirit of Innovation Lives On

Despite Cease & Desist Order, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Spirit of Innovation Lives On

The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum, which was recently granted a licensing agreement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (and later attained official 501(c)3 non-profit status from the IRS) was... 

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Tue, Nov 30 2010
WonderSchool makes Alice immersive

WonderSchool makes Alice immersive

WonderSchool, a startup formed by Els Von Tol and myself, is a portal for schools where they can build their own virtual world, or use an existing one, and give their users access to software... 

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Tue, Nov 30 2010
How to make virtual speaker programs work

How to make virtual speaker programs work

Like many aspects of life sciences today, speaker programs are being cut due to budgetary constraints and the tightening regulatory landscape. I read a recent article by Bill Cooney in PharmaExec that... 

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Mon, Nov 29 2010
Avatars key to equal contribution and opportunity

Avatars key to equal contribution and opportunity

Much has been discussed and written about virtual environments achieving levels of immersion and interactivity that rival (and some believe exceed) face-to-face meetings. Much has also been written about... 

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Mon, Nov 29 2010
Corporate uptake of collaborative 3D spaces

Corporate uptake of collaborative 3D spaces

Much has been said in recent years regarding the benefits and substantial returns an organisation can achieve by integrating an Online 3D Environment into their everyday operations. Indeed, examples... 

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Fri, Nov 19 2010
Avatars ‘compelling’ in nursing training video

Avatars ‘compelling’ in nursing training video

We just found out about a wonderful write-up on the real-time animated training video we recently created for the Exergen Corporation.  The magazine, Executive Healthcare Management, is a well respected... 

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Wed, Nov 17 2010
Is your grid a safe harbor?

Is your grid a safe harbor?

One of the things every grid owner should be concerned with is the possibility that one of the grid’s users will be using, selling or transferring content that infringes upon another’s copyright. While... 

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Tue, Nov 16 2010
Meshes a positive for Second Life and content developers

Meshes a positive for Second Life and content developers

Linden Lab has begun open beta testing of what is to be their most substantial feature, mesh imports. They are using collada format for the import, which is a format supported by just about every 3D... 

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Mon, Nov 15 2010
Five step guide to virtual trade show exhibits

Five step guide to virtual trade show exhibits

I work with a number of clients who exhibit at a virtual trade show for the first time.  They find that once they complete their first virtual trade show, that each successive show is simpler.  However,... 

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Mon, Nov 15 2010
Legal names in virtual worlds

Legal names in virtual worlds

Until recently, it has not really been possible for residents of virtual worlds to use their real life name. While Second Life™ has had its Custom Name Program for some time, residents have understandably... 

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Mon, Nov 15 2010
Ireland’s gifted kids explore 3D

Ireland’s gifted kids explore 3D

MissionV – 3D Immersive Technology in the classroom for the support of exceptionally able and twice exceptional students What if you were told of an amazing untapped, sustainable national resource ... 

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Tue, Nov 9 2010
Virtual Justice in virtual worlds

Virtual Justice in virtual worlds

I spent the last few days reading Virtual Justice by Greg Lastowka. Lastowka outlined some legal issues that arise in virtual environments. Who owns what? What rights — if any — do you... 

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Tue, Nov 9 2010
Will COMDEXvirtual match success of physical incarnation?

Will COMDEXvirtual match success of physical incarnation?

Most people in the event business knew of or actually participated in a COMDEX trade show. It was the largest IT event in the US with more than 200,000 attendees and about 2,500 exhibitors and it was... 

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Tue, Nov 9 2010
How many avatars can OpenSim handle?

How many avatars can OpenSim handle?

Exactly how many people can a region in OpenSim support? How many people could meet for business meetings or presentations in an OpenSim region? Intel has a tool that allows more than 1,000 avatars on... 

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Tue, Nov 2 2010
Virtual designs lack graphical appeal

Virtual designs lack graphical appeal

The power of first impressions is either ignored or overlooked. Perhaps the poor state of design in Second Life is due to myopia—no one can see his or her own face objectively. A stroll around the Aloft... 

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Tue, Nov 2 2010
Green Your Meeting By Going Virtual

Green Your Meeting By Going Virtual

Everyone wants to go green these days, including meeting planners. And while there are many ways to green a meeting, one of the greenest approaches to meetings is to not meet in person. This is a way... 

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Tue, Oct 26 2010
Community in Distributed Spaces

Community in Distributed Spaces

I have lost track of the number of times over the last few weeks that I have been somewhere in the OpenSim grid and heard someone say “This is like Second Life in the early days – I love it.” ... 

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Mon, Oct 25 2010
Avatar: Your key to equal contribution and opportunity

Avatar: Your key to equal contribution and opportunity

Much has been discussed and written about virtual environments achieving levels of immersion and interactivity that rival (and some believe exceed) face-to-face meetings. Much has also been written about... 

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Tue, Oct 19 2010
How To: Generate More Effective Virtual Trade Show Booths

How To: Generate More Effective Virtual Trade Show Booths

My local farmers market had a “Vote 4 Your Favorite Booth” contest.  While the contest was active, I noticed that the fruit vendors were much more engaging and the amount of free samples increased... 

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Mon, Oct 18 2010
Bring on the Virtual Bar!

Bring on the Virtual Bar!

Virtual events are undoubtedly effective… but can they also be fun? Over the last several years, many companies, squeezed by tough economic conditions, have looked for alternatives to in-person events.... 

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Wed, Oct 13 2010
Successful Hybrid Event Case Study: Event Camp Twin Cities 2010

Successful Hybrid Event Case Study: Event Camp Twin Cities 2010

“Attend our free webinar!” How many of these emails do you get these days? I don’t know about you, but my itchy “Delete” finger gets really itchy when these appear in my inbox. Why? I think... 

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Mon, Oct 11 2010
Make Your Events and Expos a Virtual Reality

Make Your Events and Expos a Virtual Reality

Last month I attended one of the most engaging meetings I’ve ever experienced and I was not even there.  The event was EventCamp Twin Cities.  This was a one-day conference for event professionals. ... 

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Mon, Oct 11 2010
What Virtual Business Means to Your Business

What Virtual Business Means to Your Business

Introduction 1. $54 million in cost savings 2. $19 million in productivity and time savings 3. 34,000 tons of carbon emissions eliminated If those kinds of numbers are interesting to you, we hope you... 

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Mon, Oct 11 2010
Trends in the Virtual Worlds Industry

Trends in the Virtual Worlds Industry

How do you keep up with industry trends?  You hear from the people setting the trends.  On September 24th, FountainBlue held its annual virtual worlds conference on Cisco’s campus in Milpitas, CA. ... 

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Fri, Oct 8 2010
A Manifesto for Educators in Search of Life After Second Life

A Manifesto for Educators in Search of Life After Second Life

When I first rezzed in January 2007, educators were investing heavily in Second Life, both its Teen and Main Grids. Throughout the “hype” era that ended the next  year, and amid the inevitable... 

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Tue, Oct 5 2010
Education Discounts in Second Life: Loss or gain?

Education Discounts in Second Life: Loss or gain?

I hate that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach when I know something has been lost that I care about. After my initial shock of hearing that Linden Labs was dropping education discounts, I immediately... 

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Tue, Sep 28 2010
Trends in the Virtual Worlds Industry

Trends in the Virtual Worlds Industry

How do you keep up with industry trends?  You hear from the people setting the trends. On September 24th, FountainBlue held its annual virtual worlds conference on Cisco’s campus in Milpitas, CA. The... 

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