ZDNet's Dennis Howlett Makes U Turn in Second Life

If you follow me on twitter you'll find me tweeting from and about geek meets in Second Life, which are among the best learning and networking experiences I've found. 

Among my recent meetings (listed in the public 30 boxes calendar on the right column of this blog) was one organized by Nick Wilson ( Metaversed ) in which one of my favorites,  Jeff Barr from Amazon, was a panelist joined by Xerox's Jonas Karlsson, Fiona Gallagher from Sun and Craig Cmehil from SAP.

What I didn't know was that also present was Dennis Howlett who reported later in Irregular Enterprise | ZDNet.com. Dennis liked what he saw, writing that

"....Second Life provides a viable meeting alternative to a traditional conference, especially for those who are time starved but want to discuss a single issue. (Aren’t we all?) The combination of IRC style chat and live voice, a well constructed location and readily identifiable avatars gives it a ‘human’ feel. Carefully organized events like the one I attended could easily become important meeting points ...

As a value add, it is hard to quantify the value but on this showing, the savings in travel alone have to run thousands of dollars. And oh yes - the back channel and ‘after event chatter’ was just as interesting as you’d find at any real world event.

Now here's where it really gets interesting, because he was clearly a naysayer before this.

"I had tried Second Life about 18 months ago and was deeply unimpressed. Today, I have a wholly different opinion.

Yes, creating an avatar is a dreary process and yes, getting the best from Second Life requires an investment in programming. But the rewards are clear and obvious. This is a Web 2.0 service that is maturing nicely and one that should be given CXO level attention."

Folks, if you have not created a Second Life presence it's time to do it. When the atheists are being converted by attending a simple meeting I count that ten times better than if an agnostic enthused like this.

Note: The avatar creation process can be time consuming to get it looking professional, not to mention that nobody wants to look like a Noobie, even if we are noobies, Spending some time on putting your virtual self together can make you feel much more comfortable at your first series of events in-world. It's bad enough to be walking into walls without looking like your skin has been ripped from a Barbie doll and your hair is plastered to your head

Talk to me about names before you sign up so you can avoid making unfortunate choices. And call on me for if you'd like some help constructing / presenting yourself in a professional manner.

I'm glad to just give a few pointers or do more extensive work with you. But whether you do it yourself or do it via me or someone else, it's definitely time to invest a couple of hours in at least taking the first steps.

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Skype chat @artsyasylum, A direct message in facebook reaches me well as does a direct message in twitter or a blog comment. I've sworn off email for the most part and celebrate the decision

Comments

[Susan Reynolds]

Sarah! Great to see your name, would love to see your face again too. Please put me (Tynen Clary) on your contact list in SL - I'd love to talk more about your experiences and ideas.

[Sarah Hodsdon]

I just passed my 1 year milestone on Second Life.... so far all I have done is built a studio and watched the unsavory and pornographic sites pop up around me... I have been thinking about just buying an island and starting a commune of sorts. I am actually amazed at the potential of Second Life and I suppose that is why I re-upped a few days ago. My SL character is Levi Watts BTW, I do not know how to connect my virtual self to the real world as of yet..... And, oh yeah, Susan, I am so glad you are back to the blog thing- I REALLY missed you. Hugs from Michigan!

[Susan Reynolds]

Dennis my apologies, I noted that and made the change. Funny how my fingers get ahead of my brain sometimes and go off doing their own thing.

I appreciate your visit.

[Susan Reynolds]

Terry, that is a great term. We do need Second Life "chaperones" - guides of sort. When you're so new you don't know what to do or what to ask, having someone hang out with you at a concert or take you shopping for more realistic looking skin would be a great bonus.

PS - Loving my email boycott and finding twitter & facebook DMs work for almost everything but the most recalcitrant issues.

[Terry]

Ok, ok. I'll give it another go. I keep popping in to Second Life, really wishing that it would click for me and that I would get it. I really want to get it, but I'm wondering that a combination of a less-than-to-of-the-range pc, a lack of programming skills and a lack of - I don't know, ... chaparones? friendly explainers? - have conspired to make the experience less than engaging. I am willing, wanting, to be swayed though. I'll give it another go...

PS. No e-mail? That's brave. How you finding it? Less spam I expect, for one thing.

[Dennis Howlett]

Minor nit - name spelling in heading. To the more substantive point, I think it's important to lightly hold strong positions. That way, there's a chance of changing my mind.