Mystical Cookie and the Mystitool

Developer extraordinaire Mystical Cookie explains the story behind the MystiTool to a large gaggle of geeks.
posted by Grace McDunnough on Dr Dobbs Island using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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What Works In Second Life?

My in box was inundated with emails about the Forbes.com article, Sex, Pranks and Reality. (Yes, it's behind a reg wall. Bugmenot, Luke.) At first I tried to answer each email politely and completely, but I finally crafted a canned note identifying a rebuttal, more Forbes bashing, and my favorite dose of irony, a Philip Rosedale special report on the very same Forbes.com.

I'm not going to decompose and reconstruct the Forbes storytelling menagerie, but it was a stimulus to make me think that there *must* be a simple way to look at what works in a synchronous relationship space, virtual or otherwise, and to put that into the context of why some corporations are truly failing in this space.

Is there some secret sauce to success in the virtual space? Of course there is; it's what makes any and every relationship work -- give and take -- but this is hardly a secret. Why is this so difficult and taking so long to understand? Perhaps the Cluetrain Manifesto was released too early, or the academic treatise of Cultural Convergence ala Jenkins and the Wealth of Networks ala Benkler are just too difficult to grasp. There are also several treatises on marketing in Second Life, but even those seem to be falling on deaf ears.

It's time for me to coin my pitch about this new era of relationship, in terms easier to grasp:

The new market is DIALOGUE, the new currency is INTERACTION and the exchange rate is variable, based on ENGAGEMENT. - Grace McDunnough

Let's break it down to help understand the hurdles presented to large corporations.

Hurdle #1: DIALOGUE
To crack the cultural codes of Second Life, you have to engage in conversation. You may actually have to say hello to someone you've never met, you have to be willing to say what you want to say and challenge a point of view in real time, synchronously. Dialogue is critically important to building awareness; it's also the first and most basic part of a relationship.

The power of the Second Life platform is the ability to present and shape the dialogue in many experiential dimensions - spatially, visually and audibly. Why is this hard for large corporate entities? I think the answer is obvious; communication is not a strength of most large organizations internally, and externally there are layers of marketing, communication and public relations specialists that carefully craft the "message" and certainly not in real time.

Dialogue often requires that you actually be present, unlike an asynchronous web presence, and many instances of news about corporate presence in Second Life indicate that they are too devoid of people. If dialogue is a requirement, then just getting in the game presents a challenge for large corporations.

Hurdle #2: INTERACTION
Assuming you've cleared the dialogue hurdle, the next question is "Can you walk the talk?". A few large corporate builds in Second Life seem to think that interaction is achieved by putting in a rollercoaster or a ski slope. That may work if you are building an amusement park or a ski resort, but what I mean by interaction is more scientific - like that of a state change. Interaction is the process of employing the artifacts of the dialogue practically to affect change.

An example of this type of interaction was the Starwood Hotels Virtual Aloft project where the results of the community feedback were subsequently incorporated into the next release of the product.

Aloha! We are pleased to announce the reopening of the virtual aloft. Over the past few months, we have actively solicited input from you, the Second Life residents, on such design features as public spaces, guest rooms and exteriors – everything from color palette to space planning. After reviewing all of your comments, several changes to the overall design of aloft are a direct result from your feedback. Not only have these changes been applied to the virtual hotel, they will also be reflected in the “real-life” aloft hotels.

True interaction is not just a public relations stunt, it requires thinking about what you are willing to expose, and it requires that corporations listen to the voice of their consumers. Mostly it requires some accountability to the objective and attendant results which is always a hurdle.

Hurdle #3: ENGAGEMENT
Finally, the holy grail of a relationship -- how much does your time *with me* mean to you? Engagement is the new darling topic of the digital media ad sales and marketing world. It is still tough to define absolutely as it hinges on other equally obtuse elements such as "involvement", "experience", "resonance", "relationship", and a throw back to the web days of eyeballs per fortnight, "stickiness".

The real value of relationship is the response it draws from the individual, and that is how we measure engagement. You've heard the phrase "quality time" in relationships; it applies equally well to developing and maintaining a successful virtual presence. The crux of the quality measure is that it is interpreted from a single perspective - what is quality time to me may not be to the next person and therefore the value equation can shift. This makes corporations cringe. It flies in the face of what most, not all, corporations have adopted as the de facto exchange rates for their online presence which is reach and frequency.

So what works? Let's review. Build a relationship by starting a dialogue, stimulate and sponsor interactions, and tap into the emotional response of the person on whom you rely for consideration, brand loyalty including peer promotion, and purchasing.

And if you are more of an visual/audio learner, I think the New Radicals have a good point in "You Get What You Give".



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Say Hello To Grace en Voki

Meet Grace en Voki. Grace en Voki is a new member of the guide team and will be sharing tidbits from Second Life and snippets from abroad to break up our journey. Today she is sharing a poem from Wu Men entitled The Great Way.

The Great Way

The Great Way has no gate;
there are a thousand paths to it.
If you pass through the barrier,
you walk the universe alone.

- Wu Men

Grace is a Voki production, brought to us by the folks from Oddcast. This is also a test to see how many of SL followers will adopt a Voki for their sites and experiences. If you get one, please let Grace know!
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EMG and Videoranch Debut

Ed's Octoer Cafe has its grand opening with the Videoranch house band Ranch Dressing playing the first of three 45 minute sets. The elements of note: no video in SL, no Ranch Dressing avatars in SL, but a slide show from past performances. According to one of the Videoranch hosts, VR3D is an invitation only, members only, site, but as an SL member you automatically qualify for membership.

posted by Grace McDunnough on Videoranch using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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CBS Snuggles up to The L Word

It's not taken long since the CBS investment in the Electric Sheep Company for the broadcast entity's icon to show up in Second Life but I did not expect to see it disguised as "The L Word Orientation 4". I'm looking forward to the final product, the current skelton has some interesting video distribution techniques and what appears to be a back lot studio.

posted by Grace McDunnough on The L Word Orientation 4 using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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Transform - nation

If I don't get shot, this might be a fun place to spend a few minutes. Despite dodging a few stray bullets, I did find my way downstairs to pick up my very own Transformer avi, although yellow really is not my color. I think I'm a winter.

I'm at Sector 7, a sim dedicated to the opening of the new Transformers movie. Moo Money reported on the Second Life Q&A event yesterday, and a podcast and the SLCN live footage is embedded on the Picture Production Company's Silverscreen blog.

posted by Grace McDunnough on Sector 7 using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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Mr. Paffendorf Says Hello to the Future

Jerry Paffendorf (aka SNOOPYbrown Zamboni) announced his departure as The Electric Sheep Company's "Futurist in Residence" yesterday. I heard it first on Twitter, which is becoming a tool on which I increasingly rely in a tumultuous love - hate relationship.

Many times I heard people say that Jerry had "the.best.job.ever.", but being a "Futurist" can be hard work. The world we live in today is changing more quickly than I think many of us truly understand, or stop to think about other than to randomly (and annoyingly) quote Moore's Law.

No Futurist can spend much time running about talking about what we already know and are adopting, rather they have the tough job of opening our minds to yet to fore adopted ideas and trends, and try to help shape thinking likewise. For a Futurist, it can get lonely out there, where there is no one to hear you fall.

Futurists sometimes have the unenviable job of pointing out the obvious, or assembling facts in creative ways that once revealed, make you think "oh, $#%*". Perhaps this compelling video will show you what I mean.



Shift Happens - Watch more free videos

Jerry is off to pursue his passions and a new business venture for a service that combines passive gaming, lifestreaming, and collaborative web browsing with virtual world elements. Best of luck to Jerry, Entrepreneur.
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Always a Bridesmaid ...

My dear friend DrFran Babcock rolled out what I think is her most fabuous creation to date for the Relay for Life Benefit. A fantastically elegant wedding gown of silk and lace. And shiver me timbers .. the Elf Shalear is sporting freckles!

posted by Grace McDunnough on Acheron LV426 using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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Leading Brands Summit on the Impact of Emerging Media in Second Life

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) hosts "Leading Brands Summit on the Impact of Emerging Media" on Friday June 29th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort conference center in Second Life. According to the press release, the motivation for the summit addresses the a topic much broader than *just* virtual worlds:

"As the media landscape expands to include social communities, consumer generated media and virtual reality, so must sales and marketing evolve to speak to and engage today's consumer. Top executives and thought-leaders reveal their new media mix, what's working for them and what they're anticipating next."

Steve McGookin of Forbes.com will moderate the diverse panel of speakers including:
* Henry Jenkins, Head of the Comparative Media Studies Department, MIT
* Del Ross, Vice President, Distribution Marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group
* Cory van Arsdale, CEO, Massive Inc.
* Andrew Markowitz, Director, Digital Marketing & Media, Kraft Foods
* Michael Donnelly, Director Worldwide Interactive Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company

The Crowne Plaza's Place To Meet island is not open yet, but you can register on their site to reserve each of the three meeting they offer: the Executive Conference Room, the Theater Room and the Lounge Room. I love this idea and I plan to give it a test run as soon as I find the time. I'll let you know how it goes.

Place to Meet is strategically placed next to Holiday Inn Island. I wonder how long it will be until we hear "I don't know much about virtual worlds, but I did stay at the Holiday Inn last night"? My guess is at the next Virtual Worlds 2007 Conference in October.
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I *hate* scary movies ...

.. but I cannot resist a good asylum. The Ryder Asylum sim was inspired by Danvers State Hospital. Danvers was known for pioneering medical techniques such as the pre-frontal lobotomy, and is rumored to be the most haunted place in North America.

posted by Grace McDunnough on Ryder Asylum using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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BlogHer Second Life '07

Queen Tureaud (blogger Erin Koteki) is busy preparing her castle to be stormed for the third annual BlogHer conference which will be simultaneously hosted in Chicago, Illinois and in Second Life on July 27-29th. This is a much anticipated event; Queen noted that registrations have already started piling in for Second Lifers without any advertisement.

Find out more about the BlogHer conference here and go directly here to register for the Second Life festivities. Make sure you follow the instructions, including emailing Queen to get added to the group.

I'll see you there!



posted by Grace McDunnough on Isle of Eden using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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Experience is the New Reality

A future to imagine ...



Anything over 5 minutes of video is the new "long form" in our attention deficit market, but I dare you to walk away from this piece.
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Fried dumplings .. yum

Make your way to the Downtown sim if you like urban detail and oh yes .. fried dumplings. I don't think I've spent as much time on a sim lately as I did today on Downtown. It's a wonderfully developed urban/inner city setting with a wealth of interesting shops and a subway that you can ride to key intersections.

The entire sim is well done, and I particularly appreciated the attention to details from the graffiti on the walls and the subway train, to the used record store and the gentlemen's reading room. There was room for growth on the sim, and I am looking forward to the next phase of development from this creative set of developers.

posted by Grace McDunnough on Downtown using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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SCDA and Maximum Minimum

Two of my favorite designers, Scope Cleaver and Maximilian Milosz have teamed up to deliver a killer 1-2 punch, tipping the sophisticate scales with their high end work. These boys have mad skillz and an eye for detail that will satisfy the most discriminating SL tastes for elegant modern comtemporary.

posted by Grace McDunnough on SCDA using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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Etch This

DISCLAIMER: This has nothing to do with Second Life or Virtual Worlds, but as an etch-a-sketch junkie, I felt it was my obligation to share. More *real* blogging on the virtual space next week. I am not to be held accountable for your soon to be new addiction.
Etch away...

Get this widget!

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Cemetery plots for hire in Second Life

For L$400 a month, you can rent a cemetery plot to house your loved one's tomb on Memoris island.

This is a beautiful tribute sim and the plots have touching sentiments, but I need to read a bit more on Japanese culture to fully understand the draw. Most of the literature is in Japanese, so if anyone can and would like to translate please drop me a note.



Many thanks to Kosso for fixing the blogHUD cross posting to Blogger!

posted by Grace McDunnough on Memoris using a blogHUD : [permalink]

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Linden Estate Services *In* Second Life

Today I stumbled upon the Linden Estate Services islands which to me are a welcome addition to the community. The Cory Edo build is woefully corporate but houses offices for the land management and concierge staff including a who's online and message board right as you enter. The current Linden staff include: Jack, Harmony, Belinda, Ethan, Dee, Guy, Leo, Kyle, Spike, and Izzy.

The office building is adjacent to five other islands, one for Island Type 1-4 and one called Terraform Me. This is an encouraging development and I look forward to seeing how it might play out and operate once it's open and publicized.

If you are looking for more information about the revamping of the Linden service model specific to estates you can find it here.
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Virtual Collaboration, Real Results

The Mill Pond Folk Fest wrapped on Saturday and I believe our main goal of "have a damn good time" was met and it some cases, including mine, was certainly exceeded. I learned more about the culture of Second Life and virtualized collaboration and as you know, I am all about the learning so let's dissect the event.

On the numbers
We hosted 15 hours of art and live music on 3 stages across 2 sims, with 43 musical acts. One stage was on Stone Hill and two stages were on Mill Pond - the Pond and the Tavern. The Tavern was wholly dedicated to musicians from Montreal, Canada *never heard in Second Life* and the talented Montian Gilruth hosted the mixed reality event.

I put unique visitor counters at each of the three stage parcels which gave us daily and overall totals. We had 1553 unique visitors in total (average 103 per hour) with a break down as follows: Stone Hill = 550, Pond Stage = 553, and the Tavern Stage = 450. Average resident concurrency for Friday and Saturday (thank you Tateru) was 31,526 which means in total we drew an average of 0.03% of the on line SL Residents to the event per hour, or 0.4% of the total residents logged in the last 7 days. [Trivia challenge: If you drew 0.4% of the Internet traffic to your site, who would you be?]

On engagement
Of course, we *all* know that the true power of this platform is engagement and not just numbers, so let's look at that aspect just a little. The Stone Hill and Pond stages hosted Second Life musicians while the Tavern stage introduced new, never heard before, possibly never to be heard again, musicians from Montreal. Note that the numbers for Stone Hill and the Pond are 20% higher than the Tavern.

This is representative of the Second Life fan culture, or the fandom phenomenon. In the era of new media networks and convergence, this is critically important to understand. Henry Jenkins is the expert here, take a read through his blog and books. Fandom is a powerful phenomena, and harnessing it is one way to drive traffic and increase engagement - a point that is not lost on many of the more successful Second Life performers or the more successful commercial locations such as the L Word sims.

On collaboration
Executing an event of this size requires a good deal of collaboration and cooperation and often this is where you make or break it. There were four main co-conspirators doing the heavy lifting for a few months leading up to the event: Montian Gilruth, Micala Lumiere, Montrealer Moody and me. As the fantastic four, we depended on two primary forms of communication - conference calls and a wiki. I don't think Second Life voice would have helped here, primarily because we needed a secure (i.e. not publicly available) line that the four of us could access. As a side note, I think the introduction of voice at this event would have been disastrous; Gwyn might agree or disagree.

The real essence of an event like this is the community contributions of every single person in their own way - every one of the artists and vendors, the musicians, Edward Lowell of The Stream Team and Reslez Steeplechase of First Call Musician's Co-op who donated streaming services, Bree Birke who graciously volunteered to greet and be bouncer for the entire 15 hour event, DrFran Babcock who made a delightful May Pole (it was initially a May event), and Slip Stringfellow who donated his time and soon to be "must have" security system, and each of the Second Life blogging outlets that helped promote the event including SLNN, Rik Riel on Rik's Picks for New World Notes, The Avastar, and Amalthea Blanc on Second Life Art News.

I causally mentioned having the next festival in the Fall at my Sunday gig, although the thoughts of how much time and effort it took to pull this one off is looming dauntingly in my mind - which leads me to a couple of closing points:
1) You can never have "too much help"
2) People - not technology - are the foundation of Second Life, and
3) You can not truly appreciate the power, inspiration and transformative nature of this platform unless you spend some time here actually *doing* something, anything.

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Visit Mexico in Second Life

Today marks the grand opening of the Visit Mexico sim and Chichen Itza Archaeological Site. The grand opening event will be kicked off at 1PM SL by DJ Madame Maracas, followed by a seven hour tour de force line up of live musicians. The event listing has all the details. Get there early and spend some time in the pyramid of El Castillo, diving into the sacred cenote of sacrifice, or hunt for ancient relics and treasures.

The sim is sponsored by the Mexico Tourism Board and they are using the spot to campaign for Chichen Itza to be voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. You can see the finalists and vote here.

Visit Mexico (20, 249, 92)
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Second Life's Mill Pond Folk Festival

I know my posting has been sparse, but I've been spending the majority of my free time preparing for the Mill Pond Folk Festival which starts Friday and runs through Saturday. You do not want to miss this event!

I had the idea for a Folk Festival in Second Life earlier this year, and at the casual mention of it to my good friends and fellow musicians Micala Lumiere, Montian Gilruth and Montrealer Moody, the idea resonated and suddenly we were underway. It's been a whirlwind of challenge and interesting interpersonal relations, but I've learned so much about myself and others that the event itself seems almost secondary. Of course it's *not*, it's an enormously ambitious undertaking for a non-commercial event.

The festival hours are: Friday 3PM - 9PM SL, Saturday 12PM - 9PM SL. We have every one of the 15 hours packed with the talent of over 50 combined live musicians and artisans on three stages spread over Micala's lovely Mill Pond and Stone Hill sims. In addition to the wealth of Second Life talent, Montian Gilruth is introducing thirteen folk musicians from Montreal, Canada.

You can find details about the schedule, musicians and artists from our wikispace but if you have any questions, just let one of us know.

To get there, just take this SLURL. I hope to see you there!
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