Socially|Mundane

We've all read and heard the reports of the benefit and detriment of virtual worlds and Second Life in particular. among the many factors regarding virtual world is the immersible experience. I'm not referring to the whole "immersion versus augmentation" debate. But rather the overwhelming psychological experience we get while speaking with another live human being, even if only through text-written chat.

as you sit at your computer in the middle of the night in Europe talking to someone whose sits in the middle of the afternoon in Asia somewhere, you cannot help but to get the definite feeling that you are there. standing next to them, on the beach at sunset. This psychological effect has a lot of benefit for a lot of people. Especially those who may be handicapped in some way.

It also has negative effect on some people, with regard to their real lives: spending too much time at the computer; spouses and significant others actually fearful of trysts and cheating - yes, cheating with a digital representation of another person.

The benefit or problem, depending on how you look at it has to do with the sheer realism these virtual world can create. Especially sandbox-style worlds like Second Life. Because of this realism and the effect and clear perception of actually being physically together, there are many companies and others investigating Second Life and other virtual worlds with the possibility of actual meetings.

Not the typical webinar or whiteboard-on-the-web type meeting, but the actual get-together type of meeting.

Unfortunately, there are serious hurdles to be overcome. Technologically, client-wise, usability and so on. Take a look at a "technology Talk" for a great article on this very idea of corporate meetings in virtual spaces. if you even think you might someday suggest the idea to your employer, it's worth a read for discovering some of the pitfalls if nothing else.

Source: Technology Talk: How Real Are Virtual Meetings?
"Virtual worlds like Second Life, There.com, and more business-focused offerings are on the brink of becoming valuable work tools. But it's still early, pioneering days," wrote Forrester Research analysts Erica Driver and Paul Jackson in the report "Getting Real Work Done In Virtual Worlds." "You've practically got to be a gamer to use most of these tools—setup can be arduous, navigating in a 3-D environment takes practice, and processing and bandwidth requirements remain high."