'Second Life'...... YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!!!!!

Where should I begin with my Second Life experience....well let me start by providing details on my journey and what I actually saw and did. After several days of trying to communicate, I finally got someone to talk to me. They told me how to visit different locations by teleporting. When I finally realized what to do, I had no place in mind to visit. Then an idea came... since I was working on a Dell laptop, I made Dell my first stop. I transported to the Dell environment (pictured below). The location was set up to inform consumers of the different product and services that Dell offers. Dell uses Second Life to further reach out to consumers. They are known for going the extra mile for their consumers so for those who decide to live a ‘second life’ online, they want to reach out to even them. When I was in the Dell environment no other visitors were present so I was unable to get feedback from other users. Personally I thought it was informative and unique, especially the huge computer they have for users to walk through on another one of their locations.



After a little more wandering, I chose to set off on my next journey.


I transported to one of Dell's competitors, IBM (pictured below). The location was IBM's Executive Briefing Center. There they provided insight on IBM hardware and software. IBM’s set up was similar to Dell’s. The location was set up to inform the consumer of different concepts being considered and for consumers to provide feedback. There were a lot of products there for one to test and read about. I doubt IBM has set up the location to make a profit; their main focus seems to be informing the public. There was a conference room, making you feel just like a member of the board; there ready to make a difference. :) Like Dell, IBM chose Second Life as a creative way to reach the consumer. Why not bring your business to the consumer, if not in real life, a ‘second life’. No one was at the location when I visited (maybe it was too late at night), but I still felt informed and will maybe try to visit again during business hours to see if someone is available.






My Personal Experience

As for Second Life as a whole...I can honestly say I didn't enjoy myself in Second Life at all. The idea of creating a "second life" online sounds fun and interesting at first, but I must say that it is a lot of work. Possibly more work then my "first life".

To begin, one must create an avatar to represent themselves in this virtual world. Now if you truly want an accurate representation of yourself, you, like me will customize your avatar and attempt to make it look somewhat like yourself. This in itself takes a long time. After realizing that it was nearly impossible to make my character really look like me I settled on what you see above. I said to myself nobody is perfect in 'real life', so why am I trying to create this perfect person online?

After finally settling on a look, I set off on my journey. Some journey it was, it was impossible to maneuver and explore. I spent most days just walking in circles trying to get someone to talk to me and maybe give me directions on what to do. Forget trying to read the instructions on the walls. I found myself just walking right through the walls and falling off the grid.

Then there was the issue of the Internet connection. Just when I was learning to walk, Second Life would just shut down and give me an error message stating that there was a problem in my region or my Internet connection failed. Bummer!!! So, because this is an assignment I would log on again and hope for the best, but to no avail the same thing would happen again.

Because of all of the problems that came with me trying to live this double life in Second Life, I decided that it's probably best for me just to stick to living my normal life here and now.

Shopping will never be the same....

Using 3 dimensional technologies to change the face of e-commerce

In the past, online shopping was basically limited to flat web pages, without the possibility to view merchandise as you would if you were actually at the retailer’s location. A new technological innovation developed by Near Global is striving to change this. A recent news clip by the Associate Press on January 20, 2009 introduces a new development that would allow consumers to not only shop online, but view retailers – in 3D- in their area as if they were actually present.



As mentioned in the clip, Near Global has already set the stage for a 3D version of London’s West End. Alex Wrottesley, Co-Founder, Near Global, stated that with this development consumers will be able to virtually walk through the streets, fly in the sky, look in store windows, and walk in the store as if they were physically there.

Shopping online allows you to avoid the crowds, waiting in line, and noise, but some consumers may prefer to actually visit the retailer. Richard Dodd, of the British Retail Consortium, mentioned that consumers physically go shopping to stroll around, encounter different experiences, and meet and mingle with others. Retailers welcome the opportunity to conform to the change in retail.



With Near™ a visitor can not only shop, but socialize, play games, and explore. Near will provide virtual versions of cities that will allow user to do all of the things they normally do, but without ever leaving their homes. According to nearglobal.com, “Near™ delivers a new kind of interactive experience. Using the latest video-game technology Near enables you to walk the streets, browse and buy from retailers, watch concerts and films and share information with your friends, all in a beautifully realized environment.” Near™ will initially be released for PC. Support for all other major hardware platforms (including Mac, Linux, Wii, Xbox360, PS3 and Mobile) is planned for 2009. Near will be available all over the world; in the United States it is currently available in California, Florida, and New York. Near™ will officially launch in London at the end of 2009 with a special seasonal addition. For more information visit http://www.nearglobal.com/.