Jon Collins

Service Director, Freeform Dynamics

There is (currently anecdotal) evidence that immersive environments such as Second Life are losing their mainstream popularity, as incidentally, are such social networking sites as Facebook. Together with such technologies as telepresence, the potential for such collaborative technologies is great, in terms of how it enables stronger relationships to develop with the subsequent impact on productivity; virtual worlds also offer the opportunity to interact physically and collaboratively, for example to demonstrate a product prototype. But there are plenty of downsides – not least the potential for abuse which is leading many corporations to ignore, if not avoid such technologies. This presentation considers the benefits and challenges of socially enabled virtual worlds, gives examples of where organizations are using them for corporate benefit, while minimizing the governance risks and operational challenges they cause. Also, if Second Life is indeed losing its sheen, what's Third Life going to be like?