oceanzone

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why are we still talking about words?

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A picture is worth a thousand words, why are we still talking about words?

So, we've got all of these web 3D worlds cropping up. You go in each one and you have to design your avatar. (My SL avatar is to the left.) You have passwords to remember everywhere. In some cases, you have to install the software.

I think the next big browser will allow you to interact in 3D with any website. (Yes, Second Life is open source, but the environment is not!) Why should you have to "join?" Shouldn't there be protocols and filters and standards for a 3D web browsing experience just like we have with a 2D experience of words and static photographs?

Do we realize that Linden dollars (the money in Second Life) may perhaps be our first truly global currency? (It is 250L$ to every $1 of US currency.)

Second Life is OK, but its not ready for prime time in education. I've been spending some time in there lately with some educators I trust. There are educators doing great things in Second Life. However, remember, that many experts believe that a lot of money laundering is now going through Linden Dollars. (I have this on good authority from an Internet safety expert and it is beginning to crop up in some news sources and even the Second Life Herald (the newspaper of Second Life.))

Web 2.0 to Web 3D

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The question I was trying to answer was, "Is the next generation of the consumer web 3D ?" I think the answer is not necessarily.

1. The reason why we're asking this question is because there's a bubble forming in the virtual web 3d world space right now.

That's a pretty incendiary statement. What do I mean by it? What I see on the horizon are dozens and dozens of new virtual world platforms and titles hitting the market - far more than the public will want to consume. By 'title,' I mean a self contained, branded version of a virtual web 3d world much like "Virtual web 3d Laguna Beach." All the big media and consumer goods companies are looking at what's happening with online community sites like MySpace and Facebook and want in on this action desperately.

However, I think that all of the media hype around Second Life is misleading the public about what the next generation consumer Internet might look like. That isn't to say that Second Life doesn't have tremendous merit in moving the dialogue forward about what collaborative work and play spaces feel like. What I mean is that there are now quite a few companies who equate "future of online communities" with "web 3D graphical world." The mad rush by these big brands to create empty showrooms in SecondLife is proof of this. Just like in the dot-Bust days, there will be lots of shoddy substandard products brought to market in the mad frenzy to create a 'presence.'

But the good news is that in this crazy landgrab, there will be a couple of winners that shine through. There is considerable appetite for online play spaces right now - you can see the proof of this in the many bootstrapped and under the radar services that are getting a lot of traction.

2. What does the next generation consumer Internet look like?

What I'm interested in above all else is the nature and evolution of people and our constructs [culture, economic and belief systems.] I think the real story behind the consumer web today is what's going on cognitively - how our relationship with the Internet is changing.

web 3d consultant