These are not my ideas, sadly. However they crossed the SLEd List recently and they're too important to me to be lost. So, with attributions we have the following reasons why people find Second Life better than web-conferencing:
Having conducted or participated in numerous focus groups for F500 in SL, here are some advantages over video conferencing:
- Experience - whereas video is a one-way, passive experience, SL is a group one. This is a completely different dynamic, if the presentation makes use of it. If they just passively show a video, they might as well be on the web. Think of it, when done well, as comparing sitting in a movie vs at a comedy show where the audience can yell out comments that are instantly worked into the skit.
- Collaboration - participants get a completely different experience when they 'see' each other. It is more involving and interactive. This gives the speaker a chance to gather instant feedback, adjusting the presentation on the fly. There is even software for SL that allows participants to give feedback at specified times via their keyboard. Also, we find that "leaders" emerge in virtual focus groups, who often bring out information from others but don't dominate as they might in a "real" focus group.
- Screening - starting with a larger group, sub-groups can be created based on criteria such as beginners, those giving great feedback, gender, etc. These avatars can be instantly transported into other prepared rooms or SL environments for follow up, further Q&A, take a tour, etc.
- Also, participants can click on each other's profiles and learn about each other, something many like to do.
Andrew Mallon
Executive Director
Social Research Foundation
New York
- Spatiality - in a three-dimensional space people can move, and use proximity and distance to each other or to objects (for example for group building, voting by feet, to 'physically' separate collaboration tasks from one another, or just to non-verbally communicate preferences). In video conferencing, all you see is somebody else's mimics. There is no concept of space at all - which is crucial, however: remember Nonaka's Ba.
- Embodiment - being virtually embodied as an avatar can augment the feeling of co-presence, the feeling of being there together with your colleagues, peers, or collaboration team, etc. Directing your virtual representation, you visualize where your attention is at every point in time. In a video conference, nobody knows if you are paying attention or just looking at a totally different application on your screen.
- Configurability and scriptability - a virtual world can be more than a container for space, physics and avatars. Realized as a reactive, interactive and maybe even intelligently behaving environment it can harbor, support, and augment rich user experiences.
Andreas
http://realvirtualx.wordpress.com
Andreas went on to expand his comments with:
When applied right, virtual embodiment and the concept of space can significantly improve attention, involvement, motivation, and retention - by creating memorable experiences for the users.
'Applying it right' would mean here:
- not to use the virtual world as just a fancy chat system with some visuals in the background
- provide real interactive experiences instead
- not to make as many people as possible sit down and watch yet another 2D powerpoint presentation in a 3D world
- encourage them to use / make them use the new possibilities offered by the system (move, discover, create, modify, interact, ...)
- not to try to teach them how to use all the menus in the SL software
- rather let the interactive objects speak for themselves on a simple click (->establish new forms of 'dialogs')
- leave 2D 'flatland' (info walls, in-world powerpoint presentations)
- embrace 3Dimensionality
Addendum: I missed these blog posts when I was writing this. One by Caleb Booker about
ROI in Second Life which mainly compares web-cams to Second Life meetings. The other is on the Linden Blog where Glenn Linden talks about the benefits (and some research into)
engagement in Second Life.
