Bronco Skytower no more; Display Names in Second Life - Viewer 2.3

From beta to production and now with Second Life viewer 2.3, I can finally use my own name for my avatar.  It never sat well with me to pretend being someone else.  I like to be me.

I have noticed in the week or so using viewer 2.3, that people are still calling me Bronco instead of Mark, even people I am acquainted with.  This means that others are not yet using the new viewer, but that will change.  There was one person in my friends list that I did not recognize and that is because he too is using his own name.

I wonder though, how many people will take off the mask and be themselves, at least by using their own name?  My assumption is that most people will not, since Second Life for many is really a double life.  Also, others worry about privacy violations.  For me though, and probably you too, I am all over the internet.  Any one of us can Google our own name and see links to LinkedIn, Facebook, websites, and so forth.  So for me, there is no issue of privacy.

Note former Bronco below in the photo, Bronco no more!:

Main Problems with Meetings in Second Life & other virtual spaces like Web Conferences & Skype

For me, it's the open mic that is the defining problem with meetings in Second Life, or web conferencing, or what have you.  Too much typing, cell phone ringing, coffee machines, all dissolving the professionalism of meetings.  I made a sign and placed it on our island in teaching locations, that illustrates how people can monitor themselves in a Second Life meeting.

What other types of disruptions do you see in Second Life or other virtual meetings?

Awesome Tools for Teaching in Second Life

For a school project I have been observing a teacher in Second Life. The new viewer 2, which is not that new anymore, allows access to and displaying of the cloud in Second Life. I can now use Google docs to demonstrate how to develop a business plan with a Word doc, and how to use our financial projections workbook with an Excel doc.

Also, I can teach how to build a website with Webs.com, and by using Scribblar, I have access to a whiteboard which will display asset such as images (diagrams) and PowerPoint. Powerpoint has been available for a long time in Second Life but displaying it with Scribblar allows the use of drawing tools to highlight places on slides and enhance teaching, I have found.

Visit the island by clicking HERE: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wyoming%20Entrepreneur/162/237/46

See photos below for my use of Google docs in Second Life.

Second Life (Linden Lab) doubles its price for Universities and Non-Profit

What the heck is wrong here? Linden Lab is doubling our price next time we renew, which is fall of 2011, that's what. Has someone lost their mind? Is there an accountant or CFO that has lost sense of reality? At a time when higher education is carrying and legitimizing Second Life they pull a stunt like this?

Okay, so life has its lumps, and this is a major one. But Higher education has given much to Second Life, and, at a time when big business is abandoning it. We are filling our academic journals with research reports about Second Life, offering classes and many other activities that support this company. Some things just simply cannot be understood. Another rip off is that Linden is not standardized with other virtual worlds and if we cannot afford the island anymore, all of our digital assets go away too. Insult to injury.

On the brighter side, the market will respond with alternatives and there have already been other options. After criticizing OpenSim in another posting, I take it back and recommend we all take a close look at OpenSim:

http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Main_Page

I will be seriously investigating OpenSim and other options like ReactionGrid and others. And, I present at an academic conference in 3 weeks so I will be sure to inform about the price hike. Kindly and professionally of course. : >

Use your Real Name in Second Life with Display Names

Hardly new news to the faithful of Second Life. But, the whole anonymity of Second Life thing has bothered me since I created an avatar over 2 years ago. I just want to be me, just like on Facebook and other places. I do not want to hide. Nor do I worry about security since anyone can find me, and anyone else, just by using Google. Pretending to be someone else in Second Life is not a solution to anything. In fact, it causes problems for those of us in the professional world since we never really know who we are interacting with. And in reality, this anynimity is just a license for people to do and say things without revealing themselves. You know, just like on Halloween.

Basically, any avatar whether new or not, will be able to choose pretty much any name they want and change it once a week. Their current name becomes a username, like mine which is Bronco Skytower, and the display name will show inworld with or without the username, it's our own choice. When a person adds a display name (which is totally optional), it then displays on all their property. When searching for someone, the list of results will show their display name and username.

This new feature is supposed to launch sometime near the end of October, but my realistic attitude tells me more like Thanksgiving or a little later. Whatever the release date, this is a fantastic release and one that I greatly anticipate.

Torley Linden has made another entertaining video that explains how to use this feature which again, is not currently available but will be by years end:

New Video, Incubator & Professional Presentations

I created a new video of the island and it shows the project in its latest and most mature condition. This fall I am presenting our project at two professional conferences. The first conference is ASBDC which is the Association of Small Business Development Centers. The other is AECT which is the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

The latter presentation will present an idea I am currently designing and that is a virtual world business incubator. The program will be based upon a dual-track curriculum I will instructionally design in 2011. The curriculum tracks will be teaching how to launch and eCommerce website and, how to create a presence in Second Life, to post the same products you have on your website, on a specific parcel of land at Wyoming Entrepreneur Island (vCommerce).

Should be an interesting project. I am proposing to my doctoral committee that the instructional design be my general exam. We'll see what they say...

Real Life Storefronts coming to Facebook, when are they coming to Second Life?

This week Practical E-Commerce posted a review about a company that has developed a storefront eCommerce software to Facebook. Over the next few weeks there will be more reviews of other such companies.

So when will real life storefronts be brought into Second Life (SL)? Yeah I know, there are plenty of storefronts in SL for virtual goods, but they practically all violate eCommerce conventions which state that online shopping should be easy and convenient. Using Lindens to buy is neither. Also, SL has yet to really enter the domain of buying real life products inworld.

It's time for Linden Lab to open up this market so people can starting buying and selling real life goods in Second Life which will only serve to bring more residents and, revenue streams for this company who seems to be at yet another crossroads. PayPal is already integrated with SL, sort of, but could really become a strategic business partner if people could buy real life products right in SL and with ease.

What do you think?

Review: Version 2 of Second Life Viewer

Looking not unlike the smoke monster in Lost, my monster is white as shown through the eyes of the new Second Life Viewer v.2xxxx. (It went away after I closed the viewer and opened it again).

As you can see from the photo, the new viewer is quite different and attempts to provide broader/quicker access to assets and functions using the black navigation bar on the right, which can be collapsed. Each of the small icons on the left side of the nav bar take you to a different sets of commands and options.

So far I think Second Life residents are unsure about the new software, just like they were about Office 2007 when it was released. But the new viewer is a smash hit with me. I can now quickly find options and commands that were once obscure, I sometimes had to use Google to find them since the Second Life website and wiki and not extremely useful.

One of my favorite new features is, well...the Favorites bar. I hated searching through all of my landmarks before for just the top 4-5 I use frequently. The Favorites bar allows you to set a few landmarks to this list. Very cool.

In the Inventory, items now have more prominent icons that tell you what the item is. Very useful.

The People function tells you who is nearby and allows you to see them and access their profile very quickly without the radial selection function from before, which has now turned into a rectangle box on its side. I like it.

Communicating with Voice Chat has one of the major improvements, and that is a toggle switch to use instead of the older keyed microphone function, similar to using a walkie -talkie. This is nice when making an extended comment and your pointer does not slip off the talk button or you accidentally click on the lock button and delay a professional meeting for 3-5 minutes, especially if newbies are present and talking.

Speed? Can't tell if Second Life viewer 2 is more laggy than the previous, but it may impede performance a little. But, my machine runs well on the Ultra graphics setting so a machine/graphics not this good may indeed see a bit of lag from this viewer. But, the time saved operating inworld may be worth it if true.

Two thumbs up for the Second Life viewer 2.

Native American Art Exhibit set to start April 2nd

...although, the exhibit is in place and can be viewed now.

I am going to experiment with Second Life inworld marketing and see how traffic increases or not. Having a little trouble finding a decent counter that makes it easy for people to join our group.


Here is a photo of the exhibit, which takes place in the middle of the great plains of our island, right next to Old Faithful Geyser.

VISIT the exhibit:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wyoming%20Entrepreneur/137/60/24

New Second Life Train and what a sweet ride...

The manufacturer of our island's train contacted me and asked to install new scripting that makes the ride much more realistic. The train now slows for corners, and for stops at stations. It glides across the tracks instead of the choppy ride before. And, the grand tour of the island now only takes 2.3 minutes instead of the 8 before.

Come visit by clicking the link:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wyoming%20Entrepreneur/174/37/23

Native American Art show Coming to Wyoming Entrerpreneur Island April 2010

Just finished a meeting in Second Life with a representative from the Wind River Indian Reservation, located near Lander, Wyoming.

We collaborated on a Native American Art Show project that will feature 17 Native American artists on Wyoming Entrepreneur Island, April 2010. The exhibits will likely stay for a few weeks starting at the first of the month. One example has been placed in the Old Faithful area and can be found by following this URL:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wyoming%20Entrepreneur/141/42/24

This will be our island roll out event, and, something awesome!!!

Rideable Horses and Driveable Stagecoaches

Now that most of the basic build of the island is complete (not all), it is time for fun things to do. I have added horse rezzers that allow any visitor to choose from among 11 horses, then cruise around the island on it. Visitors may also drive a stagecoach or an old farm wagon. The stagecoach carries multiple avatars including the driver. The horses allow double riding.

I have noticed a significant increase in the amount of people who visit the island, and an increase in the amount of time they spend here.

Second Life islands must have something to do, along with something to see.

Next steps for the island are adding events technology so classes and cultural events requiring audio, may be offered.

Interviewed by Second Times Reporter

Second Life has many things that real life has, including a weekly newspaper that can be obtained at kiosks throughout the virtual world.

The interview included questions about Wyoming Entrepreneur Island, who our target market is, what services we offer, etc.

One point that many do not understand about the project is that we aim to educate Wyoming entrepreneurs with businesses in the real world, not in any virtual world. Similar to taking a class online (although much more advanced), we will use the island as a platform to teach.

I currently have no interest in teaching others how to develop a business in Second Life. Second Life businesses are hobbyist at best. They do not support households or families. That part of Second Life, is indeed a game to me.

However, in time I believe real world businesses will use Second Life as "part" of their eCommerce strategy. Even Second Life itself still uses a website for advertising and selling products.

Myself being interviewed by a Second Life newspaper