Virtual Worlds on the rise… quietly

I was reminded of the progress of Virtual Worlds today by this post on Technorati.  Seems like a long time ago (although it was only a few years back) that Virtual Worlds were promising the “mother lode” when it came to new consumer audience discovery by big companies.  I remember a lot of the uprising happening in 2007 and yet it seems that the movement was nothing but a flash in the pan as companies invested time and money into their presence and then found it to be a mega-letdown.  But, as I’ve said in my book (chapter 8), we haven’t seen the last of them. 

Yes, the Virtual World environment has rules most marketers don’t understand.  Yes, when engaging in them you open your brand up to public opposition.  Yes, the users aren’t neccesarily your target demo.  But whether you acknowledge it right now or not, the Virtual World space continues to grow, just not highlighted by the media outlets that threw the premature spotlight on them a few years ago.  In 2001 I remember Second Life just getting up and running.  The drawback at the time was the connection speed and processor requirements to yield a smooth experience.  In 2007, There.com, Second Life and a handful of others were being touted as the “next big thing” in digital audience.  Read more

You MUST Be Who You Say You Are

Cruising through the stories this week, I came across an interesting announcement on Virtual World News.  The article entitled “3D Chat Introduces NewVirtual World”, talked about the upcoming launch for a new social media 3D environment.  The environment promises to deliver the functionality of Facebook and other tools combined with all the 3D elements we’ve come to know through the hype of Second Life in 2007 (funny how things shift so fast, isn’t it?). 

The virtual world introduction isn’t an amazing feat.  After all, there are a growing handful of them out there which marketers have largely dismissed as viable oppotunities for the time being.  The interesting part of this article stems from how they (3D Chat) endeavor to verify users are who they say they are.  Through partnership and database cross-referencing through Aristotle, eBay and PayPal, the company hopes to “verify” user identities as legitimate, making it a truthful platform to interact with other users in a 3D world environment.

With a “VERYfied” certification (those who’s identity has been affirmed), users will have full range access to all the tool’s features.  Those without verification will have limited toolsets. 

Interesting how it used to require a birth certificate or social security cards to confirm you are who you are.  This is the first company I’ve seen to take a stab at authenticating someone’s online identity through third-party references.  As we continue down the path of networked relationships and social media correspondence, it’s going to become more and more important to users that they are interacting with someone who they know as a friend, co-worker, etc.  Over the past decade, most of us have befriended anyone who we’ve had a two-step conversation with.  In the case of Twitter, I notice tons of folks who follow you just because you follow them.  But I foresee many folks pulling back their outreach for digital popularity as it becomes more important to them that they truly know who they are talking to and not just some random identity that could be anything from a billionaire to a serial killer.

3D Chat may be a small start-up, but you watch…  we’re going to see more and more of an effort to confirm and cross-reference your identity with other digital silhouettes of your virtual self.  Just remember, in the end unless their is physical proof, no system is infallable.

For all you trendsetters out there, 3D Chat IS taking beta-testers.  I’d love to hear your feedback!