Association of Virtual Worlds Launch
Posted in 3D Social Networks, Attention, Second Life, Web 2.0 by wayne.porter on February 15th, 2008 I caught this from Dave Elchoness’ linkedin profile and checked it out- have not pinged him yet. I met David very early on in his foray into the Second Life grid, and without revealing his old profession, I asked him what would make him leave the comforts of a hard won corporate ladder climb to enter into the wild and ever-changing high velocity ride of virtual worlds- Second Life in particular.
His answer, I felt, was a revealing and earnest one- and I liked him right away. I’ll paraphrase as it was sometime ago.
“I like it because I can fly.”
Pretty simple. Defiance of physics and other trappings is certainly a strong appeal. I liked it.
The Association of Virtual Worlds is where virtual worlds, the people who share the vision, and those who wish to experiment and explore virtual worlds technology, come together. The virtual worlds industry is now part of a multi-billion dollar industry representing hundreds of millions of members. This Internet segment is growing at lightning speed where capabilities and technology advance in the blink of an eye. The Association for Virtual Worlds is where we can all meet to establish an agenda, discuss issues, and introduce newcomers to this exciting technology.
The rapid growth of virtual worlds has resulted in issues and questions that need to be considered and addressed by the industry as a whole. Global regulatory issues, taxation, intellectual property, safety, marketing, and virtual economies are among those coming to the forefront with massive implications. They need to be discussed and the Association will strive to bring interested parties together to develop and offer positions in response to these questions. Similarly, the public needs additional information about virtual worlds to ensure that virtual worlds becomes a primary communications medium of the future. The Association will reach out to the public in this regard.
Mission Statement
The Association of Virtual Worlds believes that virtual worlds represent a major information and technological revolution in how we work, play and live. The Association mission is to serve those companies and individuals who are dedicated to the advancement of this multi-billion dollar global industry and reach out to those who have not yet found virtual worlds.
The Goals of The Association of Virtual Worlds are:
1. To create a forum for the discussion of issues affecting the industry
2. To assist in the development of industry procedures and standards
3. To promote the virtual worlds industry, its interest and developments
4. To educate on the benefits of virtual worlds to enhance work and play
5. To offer business and social networking opportunities
6. To connect the public and consumers with members of the virtual worlds industry
7. To participate in the determination of the collective interests of the industry
8. To further the common interests of the industry
9. To provide leadership for the betterment of the industry
10. To recognize accomplishment within the virtual worlds industry
Edita Kaye
Founder
edita@associationofvirtualworlds.com
David Elchoness
Executive Director
dave@associationofvirtualworlds.com
I believe in the mission statement and have always liked David’s vision and after meeting in Chicago I knew he was in earnest. However, the simple conviction that being able to meet diverse people, try new ideas and simply appreciating the ability to “fly” is really all the spark you need to change a life course is pretty compelling- so I am willing to participate and see where it goes. Afterall many of the relationships, ideas, experiences and intelligent people I have met “in world” are certainly shaping my course- and it is an exciting time in which to live.
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Yes, Wayne, I do love to fly. No question about it. Since our first meeting, though, I’ve dug a bit deeper. Seems that virtual worlds do a very good job at simulating real life experiences. So, flying inside of a virtual world feels like flying. Meeting up with some avatars in a virtual world feels like a real life, in-person interaction. Recently, I was spending time with an avatar while we watched a third putting up a structure in front of us. Despite the fact that my friend was in Edmonton, I was in Colorado, and the builder was physically at her desk in China, it felt only slightly different than standing with a friend peeking into a construction site. Amazing. I understand that this feeling of being together is called “presence” or “co-presence” and to my knowledge, other more traditional communications media don’t capture this effect nearly as well as virtual worlds do. As someone who’s worked in long distance situations for years, I believe strongly that the workplace could benefit significantly from this effect – which, by the way, is inexpensively achieved and “green.” How long before we forego air travel and corporate real estate to work together in virtual worlds? Well, it’s happening to a minor extent today, but it’s bound to increase dramatically and soon. Consider Forrester Research’s recent report “Getting Real Work Done in Virtual Worlds,” which recommends experimentation with virtual worlds now, because they may be as important for work as the web is, in five years time. In any event, the Association is here, in part to get this message out to the public. Exciting stuff. Thanks.
[...] many of the members have groups or sub-HQs in the Second Life metaverse. I talked about them earlier this year and I am getting more involved- more on that to [...]