Tech Digest: 20 trends defining virtual worlds in 2007
technorati tags:metaverse
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In what appears to be the beginning of a major shift in Second Life, Linden Lab has introduced the Second Life Grid ( http://secondlifegrid.net/ ). This formally separates Second Life technology from the Second Life product (the SL virtual world).
The SL Grid will be more focused on organizations than individual residents, and has already rolled out programs such as the Community Gateway Program and the Global Provider Program.
This appears to me, as the first step towards Linden Lab open sourcing their servers so that anyone can plug there server into the grid and link up with the virtual world of Second Life. This will probably not happen for another 10-12 months, but the secondlifegrid.net initiative appears to be the first step towards reaching that goal.
Introducing the Second Life Grid « Official Linden BlogHere are two great posts by Out to Pasture and Metaverse that address these issues head-on.
Out to Pasture » Blog Archive » Profitability and Private Worlds
Trilogy Studios Targets Branded Virtual Worlds
Mercedes-Benz Second Life Sim to Open Feb. 20Mercedesbenz Mercedes-Benz has made it official. They will be opening their virtual showroom and test track in Second Life onFebrurary 20th in the "upmarket South West district." They will hold anopening celebration featuring a concert with artists from theMercedes-Benz Mixed Tape compilation. A visit to the sim will garneryou a free Formula 1 racing suit and helmet (virtual, of course).Business Communicators of Second Life®: Mercedes-Benz Second Life Sim to Open Feb. 20
As first reported by IT News Australia, the way we see and navigate the Internet is about to change, according Vnunet. The success of 3D communities and mapping applications, combined with the falling costs of producing 3D environments, are leading some analysts to predict that a dramatic shift is taking place in the way people see and navigate the Internet. Greg Sterling, founder of research firm Sterling Market Intelligence, told vnunet.com: "People were dismissing this as pure novelty just a few months ago.
"Suddenly, it doesn't look like a toy for geeks, it looks like something ordinary people might use."
Sterling suggests that the internet could very well be on its way to
shifting from a text-based environment to a visually-oriented 3D world.
The appeal of 3D worlds to consumers and vendors lies in the level of immersion that the programs offer.
The
experience of interacting with another character in a 3D environment,
as opposed to a screen name or a flat image, adds new appeal to the act
of socialising on the Internet.
* Libraries act as almost limitless inventory collections
* Librarians act as search filters
* Collection management by librarians is a constant work in progress
* Statistics (usage) is a critical factor
* Institutions must be able to measure the ROI on content purchases and continue to make the right choices for their constituents
The global information marketplace is able to quickly reach a global audience (there are more than 65,000 publishers worldwide) and many still generate "hits" or "best sellers" which drive and subsidize the traditional publishing world, but this model is changing.
The Ongoing Struggle of Free vs. Fee
This report tracks the changing
dynamics driving the Information Society worldwide, with a new tool—the
Digital Opportunity Index (DOI)—that evaluates the opportunity,
infrastructure and utilization of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) for 180 economies worldwide. The Index monitors the
mobile communications that promise to bridge the digital divide in many
parts of the world, as well as more recent technologies such as
broadband and mobile Internet access. The price of broadband continues
to fall worldwide, by as much as twenty per cent a year over the last
two years according to ITU’s analysis, while broadband speeds continue
to increase. These trends are not restricted to developed countries,
however, with broadband now commercially available in 166 countries
worldwide. ITU, 2006.
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