I'm sitting on a panel tomorrow morining at Podcamp NYC (I'm BLOWN AWAY by the number of registrants already onboard. There are so many bullshit conferences that keep on recycling the same "names and titles", but this is very different...as it is an UNconference). My session is on Social Media Convergence and Virtual Worlds (here are the details)
2. Social Media Convergence and Virtual Worlds. Different forms of social media (blogs, podcasts,videocasts,wikis etc.) are beginning to converge. While this convergence has already begun, the emergence of virtual worlds in the mainstream will expedite this process. Worlds such as Second Life, Kaneva, There and Cyworld (and dare we say Google) are all, at their core, social networks. How will this play out in 2007? Join Joseph Jaffe, Greg Verdino, Mark Wallace, John Swords (SL: Johnny Ming) and Adam Broitman for a special, informal roundtable covering converging social media and virtual worlds.
Anyway, my reading/prep for this panel comes from the following sources:
- Top 10 reasons why I still need to be convinced about marketing on Second Life (Eric Kintz/HP)
- Second Life losing luster as marketing property (Digitas - not Verdino)
- Second Life loses luster (Brandweek)
- Marketing in Second Life doesn't work. Here's why (GigaOM)
Guess it's time to close shop and move on to the next "Big Thing", right? How about RFID chips implanted in our brains? That sounds like a plan? Of for the less inclined, we could always buy 30-second spot pre-rolls on Yahoo! Sound like a plan?
What's interesting about these (and no doubt, many more articles) is that they all trace back to the same source:
Step 1: A Brandweek (MSM) article...
Step 2: ...which quotes a "Hamburg-based research firm Komjuniti (who) published the first extensive survey of Resident attitudes toward real world marketing in Second Life."
Lies, damned lies and statistics aside....have you actually read the study? It states that 72% of residents are disappointed with the activities of companies in Second Life. Do you think that's because SL fails as a marketing platform or because some of the efforts to date have...how do I put it eloquently....SUCKED? Or resembled very traditional/old school approaches?
The study specifically calls out the lack of customer care (that's a Linden Labs issue) and opportunities for interaction between SL residents and companies (which is all about the intent, committment, perseverence and committment to conversation)
Bottom line...residents expect more creativity and imagination. They also expect follow-through and staying power (42% of respondents doubted companies would put efforts into follow-up). That's a constructive criticism...a challenge...a call to action...a guiding light spoonfeeding us to get back on the path of authenticity, engagement and whatever the hell you want to call it. It's not a damning indictment and red flag to get the hell away.
People are so lazy. They criticize without foundation. Many (I'm not saying the fine folk above, but in general...) have never even been in Second Life. In addition, it is critical NOT to confuse Second Life with Virtual Worlds or even MMORPG. I'll bet most of the bandwagon people citing either the Brandweek article or the Komjuniti piece didn't even read it.
So if you're all about impulse sales, PR hits and replicating your tired and ineffective traditional efforts and are disenchanted with Second Life and the like, bugger off and good riddance. However if you're prepared to give this a shot and have the vision and staying power to experiment and make a few mistakes (but learn from them) along the way, stick around...I know I'll be in the vicinity.
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