Going Beyond the Pickup Line
Even within IBM's own islands, there are some things about Second Life that clearly need some time to improve. Both Clark and Mathur concede that one of the biggest challenges facing residents is the so-called "ghost town effect." People show up only to find themselves alone and navigating an eerie, unfamiliar space that is seemingly abandoned. "That's something that all of us are dealing with," Clark explains.

Currently IBM is investigating another idea borrowed from the world of MMORPGs: the artificially intelligent avatar. The idea is to use AI to man an information desk 24/7. "Even if that person isn't real it at least warms up the experience a little bit. Maybe the avatar just tells you what time a real person is going to be there. Or maybe that avatar can answer some questions based on the depth of the question at hand." At a minimum, avatars are one way of addressing the problem and showing people around when they first arrive. But more importantly, Clark says, IBM wants to make the content rich enough so that being the only person around isn't necessarily the buzzkill it is today.

One way to do that is to provide a better bridge between a SL island and more traditional content available on the Web. Mathur says that's already happening: "What we have today is focused events—timed events for people to show up together." When the event ends, she says, IBM offers people relevant related content. "We are encouraging them to come back to the developerWorks Web site and try some downloads, attend Webcasts, sign-up for face to face briefings, and other offers" that they aren't necessarily going to track down on their own. "We are trying to match these two channels up: The real world vs. Second Life mirroring each other. There is a next-step action item to do, which may be in the virtual world or in the face-to-face world."

In the end, it is exactly that type of personal interaction that is fueling the success of Second Life in realms far deeper than its obvious and ignominious applications as a virtual meat market. It's an intellectual exchange without borders; a birds-of-a-feather with a Mardi Gras flare; a "Burning Man" with source code. The moment you relax and stop worrying about whether Second Life will change the world is the moment it will sneak up and change your future.

For Clark, SL delivers a complete feedback loop that has always been missing on the Internet. As a blogger and content lead on the developerWorks Web site, he knows all too well the frustration that publishers feel when they send their content out into the world and then are left to quietly speculate about its success. "You have the opportunity to experience the reactions of people when they view your content," he explains. "When somebody goes to the developerWorks Web site, I have no way of seeing who's at a specific place at a specific time. But in Second Life you are part of the content; you can see what people are viewing and you have immediate response. When people show up for a meeting, we have these off-the-cuff encounters both during and after the meeting. There may be questions that pop up and little factions will break off and they're off on their own talking about those things. On my Web site I don't have that.

"That's the extra realm that Second Life provides."

IBM developerWorks Second Life Offers