Task 5 IBM & Manpower in Second Life

At IBM they are moving into the next evolutionary phase of the Internet. IBM is helping clients and partners to conduct business inside virtual worlds and to connect the virtual world with the real world. They experiment with innovative companies across a variety of industries from banking and insurance to retail and media & entertainment.
IBM’s strategy is to collaborate with a community in an open source fashion to build the next generation of the World Wide Web -- the 3-D Internet. Their focus is on identifying, delivering, sustaining, protecting and expanding value for the end users in business, government and society.
www.ibm.com/virtualworlds

Manpower Island is a place where job seekers, employers and entrepreneurs can come together in an interactive forum to learn about and explore the World of Virtual Work. They share ideas and identify new opportunities in traditional and non-traditional meeting space.
"Manpower's mission is to help people, companies and governments understand what's coming next in the changing world of work. The virtualization of the labor market is a key issue for all of these groups and our presence in Second Life will enable us to further define the next stages of virtual work, which are emerging in 3D worlds," said Johns.
Tammy Johns, Manpower Inc. senior vice president of workforce strategy
www.manpower.com/press/secondlife

So, why should organization think about establishing a presence in Second Life?
To tap into an immersive market on the World Wide Web. Second Life emerges as a cutting-edge communication and simulation platform. Just as the web is already replacing and extending the capabilities of traditional print media, Second Life is likewise extending the capabilities of broadcast media and chat.
To earn media coverage. When you invest in a Second Life presence, it's not like you're just advertising to people in Second Life. At this point, simply being a real-world organization with a presence in Second Life is enough to guarantee media interest.
To make your web site work harder. A Second Life presence is a great complement to an existing web presence, marketing site or online community. By creating an SL space for members of your community, you give them a meeting place where they can relate on the relationships they're establishing on the web.
Amplify your live events. Holding an event in Second Life is a great way to make a real-life event accessible to people who can't join you in person. You can hold an event simultaneously in both real life and a corresponding SL space, allowing remote guests to participate and feel as if they’re actually there.

Second Life grew quickly, but these are still early days compared to the role it's going to play in our lives in another five or ten years. Maybe the virtual world we end up living in won't look exactly like today's Second Life, but it is going to have a big impact on how our virtual lives evolve.