IM, Avatars and communities

Hi All,

I have just joined Virtual Worlds Connect and I thought I would share with you some slides I have designed to explore the relationship between IM, Avatars and Virtual Worlds . I would appreciate any feedback !

Vincent

Tags: avatars, im, virtual, worlds

Attachments:

IM_AVATARS_VIRTUALWORLDSv2.ppt.pps, 7.2 MB

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Permalink Reply by Danielle Jansen on January 14, 2008 at 11:49am: hi, funnily enough i had already seen it on slideshare :-) i think you point out some good thoughts on why ppl would like to use avatars in for example virtual worlds; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vincent Sider on April 29, 2008 at 4:10pm: thank you Danielle. i will update the slides soon. Things move too quickly in that industry !; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alex Fedotov on January 15, 2008 at 12:14pm: Hi, Vincent.

Thank you for the presentation.
You used the 'proxy identity' term several times along the way. Could you please elaborate more on this subject?
We are working on an 'digital ID' platform for virtual worlds and MMO and have some ideas that probably match what you are saying (you can take a look here: http://yolto.com ). We call it for ourselves a 'context identity'. You've discussed in your WP the extremes - anonymous avatars and an avatar tied to public personal information, however there are 'all degrees of gray' between these two extremes. Namely: people in VW typically own 2-3 avatars and use them in different social circles or 'contexts'. They are typically NOT connected in-world and people don't want them to be visibly connected. Also, people migrate to new VW and MMO in part because they want a NEW context/content AND a new avatar (with new social connections). That's what makes MMO and VW different from LinkedIn/MySpace/Facebook environments tied to RL data TOO MUCH in the opinion of many people...

Anyway, could you please elaborate more on 'proxy identity' how you view it?

Regards.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vincent Sider on April 29, 2008 at 4:09pm: Sorry Alex, long time. Are you still happy to discuss about proxy identity ?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alex Fedotov on April 29, 2008 at 6:13pm: Hi, Vincent. Yep, it's been some time, but we are working on just that (http://yolto.com - not on the web-site yet). You can contact me at any time directly ( p (at) yolto (dot) com ) to discuss any topics of interest.

Regards.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vincent Sider on May 9, 2008 at 5:05pm: will do, thank you for the email.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Roy Philbin on January 15, 2008 at 6:56pm: Hi Vincent,

great presentation. I completely agree with many of your conclusions.
Thanks for sharing it.

Roy; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vincent Sider on April 29, 2008 at 4:10pm: no problem; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by drOffset on January 19, 2008 at 1:01pm: Nicely done, it's worth adding that discussion forums use avatars as well, even that single image can tell people a lot about the user behind it. Sometimes on forums I sit and think "wow, out of all the images you could have chosen to represent yourself, why did you choose THAT one?"

Speaking of avatars, I'm building some 3D models for the upcoming Tomorrow_Space application, you can see a work in progress on my blog.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vincent Sider on April 29, 2008 at 4:12pm: i agree 100% about your comment on forums,; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by DOTR4 on February 15, 2008 at 9:06pm: It is true that avatars, like virtual worlds, provide escape from real world confinements & definitions (biological, geographical, social, and religious), and freedom of activity without fear of consequence or retribution. As the net becomes an increasingly vital aspect of our daily lives, I agree we'll increasingly need to establish & employ virtual characterizations to represent us in our ever expanding business & social interactions in cyberspace. I'm blown away by the complexity and imagery of virtual worlds and the genius of avatar movement & expression today, but I can't wait to see what they'll be tomorrow. Thanks, your presentation was thought provoking & great!
DOTR4; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vincent Sider on April 29, 2008 at 4:14pm: having discussed this topic with some CEO's of Virtual World lately, the conclusion was that the avatar is not going to be a proxy for the identity, the person will replace the avatar. What do you think of that ?; ▶ Reply to This