A huge thank you to Roo Reynolds, IBM's Metaverse Evangelist, aka Algernon Spackler, for spending some outstanding quality time with us today. The meeting with him was energizing.

He spoke about  some of the history of IBM's commitment to Second Life and virtual worlds and announced to the group the opening of the IBM sims to the public (although the news was released earlier).  He also mentioned their work with Circuit City in SL, building the retail store of the future.  IBM is releasing news today about Circuit City's venture.

I included some images here of a tour of the IBM sims I partially attended earlier this morning.

Browse through the transcript below for the rest of the story.

Introduction

[8:00]  You: Hello everyone. This is the Bus Communicators Meeting.
[8:01]  You: We have Algernon - aka Roo Reynolds here with us
[8:01]  You: He is the IBM Metaverse Evangelist.
[8:01]  JohnT Randall: i'd guess that most of us are marketers / PR people / advertising ppl
[8:01]  You: He's been kind enough to give us 30 minutes of his time to talk about what IBM is doing in SL.
[8:01]  Blue Vale: hi Roo
[8:01]  Algernon Spackler: hi everyone
[8:02]  Kamichat Watson: thanks Roo
[8:02]  You: He wants to keep this informal, and he's very interested in your views so feel free to jump in, right Algernon?
[8:02]  Algernon Spackler: that's right
8:02]  You: Please Algernon, take it away
[8:03]  Algernon Spackler: thanks for the introduction

Ibm_002A Little History and Now 950 IBMers

[8:03]  Algernon Spackler: hi everyone. Nice to see you all here
[8:03]  Algernon Spackler: so yes, I'm Roo Reynolds in RL, with the rather interesting title of "metaverse evangelist"
[8:03]  Algernon Spackler: I'd like to share with you what that means to me, what IBM is up to at the moment, and anything else you'd like me to cover
[8:04]  Algernon Spackler: I have about 30 minutes, so I'm keen to be driven by your questions
[8:04]  Altyn Zeddmore is Online
[8:04]  Algernon Spackler: maybe I should start with some history? Do chip in with any questions as I go
[8:04]  There is no suitable surface to sit on, try another spot.
[8:04]  Algernon Spackler: I've been an IBMer for 9 years now, starting as a sponsored student
[8:04]  Algernon Spackler: (e.g. sponsored through university)
[8:05]  Algernon Spackler: in that time, I've done testing, development, customer facing work, ...
[8:05]  Algernon Spackler: and more recently got involved with Emerging Technologies
[8:05]  Algernon Spackler: often web 2.0 stuff
[8:06]  Algernon Spackler: some time at the start of this year, around February or March, my friend Ian Hughes (another IBMer) suggested I should get into SL
[8:06]  Algernon Spackler: and since March I've been hooked
[8:06]  Algernon Spackler: I began to push my Emerging Tech job heavily in the direction of virtual worlds
[8:06]  Algernon Spackler: and from a small core of 3 or 4 of us in those "early days" IBM now has a big community in SL
[8:07]  Algernon Spackler: 950 at the last count
[8:07]  Algernon Spackler: rising fast
[8:07]  Alicia Encinal: wow
[8:07]  Algernon Spackler: Ian (epredator Potato) and myself have been busy sharing the good news of virtual worlds with as many people internally as we can
[8:07]  Algernon Spackler: and of course some IBMers were involved before us
[8:07]  Algernon Spackler: so finding them and getting to know them has been fun
[8:08]  Kamichat Watson: IS that 950 employees?
[8:08]  Algernon Spackler: that's right. 950 IBMers *that we know of* use SL
[8:08]  Algernon Spackler: I've done plenty of work with our VPs, technical leaders, the whole technical and business community to make sure everyone stays in touch

Ibm_003Virtual Universe Community

[8:08]  Kamichat Watson: How is that changing the internal environment in IBM?
[8:08]  Algernon Spackler: we now have a "Virtual Universe Community" within the company
[8:08]  Kamichat Watson: Are you talking about it at the water cooler, for instance
[8:09]  Algernon Spackler: and it really has made a difference to the environment here, yes
[8:09]  Algernon Spackler: so many of us use it to keep in touch
[8:09]  Algernon Spackler: for many of us it has overtaken internal IM as a way of keeping up with each other
[8:09]  Algernon Spackler: and yes, it's the subject of many conversations with the company
[8:09]  Algernon Spackler: we have an internal blogging system for example..
[8:10]  Algernon Spackler: and many of the most commented posts there this last couple of months have been about SL and virtual worlds
[8:10]  Kamichat Watson: How do you feel that 3D environments will impact the core businss in the future?
[8:10]  Algernon Spackler: possibly. I'm optimistic that there's a lot of potential, but I'd also acknowledge that it's early days
[8:11]  Blue Vale: has IBM drawn a vision for the metaverse & if so what is it?
[8:11]  Algernon Spackler: the customers I meet with are interested to know more, and how they should best get involved
[8:11]  Algernon Spackler: the "vision" is encapsulated in something we are calling "3d Internet"
[8:11]  Algernon Spackler: and we can come on to that in a minute
[8:11]  Algernon Spackler: if that's ok
[8:11]  Blue Vale: ok

Ibm_006A Sneak Peak at IBM Sims - Opening to the Public

[8:12]  Algernon Spackler: let me share some more of what we've been doing already
[8:12]  Algernon Spackler: some of it is rather exciting
[8:12]  Algernon Spackler: so, back a few months ago, Ian decided we needed some room to play
[8:12]  Algernon Spackler: this when there were 5 or 6 of us that we knew of
[8:12]  Algernon Spackler: mainly our local friendship group, and some people we'd discovered were already users
[8:13]  Algernon Spackler: so he bought some first land, and I got the plot next door
[8:13]  Algernon Spackler: that gave us somewhere to build and experiment
[8:13]  Algernon Spackler: eventually, we out grew it
[8:13]  Algernon Spackler: and Ian paid (out of his own pocket) for an island
[8:13]  Algernon Spackler: Hursley, named after the RL IBM location we both work at
[8:13]  Weiss Plessis: Is your role as "evangelist" primarily as an evangelist within the company, or do you deal very much with external clients?
[8:14]  Algernon Spackler: it was (and is) an internal sandbox
[8:14]  Blue Vale: in england, right?
[8:14]  Algernon Spackler: I'll come back to that if I may
[8:14]  Weiss Plessis: okay, thanks
[8:14]  Algernon Spackler: Hursley is for IBMers to mess around and build things and experiemnt together.
[8:14]  Algernon Spackler: which may sound insular, but it fills a useful role
[8:15]  Algernon Spackler: we also have another sandbox island, called IQ
[8:15]  Algernon Spackler: and a public one called Almaden
[8:15]  Algernon Spackler: which is named after the research lab
[8:15]  Algernon Spackler: and is a public meeting space. It's nice. You'd like it.
[8:16]  Algernon Spackler: there have been other spaces IBM and IBMers have bought and set up
[8:16]  Algernon Spackler: so..
[8:16]  Algernon Spackler: a couple of purely residential ones
[8:16]  Algernon Spackler: for example.
[8:16]  Algernon Spackler: But, and this is very new news, we are announcing 12 new sims today
[8:16]  Blue Vale: i see
[8:16]  Alicia Encinal: 12?
[8:16]  Blue Vale: open to the public?
[8:17]  Algernon Spackler: the IBM innovation complex is a rather large land mass, split into three big islands (of 4 sims each)
[8:17]  Stephen Arnold shouts: Everyone! Let the man speak!
[8:17]  Algernon Spackler: 6x2 grid = 12 sims. It's pretty enormous :-)
[8:17]  Blue Vale: will it be open to the public?
[8:17]  Algernon Spackler: I'm happy to get the input actually, helps me decide what to say next
[8:17]  Algernon Spackler: heh
[8:17]  Algernon Spackler: yes.
[8:17]  Algernon Spackler: starting soon
[8:17]  Algernon Spackler: we're announcing today, and opening to the public soon. Hopefully either late tonight or Monday morning
[8:18]  Algernon Spackler: depends on whether the people involved need a weekend or not :-)
[8:18]  Blue Vale: exciting
[8:18]  Algernon Spackler: very
[8:18]  Algernon Spackler: I'm personally thrilled to be a part of this
[8:18]  You: I was just over there and it is amazing!
[8:18]  You: Be sure to visit.
[8:18]  Algernon Spackler: so, to answer the question about is it public.. yes. Most of it will be (soon) public most of the time
[8:18]  Algernon Spackler: there may of course be times we need to have areas locked down for private events
[8:18]  Algernon Spackler: or customer projects or whatever
[8:19]  Algernon Spackler: but the majority of it will be open most of the time.

Corporate Presence in Second Life

[8:19]  RickOShea Courier: Is there any talk in IBM about the PROCESS by which the 'community' decides what SL and by extention the 3D web is to become?
[8:19]  Blue Vale: will the ibm efforts be worldwide or HQ'd at one place in RL
[8:19]  Algernon Spackler: the process is a good question.
[8:19]  RickOShea Courier: There is some concern about big corporate takeover
[8:19]  Algernon Spackler: it has to be public, and involving people from around the world
[8:20]  RickOShea Courier: amen
[8:20]  Algernon Spackler: by that I don't just mean companies around the world, but people
[8:20]  Algernon Spackler: standards are important here, for the future of virtual worlds, and either we need to drive the ones that exist or help the community in forming new ones
[8:20]  Algernon Spackler: regarding the location within IBM of the virtual worlds work, I can say for sure it's outgrown any one location
[8:21]  Algernon Spackler: we're now a global community
[8:21]  RickOShea Courier: sounds good, but it's a huge power shift
[8:21]  Algernon Spackler: regarding a takeover, I don't know about that. Corporates and brands have been getting involved for a while. I *hope* the results have been largely positive, but obviously those of us interested in these things learn from what doesn't work too
[8:22]  Kamichat Watson: I am wondering, what does IBM see as tehy future of teh 3D internet. Does it trancend SL, for instance?
[8:22]  Visitor Counter 1.7: Welcome to the Info Island Open Air Auditorium
[8:22]  Algernon Spackler: one that that seems obvious to me is that coming into SL (or any viortual world) for the publicity is a short term move and doomed to fail
[8:22]  Alicia Encinal: i agree
[8:22]  Algernon Spackler: any presence needs to give something back to the wider community. Something I keep in mind a lot.
[8:22]  Blue Vale: Can you tell us if there are opportunities for independent contracttors & small biz working with IBM. And if so how they will work together?
[8:22]  Altyn Zeddmore: You said earlier that you may close areas for customer work - what type of customer work do you foresee?
[8:23]  Algernon Spackler: THe future of virtual worlds (the virtual universe? the 3d internet?) is probably greater than any one instance of a virtual world, yes
[8:23]  Algernon Spackler: well, we have some customers already

Circuit City's Retail Store of the Future

[8:23]  Algernon Spackler: some clients have approached IBM in the past weeks and months looking for help
[8:24]  Algernon Spackler: one is Circuit City
[8:24]  Algernon Spackler: and we've been developing a retail store of the future for, and with, them
[8:24]  Algernon Spackler: it's very early days, but it's already pretty interesting
[8:25]  Algernon Spackler: there's an interactive sofa upstairs for example,. which you can use to visualise which sized TV you would need based on the distance of your sofa from the wall
[8:25]  Algernon Spackler: it's fun
[8:25]  Blue Vale: Can you tell us if there are opportunities for independent contracttors & small biz working with IBM. And if so how they will work together?
[8:25]  RickOShea Courier: 3D internet like so many things isn't good or bad - it's just a next generation communication tool - it's how we use it that makes it what it becomes. - not to confuse the 'steak' with the 'sizzle'.
[8:26]  Altyn Zeddmore: Is most of it aimed at futuristic development? Or are you using SL for proof of concept opportunities?
[8:26]  Algernon Spackler: well, most of what we've done so far has been done by IBMers (there are loads wanting to get involved with building etc). For one project we've teamed with AImee Weber, which has been fun
[8:26]  Algernon Spackler: I want to see more of those sorts of parterships too
[8:26]  Algernon Spackler: Some of what we're doing is to do with collaboration: how we work together as a company
[8:27]  Algernon Spackler: some is to investigate new applications and business models and services
[8:27]  RickOShea Courier: Colab - one of my favourite words :)
[8:27]  You: We have about 5 more minutes
[8:27]  Algernon Spackler: as I said, it's early days and we really are exploring and experimenting at this stage
[8:27]  Kamichat Watson: How far off do you think it is before 3d Internet, in which many could participate (maybe through a browser), is?
[8:27]  RickOShea Courier: We're pioneers!

Final Thoughts

[8:28]  Swirler Giles: What would you say is most lacking in SL in its current state, or what do companies coming into SL need that is not available yet?
[8:28]  Algernon Spackler: I think the 3d internet is probably a blurring of the lines between the best bits of Web 2.0 and the best bits of virtual worlds
[8:28]  Algernon Spackler: Swirler: thank you. Good question.
[8:28]  Algernon Spackler: (all the other questions have been good too of course)
[8:28]  Algernon Spackler: my biggest issue with SL today is the fact that I can't run an internal server
[8:29]  Alicia Encinal: yes!
[8:29]  You: That is important for enterprises.
[8:29]  Algernon Spackler: that might not sound like a big deal, but when you're behind a firewall all day you are very aware of these things
[8:29]  Kamichat Watson: and from the client side, access is linted to those with fast enough machines to run the software
[8:29]  Algernon Spackler: we can't talk openly on SL as we can't treat any area as confidential
[8:30]  RickOShea Courier: They would need an understanding that it's more than just a "game" - for one. Surprisingly many people think just that - and it's almost impossible to persuade them otherwise unless you can get them IN it. Tough paradigm shift.
[8:30]  Algernon Spackler: Yes.
[8:30]  Blue Vale: i guess that's true in a pure client-server model
[8:30]  Algernon Spackler: somone mentioned earlier in IM that I look like an alien.
[8:30]  Algernon Spackler: I do look like an alien here, that's right.
[8:30]  Davee Commerce: surely not!
[8:30]  Algernon Spackler grins
[8:30]  Altyn Zeddmore: hmm, we're all aliens in this world...
[8:30]  Algernon Spackler: so, have I missed any questions?
[8:30]  Algernon Spackler: I need to go soon
[8:31]  Giovanni Tweak: you don't sound like one
[8:31]  Kamichat Watson: thanks Roo
[8:31]  00trader00 Harrison: SL is a good sandbox to try out and sort out all these concepts being discussed. I think too many are focused on events but that is very limited as to scope unless parallel events are run together. The real power of SL is being able to broadcast/syndicate out....maybe via video players in clubs, apartments, etc and help people connect with web info and stores from whereever they may be at.
[8:31]  RickOShea Courier: We'll miss you! :)
[8:31]  Algernon Spackler: I've really enjoyed this
[8:31]  You: Algernon, thak you so much!
[8:31]  Algernon Spackler: many days I meet with people who don't yet "get" SL or virtual worlds
[8:31]  Altyn Zeddmore: Thanks, Algernon
[8:31]  You: We are delighted you have shared the time with us!
[8:31]  Algernon Spackler: so to meet with residents is a lot of fun
[8:31]  You: Please come back!
[8:31]  Stephen Arnold: /memo Talk to Torley Linden... Get to know him a bit
[8:31]  Blue Vale: it was too short
[8:31]  Altyn Zeddmore: Someone should have flowers for you
[8:31]  Torley Linden: thanks so much for the presentation, Algernon :)
[8:31]  Blue Vale: we need another meeting
[8:32]  RickOShea Courier: the use of that word "evangelist" is strangely appropriate.
[8:32]  Davee Commerce: Thanks Roo - look forward to seeing the new sims
[8:32]  You: Thanks Roo. We may stay around and chat a bit.
[8:32]  Torley Linden: i like that title a lot, "Metaverse Evangelist"!
[8:32]  You: Roo blogs at eightbar and at rooreynolds.com
[8:32]  Weiss Plessis: are the new sims searchable under "IBM"?
[8:32]  Swirler Giles rolls eyes at altyns refference
[8:32]  Algernon Spackler: cool. Look out for the "IBM" region very soon
8:33]  Algernon Spackler: tonight, or next week
[8:33]  Alexandra Rucker: when will it be ready?
[8:33]  You: Is there anything in the chat that I can publish, Roo?
[8:33]  Algernon Spackler: it's looking amazing already, though will never be "finished" of course
[8:33]  Algernon Spackler: it's part of the fun
[8:33]  RickOShea Courier: nicest alien I ever met... not that I've met a lot of aliens....
[8:33]  Stephen Arnold: That is the best part... Is putting the finishing touches on the master peice
[8:33]  Algernon Spackler: ZnetLady: as far as I'm concerned everything I just said is bloggable
[8:33]  Algernon Spackler: even the customer has agreed to be identified
[8:34]  You: Excellent. I will be posting the transcript.
[8:34]  RickOShea Courier: hi Mom!
[8:34]  Algernon Spackler: and it's all in the public domain
[8:34]  Algernon Spackler: cool
[8:34]  Algernon Spackler: I may put a copy at eightbar.co.uk too
[8:34]  Algernon Spackler: I've enjoyed this a lot
[8:34]  Algernon Spackler: thanks everyone
You: If you aren't in the Bus Comm group and want to keep up on our meetings, join SL Business Communicators.

December 15, 2006

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