RE: UKNM: Virtual Communities, Avatars etc. . .]

[Dee Edwards]

There are some very good sites out of Finland.  Also in Shockwave, but much

better than Dobedo.  Dobedo isn't very interactive except for the chat part,

it just has silly static backgrounds.  But the Finnish sites have very nice

elements of interactivity, such as asking a virtual bar tender is somebody

has been there or if anyone has asked after you.  Also, they have online

gaming which is done in a social way and more appealing to mass market.

They have been developed as branding exercises or development, but I guess

this is where the most innovative stuff is done.


But you are right about personalising avatars (but perhaps if it is for Boo,

you personalise yourself according to age and favourite clothes or favourite

designer?) and the cost factor, although I guess the new Altavista and

Freeserve deals may have some impact on this.  And also, who wants to spend

time talking to 18 year olds who should be doing their college work?

Although I guess considering the recent recruitment discussion, this could

be a good way of catching them young ;-)


Anyhow, I suppose you guessed the downside of these sites - they are in

Finnish.


Regards,

Dee


*****


E-mail:

deeperfect [dot] co [dot] uk

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> -----Original Message-----

>

From: ownerchinwag [dot] com [ownerchinwag [dot] com]On">mailto:ownerchinwag [dot] com]On Behalf Of Paul

> Douglas

> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 10:20 AM

>

To: uk-netmarketingchinwag [dot] com

> Subject: [Re: UKNM: Virtual Communities, Avatars etc. . .]

>

>

> Ian Tester wrote:

>

> > Does anyone have any thoughts on virtual communities, where users can

> enter

> > the site, select an avatar and interact with others in a virtual world?

> > There was a big feature on them in Revolution last year, but the concept

> > doesn't really seem to have taken off/been incorporated in other sites,

> > despite the much-vaunted "stickiness" of the concept. . .

>

> This is one of those stories that resurges with predictable regularity -

> remember The Palace software three/four years ago? Many of these systems

> feel like (and sometimes are) IRC with a graphical interface bolted on

> top.

>

> [snip]

>

> > Anyway - are there any good ones? (I quite like the dobedo version, and

> > quake). My feeling is that they're not as effective as they could be

> because

>

> Yeah, Quake, Unreal, Half-Life. You can customise your avatar, build

> maps (if you can be bothered) and shoot stuff.

>

> > 1. you can't really customise the avatars

> > 2. you can't really customise the environments

> > 3. most people this side of the pond can't afford to be online

> long enough

> > to have fun (tho that's changing!)

> > 4. there isn't a great enough choice of environments available

>

> And they're often so sloooooooow.

>

> > Thoughts?

>

> Will we have to hold two-way conversations with Miss Boo?

>

> --

> Paul Douglas, Editor, .net

> 30 Monmouth St, Bath, BA1 2BW

> http://www.netmag.co.uk



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