Hello World… from inside the (lively) machine!
by jim.mayes - July 10th, 2008 (add comment)
Tons of buzz going on about google’s latest partner venture… Lively. So I thought I would plug in and have a stroll around.
For those who haven’t heard about Lively yet, it’s the newly launched “3D Virtual Experience” backed by the google folks. It’s being billed as everything from the next ground breaking technology that will change the web (and the world) to a lame knock off of Second Life doomed to join the ranks on Google’s failed projects list. Some think it will break down the few remaining barriers to a truly virtual world. Others think it will turn into a place where 15 year-olds hang out and not much more. Only time will tell. And you have to wonder how long it will be until every polygon is covered with adwords!
My first experience with lively reminds me a lot of my first experience with Second Life. You log on expecting it to either blow your mind or or be THE LAMEST collection of 1s and 0s every put together. The reality virtual reality of the experience is much more middle of the road. Just like the first time you clicked into a chat room only to find it full of people just loitering… there’s just not that much going on.
One thing about Lively that I think will set it apart from Second Life, it has more of a social web kind of feel to it. I know this is quite the cliche by now… but yeah, think facebook/linkedin. I think we’ll definitely see some tech savvy folks using it to network and connect like some virtual Starbucks. And of course, one of the room settings had to be modeled on a coffee house!
Anyway, all it takes is a google account to jump in, and who doesn’t have at least one of those these days. Get some while it’s fun and fresh… and before it’s over run by shops peddling virtual genitalia (ie Second Life).