How is collaboration in Second Life different from sharing a conference call, Webex, or video conferencing technologies?
Teleconferencing, Webex, and video conferencing technologies are all important collaboration tools that companies use every day for global and mobile teams to work together and stay connected. Second Life provides a sense of presence that many people find more engaging and compelling than many other types of conferencing, as well as providing a 3D space to share information. In addition, informal discussions are easy to have after a meeting, since your Second Life experience doesn’t end when the moderator terminates a call. When compared directly to other technologies, Second Life remains a clearly compelling addition to your overall collaboration portfolio of choices. Teleconferencing is great when Internet access is problematic, but staring at a telephone isn’t a very effective way to have a meeting. Webex is a fantastic technology for a few people to broadcast a presentation to a large audience, but falls short as a true brainstorming, planning, simulation, or visualization medium.
