Internet Collaboration: Second Life, VOIP, Video Conferencing, Virtual

Reality & Telepresence

Today, individuals and businesses are collaborating and interacting online from dispersed
locations. Many technologies make it possible to communicate, learn, conduct business, and
socialize with people from anywhere in the world. This lesson will discussion various Internet
collaboration tools and virtual reality concepts. Specifically, we will discuss virtual meetings,
video conferencing, telepresence, Voice over Internet Protocol, virtual worlds, and Second Life.

Virtual Meetings: Video Conferencing & Telepresence

Have you ever worked as part of a virtual team for work or school? If so, what technologies did
you rely on to communicate and collaborate with others on your team? Collaboration is critical in
business and education. There are many computer programs and technologies that have been
created to facilitate collaborative tasks.

This is Marie. She is an instructional designer. She works collaboratively with others to create
courses for online students enrolled in higher education institutions. She works with subject matter
experts, project managers, information technology professionals, deans, and department heads,
among many others. Marie has just been assigned a new project that involves creating, building,
and implementing new business courses. She will collaborate with others from dispersed locations.
In order to communicate, she will make use of Internet collaboration technologies.

Marie's collaborative project requires meetings to discuss the project, clarify roles and
responsibilities, work out problems, and make decisions. She thinks that a virtual meeting to kick
off the project would be appropriate since virtual meetings are a good substitute for face-to-face
meetings. A virtual meeting is conducted using technology to enable participants to meet from
various locations and possibly at even different times.

Marie has many technological options for conducting her meeting, including conference calls,
webinars, and multi-party text chat. Marie feels a webinar would do the trick. A webinar is a
virtual meeting that enables the host to share his or her desktop or applications with those in
attendance. The host can even relinquish control over to an attendee. A popular webinar application
is called WebEx. A conference call is simply a telephone call in which one person initiates a call
to many others. The group of people can interact with each other by listening and conversing.
Multi-party text chat is similar to instant messaging but allows two or more people to exchange
typed messages in real time over the Internet. A text chat transcript can be printed for future
reference of the conversation.

Marie could also consider video conferencing and telepresence for the kick-off meeting. Video
conferencing is a virtual meeting in which participants can see and hear one another and view
documents and presentations using Internet technologies. Participants can be in dispersed locations
but all meet at the same time using an application, such as Google Talk or Microsoft NetMeeting.
The latest in videoconferencing is called telepresence. Telepresence allows participants to share
data, voice, pictures, graphics, and animations by electronic means. Everyone can transmit data,
voice, and video so that participants can work together on a document or exchange files.
Telepresence systems are quite advanced. Imagine sitting at a long table with co-workers from
your building. In front of you is a large screen that shows a panel of participants from another
location. It seems as if they are actually sitting across from you. You can see their movements, you
can hear their voice, and you can exchange files as if you were actually in the same room. In fact,
everyone can even speak at the same time without canceling out any voices. Telepresence systems
are advanced and impressive, but they're also quite costly. Some of the telepresence systems
available are Hewlett-Packard's Halo system, Cisco's TelePresence 3000, and Polycom's HDX.

Considering all of these options, Marie decides that a WebEx meeting would be most effective for
the type of meeting she has in mind.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP)

Marie needs to make a phone call to her subject matter expert located across the country from her.
She wants to go over the deliverables and set up a schedule to coordinate the work. It could be
quite expensive to pay long-distance charges, especially if the call is long. Fortunately, Marie
knows that Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP, a technology that enables phone calls to be
made over the Internet, is the perfect solution to avoid long-distance charges yet be able to speak
in real-time with her subject matter expert. As Marie speaks, her voice signals are digitized, and
they travel over the Internet.

Marie decides that Skype will be very suitable for her conversation. Skype is an application that
uses VoIP services. Marie uses Skype for voice and video calls to people all over the globe for
free. In addition, she can send instant messages, exchange files, conduct group chats, lead and
participate in conference calls with up to nine people, leave voicemail, and more.

There are a number of VoIP service providers. Some of them are Vonage, BroadVoice, VoIP.com,
Comcast, and Time Warner. These companies charge a fee for making and receiving calls through
your current home or business phone over a broadband Internet connection.

Virtual Worlds, Second Life, & Telepresence

It's been a long week for Marie. She's been swamped at work with her current projects plus the
new project she has just been assigned. She leaves the office on a Friday afternoon and heads
home. Marie is in need of a break from reality. She wants to go to a place where she can forget
about her work, responsibilities, and the monotony of daily life.

One of Marie's favorite ways to temporarily escape reality is through virtual reality. Virtual reality
is the technology that allows users to interact in a computer-generated environment. The majority
of virtual reality environments are visual experiences, but some can include additional sensory
information. When Marie is in a virtual reality environment she experiences immersion, or the
feeling of being inside and a part of that world. She is also able to interact with the environment
in meaningful ways. This combination of immersion and interaction is another form of
telepresence. We discussed telepresence earlier, and it applies here as well. Telepresence
technologies enable a person to feel as if they are present in an environment that they are not
physically located in.

Marie enjoys visiting virtual worlds, or a 3D computer-simulated environment in which people

can interact, play, and do business using an avatar. An avatar is a digital persona that you can
create and customize. It represents you in the virtual environment. She belongs to a number of
virtual communities that develop within virtual worlds. Virtual communities are groups of people
with common interests who interact using computer networks, like the Internet. Virtual
communities parallel real-world communities except, of course, that people never meet face-to-
face. Virtual worlds are more than just games and entertainment. They are used for education, art,
socialization, and business, as well.

Second Life

Marie enjoys one specific virtual world called Second Life. Second Life is a free 3D virtual
environment where Marie can socialize, connect, and create. The possibilities are limited only by
her imagination. She can go anywhere and be anyone she wants. In Second Life, the world is built
and owned by its residents. The world consists of a huge digital continent, people, entertainment,
experiences, and opportunities. Thousands of people join daily. They begin by creating an avatar
that they use to travel around the Second Life world. Using their avatar, they can meet new people,
communicate, have fun, buy and sell property, and open businesses.

Marie is in the mood to dance and socialize in another country. That's no problem at all with Second
Life. She enters the Second Life world and heads over to Bar SoHo in London. It's a popular
nighttime hotspot where Marie can dance the night away under glittery disco balls. She may even
meet some new people and make some new friends.

Virtual worlds like Second Life allow users to escape reality.

Not everyone uses Second Life or virtual worlds for entertainment. Business is also conducted in
the virtual environment. Would you believe there are a number of business opportunities available
in virtual worlds? IBM uses virtual worlds for meetings, training, and recruitment. American
Apparel, a major retailer, set up a storefront in Second Life. Many companies use Second Life as a
way to conduct market research, try new business ideas, and gather feedback from consumers.
With the growth of virtual worlds, many new jobs will open up to support the technology.
Additionally, one can even make money using virtual worlds. Some have capitalized on the
growing demand for virtual goods and services. How, you may be wondering? Well, here are a
few examples:

Mike, a 17-year-old, uses his avatar in Teen Second Lifeto earn $4,000 per month building and
renovating sites within Second Life. He uses graphic design tools and acts as a virtual architect.
John, a 25-year-old, uses his avatar in Second Life to earn between $2,000 and $4,000 per month
building neighborhoods. He takes vacant land and builds it up with various businesses and then
sells them off to interested parties.

Kristina uses her avatar in Second Life to earn between $600 and $800 per month designing
characters. She uses Second Life tools to add effects to avatars and creates accessories and apparel
for avatars.

Lesson Summary

The technologies that enable virtual collaboration and virtual worlds to exist are impressive. They
have changed the way that we socialize, work, learn, and conduct business.

If you have the chance to work collaboratively, you may find yourself using video conferencing,
telepresence, or Voice over Internet Protocol. If you recall, video conferencing is a virtual meeting
in which participants can see and hear one another and view documents and presentations using
Internet technologies. Telepresence allows participants to share data, voice, pictures, graphics,
and animation by electronic means. Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP, is a technology that
enables phone calls to be made over the Internet.

You may also find it entertaining, educational, or even a great business venture to explore virtual
worlds. Virtual worlds are 3D computer-simulated environments in which people can interact,
play, and do business using an avatar. Virtual communities are groups of people with common
interests who interact using computer networks like the Internet. Second Life is a specific 3D
virtual environment where one can socialize, connect, and create. It is also a useful tool for
business purposes.