Newsrooms Should Pay Attention to IBM’s Avatar Adventures
Maybe it is time for every newsperson to get a Second Life avatar. I have been touting the idea that news organizations should be kicking people out of the newsroom and getting them involved at least part time in the participatory culture. Maybe they should use IBM as an example, which is getting more and more interested in virtual worlds. This from CNET:
Interest from IBM, for example, has morphed from a handful of employees researching the sector in 2006 to the company owning more than 12 islands on “Second Life” and as many as 2,000 employees registered as participants.
Why? Doug McDavid, executive research consultant at IBM’s Academy of Technology, says:
the company wants to attract and keep talented employees.
A generation of kids reared in virtual worlds like Second Life or MTV’s Laguna Beach are eventually bound for a work force that will need to cater to their experiences by creating virtual worlds for the corporate intranet.
