Drop in and visit during our 3D office hours

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

We are running a new experiment for the next couple of weeks. We will hold office hours in a variety of publicly-accessible immersive technologies. This is a great opportunity to learn more about ThinkBalm – meet the analysts and pick our brains about Immersive Internet trends and technologies, in an informal environment. We’d be happy to share with you findings from our research and update you on ThinkBalm Innovation Community activities. This is also an opportunity to gain some experience with immersive technologies you may not have used before, like Altadyn 3DXplorer, Nortel web.alive, ReactionGrid, and Second Life.

Office hours schedule

Sam or Erica Driver will be available in our virtual offices during the following times EDT. Here is a link to the Time Zone Converter Web site, should you need it. Please drop in!

• Thursday, June 25th, 11AM-noon EDT in Altadyn 3DXplorer with Skype for voice
• Monday, June 29^th, 11AM-noon EDT in Nortel web.alive, using built-in voice
• Thursday, July 2^nd, 4-5PM EDT on ThinkBalm Island in Second Life — (Erica’s avatar name is Erica Burns and Sam’s is Samm Larkham), using built-in voice
• Monday, July 6^th, 10-11AM EDT on the ThinkBalm region on ReactionGrid, using built-in voice

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

Just added: ThinkBalm Data Garden tour for our friends in Asia-Pacific region

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

We are pleased to announce our public tour schedule for the next few weeks for the ThinkBalm Data Garden on ThinkBalm Island in the virtual world of Second Life. Think of this tour as a next-generation webinar where you’ll learn about our findings and analysis from the ThinkBalm Immersive Internet Business Value Study, Q2 2009, which was published on May 26, 2009. The core question we set out to answer in this research was, “What is the business value of using immersive technologies in the workplace?” We’ll take you on a tour through a memorable, interactive data visualization experience.

ThinkBalm Data Garden public tour schedule for June

All times listed below are Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), which is the same as Second Life time (SLT). Here is a link to the Time Zone Converter Web site, should you need it. Admission to the tour is first-come, first served so it’s a good idea to arrive a little early.

• Wednesday, June 10th from 8:00-9:00AM PDT (in the past)
• Wednesday, June 17th from 8:00-9:00AM PDT (in the past)
• Wednesday, June 24th from 8:00-9:00AM PDT (in the past)
• Just added: Monday, June 29th from 6:00-7:00PM PDT — scheduled especially for our friends in the Asia-Pacific region of the world. Here is a link to the Time Zone Converter Web site.

Please join us!

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

The ThinkBalm Innovation Community is expanding to LinkedIn

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

Since its launch in August of 2008, the ThinkBalm Innovation Community has evolved into a mix between a social network, a collaborative laboratory, and a guild. The mission of this community, which currently has more than 280 members, is to propel work-related adoption of the Immersive Internet forward. With the ThinkBalm Innovation Community, ThinkBalm industry analysts Erica Driver and Sam Driver are fostering a productive, marketing-free zone where professionals can collaborate and communicate about the Immersive Internet, sharing experiences, collaborating on experiments, and identifying best practices that advance work-related adoption of immersive technologies.

Professional networking is a hugely important aspect of life in the community and lately we’ve fielded lots of requests to create a LinkedIn group for the community to make it easier for people to get and stay connected. The people have spoken, and a ThinkBalm Innovation Community LinkedIn group is now live. It is available from the groups search function at LinkedIn, and we’ll be sending out invitations to current ThinkBalm Innovation Community members. We encourage anyone with an interest in work-related use of immersive technology to request membership in the group.

Here are links to some ThinkBalm articles and reports that reflect ThinkBalm Innovation Community activity:

• ThinkBalm Data Garden is live!, June 4, 2009
• ThinkBalm Innovation Community leaderboard is in 3D, June 1, 2009
• ThinkBalm publishes special issue of Storytelling Series for Virtual Journalism Summit, April 5, 2009
• ThinkBalm Storytelling Series Issue #3: How to Give New Users a Good First Experience, Feb. 24, 2009
• Meet the ThinkBalm Innovation Community Expert Panel, Feb. 20, 2009
• ThinkBalm Storytelling Series Issue #2: “End Death-by-Lecture: Tours, Not Speeches,” Jan. 14, 2009
• ThinkBalm Storytelling Series Issue #1: “Role-Play Redux: Convince the Curmudgeon,” Dec. 17, 2008

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

Join us for public tour of ThinkBalm Data Garden

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

We are pleased to announce a public tour of the ThinkBalm Data Garden on ThinkBalm Island in Second Life on Monday, June 8th from 11:00AM-noon EDT, which is 8:00-9:00AM PDT and Second Life time. Here is a link to the Time Zone Converter Web site, should you need it. Think of Monday’s tour as a next-generation webinar. Via an interactive data visualization experience, ThinkBalm analysts Erica Driver and Sam Driver will share with visitors the findings and analysis from the ThinkBalm Immersive Internet Business Value Study, Q2 2009, which we published on May 26, 2009. We think we’ll have room for about 20 guests, so please arrive early.

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

ThinkBalm Data Garden is live!

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

ThinkBalm has launched a new experiment on ThinkBalm Island in Second Life. The ThinkBalm Data Garden is a data visualization experience built around the ThinkBalm Immersive Internet Business Value Study, Q2 2009, which we published on May 26, 2009. The ThinkBalm Data Garden was designed as a proof of concept for the next-generation “webinar.” Creation of the data displays was a collaborative effort between the two of us and several members of the ThinkBalm Innovation Community, including Jeff Lowe and Jonas Karlsson. Please come visit!

 

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

Let the data collection begin!

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.   

[Update: This survey is now closed.]                                                                                  

We are pleased to announce that the online survey for the ThinkBalm Enterprise Immersive Internet Business Value Study is now up on the Web.  This groundbreaking research study is conducted by ThinkBalm and sponsored by Altadyn, Forterra Systems, Linden Lab, ProtonMedia, Qwaq, and Tandem Learning. ThinkBalm will write a report containing our findings and conclusions, to be published in mid-May 2009. The report will be freely available on www.thinkbalm.com as well as on the Web sites of some of our sponsors.

The focus of the ThinkBalm Enterprise Immersive Internet Business Value Study is work-related use of virtual worlds and campuses, immersive learning environments, and 3D business applications. The core question we are trying to answer is, “What is the business value of using immersive technologies for work?” This study has two research components: an anonymous online survey and in-depth interviews conducted via phone or in-world. We are talking to enterprise Immersive Internet advocates, implementers, and explorers.

You may qualify to participate in this research study if you:

• Used immersive technologies for work in 2008 or the first quarter of 2009
• Have insight into the business value this technology has delivered to your organization (if any)
• Do not work in sales, marketing, product development, or customer support for a technology provider that offers immersive technology solutions

If you meet these criteria and are willing to give us 15 minutes of your time, please click this link or the image to the right to take the anonymous online survey. Also, if you have done a return on investment (ROI) analysis on the use of immersive technologies in your organization, we invite you to contact us at info@thinkbalm.com to set up an in-depth interview. The interviews will add additional color and insight to the data we collect via the online survey.

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

ThinkBalm announces kickoff of enterprise Immersive Internet business value study

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

Calling all immersive technology advocates, experimenters and implementers!

ThinkBalm is pleased to announce the first-ever industry study on the business value of the emerging Immersive Internet technology sector. Our focus for this study is the business value of work-related use of virtual worlds and campuses, immersive learning environments, and 3D business applications. This research study is being conducted by ThinkBalm and is sponsored by Altadyn, Forterra Systems, Linden Lab, ProtonMedia, Qwaq, and Tandem Learning.

The research approach for the ThinkBalm enterprise Immersive Internet business value study is two-fold: 

• An anonymous online survey. We are collecting data about early implementations of immersive technology in the workplace. We are investigating what drives investment, how early adopters see immersive technology as different from existing alternatives, hurdles organizations face when attempting to bring this technology into the workplace, and the business value organizations have obtained from using immersive technology. Here is info about survey qualifications and a link to the online survey.
• In-depth interviews. We are interviewing early adopters to gain a deeper understanding of how and why organizations choose immersive technology over other technologies, how they measure success, the hurdles they face, and their approach to developing a return on investment (ROI) model for the investment. ThinkBalm is sensitive to privacy of information and can limit disclosure to meet interview participants’ requirements. Interview participants will have an opportunity to review and fact-check the section of the report that results from their interview prior to the report’s publication.

People who work in sales, marketing, product development, or customer support for technology providers that offer immersive technology solutions for the enterprise do not qualify to participate in the survey or interviews.

We are now scheduling interviews!

• Who: We are interviewing individuals who have had personal experience with an immersive technology pilot or deployment for work in 2008 or 1Q 2009 and have insight into the business value this technology has delivered.
• What: ThinkBalm industry analyst interviews with adopters of immersive technology in the workplace
• Why: First-ever in-depth research study on business value of using the Immersive Internet for work. Interviews will add color to data collected via online survey.
• How: Phone or in-world interviews, 30-60 minutes in length. These interviews will complement the anonymous online survey.
• When: We are scheduling interviews for the month of April, 2009. The anonymous survey will also be fielded in April. The report will be published in mid-May. The report will be freely available from ThinkBalm’s Web site as well as the Web sites of some of the study’s sponsors.

If you think you fit these criteria, ThinkBalm wants to hear from you. Please contact Sam Driver at sam@thinkbalm.com.

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

ThinkBalm Storytelling Series Issue #2: "End Death-By-Lecture: Tours, Not Speeches"

by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

The ThinkBalm Innovation Community has been experimenting with a new form of immersive event: the “un-lecture.” An un-lecture is a 60- to 90-minute event during which four or five community members each deliver a 10-minute demo, tour, or presentation about something enterprise Immersive Internet-related that they have done or are working on. The purpose of the community’s new un-lecture event series is to spread the wealth of knowledge and experience that exists in the community, strengthen bonds among members, create opportunities for serendipitous interactions, and collectively master how to move beyond traditional, often unexciting presentations to deliver high-value interactive experiences. Participants can move their avatars around in 3D space and interact with environments and objects. They can talk with the presenter and each other via voice, group text chat, or private text chat. In our view, participants in an un-lecture event walk away with an experience, not just a few bullet points and a set of printed-out PowerPoint slides.

On December 1, 2008 the ThinkBalm Innovation Community held its first un-lecture event. We structured the event as a four-stop tour that included: 

• A presentation by Claus Nehmzow, entrepreneur and advisor with Alcus International Ltd., on CIGNA’s use of Second Life for healthcare education
• A hands-on demo of Jeff Lowe’s 3D mindmapping tool project — Jeff Lowe is a project manager at University of Oklahoma Center for Public Management
• A presentation on the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)’s use of Second Life for marketing and R&D by John Kinsella, VP in charge of educational curricula and products at PADI
• A tour of Michelin’s island for training IT pros on enterprise architecture concepts by Philippe Barreaud, chief enterprise architect at Michelin

With the help of six ThinkBalm Innovation Community members who attended our first un-lecture event — Barbara Schwarz, Claus Nehmzow, Eilif Trondsen, Jeff Lowe, Leslie Pagel, and Santi Garcia — we wrote ThinkBalm’s second issue in the Immersive Internet Storytelling Series, titled “End Death-By-Lecture: Tours, Not Speeches.” For a PDF of the article click this link or click the image of the article’s cover above.

© 2009 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

ThinkBalm storytelling series issue #1: "Role-play redux: 'Convince the curmudgeon'"

By Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

On December 4, 2008, fifteen members of the ThinkBalm Innovation Community gathered in an immersive environment for 90 minutes to try to convince our curmudgeonly “boss,” a role played by community member Christopher Simpson of George Brown College, that our fictitious organization should be making Immersive Internet investments. The group met in the community’s region on ReactionGrid, an OpenSim grid. We met at “The Precipice,” a simple meeting space ThinkBalm set up atop a cliff, designed to be conducive to risk-taking. We sat around a large board room table, with Christopher Simpson at the head of the table sitting up a little higher than the rest of us. Christopher started the conversation by stating some of his objections to enterprise use of the Immersive Internet, and then the rest of us jumped in and fired off a steady stream of arguments in favor of it.

With the help of seven eight ThinkBalm Innovation Community members — Alexander Casassovici, Chris Hart, Christopher Bishop, Donald Schwartz, Jeff Lowe, Leslie Ehle, Marc Sirkin, and Robin Gomboy — we wrote ThinkBalm’s first issue in the Immersive Internet Storytelling Series, titled “Role-Play Redux: ‘Convince The Curmudgeon:’ The ThinkBalm Innovation Community Shares Lessons Learned.” For a PDF of the article click this link or click the image of the article’s cover.

© 2008 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

ThinkBalm releases its premier Immersive Internet report

By Erica Driver and Sam Driver.

Today ThinkBalm released its inaugural research report, titled “The Immersive Internet: Make Tactical Moves Today For Strategic Advantage Tomorrow.” This report is intended to help Immersive Internet advocates,

implementers, and explorers decide if, when, and how to invest in Immersive Internet technology. Click this link or the image of the report cover to download the PDF. 

Methodology

As an independent industry analyst firm, ThinkBalm has working knowledge of the Immersive Internet vendor landscape acquired through vendor briefings and demos, hands-on experience, user interviews, consulting work with our clients, and our work with the ThinkBalm Innovation Community, which currently has about 150 members. Nearly two dozen community members reviewed and contributed to this report prior to its publication. (Membership in the ThinkBalm Innovation Community is free. For information on becoming a member please email us at info@thinkbalm.com.)

Executive Summary

The Immersive Internet is a collection of emerging technologies combined with a social culture that has roots in gaming and virtual worlds. Virtual worlds and campuses, immersive learning simulations, serious games, and three-dimensional (3D) business applications deeply engross the user and give people experiences that are perceived as real even though they take place virtually. Properly implemented, this technology promises to uncover previously unheard-of dimensions in engagement, which will in turn increase workforce collaboration, effectiveness, and retention. When the Immersive Internet is used with the extended enterprise, it will have similar positive impacts on customer, partner, and supplier relationships.
Adoption of the Immersive Internet for work is still in the “seedling” stage. We expect adoption will progress rapidly toward mainstream during the next five years because:

• A slow economy and the green movement are influencing business decisions
• Early case studies demonstrate return on investment
• We live in a video game culture
• Large business technology vendors are jumping into the fray
• Hardware, software, and networking technology have advanced rapidly
• Social networking is a way of life, allowing advocates and implementers to find each other

Investment in short-term Immersive Internet projects in 2009 is both strategic and cash-conscious. Project teams can extract tangible cost savings immediately, influence the vendors in an emerging technology market, and build the expertise needed for making sound larger investments in the future. Look for opportunities to improve business processes in seven main areas: learning and training, meetings and conferences, business activity simulation, collaborative design and prototyping, collaborative 3D data visualization, human resources management, and remote system and facility management.

The enterprise Immersive Internet technology market is made up of three main sectors: platforms, packaged applications, and custom apps. This emerging market is populated primarily by small software vendors and open source projects, making technology selection difficult and risky. The market will undergo significant change during the next five years as startups and educational institutions invent and innovate, large business technology vendors get in the game, and platforms and applications diverge. This may render some early technology implementations throwaways, though the experience gained will prove invaluable.

Long term, think of the Immersive Internet as an area of strategic investment that enables transformation of the way we work as well as business model innovation. The Immersive Internet allows organizations to connect more deeply with customers, partners, and suppliers. It enables business leaders to nourish and harvest human creativity and increase workforce and customer engagement. Ultimately, organizations will go far beyond the seven use cases we outline here and the Immersive Internet will become part of everyday life.

© 2008 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.

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