May 31, 2007
links for 2007-05-31
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 10:52 pm:
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Lee LeFever does it again: a superb video that explains what a wiki is. Hat-tip to Shel for pointing it out
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What’s news today: 31/5/07
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 9:42 am:
Business students at Iowa State University can experience performing US$2 million worth of daily transactions. Brian Mennecke, an ISU associate professor and dean’s faculty fellow in management information systems, uses Second Life to engage students in hands-on learning. For Mennecke’s electronic commerce strategy course this past semester, students set up free Second Life accounts to assess potential entrepreneurial opportunities within the virtual world, then developed models for their fictional businesses.
Win $20,000 of goodies in a young entrepreneur contest. Consultants McKinsey & Co. have launched a Virtual Venture Competition in Second Life. Participants get 45 days to build a business and win $20,000 worth of training with top business builders.
Apply for a real virtual credit card. The world’s first virtual credit card will be available from First Meta, a Singapore bank that has become the very first virtual bank to offer credit cards and other financial services in Second Life.
Check out iVinnie: the virtual world’s news network (covers more worlds than just Reuters Second Life).
Plant-It 2020, a non-profit organisation founded by the late singer John Denver, has launched an island on Second Life on which residents can pay 300 lindens to plant a tree from among a list of endangered species. For every tree planted on Second Life, Plant-It 2020 will plant the same species of the tree in the real-world rainforest to which it is indigenous. “Instead of sending $25 to plant 25 trees, they’re choosing the type of tree to plant,” Mr Key, chief executive of Converseon, says. “As they’re going through the experience, there is information they can click on to learn about deforestation and about the tree - and physically planting it in an area is a much more immersive experience.” The whole experience has been project-managed by Converseon’s team, including my great mate and fellow Aussie Paull “I’ve got a jar of Vegemite and I’m not afraid to use it” Young.
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May 30, 2007
links for 2007-05-30
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 10:48 pm:
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Anya Ixchel aka Angela Thomas is a lecturer in English Education in Australia. She interviews a couple on how their ‘real life’ marriage (on the rocks) was saved by Second Life (”he grew up”). See? SL is not JUST for sad men sitting in their underwear…
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Vancouver, Canada, Oct 17-20: Annual conference of the Association of Internet Researchers, scholars and researchers of all things Internet meet, present research, network and share ideas in a cooperative, multidisciplinary environment.
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Marketing Martini rocks!
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 10:46 pm:
In the last couple of days I have created the space to catch up on some podcasts.
Top of my list of ‘must listen to’s — after FIR — is Bill Sweetman’s Marketing Martini, principally because Bill shares my passion for online marketing.
Here’s a brief list of his recent podcast issues:
- Martini 017: Listener Questions and Answers #1
- Martini 016: Search Engine Advertising Tips and Tricks
- Martini 015: How to Avoid Making Your Website Invisible to Search Engines
- Martini 014: Writing Effective Email Subject Lines
- Martini 013: How to Buy a Domain Name from Someone Else
Each episode (around 5-8 minutes long) is jam-packed with brilliant advice.
I’m hoping that our two busy diaries can find a 30-minute slot where I can interview Bill about our shared passion — internet marketing.
If you don’t already subscribe to his podcast - SUBSCRIBE NOW!
You can subscribe via iTunes or via your regular podcatching software; you can even subscribe via email if you so wish (visit his site to do this). Just subscribe!
Oh, and Bill: please give us devotees of your podcast a logo we can use to promote you! Your banner is waaaay to big to use; you need a lozenge like this or this.
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The mathematics of persuasive communication
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 1:13 pm:
There’s a new article over on my main article site:
The Mathematics of Persuasive Communication by Philip Yaffe (link opens in new window).
It’s a great read — enjoy!
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Melcrum, World Bank and internal blogging
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 12:08 pm:
Melcrum have just emailed me with a quick and dirty ‘5 easy steps to launch a blog’ as a subtle way of advertising their new report, “How to use social media to engage employees“.
Nothing in it that you won’t find in my rather more in-detail post about blogging for beginners, but what IS interesting is the finding from The World Bank that identified three important outcomes of its own blogging initiative:
1. Renewed credibility for the voice of internal communication.
2. A feeling of inclusion among employees, and better awareness of the outcomes of internal meetings.
3. An enthusiastic blogger can help shape the external perception of the organization.
Go grab yourself a copy of the report now.
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Today’s Second Life news
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 10:33 am:
Cross posted from my Second Life blog
And hot off the press today:
The Money Programme will be the first [Ed: are you sure?] BBC Television programme broadcast in virtual online world Second Life. Reporter Max Flint and his spiky-haired alter-ego, MP Masala, travel deep into cyberspace to meet its virtual entrepreneurs, and find out how real fortunes are made. The programme will explore two different examples of these virtual worlds. Flint (the real one, that is) travels to San Francisco to meet one of the industry’s biggest names: Philip Rosedale, the creator of Second Life. He also meets the people behind Reebok’s virtual shop, and then in London visits marketing company Rivers Run Red. Rivers Run Red has amassed a multi-million pound turnover by doing all its business inside virtual worlds, including creating the cinema in Second Life where The Money Programme will be “screened”.
The Maldives opened the world’s first [Ed: are you sure? -- I thought Sweden had already opened one] virtual embassy in Second Life May 22. Macedonia, the Philippines and Sweden are expected to follow with their own virtual embassies.
The Washington Daily’s Dawg blog comes late to the party: “Some people can make a real living off the game, while some simply just play the game for fun. Although it may seem pointless to begin leading a “Second Life” on the internet, there is no denying the appeal of seeing yourself in a virtual world, networking socially with a whole host of other virtual people.”
Mitch Wagner interviews a stack of people about Second Life sex — is it harmful or not? “I interviewed many people involved in the cybersex community in Second Life, including a virtual madam, a dominatrix, and a few women who just enjoy it. One woman had been doing cybersex for nearly 20 years.” Lots of interesting comments, including “It’s no different then any other form of cybersex that’s been around for 20+ years. Same story, different medium, same arguments and still people’s opinions on the matter as just as irrelevant as ever”, but this one from Nobody Fugazi cracked me up: ” I hear it makes you go blind. A guy with thick glasses told me that, so it must be true.”
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Ted Demopoulos “officially” #1 Dullest Person on the Internet!
Lee Hopkins wrote this at 10:29 am:
Google, source of all wisdom online, has recently granted Ted Demopoulos the ‘honour’ of #1 status as ‘dull person.’ Yes, a Google of “dull person”, returns Ted’s blog as the #1 hit.
Maybe there is a market for dull? Maybe Ted’s next book should be “Dullness for Business” or “What No One Ever Tells You About Why Dullness Rocks”?
Or what about a coaching program to make the ‘dull’ duller, and the ‘interesting’ less so? After all, if the mind-numbingly boring Edward de Bono can have a best-seller with ‘How to be more interesting’ why can’t Ted (who I find faaaaar more interesting) find equal success with ‘How to be more dull’?
For those who don’t know, Ted is the author of “What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting” and co-author of “Blogging for Business.” Both mighty fine books, both worth having in your library. And now Ted has released an excellent little booklet, “Secrets of Successful Blogging”, a copy of which I keep firmly in front of me as I blog. In the booklet there are over 101 tips on how to blog more efficiently, effectively and profitably.
A brilliant little booklet that you can carry around with you in your jacket pocket or handbag, pull out and dip into to garner great ideas and insights during those dull, between-flights or between-meeting moments.
For example, this from Ted:
“Don’t try and make your writing perfect — writing never is. An occasionally typo {grin - nice one, Ted!} or other error may make it through and is not a problem. Conversely, too many errors look unprofessional.”
Nip over to Ted’s site and nab yourself a copy (hint: if you are quick and clever, you can grab a freebie copy) — you won’t regret it, trust me. And tell him, “Lee sent me”.
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