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In an effort to improve the wardrobe of Lee Laperriere (and pick up some stuff for the girls at the same time) I went a-hunting for business clothes.
After a few disappointing shops, I came across a little German-style island — Adelebsen Isle— that had a plethora of shops catering mostly to women (as most of the shops in SL do) but also a couple for men. The shopping area is so large I would recommend you teleport in and fly up a bit to get a bit of scope; all of the shops in the various squares look like each other so it’s easy to get disoriented and believe that you’ve seen all there is to see*.
Whilst the men’s clothing was nothing to rave about (actually, it looked a bit too camp for me), the range of women’s clothing was phenomenal. Again, very little that Penny and Isabella could wear in a professional business setting without unsettling the servants and horses, but quite fetching none the less.
See what you think – and there’s a whole swag of them up on flickr.
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Sweet Faces – amazing skins!
The design work that has gone into the Sweet Faces skins is evident – stunning! Well worth the approximately L$2500 for the best ones, which include pretty good representations of Monica Bellucci, Charlize Theron (a number of versions), Avril Lavigne, Beyonce, Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, Hillary Duff, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Claire (not sure who she is, but no doubt someone will laugh at me for not knowing ) and a heap more. Gorgeous!
*For example, over on one side of the island there’s a whole swag of shops dedicated to some infant ‘things’ that involve some sort of ‘Kodama’ role-playing, mythical sort of stuff of which I know nothing, as well as other ‘tiny avatar’ shops. Quite why tiny teddy bears would need M16s, M4A1s, P90s, Black Hawk helicopters and other advanced weaponry is beyond me, but no doubt someone somewhere is enjoying watching a small teddy bear crawl over a hill and blow another small teddy bear to smithereens.
Right on the edge of a river there’s a pet shop full of puppy avatars in all manner of clothing – Harry Potter seems to be a popular collection – as well as tiny ostriches, tiny elephants, mice, worms, spiders, leopards, snowmen, human hearts, DNA, stinky poo, kittens, beds for kittens to sleep and snore in (complete with snoring, of course!) and quite naturally ballet routines and outfits for your fledgling ballerina cat.
In all I spent a good six hours pfaffing around, but I had such fun doing it!
No longer can they be contained behind the firewall of Second Life. Penny Cazalet and Isabella Scheflo, my two fabulous assistants at the BetterComms Second Life office, have breached the very porous membrane that we like to call ‘reality’, and have slinked into the light of day.
This is the documentation of their first big adventure, with more to come each month, we promise (read the background as to where the idea came from).
Download NOW the entire first edition of this new monthly initiative [pdf, 831k] and revel in their mastery of social media. Your comments and suggestions as to other exciting adventures they can get up to are most welcome!
Installing pre-purchased office furniture, putting up posters, jiggery-pokering around… it all adds up to many hours.
Why bother?
Because I wanted to sort out the backgrounds and layouts for the creation of a series of Social Media-focused comics based on Penny and Isabella (see an earlier post for more on where the inspiration came from).
Here’s some snaps from the 18 hour marathon session (and yes, I was dog-tired after it!):
Prompted by an reporter from one of the large dailies contacting my co-supervisor, Dr. Denise Wood, and myself, here’s some of the answers I gave to his questions. They may be of value to you, too…
1. What are the main virtual worlds at the moment? Do you have stats on patronage?
The main virtual worlds can be split between those aimed at kids and those at adults. Taking some of my stats from K-Zero’s latest quarterly report, for kids the stand-outs are ‘Habbo Hotel’ (100m members), Neopets (45m), Stardoll (21m), Poptropica (20m), Club Penguin (19m), and BarbieGirls (15m)
Word reaches me from my nemesis and arch-rival for the hearts and minds of all right-thinking Copenhagians, Allan Jenkins, that a Demos report robustly suggests that companies pull their flamin’ heads in and embrace social technology.
Says Jenko:
“Companies should not dismiss staff who use social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo at work as merely time-wasters, a Demos study suggests.
Attempts to control employees’ use of such software could damage firms in the long run by limiting the way staff communicate, the think tank said.”
I would go as far as to say “bosses must embrace social networks.”
Two (of countless) reasons:
Social networks build stronger organizations. Strong organizations tend to be more profitable.
The incoming entry-level cohorts live on social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, etc). They IM and text as naturally as breathing. Tell them they can’t use these tools at work, and you will soon see the best of them snapped up by your competitors.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating opening up the flood gates, but there are many ways we can integrate social software applications behind the firewalls that don’t compromise the organisational security
…
I fear for the future of relevance of learning in organisations and institutions if we continue to ignore the changes in society.
My fellow Adelaidian — she’s also a septic but we forgive her for that — Kerry raises a really good point about how presenters at education conferences around the topic of IT consider it highly rude if you blog or tweet during their pontification.
This is despite the much-spoken-of desire and “talkfests” being about how to ‘engage’ students and encourage learning in the new communication landscape we are now in.
Kerry asks if there are any upcoming conferences where attendees are given a set of ‘learning/discussion’ materials before the conference so that the actual conference can be focused on interaction, not just dull presentations with atrocious PowerPoint.
I ran a workshop in June of this year for the PRIA in Sydney where, for the Strategy component, attendees were asked to watch some pre-selected YouTube videos and read some material.
I’m not sure, because I didn’t check, but I don’t think anyone gave the background material a good look, because some of the questions asked showed a lack of basic understanding that the background material would have answered.
I’m guessing that at the Australian Virtual Worlds Workshop in late November the presenters will be expecting audience feedback (well, at least they should be), and I’ll also be attending the ASCILITE Conference where I will hopefully catch up with Kerry but won’t be expecting much in the way of audience participation if my experiences of academic conferences are anything to go by.
But I will also be an invited speaker at the IABC World Conference in San Francisco next year and the idea of again giving the attendees to my session some background material in advance really appeals to me. Much as I love being the centre of attention and having the whole stage to roam around on (”moi?”) it is far more fun for this humble presenter when the audience knows a lot about the subject matter too, so that genuine ‘knowledge sharing’ and ‘advancement of the craft’ can occur, rather than — as Kerry and her colleagues so aptly put it — didactically presenting to empty vessels who passively wait to be filled.
“You have GOT to be kidding!” I screamed to no one in particular.
I re-read the email. And re-read it again.
Me. Invited speaker. IABC World Conference, San Francisco, June 2009.
Unheard of.
For those who may not be aware, the IABC is the International Association of Business Communicators. To be asked to speak at one of their conferences is the business communicator’s equivalent of gaining an audience with the Pope.
Dear Lee,
I crafted a letter to you introducing IABC and referencing a mutual colleague, Allan Jenkins whom you mention on your site, and then I pleasantly discovered that you are an IABC member (or were, since your membership has lapsed)! My single purpose for writing now is to invite you to speak at the IABC 2009 World Conference in San Francisco, 7-10 June.
A member of the conference program advisory committee came across your web site and was immediately impressed by the rich communication-focused content. You wrote, “Effective communication is the single most important skill any business person must master if they are to survive” and we could not agree more.
IABC’s annual World Conference is the premier international event for business communicators. More than 1,600 mid- to senior-level communicators from over 35 countries are expected at the 2009 World Conference in San Francisco. We would like to invite you to speak at the conference on a virtual communication topic of your choice onSunday, 7 June,2:30-3:45 p.m.
Yours would be one of four or five Skill Builder sessions, each led by some of our best rated speakers on topics that are essential to communicators. These sessions focus on key skills-related topics on the opening day of conference prior to the Opening General Session that begins at 5:20 p.m.
As a speaker, you will receive a complimentary Regular Conference registration for the entire conference, with the exception of additional fee events. IABC does not provide speaker fees or expenses but speakers benefit from the excellent connections and networking opportunities found at the event.
Lee, an exceptional program is being planned for San Francisco and I hope that you can be a part of it. I have attached the speaker agreement and addendum detailing the terms of your acceptance to speak at the IABC 2009 World Conference. If you’re able to accept this invitation, please review both documents carefully and return the completed agreement by30 October or sooner. I would need at that time your proposed session description and bio.
But here’s the challenge: just like the academic conferences I go to, no assistance is given to get there. At academic conferences I even have to pay to attend when I’m presenting at them, so I’m especially grateful to receive free entry to all of the IABC conference sessions.
But I have to find the airfare. What with flights, meals and so on I reckon I’m up for around AUD$7k.
The ever-gracious and amazing Shel Holtz has kindly offered to open his front door and guest bedroom to me while I’m there. So that’s the otherwise expensive hotel accommodation dealt with, just the flights and meals an’ stuff to find…
The bit where YOU benefit
Now, here’s where YOU get to benefit from that totally unexpected email.
I’m selling everything I have at 50% off.
Yes, that’s right — everything at 50% off. Well, almost everything. Mrs BetterComms and eBay both have a policy about auctioning the kids and my mother off… But everything else is half price.
50% off my consulting services (see the next paragraph for more information)
If you book my services for any time from now until Dec 31 and pay in full during the month of October you will receive a 50% discount on my prices.
For example, that’s a saving of:
$500 for a keynote speech
$750 for a full day of consulting
And a minimum saving of $7,500 on my SEO-optimised website design and build service.
to find out more and receive a quote.
~~~~~~~
Better Business Writing Course at half price
My five day course normally sells for $69.95, but for the month of October only you can pick it up for just $34.97 AND receive a load more of bonuses than you would normally receive:
Tom Peters: The PSF is Everything! / 50 Ways to Succeed / Tomato
Seth Godin: Really BAD PowerPoint
Cliff Atkinson: Beyond Bullet Points (1st chapter - purchase the entire book here)
Ken Evoy: Netwriting Masters Course
Claude Hopkins: Scientific Advertising
Daniel J. Solove: The Future of Reputation: gossip, rumor, and privacy on the internet
Theron Q. Dumont: The Power of Concentration
Trevor Cook and Lee Hopkins: Social Media: or how we stopped worrying and learned to love communication
Lee Hopkins: The Subtle Psychological Power of Suggestion
Lee Hopkins: The Three Es for Business Profit
Lee Hopkins: Brand Identity: why managing it is so important to your success
Lee Hopkins: Internet Business: 20 secrets you NEED to know about you, your business and the internet
Lee Hopkins: Accent and Tone of Voice
Ken Evoy: The Netwriting Masters Course
Ken Evoy: The ‘Make Your Price Sell’ Masters Course
Ken Evoy: The Service Sellers Masters Course
Ken Evoy: The Webmaster Business Masters Course
Ken Evoy: Why People Fail
PDF and Flash copies of every presentation I have given about Social Media and Virtual Worlds in the last two years.
If you are serious about taking your business writing skills to the next level, you will want to take advantage of having your ‘Advanced Better Business Writing’ course homework personally marked by me.
The Advanced course, including all the aforementioned bonuses, usually sells for $1,499 but you can snap it up for just $749.50. You can even spread payment over six equal monthly instalments of just $117.
~~~~~~~
Social Media in a Flash set of cards at half price
I’m also offering the extremely popular ‘Social Media in a Flash set of cards’ set at half price. Instead of paying $247 you can snag them for a mere $123.50.
And if you pick up the ‘marked homework’, advanced version of the ‘Better Business Writing’ course you’ll receive the cards for free!
Naturally, you will also receive the whole swag of bonuses that I’ve mentioned already. Plus I’ll throw in the basic ‘Better Business Writing’ course!
The catch
Naturally, this largesse cannot last.
I have until 30th October to confirm that I’ll attend. The BetterComms CFO (Mrs BetterComms) has dictated that if I am to go to San Francisco the trip will need to be funded by income not yet planned and budgeted for.
So all of these offers will expire at one second to midnight, Central Australian Time, 31st October.
Summary
To recap, during the month of October only:
If you pay in advance for my consulting or presentation services you will save 50% on any of these services delivered before 1st January 2009
If you purchase the basic Better Business Writing course you save 50% (saving you $37.50)
If you purchase the Advanced Better Business Writing course you save 50% (saving you $749.50)
If you purchase a pack of ‘Social Media in a Flash set of cards’ you save 50% (saving you $123.50)
All financial transactions are handled by PayPal and of course everything is covered by my ‘90 days, no questions asked’ refund policy.
But rather than fly to Melbourne, Sydney or the Gold Coast we presented in-world, at a venue built especially for the event.
To say they (the CPA organisers) were nervous would be a MASSIVE understatement! I could see their avatars shaking from the podium {grin}.
But to everyone’s delight the event went swimmingly well. Naturally, there are always little gremlins that creep into any event and do their best to cause niggling annoyances, but they were kept to a minimum and the feedback from the audience has apparently been incredible. Even at the event itself, during the Q&A session after Lindy (’Decka Mah’ in-world) and I (as ‘Lee Laperriere’) had presented, the interest in repeating the concept and running more presentations and events in-world was very strong.
“Just to say congrats on a good seminar. I found it very good in terms of the venue layout, technicalities and content…I rarely can get into London, so miss out on most CPA Australia events even when they’re held over here, and am delighted to have been able to attend this.”
As one of the organising team, Alex Dalidakis, said in an email to Lindy and I:
On behalf of the CPA Australia Second Life project team I’d like to say a very big thank-you for last night. As this was our very first event in Second Life we were all a little nervous to say the least. Your enthusiasm and help throughout the development of our Second Life event was amazing and without this support the session would not have been the success it was.
If you want to avail yourself of the presentation I gave, feel free to download it as a pdf [2mb].
Many kudos to the team behind the whole in-world event: Helen Mitchell, Julie Egonidis, Marcus Coghlan and Alex Dalidakis, as well as the crew from NetEffective.
UniSA joins elite US institutions such as Harvard and Duke Universities and Australia’s University of Queensland, in its foray into new ways of teaching and learning in the 21st century.
Project leaders of the virtual campus, UniSA Island, Dr Denise Wood and Associate Professor Gerry Bloustien believe that while the 3D virtual learning experience does not replace face to face contact with teachers on campus, it does provide a more flexible environment for students to participate in campus activities – from just about anywhere they may be.
Dr Wood and Prof Bloustien are the principal researchers of a recently awarded Australian Learning and Teaching Council research grant of just over $220,000 to further develop an accessible open source 3D virtual learning platform with the aim of improving the accessibility, and teaching and learning benefits of such environments.
The project will be undertaken in collaboration with five Australian Universities – Monash, RMIT, Edith Cowan, Flinders and Sydney and an international partner in the UK, the University of Sheffield. Other team members from UniSA include Dale Wache, Associate Professor Tony Spawton, Dr Sheila Scutter, Jen Seifert, Frank Kurzel, Rosie Kerin, Kyle Tripodi and Phil Marriot.
"The preliminary case studies undertaken by Dr Denise Wood and our interviews with academics in other institutions show that it provides greater flexibility for students unable to attend the real campus who through a 3D virtual learning environment have a chance to see, hear and interact with those present on campus. It is an excellent platform for students to take part in presentations from international experts and guests speakers – something not normally easily accessible or viable in everyday academic life," Prof Bloustien points out. "There are obvious benefits where students may be isolated by distance because even hundreds of kilometres away, they can feel involved in their learning through the Second Life platform."
Dr Wood says the popularity of 3D virtual worlds is opening up once unimagined educational opportunities and has the potential not only to benefit students who have been isolated from student life by distance and disability, but to enrich the educational experience of all students.
"Alongside the regular campus experience it is offering a uniquely collaborative, flexible and dynamic approach to the delivery of courses."
The outcomes from the project, which include both the development of the open source 3D learning platform and guidelines for the application of these technologies in the graduate and undergraduate curriculum, is already paving the way for future cross-disciplinary research partnerships with industry.
More information about the ALTC funded project at UniSA is available from Dr Wood at
) and a heap more. Gorgeous!
Better Business Writing Course at half price
here)
Social Media in a Flash set of cards at half price
