Last week’s historic announcement from Linden Labs about Second Life Enterprise (formerly known as Nebraska), raised quite a bit of discussion. My first reaction was that without specific steps to avoid it, SLE will negatively impact both the balance of the current Second Life community and long-term adoption by enterprise users targeted by this product. I realized this personal conclusion is based on a perspective others may or may not share, which caused me to consider some different perspectives, eight in fact. But first, how do we group these perspectives?
Second Life First Contact
I know, too NASA or Star Trek sounding, but I could not think of a better way to refer to that critical first experience a new user has with Second Life. Let’s remember this is ultimately about the user even though that tends to be forgotten in this discussion. We all have our story to tell about what got us to try SL for the first time. Comparing these stories gives insight into these perspectives. Understanding this first-contact, our own and that of others, can help decision makers understand how Second Life will be received by their user base—not just immediately—but for the long term.
You start in SL or SLE, not both.
As much as Linden Labs would try to convince you creating an account and avatar on both Second Life main grid (SL) and in a Second Life Enterprise standalone (SLE) is so easy it can practically happen at the same time, it can’t. Anyone with any Second Life experience knows this. LL has made progress improving those first few hours when a new user largely forms their final opinion of the technology—especially in SLE—but it is still a distinctly separate process.
I have not heard of any current or planned work to allow one’s SL avatar to inhabit any SLE instance, although David Levine and others on the Architectural Working Group are working very hard on hopeful interoperability ideas, which seem in reach technically if perhaps not legally without a lot of work on the content and IP issues.
Linden Labs has made getting started fast in SLE.
Download the viewer and login using your same enterprise username and password. That is all it takes now to attend a meeting in SLE. Linden Labs, presumably with a lot of help and input from IBM and its other closed-beta release customers, has really streamlined this, for better or worse.
For better because new impatient enterprise users asked or required to attend an internal conference, for example, can now do so almost immediately without the hassle of account creation and avatar customization. Enterprises get the quickest ROI possible, or so it seems. This puts SLE closer to no-nonsense platforms like Forterra.
For worse because so many come in, attend the conference, and leave making their first impression about Second Life without ever knowing more. On-boarding help sessions, if attended, can add some depth to the experience and promote long-term skills, but face the challenge of overcoming the just-tell-me-what-I-need attitude that reduces the conversation about what is possible to just what is essential. Anything more than that is considered a waste of time and money. Those few who are lucky enough to have made it to a help session and heard about the main SL grid and had the skill and fortitude to create an additional SL account must be left to wonder, “Why is this so much harder than setting up my SLE account?”
Perspectives from Those Who Already Know Second Life
The first four perspectives come from users who have had contact with the Second Life main grid:
- The Lost
- The Empowered
- The Residents
- The Developers
These users have reactions all over the spectrum, threatened, intrigued, apathetic.
The Lost
The lost have come into Second Life and created an account but have left for some reason, boredom, fear, hurt feelings, or found that SL didn’t otherwise meet their needs. One critical missing need might have been legal or other requirements for security and control of all network traffic. Second Life Enterprise is an opportunity to motivate the lost to take another look at both SLE and SL turning them into …
The Empowered
The empowered, like the residents, have loved Second Life for years for the richness it offers, entertainment, social connection, learning and more. However, they have not been able to use this wonderful technology at work because of legal or other requirements preventing it. This is the group Ian Hughes refers to in the comments on this post. It is also a growing group of students who have used SL in some form or another and now not only want but expect SL at work just much as they would email or instant messaging.
This group is elated that Linden Labs just might convince the company they work for that this technology is ready for them to use at work.
The Residents
The residents have enjoyed Second Life for some time. For whatever reason, they have come into SL and stayed, perhaps because (like Tom Hale suggests) they have 1) made a friend and 2) bought something. Residents consider Second Life their home in a very real psychological sense and messing with it really worries them. Some have been married here, others have overcome mental and physical challenges through Second Life. Some have invested heavily in elaborate role-play (and NOT just the Goreans). A lot rent space or manage land ownership. Some make their real livelihood from real-estate income. The thought that Second Life could go away terrifies them and they react accordingly.
This group is largely apathetic toward SLE provided it does not upset their current experience on the main grid, which they will quickly point out is not ever getting the proper attention it needs. I imagine this often forgotten group pumps money like no other into SL currently. They are the original life-blood of Linden Labs, their main customers. Many residents fear SLE has the potential to dry up the SL economy and population making them second-hand, non-essential customers. Pause for a moment to consider an Internet full of stand-alone, public facing SLE instances each requiring a different login.
The Creators
The creators built this place. Let’s face it. Without them there would neither be a Linden Labs nor Second Life, nothing to do, see, or wear. Often also residents, creators make stuff, clothes, gadgets, buildings, furniture, islands, music, machinima and more. In a real sense everyone is a creator as soon as they customize their avatar—especially if they make their own shape [which I always encourage beginners to try]. Most creators make money from what they do, but not all and, for most, not much, just enough to sustain the habit. A few creators have become pillars of the Second Life economy. A further few of these have gone on to become Second Life Gold Solutions Providers.
Creators seem more concerned about rampant content theft than SLE. I don’t think a lot of them realize that the only way they can sell their content to SLE users is by becoming a Gold Solutions Provider or sell to one. I have heard rumors suggesting Linden Labs might eventually consider an XstreetSL-type system allowing mom-n-pop content creators to sell directly to enterprise SLE users, but I have heard nothing to confirm this plan. Such a plan would face the complicated IP risk entanglements that the GSP -> WorkPlace Market -> SLE path does seem to address for both Linden Labs and SLE customers. Enterprises have a guarantee, essentially, that anything bought through that path will be free from such IP risk. Why would they shake that up by providing direct access to an unverified content producing public? Maybe the rumored plan would include granular verification for the smaller content vendors as well.
Perspectives from First Timers Starting with SL Enterprise
Though there are fewer SLE first-timers to observe currently they appear to be
- The Serious
- The Cautious
- The Progressive
- The Emerging
There are likely others.
The Serious
The serious do not know of and often do not care about the Second Life main grid. If they do know of it usually it is something bad they have heard. They are focused. They don’t fear the SL main grid, they just want into SLE for whatever event and then out as quickly as possible. They may not have anything against Second Life other than it is taking up their time to learn it. If someone mentions the SL grid to them they might respond, “That’s nice. Now what do I have to know for this event again?”
This crowd does not customize nor very often sees any value in any avatar customization thinking it silly or wasteful. They are the hardest to get to come to any on-boarding help session and the least patient when they do attend. The are the most likely to mess up use of voice by not setting up their headset correctly. The default avatar is usually just fine for them. Most have never heard nor care about Ken Robinson or Daniel Pink’s ideas on creativity, the right brain, and the changing world of work (and likely don’t have twitter accounts either to follow them).
This seems to be the group Linden Labs seems to be most aggressively targeting perhaps because enterprise decision makers with purchasing power are characterizing their user base primarily as the serious. This group of users may or may not be embracing SLE, but at least they are tolerating it and using it more now that SLE is an option. The included enterprise avatars in SLE just might be enough to open their mind a little to how work and fun can be related and relevant, but forget about getting any of them to go on a field trip to the SL main grid.
This new group of Second Life users may never have used any Second Life technology without SLE. They might not believe in serendipity nor know it when and if it hit them enough to give credit to a broader Second Life experience than their closed SLE stand-alone can give them.
The Cautious
The cautious have usually heard about Second Life and been scared to death by what they have seen or heard about it. They want absolutely nothing to do with it unless they are nearly forced to use it. They might even consider the default teen-grid viewer start screen image to have offensive avatars in it (this really happened). Often the source of their caution is not their own, but the responsibility and risk they have been given to manage the user experience of others. Educators and administrators of younger groups often have this perspective.
The cautious, however, are often very creative people looking for such experiences as their focus. They are generally not as time-bound and impatient as the serious but share the same lack of positive exposure and experience as the serious.
If the cautious are going to use Second Life at all, their best hope is through something locked down like SLE or OpenSim. The cautious are the most fun to mentor and help through their first experiences. They tend to have the greatest, ‘aha’ moments and discover something wonderful just in the possibilities. The cautious can sometimes become empowered or residents based on the power of their ‘aha’ moment but also seem to run the greatest risk of crashing from a negative experience or after the immersion curve ebbs [a topic for another post.]
The Progressive
Often already techies, the progressives hear about SL after mastering SLE for whatever event they came in for and bolt for the SL main grid to become one of the empowered almost immediately. They may have put off mastering Second Life for other technologies that interested them and their SLE event has given them an excuse to learn SL. They have a command of 21st century skills enabling them to learn efficiently at their own pace and gain benefit from on-boarding help sessions only as they uncover the less obvious tips and tricks. Soon progressives are helping others in their group maybe even becoming creators. They have no problem with two accounts, one SL and one SLE, but likely favor their SL avatar over their work SLE avatar. They may or may not understand and have experienced serendipity but will likely soon have convincing experiences with it during their wider explorations.
This is the money group for Linden Labs. They are the most likely both to buy stuff in SL, create content, effectively help others get into SL, and share their excitement with peers. The critical element for progressives is making sure they understand there is more out there in SL than just SLE and pointing them in the right direction.
The Emerging
The emerging are not as rushed as the serious nor as afraid as the cautious nor as skilled or self-motivated as the progressives. Most of those I personally worked with fell into this group. They are grateful for and benefit most from on-boarding help assistance and need the normal step-by-step approach. They work with technology but are not necessarily techies. They are open to whatever others show them but generally always need guidance. They would create an SL main grid account only with close assistance if and when they hear about SL. They find having two avatars, one for SL and one for SLE a pain if they decide SL is worth their time. They are the most at risk of missing any serendipity and understanding its value without actually experiencing it.
My initial reaction focused on this perspective and the dilemma it presents.
The bulk of enterprise users are emerging and therein lies the danger. Like the serious and cautious if they do not find personal or professional value during their first few experiences they tend to lose interest, even forgetting passwords and such (another reason tying to LDAP is great in SLE). With proper attention, or better yet, introduction into SL first before SLE, the emerging group might experience serendipity enough and find those things of personal and professional interest to them to convert them from casual users to adopters.
Understanding All Perspectives
Understanding all the perspectives new users bring to the experience of Second Life Enterprise will hopefully give those making decisions and mentoring beginners a better sense of what is needed and ultimately what will make money for Linden Labs and its partners. Whatever our personal perspective, we should consider those of others as well.
I look forward to hard research about these perspectives when and if it emerges. Until then, based on my personal experience, I believe Second Life Enterprise is indeed needed, but there are serious hurdles that could easily trip any deployment without caution. It is much to easy to forget the SL main grid exists when everything you think you need is on an SLE private instance. You really may never know what you’re missing. That is what serendipity is all about, not knowing something good is there until you fortuitously stumble upon it doing something else. The potential for real personal and professional value is greatest on the Second Life main grid since it carries the most breadth and depth of experiences, which I talked about some in The Community Consideration, Real Business ROI and will focus on in a follow-up post called Second Life Enterprise, Managing Loss of Serendipity.
How many times have you stumbled upon something great and unexpected while doing something else? Maybe you meet a 
