IBM Finding Business Uses for Virtual World

jbrodkin writes "IBM has an unconventional take on virtual worlds for business use. Rather than strictly adhering to the laws of physics, IBM is letting its employees hold virtual meetings up in the air and under water. Employees are also being given wacky chores, such as kicking a giant boulder 1,400 kilometers. The virtual world, known as the Metaverse, has been in development for two years. Michael Ackerbauer of IBM says, 'I'd say more people are still finding it a novelty than a business tool. But ... if you build enough tools that they can use, they will come.'" IBM seems to be following a trend of involvement in virtual worlds, which we have previously discussed.

Comments

Don't Click the link!

[MadnessASAP]

Don't click the link, it's that goddamn myminicity thing again.

Meetings in Virtual Worlds

[jscribner]

IBM needs a way for its employees to interact beyond the teleconference and to connect across geographies. We've accepted that meetings are an inescapable part of our corporate culture, but we also recognize that shorter, focused meetings will make us more productive. Internal virtual worlds give "I've Been Meeting" (as some affectionately call us) the opportunity to improve on meetings themselves, and experiment with more interactive and effective approaches to them.

Perhaps the most interesting thing we've seen in this environment is that people can't multi-task easily while in a virtual meeting, if they don't give it their full attention they can literally get lost. Conversely, attendees have a shortened attention span, so meetings need to stay on topic and valuable.