New report warns of dangers of trashy avatars
If you're running a business that has a presence in a virtual world, market research firm Gartner thinks you might want to make sure your employees' avatars aren't dressed like Lady Gaga at the VMAs.
"Companies with codes of conduct for other Web activities, such as blogging, should be able to extend those policies into virtual environments," a release Wednesday from Gartner announcing its new report "Avatars in the Enterprise: Six Guidelines to Enable Success" explained. "However, because 3-D environments add the visual dimension, they will need to make sure that their policies also cover dress codes."
That means your avatar might want to lose the sparkly pink torpedo bra, metallic leggings, and giant bat wings. When it's representing your company, that is.
The presence of businesses in virtual worlds like Second Life is nothing new--and has been much derided in recent years. But according to Gartner, it's still on the rise, particularly when it comes to training and virtual meetings. "Avatars are creeping into business environments and will have far reaching implications for enterprises, from policy to dress code, behavior, and computing platform requirements," the release explained. Gartner estimates that 70 percent of enterprises will be regulating the avatars of employees who use virtual worlds for business.
Two years ago, Gartner put out a study detailing the risks and pratfalls of doing business in virtual worlds, among them the difficulty of brand and reputation management. Now it's getting more specific: Gartner now says that employees ought to know how to operate their avatars properly, use the same degrees of discretion and professionalism that they do on social-networking sites, and even keep separate avatars for personal and professional use.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
I'll also fight that Second Life isn't a game. Games have tasks to complete, strategies, etc.
Second Life is more of a social network in 3D. (you can play games within it though... just like you can play games on facebook apps).
No... I don't "play" in it... Second Life is my job. I work in it all day long helping teachers teach classes from within Second Life like a suped up 3D classroom.
She only covers a handful of topics, Twitter, Second Life, Facebook, My Space and the occasionally Twitter, My Space spinoff.
That is until she finally gets her GED. Then she is hoping to move to more important topics like, hot dog eating contests.
CNET is a joke! The news here is so old, it could be covered with mold.
Point for point I think Caroline could fight a war of IQ, Wit and Wisdom attrition with you, and still come out better off than you are now.
If you are going to play the role of critic, it might help if you actually understood the topic. Clearly you don't.
I would hope so. She is after all getting paid to produce this so called journalism. It maybe a paltry amount, however, it is still more than I, a simpleton from "The Social," receive for writing on CNET.
And to your second point. I would first have to care about the typic, before providing a review. Neither of which, am I interested in doing. Especially if you are benefactor. Nope, I would rather fill these idiotic comment boards with messages directed towards incompetent authors, such as Ms. McCarthy.
If you turn on your comouter open the client unless you get paid by Linden research its not a job...........Oh you might build but really most of the game is not only fully of under 18 years of age. Sorry but the secondlife world is nothing but VR lie....... educational, business etc. call it what you wish sweetie but really its nothing but a hand full of SF workers running the company........
Companies can enforce a dress code at work, but not on the Internet. It is like having a dress code for employees when they are off of work. You cannot wear business clothes all day.
Not only that but sometimes a trashy avatar gets more customers and thus more business. Which would customers prefer to buy from, the boring sales lady in the business pants suit, or the sexy sales lady in the torpedo pink bra, metallic leggings, and bat wings? Sometimes sexy sells more than business casual, just look at TV ads, do they have sexy women in them to sell cars, car insurance, beer, computers, or do they have boring people in causal business attire?
It ought to be applied at CNET first.
With an average user load of 40,000 and a maximum record of almost 90,000; Second Life doesn?t show a world-wide usage figure that would support it as being a major revolution in international on-line business. These are modest figures compared to Blizzard?s WoW or Sony?s EQ2 player levels; but again, SL is not really a game. Call it a successful experiment in virtual reality commercialization.
As to the trashy avatars; she's right. Or actually, the companies implementing these policies are right. People are more likely to respect and do significant business with companies who's employee avatars are smartly and professionally attired than with some who's avatars look like hookers from the poorer sections of L.A.
If you believe the bs and all the Linden Lab chatter about companies and other other social related lies you are a life time second life user. What even makes me laugh more are people that compare second Life to other online games....Again another know all / know connect statement.
Oh please the rah rah is starting..............Second Life people just is like this person a life time bog and forum lover .I wish i had as much time as this person in real life......
I thought crayon did a pretty good job from a launch standpoint 3 years back. Certainly if press and buzz is any indicator; not to mention the fact you still associate us with the "metaverse".
These days, you should check out what IBM is doing in the space. They might just be exceptions to your allegation.
You still believe IBM was part of second life? ....................... oh my your a sad thing to see. Al they are is sub contractors that have nothing to do with IBM..... Oh they might have worked for IBM at one time in their past. But they were not during during their existances in sl.......... Dont forget IBM was a paid ad user on sl............Hence the website. Dont believe everything you told by the sl lackies.
"by Dr_Zinj October 8, 2009 8:55 AM PDT
I am appalled by the people's comments criticizing Ms Caroline McCarthy. Their spelling is atrocious. They have no concept of English grammar. They have a limited understanding of the Second Life environment verging on total ignorance. While Second Life barely qualifies as a game (it?s an amusing diversion, but doesn?t have any specific, competitive goals within the environment); it does qualify as a useful virtual environment for multi-person interactions."
Wow agian with attacking people with nothing more the grammer and spelling flaming remarks? These types that bash and flame others with nothing more then grammer and spelling issues are blog and forum lovers that do nothing more then livie on blogs and forums 24 hours a day. You dont take these trolls serious, because how can you? when they have 1000`s or even more post within a year worth of time?