Point: Dan Parks

Second Life opens up a new world of learning
If we have learned anything from the evolution of technology and its expanding implementation into the educational atmosphere, it is that new vehicles have resulted in increased interest, attendance, and positive feedback. Students of all ages consistently take well to new surroundings. Knowledge that is shared in unique and interesting platforms has a profound impact on the learner. And isn't an environment in which people actually enjoy the learning experience what all meeting professionals hope to achieve?

Second Life has truly provided a unique world of new opportunities to learn in a stimulating - and simulated - setting. These controlled, open, and safe 3D environments allow avatars (the computerized persona) to interact with each other and learn without real-world human barriers (such as self-consciousness). Second Life transcends other real-world obstacles as well. With travel presenting security and cost issues, now is the optimal time to expand into this safe and exciting new world. Virtuality is not new to the younger generation and they will come to expect that learning modules be transitioned into

Second Life. There are now more than 150 major colleges and universities operating in Second Life. Presenters and attendees who have experienced sessions conducted in Second Life have been consistently delighted with the results. Allowing business professionals and educators to present their knowledge in this stimulating environment - by utilizing the exact same media presentation options available in traditional settings - provides cost-effective sessions that will leave attendees excited and hungry for more. 

°Dan Parks is president and creative director of Corporate Planners Unlimited. He is a founding member of MeCo (www.meetingscommunity.org) and the designer of the MeCo Mansion on Second Life, designed for education and communication.  

Counterpoint: Jeff De Cagna

Focus on the first life of innovation, not Second Life
Association innovation must be a sustainable, strategic process. Unfortunately, most staff and volunteer leaders consistently cite a lack of time and resources as significant obstacles to achieving this goal. Second Life (SL) advocates, in contrast, contend that experimenting with virtual worlds today is an opportunity for organizations to learn what success online will require when virtual worlds are more prevalent on the Web. While this argument might resonate from a pure innovation standpoint, I still believe that establishing a presence in SL is not the right strategic choice for the vast majority of organizations with broader innovation needs.

It is difficult to see what radical new value associations can create with a presence in SL, especially when there are simpler social media and social networking tools that can support meaningful innovation more quickly and easily. When you consider how many associations continue to struggle with even understanding and applying these more straightforward technologies, Second Life feels a bit like a distraction.

The coolness factor of Second Life is significantly outweighed by the time and technology investments necessary to create and maintain a presence. If your members don't have the technical savvy to navigate the environment, they probably will find SL more frustrating than fun. And even if they do figure out how to use Second Life, they may quickly conclude that the dominant activity inside this simulated world - virtual sexual intercourse - is not the kind of innovation with which they wish to be connected. Given these conditions, then, I strongly urge associations to concentrate on getting the "first life" of innovation right before they worry too much about creating a Second Life. 

°Jeff De Cagna is chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation LLC (www.principledinnovation.com) and one of the "Five Independent Thinkers" who wrote We Have Always Done It That Way: 1001 Things About Associations We Must Change.