From Skepticism to Reality

02/02/09 03:02:14 PM

Now, perhaps you’re one of the digerati or even a techno-skeptic. We’ve spoken with many business owners and CFOs who have told us, “Yes. We’ve heard these claims before about digital environments.” Let’s say you’re a business owner or a CFO. You may have heard that social networking tools (such as MySpace, Facebook, or LinkedIn) would change your business or save money. If you’re a CFO, you may still be wondering why the marketing department convinced you to invest real money into an online interactive world (such as Second Life) without a clear business plan. The claim that “everyone will be doing it” shouldn’t be enough to persuade you. In fact, we fully encourage you to be skeptical.

Our argument is, on the surface, very simple. Businesses and consumers have been living in text-based worlds with few visuals and little interactivity. We’re like Edwin Abbott’s Flatlanders, who live trapped in a two-dimensional world. We go through our days unaware that our perspective will soon expand. It will change noth our workplace and our home lives.

How companies market and sell—to businesses(B2B), governments (B2G), and customers (B2C);
How companies train employees and how schools teach children;
How we measure behaviors—in marketing and training;
What consumers will expect from retailers; and
How employees and consumers access on-demand help.

This transformation will certainly occur. It’s driven by a combination of many factors—both technological and psychological.