I was talking at Virtual Worlds Go Mobile on Tuesday and it occurred to me the crucial difference between social networking and virtual worlds.
In social networking, you are you - singular - with the attributes you have as you the person we can meet.
In virtual worlds, you are an avatar or more than one avatar with attributes that exist only in the virtual world.

Doesnt’ mean you can’t create fictional social networking personas, but it does mean that the expectations are totally different and should not be confused.  Trying to drag your RL identity into virtual worlds is like trying to game the system - it simply doesn’t work.

Likewise, there is some resistance in the idea of overlays of digital information over the real world perceptions we have.  I have encountered this in speaking about augmented reality .  Who knows if these two realms will ever recruit converts from the other side.  Stay posted here for updates!

[UPDATE]
Thanks for staying posted, I wish this could have been streamed.  As it happened, the camera was not hooked up to a  laptop so it did not happen.  Apologies.  Normally I do the streaming myself on my own dime, but in this case I had to run the real-world stage announcements etc.  I invite you to our other sig meetings and will post any links I can to the archived video of today.  Thanks and wish this could have happened.  Best, Bob Ketner

Hi,
Bob Ketner here, I’m not running the camera or audio today, but I’m going to try to direct any media here via ustream. I won’t be in SL either due to organizing the RL conference.

For an SL meeting place, meet as usual at: Innovation Island (this link will start the Second Life program)
You can view the presentations with the embedded viewer. Video will be active during the presentation.
If not working please try: http://ustream.tv/channel/virtual-world-sig

Hello,
Tomorrow’s the day to be part of the conversation as Virtual Worlds Go Mobile with talks from Nokia, SKT, 4 VC’s, MBlox, Veepers, Gemini mobile, WiFi Army, and Smith Micro.

This afternoon conference coincides with alongside a flurry of press releases and announcements from virtual world platforms and media companies that are taking virtual worlds to the new platforms of phones and mobile devices. Get the inside forecasts and views on these new developments!

Register here:
http://www.sdforum.org/

Virtual Worlds Go Mobile

11:45am - 5:00pm February 26, 2008

Virtual Goes Mobile
Crossing the Chasm from the Internet

Event Overview:
At the speed of light, three dimensional parallel universes and their immersive communities -whether they be virtual worlds of shopping centers, nightclubs or interactive gaming- went from “radical fringe” to mainstream, with multinationals around the world setting up their own islands to be represented in this new part of the internet galaxy. Now the next frontier may be the most complex one to cross yet - mobile platforms. All players in the tech eco-system are setting stakes to offer consumers new options in social interactivity of all forms:

* Companies already entrenched in virtual worlds and interactive gaming, where mobile devicese the next BIG opportunity
* Social networking and community enterprises hoping to add a third dimension to their community and/or “go mobile”
* The enablers and supporters, whether they be investors who fund and help scale these enterprises or technology plays, such as payment systems, operating systems and platforms…

This conference is the first of its kind to listen to all the voices in the eco-system as they discuss what opportunities will be available and what the challenges are to realize this goal, when communities are able to connect, communicate and share content on these mobile devices, how the location-specific abilities and information be integrated, where should we look for emerging markets for web content when it becomes accessible to billions of cell-phone users.

Agenda:
11:45am-12:30pm Registration and Networking Lunch
12:30pm-12:45pm Welcome Remarks
12:45pm-1:15pm

Opening Keynote Speaker:
Anders Nancke-Krogh, Nokia
1:15pm-2:30pm

Panel Discussion: “The Venture Landscape”
Baris Karadogan, Velocity Interactive Group
Nate Redmond, Rustic Canyon
Sharon Wienbar, Scale Venture
Richard Wong, Accel

Moderator: Mike Doran, Fish & Richardson
2:30pm-3:00pm

“The Global Perspective”
Keynote Speaker: Joe Jasin, SKT
3:00pm-3:15pm

Entrepreneur Profile, Virtual Perspective
Martin Dunsby, Vollee
3:15-3:30pm Afternoon Break
3:30-3:45pm

Entrepreneur Profile, Monetizing the mobile Experience:
Steve Livingston, MBlox
3:45pm-5:00pm

Panel Discussion: “Paths for the Future: Success Stories and Learned Lessons”

Paul Anderson, Veepers
Rob Osborn, Gemini Mobile Technologies
Tomasz Wojtowicz, WiFi Army
Mandar Shinde, Smith Micro
Moderator: Ewan MacLeod, SMS Text News

5:00pm-5:15pm Closing Remarks

Price:
Platinum Pass: $25
Members: $65
Non-members: $85

Location:
Tech Mart Center, Fremont Room,
5201 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Directions

Augmented reality video from the “EZ4U team” Portugal.

Got a heads up from California Condor (in-world SL) that there’s a Metaverse Meetup “Crossroads to the Metaverse” in Hoboken, NJ.
tomorrow Sat. Feb. 23. Organized by Thodore Wright, Andy Fundinger,  and long-time SL’er Hiro Pendragon.

Details at:

http://gamedev.meetup.com/166/calendar/7312910/

Looks like all the details will be posted there.  Hopefully it happens simultaneously in SL.  If so, I’ll be there!

Don’tcha just hate toolbars that offer no removal option?  Of course you do.  Just renewed Norton Internet Security and though being rather happy with it this toolbar must go immediately.  If there’s anything that makes me feel less secure and more spied upon it’s a toolbar .

Thanks to poster Kev for putting up this simple solution at: 

http://kev.deadsquid.com/?p=663

Here’s my step-by-step instructions on how-to for Windows XP:

1. Close Firefox
2. Go to C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components and find the file named “coFFPlgn.dll”
3. Copy and paste that file to a new folder. For example, I made a folder called: C:\norton-toolbar-removed
     and put it there (this will backup the original just in case for some reason you want it later).
4. Now, go back to C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components and find the file named “coFFPlgn.dll”
5. Right click ”coFFPlgn.dll”  and choose “Open With.  It will say “Windows cannot open this file” so “select from list”
     and choose “notepad”
6. You will see a page of symbols and code.  Go to Edit -> Select all  then delete all of it.
7.  Then go to File -> Save  and close notepad.
8. Look again at C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components and find the file named “coFFPlgn.dll”
     Right click it and select “Properties”.  At the bottom, check box ”Read only”.
9.  Restart Firefox - toolbar gone!!

Thanks again http://kev.deadsquid.com/?p=663

Virtual Worlds Go Mobile is shaping up to be a groundbreaking meetup/mashup of virtual worlds+mobile+open platforms. This is the first convergent meeting where the mobile virtual world space meets up on the same stage as the Android open handset movement and mobile hardware.

Here’s a list of the speakers lined up - it all happens Tue. Feb. 26:

Full Program

Keynote: Anders Nancke-Krogh, Nokia

Panel Discussion: “The Venture Landscape”
Moderator: Mike Doran, Fish & Richardson
Baris Karadogan, Velocity Interactive Group
Nate Redmond, Rustic Canyon
Sharon Wienbar, Scale Venture
Richard Wong, Accel

Keynote : Joe Jasin, SKT “The Global Perspective”

Entrepreneur Profile: Martin Dunsby, Vollee

Entrepreneur Profile,: Steve Livingston, MBlox

Panel Discussion: “Paths for the Future: Success Stories and Learned Lessons”
Moderator: Ewan MacLeod, SMS Text News
Paul Anderson, Veepers
Rob Osborn, Gemini Mobile Technologies
Tomasz Wojtowicz, WiFi Army
Mandar Shinde, Smith Micro

Register Here

Demo tables still available please contact Bob Ketner at 415-267-3933 for more info.

As expected, the Metaverse Roadmap which was held at Stanford Feb. 15, 2008 was heavily focused on augmented reality.

Many thanks to Henrik Bennetsen, Jerry Paffendorf, and John Smart for bringing me into this forward thinking group. There were presentations on everything related to the emergence of a digital landscape, viewable through electronic devices.

Workshops focused on the 4 sectors of the roadmap, namely augmented reality, lifelogging, mirror worlds, and virtual worlds.

It is clear that many parts of “the future” have arrived - given the presentation by Intel at CES 2008.

It is clear that Virtual Worlds will be the dominant meme for organizing communities on the web.

It is clear that we are also sitting within somewhat of a lull in new developments in the virtual world space.

What’s for sure? Virtual worlds are going mobile. Join us for the next step in defining this space on Feb. 26!

Hi Virtual Worlders,

We’re pulling together this afternoon conference to advance the discussion on virtual worlds - how and when they will “go mobile”.
It’s lining up to be an interesting mix of vc, Android, gaming, and hardware takes on the topic - not to be missed, details how to attend below.

“This conference is the first of its kind to listen to all the voices in the eco-system as they discuss what opportunities will be available and what the challenges are to realize this goal, when communities are able to connect, communicate and share content on these mobile devices, how the location-specific abilities and information be integrated, where should we look for emerging markets for web content when it becomes accessible to billions of cell-phone users.”
Keynote Speakers:
Joe Jasin, SKT, and Anders Nancke-Krogh, Nokia
Panelists:
Paul Anderson, Veepers
Martin Dunsby, Vollee
Baris Karadogan, Velocity Interactive
Steve Livingston, MBlox
Rob Osborn, Gemini Mobile Technologies
Nate Redmond, Rustic Canyon
Sharon Wienbar, Scale Venture
Tomasz Wojtowicz, WiFi Army
Rich Wong, Accel
Event Overview:

At the speed of light, three dimensional paralle universes and their immersive communities -whether they be virtual worlds of shopping centers, nightclubs or  interactive gaming- went from “radical fringe” to mainstream, with multinationals around the world setting up their own islands to be represented in this new part of the internet galaxy. Now the next frontier may be the most complex one to cross yet - mobile platforms.  All players in the tech eco-system are setting stakes to  offer consumers new options in social interactivity of all forms:

* Companies already entrenched in virtual worlds and interactive gaming, where mobile devicese the next BIG opportunity
* Social networking and community enterprises hoping to add a third dimension to their community and/or “go mobile”
* The enablers and supporters, whether they be investors who fund and help scale these enterprises or technology plays, such as payment systems, operating  systems and platforms…

This conference is the first of its kind to listen to all the voices in the eco-system as they discuss what opportunities will be available and what the challenges are  to realize this goal, when communities are able to connect, communicate and share content on these mobile devices, how the location-specific abilities and  information be integrated, where should we look for emerging markets for web content when it becomes accessible to billions of cell-phone users.

Agenda:
12:00pm-12:45pm              Registration and Networking
Lunch
12:45pm-1:00pm     Welcome Remarks
1:00pm-1:30pm
Opening Keynote Speaker:

Anders Nancke-Krogh, Nokia
1:30pm-2:00pm

“The Global Perspective”
Keynote Speaker: Joe Jasin, SKT
2:15pm-3:15pm

Panel Discussion: “The Venture Landscape”

Baris Karadogan, Velocity Interactive
Nate Redmond, Rustic Canyon
Sharon Wienbar, Scale Venture
Richard Wong, Accel

3:15pm-3:45pm     Keynote TBC
3:45pm-4:45pm

Panel Discussion: “Paths for the Future: Success
Stories and Learned Lessons”

Paul Anderson, Veepers
Martin Dunsby, Vollee
Steve Livingston, MBlox
Tomasz Wojtowicz, WiFi Army
Speaker TBD, Smith Micro
Rob Osborn, Gemini Mobile Technologies
Register

Hi Virtual Worlders:
I’d like to invite you to participate in a survey put together by our friend and associate Eilif Trondsen of SRI Consulting Business Intelligence.  It’s about 15 mins or less to complete and you will get the report and analysis too.

Here’s the link: http://tinyurl. com/yrhzmm

About the survey:
A wide range of applications and uses of virtual worlds (VWs) by consumers and enterprises have emerged in the last couple of years. The objective of this survey is to focus on one broad use category—Collaborati ve Work—and to get your views and perspectives on what role virtual worlds are playing in these kinds of applications today, and what you expect to see in the future.

The survey is a collaborative effort between the following organizations:
• Special Interest Group (SIG) on Virtual Worlds of the Software
Developers Forum (SDF) in Silicon Valley (led by Bob Ketner)
• The Serious Second Life group in Bolder, Colorado (led by Richard Hackathorn)
• Metaverse U at Stanford University (led by Henrik Bennetsen)
• The Virtual-Worlds Consortium for Innovation and Learning of SRIC-BI (led by Eilif Trondsen)

Everyone who participates will receive a report with analysis of the survey results. We may also organize a SDF-SIG meeting on this topic, and in this case we will alert all participants so they can join us in Palo Alto or in Second Life. No personal information collected in this survey will be used for any commercial purposes and your answers will be confidential and will be used only in combination with those of other respondents.
The survey has four more sections and should take about 15 minutes or so to complete.