Crayonista Chapman Pans Jay-Z/Kimmel Hypervent [Updated]
by Urizenus Sklar on 23/11/06 at 10:19 pm
Man-o-man, Crayonista C.C. Chapman ‘s been chuggin’ the Haterade! A few more blog posts like this and we may have to hire him to write for the Herald.
After a sim crash and delays upon delays Jay-Z finally performed. His avatar danced around the stage while we heard the live stream from the performance. Just like any other concert in SL which happen every night.
After two songs it was done. I felt completely underwhelmed so I turned on the TV to see how they used it during the actual airing of the show. That was what I was interested in since I wasn’t sure what they were going to do with it.
I stayed up watching it and besides a little mention of SL at the beginning there was NOTHING.
All hype, zero return. This is not how a company should approach something like Second Life. They didn’t even go for any buzz since the announcement of the event only came out late yesterday afternoon. I know some very talented people who worked on setting this up and they were working hard last night during it as well. I feel bad for them because I don’t understand what they did all the work for during a holiday week. It confuses me.
I’m sure there was a point to this whole evening, but I sure don’t see it yet.
I think these guys are catching on. And why not? If anyone can spot empty hype it should be a PR guy, no?
[updated Nov. 24] Crayonista Joseph Jaffee has posted a similarly negative review of the hypervent, and observes that Jay-Z wasn’t even controlling his avatar. Hmmm, isn’t this the virtual worl equivalent of lip synching? Or worse, really. It’s more like Milli Vanilli — except that instead of someone singing for Jay-Z someone was moving the avatar.
Aimee Weber
Nov 23rd, 2006
It’s a bit surprising that Crayon would dress down an MOU project like this after MOU was contracted to construct their headquarters (this is correct, no?) Is the MOU / Crayon relationship indestructible? Or is it already over with a bitter aftertaste? A private e-mail to Reuben with some constructive advice would surely be appreciated. But a public announcement looks adversarial.
I’m puzzled by Crayon’s virtual community relations strategy. At this stage of the game, work is VERY plentiful. If an SL Dev company wants to take pass on contract work that may sour their community relationship, they have the luxury to do so. This could leave Crayon in the position of having to pay more than market value for a contract or turn to less experienced / outside workers to flesh out their clients visions.
Well, you can’t accuse Crayon of kissing ass. I’m just curious who they manage to get to work on their next (first?) client contract, and how they motivated them.
Urizenus
Nov 23rd, 2006
or maybe the hypervent really did suck ass and Chapman was being honest. Is he supposed to give MOU projects a pass now because they built his island? Guys like Chapman have to be credible, and if they hype projects that tank their credibility is shot with future customers. Expect more of this. The days of reflexive fluffing are over, Aimee. In a few months the Herald reporters are going to look like cheerleaders to you.
But anyway, I didn’t read him as dissing MOU so much.
How do they motivate a developer if they get involved in a future project? I dunno, money maybe?
Prokofy Neva
Nov 24th, 2006
Sounds like he only reported on his honest impressions. Just because he masterminds hypervents doesn’t mean he doesn’t see the hype himself. At a certain point, it becomes counterproductive.
BTW, these RL clients coming in may surprise us and be the best thing going to take down a peg or two these overinflated metaversal consulting companies.
Bob the Tomato
Nov 24th, 2006
I don’t expect corporations to take the consultants down a peg or two – it’s better for regular residents to remind them of their inappropriateness.
Why would a huge corporation that already has marketing and PR experts take advice from a bunch of internet gameplayers? I would have thought that the corporation should say “we want X, Y and Z” to happen, and the SL company can say “Y and Z is no problem, X isn’t technologically possible but what about trying “?”. Last time I saw a business decision made, the company paying said jump and the company doing the donkey work asked how high sir.
I don’t know why, but whenever I think of these “metaverse marketing companies”, I always think of that Simpsons episode where Homer sets up his internet company, because it’s the “in thing” that “everyone is doing now” – and doesn’t even have a computer.
Bob
C.C. Chapman
Nov 24th, 2006
As someone already pointed out I just call it as I see it and it doesn’t matter if I had friends involved in the event or the not. I just didn’t get the point of it when all was said and done.
Millions of Us certainly did work their asses off getting the sim set up and managing the event. That part was fine. It wasn’t until the lawyers got involved and killed the stream and then delay after delay that things began to suck. Up till then we were having fun talking about roasting hobbits and other random bits of insanity.
What I still don’t get is WHY the SL piece of the event? Word was that it would be used somehow during the RL performance and yet there was nothing. I’m curious what the intent was because I’m making an assumption that it didn’t happen and thus plenty of people are not cool with how it went. Who knows…
bluesapphire
Nov 24th, 2006
From history, this again shows that MofU are just here doing PR. Any idiot could of told you that the stream would be an issue.
Why the rush too, was this all last minute with no lead time? Soooo glad I don’t work for the commercial part of SL! From the people I know who ‘helped’ make this happen, it would seem they all worked damn hard and have been disappointed. They also complained that little or no communication came from the two owners of MofU. This is something I’ve experienced with them time and time again, all talk no real meat.
Also in the greedy pursuit of numbers, they did an open call, didn’t they realize that this would cause a rush and the crash of the sim? We do events weekly, inviting people and asking them to respect that the sims have limited capacity. This is just sloppy and tardy.
Wasn’t this done with a level of crediblity with Suzanne Vega before? She may not be as hip as Jay-Z, but at least it happened. I never thought I would say this, MofU you make IVM look da bomb.
As for Crayon, I don’t think they care.
Lewis Nerd
Nov 24th, 2006
This is the danger of people coming into SL doing PR – what might work in the real world simply does not work in the virtual world; not least the limit of 40 avatars per region.
I’m guessing that the kind of person who plays SL is also “above average intelligence” … which may also be why common marketing techniques don’t work.
Lewis
Artemis Fate
Nov 24th, 2006
“I’m guessing that the kind of person who plays SL is also “above average intelligence” … which may also be why common marketing techniques don’t work.”
Go to Los Altos, Hard Alley, the Edge, Bad Girls, Icedragon’s, Love goddess, etc, and repeat that statement please.
Sativa Prototype
Nov 24th, 2006
Man, I can’t wait for Duran Duran.
Jay-Z, huge rap star, draws at best 80-95 people, it truly is a hard knock life.
I can’t wait for Duran Duran, the squeals as the sim crashes, the protests of those who can’t get in, the hardening concrete lag that will choke it to death. Good times, can I pre-order a pass?
Prokofy Neva
Nov 24th, 2006
You mean they haven’t figured out yet how to paste the URL of the server around to other venues to enable more people to hear the show? You mean they can’t do this with the video, either? Didn’t we go over this many times before?
Also, were the lawyers imagining that if the stream was in SL, that it would make it possible to tape this music or something? Was this a copyright issue? Interesting!
Urizenus
Nov 24th, 2006
I’ve updated the story with a link to Crayonista Joseph Jaffe’s pan of the event. (http://www.jaffejuice.com/2006/11/jay_zzzzzzzzz.html).
Sativa Prototype
Nov 24th, 2006
When Kurt Vonnegut had the inworld interview he wasn’t “at the wheel” of his avatar either. Which was kind of silly, but given that it was an interview and the interviewer, can’t remember his name, was, I think, driving his avatar, it made sense, unlike this sentence of mine, but you get, I hope, the idea.
ha, humor
I LOVED the title of the article though, Jay ZZZZZZZZZ, rofl, you missed a good one there Urizenus!
Prokofy Neva
Nov 24th, 2006
So, hmm, again, these lawyers don’t like to let information, which wants to be free, to be free? So…stars like Jay Z even though they probably signed milloin-dollar contracts, don’t like their songs to be free and accessed by 50 avatars in SL who will have paid $0 for a conference and $0 for a CD, if they decide to tape it? Hm, well, people who want to CHARGE for their wares have come to the wrong place, if they copy to the Land of the CopyBot. CopyBot has ensured that we all live in a socialist paradise now.
C.C. Chapman
Nov 24th, 2006
Actually the music came into SL without any issues. The feed were were listening to was the interviews that Jimmy was conducting with guests. That is what we couldn’t listen to which confused me even more. Most interesting was what we did get to hear was with Elijah Wood and he didn’t even make it onto the show because of time constraints.
Personally I’m ok with him not controlling his own avatar. Kind of hard to do when your on stage performing and want to move around the stage.
One thing no one has mentioned but I know we all got laughs at (it was late and we were bored) was how Jimmy & Jay-Z’s avatars declined everyone’s requests for friendship. No love! *laugh*
Ordinal Malaprop
Nov 24th, 2006
You know, this is looking a lot like different SL consultancies insulting each other, or pretending to, all to raise their profiles or the profile of consultancy generally. Uri, I have to wonder that you’re falling for this. Let’s have more things which are actually to do with Second Life, please.
urizenus
Nov 24th, 2006
Thing is Ordinal, this *is* the new Second Life. The days of virtual mafia wars and the great Jessie Wars (http://www.alphavilleherald.com/archives/000454.html)has given way to the Developer Wars.
Pull up a comfy chair, make some popcorn and count on your Herald War Correspondents to keep you informed. If there is drama, we will find it.
The birth of the metaverse will not be pretty, but it will be recorded. Right here.
moo Money
Nov 24th, 2006
Can we have painkillers instead of popcorn?
Urizenus
Nov 24th, 2006
Live large, Moo. Have both!
moo Money
Nov 24th, 2006
Now now, Uri. I have to watch my avatar’s perfect figure.
fffffffff
Dec 13th, 2006
You actually expected Jay-Z to sit down and control the avatar?
Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha