IBM Sending Nasty Break-up Note to SL?
by Alphaville Herald on 21/02/08 at 12:08 am
Spurned corporate lover Philip Linden watches IBM ad, thinks: “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”?
What’s it do?
Business – its innovation – its all the rage – I have my own island
Making any money on your island?
Virtual money or actual money?
The point of innovation is to make actual money
My avatar doesn’t know how to do that
Ouch.
greefin oh
Feb 21st, 2008
The truth hurts.. suck it up.
Ann Otoole
Feb 21st, 2008
gonna take a lot of heat to flush the cockroaches out of linden labs.
Angel
Feb 21st, 2008
Robin is the lead cockroach Anne. Go after her like a good little pit bull.
*pats Anne on the head and scritches her behind the ears”
The Real Kalel
Feb 21st, 2008
Hang on… are they the same fashionistas from the previous article on IMVU?
Prokofy Neva
Feb 21st, 2008
Oh, this is very ancient news from last year, when that ad first began to be discussed by the Sheep — and also this is a stupid spin on it. If you’re going to interpret the ad as a dis, it’s a dis of all virtual worlds, not just SL.
Some IBMers themselves seem to be interpreting this ad as meaning that kids (the metaversal start-ups?) can’t figure out how to make money off islands, but they, as a big adult company, can help businesses to do this.
From what I gather, IBM has several teams that take opposite positions deliberately, pro and con virtual worlds, and some are pro-SL and some pro-AWs.
I went to the IBM learning summit the last two days, and I don’t see any particular antagonism from SL, as many are in SL doing things, and it’s not like AW has produced any income for them, either. These worlds are cost centers for now, and expected to give a return on investment in time, and are mainly valuable for studying and learning what works in anticipation of them becoming more diverse and widespread.
I think these competing teams at IBM grab media attention from this or that outlet at various times in favour of their positions as part of the game.
Concord Comet
Feb 21st, 2008
I never thought the point of innovation was to make money, some innovators have made money. Google, Apple, and LL for example. Trust me LL is making money renting virtual islands at USD 5,000 plus per year. But many innovators have never been able to monetize their inventions.
In my opinion, IBM is not an innovator, they know how to make money by investing millions of dollars on technology that others have created and as a result gaining a huge critical mass around corporate clients .. Why don’t you ask them what is their budget for Virtual Worlds research and how many silly SL islands do they own. ..
and how much did they pay for that silly ad?
Phantom
Feb 21st, 2008
you know this is at least three months old if not older. But really I think it’s focusing on how out of second life business fail at second life business.
Sophianne Rhode
Feb 21st, 2008
Innovation is not only about making money, it is also about advancing society, improving the human condition. If SL positivly contributes to the way in which we communicate, the way in which we relate one to another, then it is innovation. If we have a chance to meet one another without the external cues to which we have been conditioned to judge another acceptable or unacceptable, then it is innovation. If individuals who are differently abled are afforded a social outlet in which their whole mind can be valued, then it is innovation. If people displaced by geopgraphy find comunites in which they are beloved memebers reather than spurned outcasts, it is innovation.
Once again, IBM misses the point while chasing the ever present, soul enslaving.
UncleBill
Feb 21st, 2008
I’m not sure how I see this ad as an attack on SL. There are a number of people making actual money in the metaverse and a number of companies using Second Life as a marketing tool.
I think the punchline for the ad is more along the lines of using innovation correctly.
Funny though…
Any of those AV’s for sale in SL?
Razrcut Brooks
Feb 21st, 2008
“The point of innovation is to make money.” That is debatable. Nevertheless, it is possibly true at the root level. All the constant research and development at LL in improving LL for its users revolves around profit – for them – as the ultimate goal. There is nothing wrong with that. It is capitalism at its finest: private entities making money.
LL has created a platform to attract users to pay them money. The platform ,being user created, allows some of us to supposedly make money. (Now to the point of my comment). The problem I see with LL is that they make it very difficult to make a profit for its users. No doubt this is by design and I will not go into the very long lists of issues, rules and fees that cause this here.
Therefore this IBM commercial hits the nail on the head. The actor at the computer seems to have believed the hype and anecdotal evidence that SL can be profitable for users.
It is very small minority of people who actually make long-term profits in SL….which is true in RL.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Feb 21st, 2008
This is first class, pure, 24 karat, pirate gold.
rjs
Feb 21st, 2008
Linden could always do a sketch of their own showing how big blue has been less innovative in the last number of years. It’s like with most, if they cannot come up with anything new themselves, they just jump on the Linux bandwagon.
I’m not sure how authentic the above is, but nevertheless, maybe they should focus on doing something themselves.
–rjs
janeforyou Barbara
Feb 21st, 2008
How to make mony?
Take one yare in SL— learn to create qualty items–get a pro marketer to help you
Invest in good tools.Be shure to find a good way to marked your crations for a LOW cost. get max price for you items.Then you may make some RL cash,,,if that is what you want?
Hiro Pendragon
Feb 21st, 2008
I dunno. I read this completely differently. I read it that most people don’t have a clue what to do in virtual worlds, and IBM does.
Winter
Feb 21st, 2008
Urgh. What’s with the new font? It’s brutal and impersonal.
Oh yes – many smiles for the ad. I know so many people…
anonymous
Feb 22nd, 2008
They look like Nintendo Miis.
Jenn
Feb 22nd, 2008
“In my opinion, IBM is not an innovator”
then what the hell are you typing on?
Concord Comet
Feb 22nd, 2008
” “In my opinion, IBM is not an innovator”
then what the hell are you typing on?”
Check this out if you still think IBM innovated by creating the Personal Computer ..
http://www.blinkenlights.com/pc.shtml
Grumman Bearcat
Feb 24th, 2008
The ad implies virtual worlds aren’t to be taken seriously – they are “just talking.” But how much money was spent on the ad? Ergo, it must have been taken seriously if they to spent several thousand, possibly hundred thousand dollars of “actual money” attempting to blow down the house of bricks.
The Fire of Delight
Feb 25th, 2008
Sophianne, the point of innovation is soley to increase the qaulity of the innovator’s life.
In other words, to get the innovator money.
Mony Markova
Feb 26th, 2008
This ad for whatever its purposes displays IBM mocking SL entrepreneurs and the platform as a business tool.. I wonder what will those IBM executives (the ones with enough power to approve this ad) will think when they throw in the SL Addiction Syndrome… and the fact that some of its employees might falling into it… and potential law suits for lack of awareness and preparation to this syndrome.
Companies like SUN MICROSYSTEMS are “inviting employees with no preparation whatsoever”
If things dont go better… we could see a company like IBM abandoning SL.
That would hurt and maybe force some attention to important issues.
Archie Lukas
Feb 28th, 2008
Sooooo IBM, clever boys making money huh?
So the basic computer was called an IBM compatible -when was the last time you saw an IBM computer?
Why not -cos they couldn’t make money from them – too slow to innovate
To cumbersome to think of new concepts
Technologies too dated to sell
Amstrad showed them how to make millions out of making PCs available to the masses
Stuck up boys in suits, I’m not impressed with their history,
basically they made typewriters and cash registers
Real imaginination-oooooooOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH