tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151616810519208803.post5788493538127205579..comments2023-05-15T11:23:41.550+00:00Comments on Ambling in Second Life: WebFlock or WebFlop?Timbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04943524641618211239noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151616810519208803.post-67616766131262738972008-10-10T00:44:00.000+00:002008-10-10T00:44:00.000+00:00Aleister, imo you nailed it. There are a few basic...Aleister, imo you nailed it. There are a few basic components that even the simplest graphical chat room in the nineties offered: custom avatars, because communication is all about identity, whispering, blocking, interacting with objects in the room etc.<BR/>I was in the room just now with 3 other gal's like me and another bunch of quadruplets. Nobody but me was moving and two of them tried to send each other pictures via Yahoo messenger (!), downloading it that minute. Although I respect what ESC is trying to do (actually I am a fan) I think that this is not a good way to advertise their product and honestly I expected more (WebFlock is supposed to be costly, too). I created a cross-platform online 2.5D chat software (room-based and web-embedded) in 1995 with a tiny team, and you could interact much more there than in this L-Word room. Hopefully soon somebody will do a multi-user project with the AlternativaPlatform (Flash), to date they are lacking avatars.Gaby K. Slezákhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729706227186308026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151616810519208803.post-83987138759533149782008-10-07T18:27:00.000+00:002008-10-07T18:27:00.000+00:00TrevorI was going to point out: you have made the ...Trevor<BR/>I was going to point out: you have made the inference from the title - I don't think I actually say that anywhere. However, you are free to view such an argument as sophistry on my part.<BR/><BR/>I think your "like HTML" argument is not quite correct. HTML is an open standard, available to all to do with as they see fit. WebFlock - at least as I understood it when reading about its launch - was an ESC product that they would deploy in building user experiences, hand-holding the client through all aspects from conception thru to delivery (and I assume, beyond).Timbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04943524641618211239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151616810519208803.post-90676239836048445062008-10-07T18:09:00.000+00:002008-10-07T18:09:00.000+00:00I like a good headline as much as the next guy, bu...I like a good headline as much as the next guy, but saying that WebFlock is a flop because of a single build is like saying that HTML is bad because someone made a bad site.<BR/><BR/>Don't confuse the technology with the content or the design.TrevorFSmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15633451660806915324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151616810519208803.post-83564614639002568642008-10-05T13:58:00.000+00:002008-10-05T13:58:00.000+00:00Thanks for your thoughts Aleister. It is good to h...Thanks for your thoughts Aleister. It is good to hear your perspective.<BR/><BR/>It's true things have been quiet from ESC because we've been primarily working on larger, longer-dev-cycle worlds. We created WebFlock to be an inexpensive and lightweight application on top of our back-end platform. It's not really targeting your typical virtual world user at all, but rather a more mainstream audience that wants something richer, more interactive and more fun than text chat, but isn't ready for a fully immersive "world" experience.<BR/><BR/>Every WebFlock environment will be different. It is meant to be white-labelled, and the content and interactivity you find inside will depend on the goals and budget of the customer. <BR/><BR/>This one was extremely lightweight, targeting a particular community who watches the show, and giving them a place to interact. The new season doesn't start until January but we wanted to let the community start playing with the application and learn from what we saw. <BR/><BR/>There are a million ways to improve it, on that we definitely agree.<BR/><BR/>The first thing I will note is that we turned off camera controls for a reason - in my opinion mainstream audiences find cameras way too hard to use whether you are talking Second Life, Lively (that's a separate full-3D plugin, not Flash) or Vivaty. You might debate our concerns over this usability hangup but it's been something we have observed over and over.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151616810519208803.post-41835303105729675542008-10-05T13:26:00.000+00:002008-10-05T13:26:00.000+00:00Thanks Giulio. I must say, in this case I don't th...Thanks Giulio. <BR/>I must say, in this case I don't think I am being elitist. I completely get the need for simplicity in the user interface. However, one needs to know where to draw the line. Beyond a certain point the simplicity can become too simplistic, effectively removing any unique selling proposition the product may have. <BR/><BR/>While I have yet to be bowled over by any of the small footprint virtual environments, I thought this one was particularly disappointing - at least, at this point in its evolution. <BR/><BR/>Do keep me posted of any WebFLock deployments you may make, though.Timbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04943524641618211239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7151616810519208803.post-24298513800822060822008-10-05T09:49:00.000+00:002008-10-05T09:49:00.000+00:00Don't be so elitist! The ease of use of WebFlock i...Don't be so elitist! The ease of use of WebFlock is precisely what many users need. Not everyone has the inclination and the time to become proficient in Second Life to the point of actually enjoying it.<BR/><BR/>Web 2.0 means making advanced interactive Web features very easy to use for end users who are not IT geeks like us and want a quick, casual and easy web experience. This is not the case in SL, and is the reason why many of our clients are not interested in SL and require Flash based solutions like WebFlock. Which is much easier to use and much less resource intensive than Lively (btw Lively is not entirely Flash based, as it requires a separate plugin).<BR/><BR/>Many companies know that asking to their audience to download and install applications, or to take time to learn how to use a complex application, is too much. This is the WebFlock niche.<BR/><BR/>Of cours, I am sure the platform will evolve with voice and webcam chat etc., and other features that will make it a useful light communication tool.<BR/><BR/>GP<BR/>http://metafuturing.com/Giulio Priscohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13811681020661409028noreply@blogger.com