Metaversed send out a (Second Life) group notice this morning announcing a new business they will be launching. Metaversed.com is a news site, reporting about Second Life and virtual world events. Metaversed/Metanomics is a platform for business meetings/seminars within Second Life. Both their website and inworld presence have been quite popular so far and they continue to close the gap between entrepreneurs and Second Life. In light of that, they have created ‘Clever Zebra’.
Clever Zebra states creating an in-world presence is (too) expensive to most entrepreneurs. Most companies don’t have the ‘know-how’ on how to build inside the Virtual Worlds and have to hire these builders. Of course even though this is nothing as expensive as creating a presence somewhere in the real world, there is still a lot of time involved. The architecture needs to say something about your brand, and it needs facilitate the goals and tasks the company wanted to be inside Second Life for in the first place.
Clever Zebra’s goal is simple. Improve the quality = time = money ratio for entrepreneurs wanting a presence in Second Life. They claim to reduce the ‘6 figure’ cost of building to 0 with their open source building ‘application’. Clever Zebra consists of several, customisable base structures corporations would want in their build.
- Auditorium – small, medium and large sizes
- Offices in various configurations (boardroom sizes, meeting spaces etc)
- Landing spot for island orientation – Several layouts
- Show floor – Various sizes and styles of display area
- Amphitheater – Outdoor version of the Auditorium, for larger venues
Product analysis
Clever Zebra presents itself as the key to unlocking Second Life’s potential. I think its ambitious to say that for a platform such as this but there are three arguments that make me think Metaversed.com really has done Second Life some good here:
1. Lowering the initial cost of entering a virtual World makes the decision a lot easier. Without the ‘6 figure’ start-up cost the pitch towards many brand managers will be a lot more comfortable. Return on Investment, even on an experimental level will be more easy to achieve with the reduced price of establishing your companies presence inside virtual Worlds.
2. Clever Zebra could re-launch the debate on business integration. The obvious focus of the Clever Zebra structure is to create a communication platform for the company itself rather then an innovative ’site’ for their customers. The adoption of Virtual techniques for internal, or business to business relations is really one of the strengths of the metaverse that hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves yet.
3. Creating a standard for virtual offices and workplaces, and having it open sourced opens up the possibility of the community developing the real world business side rather then just the ‘closed’ in-world economy. Think about applications that mix intranets and these virtual offices, a 2d online application that connects to the presentation room to show streaming video from real world seminars etcetera. If Clever Zebra becomes the ’office’ standard not just build wise, but also script wise, business integration could get a real boost out of this.
Despite my optimism I can also see three major pitfalls for Clever Zebra.
1. Will corporations settle for these ‘template generated’ structures if other brands use them as well. Sure, you can change the lay out, the sizes are customisable and you an add any variation of the structures listed above, but it sounds a lot like ‘Your title here’ websites. Applications that create your website for less then 100$ - but essentially they all look the same.
2. The cost of building might get reduced a lot (I don’t think its entirely free as they will probably still need to hire a builder to set Clever Zebra up and customise), the Linden Land cost is not. Private islands still absorb a lot of money, enough for any small to medium sized corporation to still think twice about entering Second Life in any way.
3. I am not really convinced of their businessmodel the way they present it in the video. Metaversed should benefit from the results of getting more entrepeneurs and companies inside Second Life, facilitate the paltform’s growth and perhaps act as a guide to these newcomers. The commissions on content development by the community reminds me of the ‘mash up’ economy - something that has yet to go anywhere on the 2d web.
Of course I have yet to see any of of this in action, as Clever Zebra won’t be released until ‘late next week’ - and I’ll be following it with great interest.
Posted on: January 4, 2008 | Share on:
Abhishek Saxena on 
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Dave Elchoness
said on January 4th
I applaud the effort to bring enterprises into Second Life. That said, I think two things are somewhat misleading here. First, entry into Second Life does not require a “6 figure” budget. There are many options that allow for relatively low cost leasing of space and development of a private sim can often be achieved for far less than “6 figures.” Second, and you raise this above, regardless of whether the structure is “free” entry into Second Life is not. Your point 2. above is important and interested company managers would be well advised not to report up the chain that their Second Life experiment is “free.”
Aleister Kronos
said on January 4th
Interesting thoughts around business integration. As you suggest, by laying down patterns it might be possible to bring in significant numbers of companies that interoperate using standard tools or components. However, I am far from convinced.
I think they may be missing an opportunity here to lease land. Small companies may be happier with parcels on a business park sim, than an entire island. Lower cost, and higher footfall - if less secure. Provide a 1-stop-shop that offers land, components and some assistance with promotion - might be a proposition. It seems to work for Depo Consulting.
Rick van der Wal
said on January 4th
@ dave. I used the ‘6 figure’ cost loosely, there are already prefab structures in Second Life you could use to build your office, or even contracting a start up builder who’s looking for portfolio work will get you closer to a 3 or 4 figure cost.
@ aleister. I think the complete pack is defenitly a viable option, but it requires more hours of work, more customisation, and will serious up the price. A completely different model, but with the same goal. I think Rivers Run Red is already stepping into that market.
I lke the suggestion of renting parcels a lot, as I posted on the Clever Zebra forums, they need to look into scale - providing different solutions for smaller plots. It also helps to avoid ‘the big empty’ - desolated corporate sims who only give the impression of overestimating their own importance or underestimating Virtual Worlds.
As posted in my original article, I think its an ambitious project but has a long way of trial and error ahead of it if its ever to get anywhere near realising its potential as a ‘wordpress’ like system for 3d presences in Second Life. Thank you for your input Aleister :)
Lordfly Digeridoo
said on January 4th
Great points, all — I’m all for reducing the amount of “dead space” in a build. 16 acres doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you have a limited amount of information to give out, it really makes everything look quite thin.
I’ll definitely be thinking about this when we start building early next week. :)
Rick van der Wal
said on January 4th
@Lordfly: I was just commenting on the standards thing on the forum
Thanks for taking the time to comment here - I think the greatest thing about Clever Zebra so far is it really gets people thinking on how such a platform should look like, and give more thought to corporate sites, keep up the good work!
(also - you need to add me on twitter! thought I could respond to the twits directly then noticed you wherent on my follow list ;) )
clearthink
said on January 4th
Why cant anyone just admit that this is a pyramid scheme trying to get free assets = attention economy= vc funding = for a yet to do anything, yet to make anything, yet to ever be in the market they claim to know: “revolutionize” start up trying to dupe money folk with open source talk and a biz plan that cements them in “control” of every creative designed object submitted. This zebra that has changed its stripes…. from “jounalists” asking others to report of there VR design experiences to design/creative/agengy/studio wanting to control them.
Pity the poor who believe in these fairytales.
well good luck…and may they find “reality” more difficult.
lucid
Rick van der Wal
said on January 5th
@clearthink. I think a business model based on free, open source material is somewhat risky and needs to be really good at what it does or fail, but a free open source pyramid scheme is even harder to do.
The attention might have been a good point if they’d have kept Metaversed open and kept Clever Zebra as a pet project to draw traffic, but as Metaversed is closing I think your point is kind of void. Thank you for taking the time to comment none the less though, I think some sceptisism is not entirely unjustified at all when it comes to dealing with Virtual World initiatives that present themselves as being ‘the key to unlocking Second Lifes potential’.
Lordfly Digeridoo
said on January 5th
@rick definitely… can’t find your follow in my inbox… Lordfly is my name, what’s yours? :)
@clearthink Of course, I would vehemently disagree that we’re anything like a pyramid scheme - which, as Rick has pointed out, would be quite difficult to do open source. :) We’re not hoarding resources to control as we see fit– if anything, we’re prying the content open for people to share, remix, and redesign. By having all the assets licensed under GPLv3, we’re hoping to give everyone a professional grade “starting point” to kickstart their businesses.
Definitely need the help of the community, though.
Rick van der Wal
said on January 5th
@lordfly: My screen is digado, should be in your follow list ;)
Lordfly Digeridoo
said on January 5th
@rick oh duh. Sorry. Followed! :)
clearthink
said on January 5th
You will be “selling” RESOURCES not “a COMMUNITY” every time you take a percentage from work you did not create.-:)
the design community…—er Business. does not need this experiment or college thesis. Your attempting to be the “record executives” in an already open platform for design services(SL) for any sized corporate or commercial venture. Maybe you spent so much time in SL you forgot to look at the REAL Virtual CONTENT industry around music, images, and design product. The real content industry is on strike and culture is the TMZ now twice daily tv reports…yes cheaper tv and a cheaper culture as few executives at fewer networks get salary increases and middle class “creative” writers are the fodder of video blogged picket lines….
This appears a pure fame play for investor money. In that way its not unique and frankly WILL get you all salaries on VC money in 6 months..play more into the hype of the 6 figure builds that rarely happened, and only help faciliate the longer wait for more open platforms that allow “direct” client and creative solutions service relationships on a level playing field based on sales and quality- not losses for a bankers global accounting system.
Youve challenged a profession - design/ marketing/creative services that has a 60 plus year professional history and set of business etiquite that has allowed it to maintain ALL levels of economic rewards for those who train and practice in the discipline. Thats 60 years of good and bad. black and white stripes.
I suggest “THE” Metaverse you are building, wont afford such rights if everyone but you is a small percentage player who just adds ( forced my the tulip market rules) to the whole, not realizing the whole is only really two college students and their VC banker.
Clever does seem to be pyramid built within a pyramid( SL). Or better a tulip within a tulip.
what IS relevant is that although on Monday you closed Metaversed, for a tuesday Press Release about Zebra. The INFORMATION and ideas of the creative others you “invited” the previous Sunday to offer for Free at the seminars will i assume NOT be part of the “voting stock owners” of the new company so cleverly named?
But maybe they will, maybe you will invent the commune that has only one indoor bathroom. So many still exist today:)
Maybe WORK for a decade in the design services industry first…THEN offer “revolutionary” and ” paradigm shifting” business proposals to others. I do suspect they would carry more weight and provide a more realistic value of “shades of grey” rather than the “shadey” evaluation that is appears to be the case here.
thinking clearer.:)
Rick van der Wal
said on January 5th
What is your background ‘clearthink’? Are you a developer afraid of losing business to Clever Zebra or just a ‘concerned’ citizen spotting a ‘big problem’ the rest of us apperantly fail to see?
I think there are some points to criticize, certainly, but the idea of an open source platform that eases the way for entrepreneurs now hesitant to enter SL because of the start-up costs isn’t one of them in my opinion, unless you are a developer and feel like this will threaten your income, as with any new competitor.
It would help clarify your point of view a lot if you told us why you are so concerned about Clever Zebra.
Lordfly Digeridoo
said on January 5th
I’m sorry you feel that way, clearthink. I believe you may be misrepresenting our goals quite a bit, but we’re all certainly entitled to opinions. Perhaps our actions the next 3-6 months will show what we’re trying to accomplish a little better. :)
economic mip
said on January 7th
Perhaps someone could explain to Nick how to pronounce the corporate name, that would certainly be a step in the right direction. As for Clever Zebra, it seems just crazy enough to work. At the very least it has the potential to increase small budget corporate builds, and any Orientation area will need a greeter, because without one they will be just like the Linden’s experience in retention numbers, no matter how well built they are.