Virtual Networking
Vio Business Series #23
INTRODUCTION
The virtual world still presents a digital frontier for business, providing much potential for companies willing to explore and develop the benefits it provides. The real value comes to businesses willing to invest the time, and push the envelope of creativity to develop new functionality.
An obvious benefit of the virtual world, especially Second Life, is the social networking capabilities.
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VIRTUAL WORLDS, THE RICHER ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING MEDIUM
Why have online social networks become so popular? Think about it. People are busier. They have less free time. It is getting more difficult to keep up with friends and family living all over the world. Online social networks provide the technology that allows people to share more information, images and videos, with more people in less time. With the expanded ability to share, we also get a better ability to keep up with the lives of people we care about.
Also, as a source for business networking, social networks, especially those catering more to professionals (LinkedIn, FohBoh), do save time. Instead of going to networking events in real life to find people interested in your type of business, a person can visit an online social network, and access people who have directly expressed interest in specific business topics. You can join Groups of special interest and socialize with people immediately. This cuts down on an immense amount of time to reach the same number of interested people. In my experience, I have seen many service providers land contracts getting to know people socially in the online social networks. If one doubts the power of social networks, it is now an integral part of any web marketing campaign, because it has the power to attract more web site traffic than search engines.
I believe virtual worlds have the potential to be a serious challenger as a leading social media, because it has all the essential ingredients:
1) It gives people immediate access to instant communication with a large global network of people.
2) It provides the ability to share information, images and video.
3) It has groups of people, which makes it easy to find people interested in specific topics.
I believe virtual worlds have greater advantages than other social media because:
1) People can communicate through Voice.
2) Interaction with avatars is a richer, more 'human' experience.
3) The 3-D environment expands creativity level and providers a greater emotional connection.
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IS SECOND LIFE A FEASIBLE BUSINESS NETWORKING ENVIRONMENT?
Second Life is the virtual world with the largest membership base. The company has millions of registered users. But given that people can create multiple accounts, there is probably less than a million unique users. Given that a large portion of people who sign up for account explore Second Life and never return for one reason or another. There may be a few hundred thousand people who are active, and at any one time, there may be tens of thousands of people online at the same time. Most of these people are in Second Life to explore the social and gaming aspects of the platform. I'd be surprised if 10% of the account holders in Second Life were here for business.
If your company provides gaming, entertainment, or virtual fashion, Second Life would be a worthy investment of time to network and find potential customers. For other traditional businesses, the potential market is much smaller. In my opinion, there may be about 5,000-7,500 active members who are in Second Life to network and develop their business. This may be a small number of people to work reach for the amount of effort put into networking in Second Life. There are some key reasons why networking in Second Life is significant for business:
1) The base of SL members who are involved in business is growing. Even though this is small as a percentage, it is growing because more business people are hearing about Second Life and virtual worlds. Also, many people who come to SL to explore the social aspects, eventually discover it is a viable and inexpensive place to build a business or to bring in their RL business.
2) Second Life is a great place for people to reach "early adopters." Because it is an incubator for creativity and technology, SL attracts innovators. People developing innovation often find the audience in SL the best place to reach early adopters, who may become great sources of word-of-mouth.
3) Second Life provides tools to reach people with specific interests. There are Groups to join. There are events to attend to meet people. There is media in Second Life to get the word out about your business. There are many ways to focus your networking efforts.
Successful networking is about meeting qualified potential customers or referral sources in the least amount of time. Making the most of your networking time in Second Life means putting yourself in front of the most interested people in the shortest amount of time, and making the best impression possible. You should join groups related to your Business. You should attend business events, and meet people who are in attendance and the presenters. (DO NOT interrupt speakers during their presentations!) For even more effective networking, be a presenter at events. Speaking on a topic gives people a more favorable impression of you. If you can't find a networking group that fits your area of business, create one!
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HOW TO MAKE A BETTER IMPRESSION WHEN NETWORKING
Just like in real life, in the virtual world, you only have a short time to make a good first impression. Here are some guidelines to follow to make a good favorable first impression:
1) Have a professional-looking avatar. Not much needs to be said here. If you want to be associated with an elf or dragon, that's fine, but don't expect everyone in SL doing business to take you seriously.
2) Be professional and polite. When approaching someone to speak to them, ask if they are busy. Let them know succinctly who you are and ask when would be a good time to talk to them. Consideration goes a long way.
3) Be a good listener. When you listen well, you will find out more about the person you are talking to. This gives you more opening for discussion and connection. Let them know that you are listening well, by responding to what they are saying.
4) Offer something of value. People tend to resist being "sold to." Listen to them and think of what you can "give" that can be of value to them. This can be a helpful connection or resource, or even an item you have in your inventory that they may need. Sometimes, the best thing you can offer is some information, ideas or expertise that can save them time. Later, you can find ways to offer them "solutions" for things they may need that your company offers.
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HOW TO NETWORK AS A LEADER INSTEAD OF A FOLLOWER:
One of the most effective ways to use your networking time is to make appearances as speaker or presenter for a business event. You can sit on panels discussions, and even join Boards to attend board meetings. In any of these cases, you are viewed differently than if you were just sitting in an audience. As an opinion leader, your views and what you say carry more weight. People are also much more open when talking to you.
It is not too difficult getting opportunities to present business material to a network of professionals. Getting set up to present material is also easy. Contact Xander Newman in Second Life to be scheduled for a presentation to the ViO Business network.
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CREATING A SUCCESSFUL NETWORKING GROUP IN SECOND LIFE
A great opportunity to attract professionals in your industry is to create a networking group. You have control over the content presented, and you can grow a captured audience of loyal people. When creating a group, it is important to keep the membership engaged. Stay in their scope of vision, but don't spam them to the point of leaving the group. The Mission of the Group should be to promote collaboration, networking, sharing best practices, and providing a greater voice for all members. The Group should offer something of value to keep membership growing. Having events is one way to do that. Offering special deals to members can be another benefit. Offering the sharing of information and resources is another approach. Treat the members like family. Engage in conversation through IM and chat, and encourage all members to do the same. What you produce is a community with a shared purpose.
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RESOURCES
Here are some active Business Groups you can join:
1) ViO Business: Web Site: http://www.getvio.com
2) vBusiness Link: Web Site: http://vbusinesslink.net
3) Virtual World Business Bureau
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SUMMARY
Virtual Worlds provides a frontier for business networking that is still small, but is growing in importance. Networking in Second Life can be beneficial, especially if it is important to reach innivators or early adopters. Choosing a focused approach to reach potential business contacts will make your time more efficient. You can attend events and join Groups. If you are more ambitious and want to stand above the crowd, you can become a speaker or presenter at events. You can even create Groups and host your own events to build your own community.
As the virtual worlds mature, the opportunities will only increase and the networks will grow. The opportunity is how to be a part of shaping how the networking landscape will look in the future.
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BACKGROUND
About The Speaker: Tony Coolidge (Xander Newman) has owned Virtual Innovative Opportunities (ViO) since April 2007, a virtual business community and incubator in Second Life. ViO is a subsidiary of HybridWeb, Inc., a Texas corporation. His expertise is bringing together businesses and resources in SL and RL. In the real world, Mr. Coolidge has been an expert with Internet technologies since 1995, owning his own Internet development and SEO company. He also has a Bachelor's degree in Advertising from the University of Texas. Tony is trained in creating organizations, networking and team-building, and by combining all of his skill set, he has been able to:
1) Co-found a publically-trading Internet auction company
2) Create two non-profit organizations, including the largest volunteer organization serving the needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors.
3) Create a documentary film (http://www.voicesintheclouds.com)
4) Become an advocate for the indigenous (tribal) people of the world, speaking in front of world leaders at the United Nations in May 2004.
5) Co-founded a business consortium bringing companies to China for joint venture projects.
In his view, the secret to his successes in life come from making his goals about the benefit of others, and surrounding himself with a variety of talent and expertise. Tony enjoys building bridges between people and resources, and seeing the magic that is created.
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For more information on this topic, feel free to contact Tony Coolidge (Xander Newman), founder of the Vio Network.
E-mail: xander@getvio.com
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