Will Honeywell Aerospace Rocket Into Second Life?

Yesterday Adrian Paull, Vice President of Customer & Product Support for Honeywell Aerospace, announced on his blog Adrian’s Corner

That Honeywell Aerospace will be taking a closer look at Second Life to evaluate the possibilities for opportunities to help grow Honeywell’s business virtually.

At Honeywell Aerospace, we are actively researching how we can leverage Second Life to better reach and serve our customers. We have launched a prototype project to test concepts and more-easily envision possible value-add business applications in the 3-D virtual world of Second Life. We believe the metaverse will be an important business tool of the future. Our initial focus will explore Second Life in the customer training experience.

With major corporation after major corporation entering Second Life, will we soon be seeing the demise of Second Life as we know it today? Has Linden Lab already shifted its focus from the marginally profit possibilities of the individuals to the big money of major corporates?

I like many others feel the virtual world is the near future of the web. I see browsing the web of the future as a interactive 3-D experience rather than a reading media, but until the entire server code is open sourced where people and companies can bring their own servers online; lets not forget the backbone of community which has borne Second Life to this point.

Only two days ago I wrote about Pathfinder Linden’s comment, when the question of identity and authenticity was mentioned by Fidelity Investments, (an Investment Firm with a presence in Second Life) left me wondering if Linden Lab was continuing to be concerned about the individual’s right to privacy or if Linden Lab is willing to forgo said interest in lieu of business enterprise.

I understand for “web 3-D” to come into existence, the push by people like Honeywell Aerospace, IBM, Coca-cola, and other major money maker/spenders will have to find a benefit (read profit) from it. I am not against benefit. Rather, I am wishing to point out there are opportunities for a lot more then the dollars of profit to consider, and am happy Honeywell Aerospace’s initial focus will be a training experience.

I believe the major point Honeywell, or any other business wishing to test the “waters” of Second Life should remember is the need to bring something of value to the community of individuals who inhabit Second Life.

Don’t build and forget, be active in the project, encourage your employees to not only use your area, but interact with anyone who visits. IBM does such a wonderful job of this, and it show in their traffic and use. Make it a fun experience, for both your visitors and employees; not everyone is looking for a ride, or a dance, but everyone is looking for an experience.

The more one can interact with your people, the more intimate the experience becomes. The more intimate the experience, the more value the individual receives, the more the value… the stronger the bond and sense of loyalty to the “brand.”

How many times have I shown up on a sim and heard someone ask a question similar to “What is done here?” With no one there to field the question and benefit from the direction which would naturally happen with intelligent informed interaction. A bonding of the “Brand” opportunity missed.

I think if I was Honeywell Aerospace I would start rather small and educational to what services I provide. Hold an event to draw people, (such as live music performances) have people available it interact heavily with those that show up, and let those users point the directions of interest, and build in that direction.