Back in December, I blogged about Mitch Kapor's keynote in Second Life. Interestingly, he sees virtual worlds as not being the "frontier" or "wild west" anymore. Those early trailblazer have already gone through, surveyed the environment, sent back reports, led expeditions, taught others necessary survival skills, and setup places for later arrivals to inhabit. For those who traverse into virtual worlds now, they are entering environments that have been tamed. The services they need for their existence are already there.
Of course, going to any new place can feel unfamiliar at first. Those who enter a virtual world for the first time may feel disoriented, but -- like visiting a different real world city -- they should soon find it to be like others places with familiar landmarks and road signs. And rather than focusing on the infrastructure, they'll find themselves focusing on relationships, content, products and services.
Of course, like the early frontier, people don't follow the pioneers unless those pioneers send out news reports and letters of encouragement. If you have ventured into a virtual world, then take time to act as an ambassador. Let people know what you found and give them reports from the "tame west." If you haven't ventured into a virtual world, then look around you for the pioneers and ask them to lead you into the lands they have explored.
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