So  the headlines have been blazing about 19 year old John Tyler Hammons (Wikipedia entry) is the “gamer elected mayor”.

Coverage: GamePolitics.com,  Yahoo games, Yahoo news, AP, G4TV

I did a bit of searching but couldn’t find a particular gaming reference but it immediately brought to mind the IBM study with Seriosity on “Virtual Worlds Real Leaders“. This is great reading – (get the full report .pdf here) and I believe there will be a lot more of these gaming parallels given the impact and reach of games on young and old alike.

Some of the folks who participated in the IBM report were presenters and attendees at the Virtual World SIG these kinds of topics were things I spoke about at both Virtual Worlds 2007, and at NASA Virtual Worlds in Jan. 2008. The notions (or theories/findings) that the gaming environment can generate leadership is encouraging. At least, gaming trains users in online collaboration by default, and we’ve realized that “work is an MMOG” along the way from the SIG presentations.

The fact that so many headlines are running the “gaming” angle on the story just might bring the concept to the mainstream discussion. Can’t wait to see what develops around it.

- Bob K.

On Monday May 5 Joe Hyrkin VP Sales and Business Development at Gaia Online presented at the Virtual World SIG.

Joe gave a look at the various features and special features of Gaia Online, and we were able to ask in-depth questions about integrating brands into the world.  We were able to get up to speed quickly on the social nature of Gaia, its demographics, and how Gaia serves as a portal to other online content.  Fascinating stuff! Gaia is by the numbers (average 100k concurrent users) one of the most vibrant web properties online.

This was our first multi-platform Virtual World SIG.  My avatar Orange Montagne co-existed with Joe in Gaia,  and we were joined by Dedric Mauriac, inside Gaia AND Second Life, while California Condor and others joined us in Second Life and on the video community ustream.tv where the video was streamed.

I want to personally thank everyone who showed up for this truly multi-platform virtual event -and if you missed it, well you really need to get real with your virtual presence.

See you next time on June 23 or on the MRO Show sometime soon.

Bob Ketner

You can view the presentations with the embedded viewer. Video will be active during the presentation.
If not working please try: http://ustream.tv/channel/virtual-world-sig

Streaming by

Hello Virtual Worlders,
Here’s a reminder about the Virtual World SIG this coming Monday May 5 with an inside look at Gaia Online. We will also stream live and meet in Second Life.  For media link go to https://www.virtualworldsig.com
See you there!
Bob Ketner

Virtual Worlds SIG: Extending Virtual Worlds – Gaia Online
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM May 5, 2008
Pillsbury Winthrop
2475 Hanover St.
Palo Alto,, CA
Topic: “Extending Virtual Worlds – Gaia Online”

Gaia Online is an online hangout and virtual world that has been busy over the past year bridging the connections between the “virtual” and the “real” world in very direct ways.

Gaia’s own internal market of rare and exclusive virtual items creates a thriving economy which operating as a backdrop for this youth-oriented world.  Gaia has attracted brand partnerships as diverse as Sony, Toyota, and World Wrestling Entertainment.  Recently they have added a cinema where your avatar can watch Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures films, and you can even buy prepaid cards redeemable for virtual items at your local Target store.

This year they have announced a plan to integrate an MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) into the mix, and in case you were wondering, yes, they also have a Bebo and Facebook apps. The world has a former Chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors on its economic board and is funded by Benchmark, Redpoint, and DAG Ventures.

We are pleased to have Joe Hyrkin, VP of of Sales & Business Development to present a rare look at this booming phenomenon. Come learn how this virtual world of 5 million users engages and extends the virtual experience into so many online and offline destinations.

Joe Hyrkin has more than 15 years of experience in senior sales and business development management both domestically and internationally. He has focused his career on creating and launching new businesses around the world, and has been instrumental in pioneering creative revenue opportunities in the community Web space.  At Gaia, Joe oversees all revenue including virtual goods, advertising and merchandize as well as all Business Development efforts including strategic partnerships, and distribution. He has pioneered business models that create some of the best brand and consumer engagement on the web.

Prior to Gaia Online, Joe headed up the business side of Multimedia Search at Yahoo!, where he also served as head of Business Development and Sales for Flickr.  Before his time at Yahoo, Joe served as Vice President of Strategic Accounts and Asia Pacific Operations at publicly listed company, Virage Inc, a provider of video search and publishing services and software. While at Virage, Joe and his team pioneered some of the first business relationships in the broadband entertainment space, working with some of the world’s leading media companies. Prior to Virage, he headed sales for Sina.com, the top Chinese language web portal, and before that Joe ran The Economist Group’s business in China for 4.5 years establishing the company’s presence in the country and overseeing offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Location
Pillsbury Winthrop Office Silicon Valley
2475 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1114
Directions

Agenda
6:30 PM Registration and Networking
7:00 PM -8:40 PM Presentations

Price
$15 at the door for non-SDForum members

http://www.sdforum.org/vwsig
No charge for SDForum members
No registration required