Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual world was once something that I thought was just a place to have fun. Here you have a totally different world that you can be anything or anyone you want, without anyone actually knowing it you. But many companies have also see virtual as a new form of interaction and learning. According to Ed, IBM have introduce the virtual world to its employees. The way it is being used is to help training. Being that IBM has more male than female I think it is a good idea due to fact that many boys find it interested to play with video games. And the virtual is allowing man to be man and at the same time learn something that they probably wont and the reason why I say so is because the second life is allowing one top do what they probably would not do in real life. Which is given them the opportunity to try something they would because of the risk. Another thing is IBM had to say was “they can learn real-life working skills such as signing up for benefits, developing code as part of a global team, and ramping up sales skills before they meet with IBM clients.”. Having the virtual world can help company help there employee be ready for the job in a much quicker way. Who wants to sit down and hear someone talk for hour about how's to , no one. And this is a solution being its teaching you as an individual what to do and doing it on a regular the way to handle a situation becomes second nature. But the article Toys with a Second Life to me is more than revenue. It teaches children how to be an individual and most of all finance. Having children purchasing items and getting things for others make many realize that everything has a price tag with it. And you need money. So this world allows many a chance to see what can be done with money and how to actually earn money. Which will get them ready for the real world. Yes virtual is new but I think it will effect the communication skills of many. Virtual allows people to be who they want to be in front of a computer. But acting like someone you are not doesn't help you. Using virtual for every interaction with one of another to me will hurt a lot of business. As a consumer you want to actual see a real person that knows what he is doing and also isn't going to be afraid of talking to me. The virtual world isn't going to allow people to gain confidence in themselves or help out with communication unless they are being who they are. In the future technology would be talking over but regardless eye to eye communication much be there because that's the only way someone will know for sure that you are trustworthy and your words have a purpose.

Work Cited
IBM's Virtual World for its Employees: IBM Learning Programs Get a 'Second Life' by Ed Frauenheim Workforce Management; Dec 11, 2006; p.6 http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/24/61/08.html