Why Do Government Islands Frequently Fail?

         Lots of cool info, few interested avatars

NIC Inc . is best known as the company behind dozens of state government websites. You know those countless labyrinthine portals you click through to pay your speeding ticket online? Thank NIC. 

As it turns out, NIC decided to expand its business by promoting its e-government solutions through an expansive and beautiful Second Life island.  

The only problem? No one seems interested in discussing government IT solutions when there’s a dance party only a teleport away. We spoke with NASA’s Learning Technology Project Manager and Second Lifer Greyark Hightower about why so many government islands are isolated museums. 

A Feast for Virtual Eyes

NIC’s Second Life office is divided into three main regions: A marble-domed structure resembling the U.S. Capitol, NIC’s virtual headquarters and a building called “Innovation Hall.” What catches the eye is just how complete the place looks.  

State flags are fluttering on either side of a paved walkway, and a virtual tour guide application provides commentary on every region of the sim you enter. NIC spared no expense on interactivity, as the myriad state information panels attest.  

But a sim with two conference halls and a beautiful building or two won’t make a difference to Second Life users. “Most orgs like the idea of having a Second Life island,” Hightower says, “but they don’t budget or plan on having staff in-world. They’re just pixilated museum pieces.”  

Starving for Customers

Hightower, who heads up NASA’s seven Second Life locations, has a point. NIC’s island is vacant except for a few curious eyes that quickly teleport away. There aren’t even any company representatives to welcome potential customers.  

This is a problem most corporate sims have. Take NASA, he says. “If no one from NASA is at the sim, why should a visitor stay?” Hightower argues that companies and governments are viewing sims the wrong way. Instead of viewing them as self-evident tourist attractions, islands should be run “like a store,” with staff always on duty.  

Info portals with data on state populations won’t matter if there are no professionals to personalize the experience. If companies want Second Life eyes to remain focused on their facilities, they should take a note from overflowing dance clubs and offer a continuous flow of interesting events and giveaways.  

For now, NIC is a kingdom in isolation. Be your very own lonely King by visiting them at this SLUrl:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/eGov/123/133/23/

Comments

[Daniel Laughlin]

A nice article. I would offer the minor correction that Greyark Hightower (aka Daniel Laughlin in RL) is the head of one of NASA's seven sim: NASA eEducation Island.

Greyark Hightower

[Coyle Brenmann]

The problem with Hightower's premise that [government] sims "should be run like a store", is that very few Second Life users have the attention span to WANT to visit, let alone return to, a sim that requires thought and possibly discussion with a representative. You actually stated the problem yourself in the third paragraph, a party only a teleport away.

Web sites serve as excellent, unmanned, virtual stores, open 24/7, but generate a lot more "hits" than a Second Life island. This traffic justifies on-line help agents and annoying pop-up windows asking if you have any questions. It's an attempt to increase customer loyalty, retention, and sales. Sims, bah. Look at the most trafficed sims in SL and we soon realize the majority want to watch their avatar dance or have cyber-sex.

Then again, governments have always been good at justifying their spending in ways that private industry could never get away with. Let's hire a few people to stand around empty sims as greeters and let the tax payer flip the bill. If nothing else, the current administration could add it to their list of jobs created from the spending stimulus.

[NoGovInSL]

The government quite frankly just needs to stay out of Second Life as it is an international phenomenon that honestly governs itself and is micro-managed by sim owners.

[Markopolis Balhaus]

There should be a representative in the sim. Avatars that are not only experts with the Second Life platform, but but ones who really want to work in Second Life.
An enthusiastic, creative avatar to breathe life into their sim, and their mountains of information, is needed. Nothing is more boring than an empty room. Unpopulated simulators are like websites with no photos.

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[bogo]

numbers.. all in numbers///
and SL cant deliver gross numbers.