Second Life for the New Business World

This past week we looked at a clip in class dealing with the online virtual world of Second Life. Before this clip I knew that Second Life was an online virtual world where users create avatars to live and perform everyday life things such as eating, sleeping working and socializing. However, in this video we came across a new way Second life is being used. Companies such as IBM are now using Second Life to hold meetings and to hold other corporate functions. These companies suggest that this idea will save them money on travel, allow people to work from home but still have the face to face contact with people in these meetings. After watching this I found that to be interesting, however a bit strange.
After watching this clip I started to think about a movie I recently saw called, "Up in the Air." The film, starring George Clooney( Ryan), is about a corporate consultant who travels from city to city downsizing companies for bosses who are to coward to do so them self. As Clooney's character begins to fire people left and right, you see just how hard some people take their harsh new reality. When his consulting firm tries cutting cost by conducting these layoffs over the internet, Ryan feels that this form of communication is unprofessional and simply wrong. Having fired many people over his career he knows how devastated people get and how they need someone there for them one news like that gets dropped on them.
Like Clooney's character Ryan, I feel that certain web communication is unprofessional and looses a personal feel. If I were to get fired from my real job on Second Life which was originally intended to be just a game, it would make me feel like they were making a mockery of my life. Although new communications are being added in new jobs all the time, there still needs to be some interaction with real people. Holding meetings in a virtual world is simply relying on and using forms of new media to much.

Up In the Air Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7k6FwXJhNk

Group Organization

This week in class we focused on a Clay Shirkey article that discussed how new forms of media have helped people form new groups on the Internet, mainly through social networking sites. Facebook is somethin that was mentioned in class. From the time this social networking site was started up, the sites popularity has grown in users as well as applications which help internet groups form easier. While on facebook you can create a group for an upcoming event, or join a group in a club/ sport or organization you are a part of. But Facebook isn't the only social networking sites that is bringing people together in new ways. I recently signed myself up for a LinkedIn account to help find my post college job. I was amazed at how you can narrow down your job search and request in the field you want and in what area of the country you want to work. On this social networking site there are both small business and fortune 500 companies seeking employees and even willing to refer you to other companies. What is amazing is how fast and easy setting up both a LinkeIn and a Facebook profile was. Within minuetes you can become a user to two of the most popular online groups known.
Creating an account on LinkedIn may help me find the career that I am looking for, and new updates to Facebook may help me expand my group ties but I definetly feel that social networking groups like this one are benificial and will further grow in the future to form more groups and bring people together.