Walking The Digital Dog

Walking The Digital Dog - Work, Learn and Play in Virtual Worlds is an interesting lecture presented by South Africa Network of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET SA Network) with Roo Reynolds, IQ Collaboration Development team, IBM - Metaverse Evangelis, UK.

The dates are:
Johannesburg: Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 18:00 Joburg Country Club, Woodmead and
Cape Town: Monday, 26 October 2009 at 17:30 Lecture Theatre Complex, Cape Peninsular University of Technology.

There is no charge and snacks will be served after the lecture. To register go to www.eepublishers.co.za.

Could virtual worlds really be the next big thing for business, social networking, education and entertainment? What are virtual worlds, and what can and can't they do? How does one get started?

While they certainly don't replace real life communication, they do offer richer opportunities for people getting to know each other and collaborate than ping-pong emails, faceless phone calls and uncomfortable video conferencing.

Businesses are using virtual worlds to do more than promote their brands; they're enabling travel-free conferences, rehearsing difficult work in dangerous or life-threatening situations and allowing people to experience products before they exist. So even if some suggest that virtual worlds are a silly irrelevance and a quirky alternative to true life, the reality is different.

The speaker will draw on his experience of helping lead IBM into online collaboration in virtual worlds, and will share examples of various companies and individuals who have already used virtual worlds as digital venues in which they work, learn and play.

Source: The South African Radio League