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Why Google's 'Lively' is great for telecommuters

blogs.computerworld.com — Remember the date: July 8, 2008. Today is the day virtual worlds go mainstream. The reason is that Google has launched its own virtual world called Lively. It's free. And it changes everything. Especially for telecommuters, because it can serve as a replacement for real-world interaction.

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  • WatchDoit, on 07/08/2008, -8/+5Where is it I can't find it?
    • gplpark92, on 07/10/2008, -2/+20It sucks, don't worry about it
      • kidcodea, on 07/10/2008, -1/+3Its so bad, it almost makes pownce look like a nice idea/website.
        Lively is all that google is not.
        Without doubt, anyone with half a brain that tested it for couple mins can atest, its gonna be #1 google failure.
        The more they invest in this the more EPIC FAIL it will be.
        Why are there people paid high sums, that let crap like this pass by?
        ***** gimme minimum wage and ill produce and QT projects way way better than this crap.
      • HomieG6189, on 07/10/2008, -2/+2Pownce isn't THAT bad. It has potential.
      • Suzilla, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1Not supported on linux?

        ***** 'em.
    • RoccoMcTaco, on 07/10/2008, -2/+5THAT'S WHAT SHE oh forget it.
  • mikelgan, on 07/08/2008, -2/+8http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html
  • netgeek06, on 07/08/2008, -12/+6I truly agrees with you. I think every one who is telecommuting should thank Google for able to do telecommuting jobs from home. Google has completely they way we work today. I am a Google Fa-n.
    • kidcodea, on 07/10/2008, -0/+5if you really were a google fan you would know that lively is utter garbage by their standards.
    • 1Bad, on 07/10/2008, -3/+3What did you say? Your post is incomprehensible, if you speak in your native language I can run it through BabelFish and get something I understand.
  • mikelgan, on 07/09/2008, -4/+7Here's the room I created on my blog: http://www.therawfeed.com/room.html
  • mm911, on 07/09/2008, -3/+30No Mac client. :(
    • ClassicQ, on 07/10/2008, -0/+9or Linux support :(

      I'm not too surprised [we are both a minority], hopefully in time other platforms will be supported - it is disappointing though
    • RyeBrye, on 07/10/2008, -1/+5SONS OF BITCHES.

      If it didn't take leaving my house, I'd go kick their door in.
    • quizzy, on 07/10/2008, -1/+0parallels or dual boot on intel mac mm911. also see tri boot win/lin on intel osx, ClassicQ geek.

      win/lin. lol.
  • ironeus, on 08/01/2008, -2/+17I wonder if it will stay in Beta for as long as Gmail has.
  • louiss19, on 07/09/2008, -3/+3Ohhhh i gotta check this out!
    • kidcodea, on 07/10/2008, -2/+1yes and leave it to oblivion couple minutes later.
  • moviefreakusa, on 07/09/2008, -1/+6It'll probably be in beta forever. Although, right now, it's *really* in beta.
  • dajernts, on 07/09/2008, -1/+7Hmm...they're pushing this as a supplement to business communication? I don't know about that but I'm sure it will become a hit on overcrowded MySpace pages.
    • 1Bad, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1I have to agree, there is no purpose for a business to let its employees see virtual representations of each other. It is just adding a layer of complexity to something that already works. Conference calls, E-Mail, and NetMeeting work fine. I have no desire to see virtual representations of any of my coworkers. The author of the article must not work in a real office, thus has developed some sort of fantasy about what goes on. Plus I hate virtual worlds, and hope they never become the norm.
      • dajernts, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2"Another layer of complexity" That's a good point, they should be focusing of tying already established methods of communication, the ones you mentioned, into a more finely tuned system. But I guess Google just wants to protect their ass in case, in some bazaar twist, virtual worlds become mainstream.
    • mikeophile, on 07/10/2008, -1/+3This won't be ready for real business situations until there are virtual TPS reports and an accurate Lundberg simulation.
      • dajernts, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1And then, instead of looking at lines of code all day, we can all look at our virtual selves looking at lines of code all day.
    • dinostabOMG, on 07/10/2008, -1/+3Anybody remember VRML? This seems as useless as that - I don't get why the author assumes businessmen are going to create avatars with suits and a ties - just so the avatars can sit at a 3D model of a conference table, when a conference call would work just as well. What makes this better? That you can "visit" booths or youtube pages? I can visit those at my computer by clicking an HTML link, and I don't even have to wander some 3D cavern using WASD. This is a silly idea.
  • crxvfr, on 07/09/2008, -10/+5Win2000 not!

    Lively is not ready for your platform.
    Lively requires Windows Vista or XP with Internet Explorer or Firefox.
  • falstaff, on 07/09/2008, -3/+27"Few thought IM or social networking would catch on within enterprises, but now that's clearly what has taken place."
    Has social networking really caught on with big businesses? And IM has only caught on to the extent that it has because it's a marginal improvement over e-mail for many businesses (quicker, less formal, etc).
    What's the advantage here? A bunch of cartoony characters can sit down together and perform predetermined emotes? Unless you can capture actual gestures and real-world events in real time (requiring additional hardware to interface with), what's the point? Even with that extensibility, congrats, you've got video-conferencing which has been around for decades.
    Sure, it will be a fun way to interact with people, like a Second Life Lite, but calling it a breakthrough for business is laughable.
    • sodade, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1I am a TeleCommuter and IM is absolutely critical to success at my job. It is WAY more than a marginal improvement over email - email overload is a huge problem for me and my coworkers and IM has cut down on unnecessary email usage pretty dramatically.
  • LordSnootington, on 07/09/2008, -9/+3I for one, welcome our Google overlords, and hope they continue churning out grade A products from the labs.
  • jamestwisleton, on 07/10/2008, -1/+6"because it can serve as a replacement for real-world interaction"

    It really can't. It's a great system don't get me wrong but it's still far far away from "replacing real-world interaction" for anyone. It's early days and you can bet there'll be some amazing improvements in the future but I doubt to the extent this suggests.
    • angusware, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1And who could possible use some stupid cartoony avatar over good ole' Video conference?
  • waydee, on 07/10/2008, -3/+32It's ***** and google shouldn't be involving themselves with something like this, it's bad for image.
    • ShaneMcDeath, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2I think this is actually the future and they are getting on board early. We're still in the tacky era for this kind of thing but this type of interaction is inevitable and as the technology improves, people are going to start to "get it". Plenty don't at the moment, but that's fine, history repeats itself.
  • DeathJux, on 07/10/2008, -0/+17Great, so now your co-workers can see you represented as you truly are, in full furry regalia.

    "Say, Mark, I just wanted to let you know about an upcoming... uh, upcoming proposal—wait, why is your avatar a giant rabbit wearing a diaper?"
  • kingUssop, on 07/10/2008, -2/+20Are you kidding me... it's like a bad Second Life clone. There's no need to blow smoke up Google's butt, they aren't going to go cry on their money bags as this thing gets ignored.
  • erictheturtle, on 07/10/2008, -1/+10Please everyone stop having such a nerdgasm just because it's Google. This doesn't "change everything." Sun, for one, has been working on something like this for years.

    Buried as lame (but perhaps inaccurate would be better).
  • AlanFang, on 07/10/2008, -2/+8Second Life teaches us that virtual reality worlds tend to be used for humping and gambling, not serious business. I don't see how Lively will be any different.
    • mCanada, on 07/10/2008, -1/+2So basically they mimic reality perfectly?
    • humanerror, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Brett Johnson, professional humper and gambler.

      Please tell me more about these virtual worlds.
  • simplistics06, on 07/10/2008, -2/+21lively fails hard
  • lumbergh, on 07/10/2008, -2/+7Lively is deadly as long as I can't use it on my Mac. Gotta love one-platform "browser plugins"...
    • kidcodea, on 07/10/2008, -1/+2Its dead already because its a bad idea. If it was a great idea and service it would be sucessful. and mac or not is totally irrelvant to label something good or bad. this is bad.
    • ivand67, on 07/10/2008, -2/+1This is why Macs suck. Anytime something new comes out, Mac users are screwed. Bwahahaha!

      /me laughs at Apple lovers
  • deemzzzz, on 07/10/2008, -1/+6Why is this good for telecommuters again?

    So we can have all the joys of "virtually" sitting in a conference room?
    Perhaps so we can once again have the joys of "what? I didn't hear you"
    So we can IM on yet another platform?

    No thanks!
    I'll stick to Skype, Google Talk or the plain old conference call
  • beersnob, on 07/10/2008, -1/+13OK, maybe I'm just too old (37!) but WTF do you need a virtual world with avatars to conduct business? I've been a freelance telecommuter for 10 years and I've never felt the urge to conduct business meetings in second life. Send an e-mail, pick up the goddamn phone, use Skype, or even IM. All of these accomplish the same thing without the fancy interface. I guess all those video games really did rot the brains of the Millennium generation!
  • rationalbeats, on 07/10/2008, -1/+4Uhh I just wasted 20 minutes at that place.

  • phr3aked0ut, on 07/10/2008, -3/+1This article reminds me of an episode of NewsRadio where Bill interviews a supposed financial visionary. His vision? Computers! The future is now!

    "You'll be able to watch YouTube videos within Lively Rooms, or import pictures from photo-sharing sites to decorate the walls of your virtual rooms.

    What that means is that companies will be able to re-create their office and meeting space, and events companies can create or re-create entire conferencing facilities. Your avatar can wander around, see the "booths," check out the conferences or interface with other "attendees" -- all in virtual space."
  • threadweaver, on 07/10/2008, -2/+2I downloaded it and worked with it for several hours and frankly its no Second Life. Seems like its got a huge distance to go, but we'll see. Google has a way of making these things better and better. I'd have been much happier if they'd have focused on the Open standard for virtual worlds that IBM and Second Life have been exploring. I don't really want another incompatible avatar...
  • rowjimmy, on 07/10/2008, -1/+4wow, people were paid to make this?
  • Ardentfrost, on 07/10/2008, -1/+6I dunno why, but this (as does Second Life) reminds me of Microsoft Bob from the early-mid 90's. Anyone else remember that crap?
    • filmbandit, on 07/10/2008, -3/+2haven't been on windows in some years now -- are they still schlepping that god-awful chatty paperclip?
      • Ardentfrost, on 07/10/2008, -2/+2MS Bob was circa 1995.

        I run Windows on my laptop for compatibility testing (Linux on my main desktop, then a G5 sits nearby for Mac testing). When I install Office, I always uncheck the "Office Assistant" box, I assume the paperclip is still there.
      • DaHuuuuuudge, on 07/10/2008, -2/+1You mean the one that took a couple seconds to turn off?
    • RyeBrye, on 07/10/2008, -1/+2I installed BOB on top of Windows 3.1 in VMWare a year or so ago. Bob really, really sucked. Every "room" you went to had that damn dog that would "help" you every single time you went into a room...
  • sandbags, on 07/10/2008, -1/+3it would be nice if it worked. I spent half an hour and I couldn't connect to a single room.
  • ocop, on 07/10/2008, -1/+2Try to justify the creation of a Lively based communication system to your manager... if you want all of you subsequent project proposals ridiculed.
  • whitecranberry, on 07/10/2008, -1/+6I was just in 'Lively' and I have to say its *****' terrible. The viewport is too small, the navigation is completely unintuitive and frustrating. Oh, and it's really laggy but I think that is due to the zerg rush of people using it.

    And how is this going to help telecommuters? Oh look at my cute Avatar, now that's work presence.... Who writes this *****? Really...
  • elementfire, on 07/10/2008, -1/+3This looks substantially worse than PS Home right now. Which is shocking.
  • Bulga, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1why got through using a google system or closed second life destination when you can use 2D web page and convert to 3D with the exitreality plugin. nice graphics for the teen market tho
  • humanerror, on 07/10/2008, -1/+2I work from home and trust me, the LAST thing I want or need is another "replacement for real world interaction".

    I'd rather have some ***** sunlight.

    Or a friend.

    ... so lonely...
  • patricksweeney, on 08/19/2008, -1/+2The only thing groundbreaking about Lively is how it crashes Firefox 3 and IE7 BOTH!

    No other site has managed that one!
  • dupswapdrop, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1Don't work with opera. When I want to interact with people on the Internet I just fire up F.E.A.R. and start shooting.
    • jb0nd38372, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2Join UFB_recruting and i'll give you something to shoot at.
  • swrostmore, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1Not customizable enough. User-created content is the way to go.
  • myranttoyou, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1It's crap, and would never be used for a business purpose. Clearly, this is just more "Google can do no wrong" news.
  • blastcube, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2buried for no mac client :/
  • mtalexander, on 07/10/2008, -4/+5Why does this guy's articles keep making the front page ?

    All his articles are turd. Yes all.
  • bashturd, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2This changes NOTHING. It's just like second life, only it looks to be geared towards a younger crowd. You read and read about how company's are investing in building foundations in these virtual worlds, but I have yet to see a company who has come out and said it has paid off in any way for them. (please correct me if I am wrong)

    I will say this is better than second life, as there are no furries, and virtual whore's won't be quite as obvious.
  • goatface, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1me and a few of friends tried it out today for about 4 hours. didn't think it was that bad. A few ui fixes and adding stuff like a way to keep chat log always open would be a start.
  • Fortyseven, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2I tried this last night, and I was completely stunned at how ***** it was.

    I'm not quite used to seeing Google push something this poor and obviously not at all ready for public use. The one other time was with Orkut, though that was a lot more usable at launch. :P
  • facelogic, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1Here, here. You are missing the point. Google is nailing down the technology and using free beta testers (us). Once finished I expect it to be integrated into Google Earth / Google Maps. Just imagine drilling in on a location, switching to street view, and then entering a virtual re-creation of your destination. From there the possibilities are virtually endless.
  • numbnuts, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1I hope this is a joke ..... Lively is a piece'O-Junk & SL has to be thrilled to see how clueless Google is in the 3D space.
  • rakerman, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2What a load of breathless baloney. "replacement for real-world interaction"? I think the author needs a reality check.
  • ahawks, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1How about no. Virtual worlds add absolutely nothing (other than distraction) to a business environment.
  • WaveRunningNakd, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1reminds me a cheap ps3 home clone
  • ShaneMcDeath, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1Google are planning ahead, all will become clear 5 - 10 years down the line.

    The problem here, is that this is still all very primitive, and people are lacking the imagination to see what's round the corner.
  • jerrycurley, on 07/10/2008, -0/+0I will remember this day just like I have the day that Google Video debuted and revolutionized the user submitted video content genre. And the date that5 Google Talk revolutionized the IM industry. Or EVERY other thing Google has come out with that has revolutionized its market.

    Wait...that would be just two things. Out of dozens.

    Maybe after a yewar of failure, Google will just buy Second Life, And then diggers will talk about how Google revolutionized the industry.
  • mhackmer, on 07/10/2008, -0/+0I don't know about this. I find it slightly amusing, but there is nothing compelling to using this as a telecommuter or for anything relating to work. It's a cool instant messenger... I don't see a business application here at is stands now.

    Nevertheless, I did put a window to my "room" on my blog. Not sure who else will join me, but whatever...
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