Immersive Training Insights http://blog.visualpurple.com Advanced Simulation Technologies & Embedded Training Systems Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:23:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 All the Moving Parts http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/08/23/moving-parts/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/08/23/moving-parts/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:23:06 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1663 Between new projects (sims and whole-cloth new technologies), vacations and additions to the family, we have been a little sidetracked to the say the least. But the good news is we will be launching soon a newly updated website to kick things off right! Stay tuned over the next few weeks for some exciting announcements around new technologies, one of which has been in the works for nearly 2 years. In a nutshell we are enjoying the summer, are well and ramping up for a very exciting fall…so, stay tuned for September goodies! A special thank you goes out to all of our loyal readers and clients.

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/08/23/moving-parts/feed/ 0 Online Popularity http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/20/online-popularity/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/20/online-popularity/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:36:26 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1645 A recent study released be Nielsen highlights the fact that 22% of all time spent online is on social media networks (some more than others). So what exactly are the big three when it comes to social media giants? Drum roll please… YouTube, Wikipedia and Facebook. The number continues to climb and currently three-quarters of all global consumers who are online spend time on social networking sites.

Neilsen Online Popularity 300x249 Online Popularity
Image courtesy of Nielsen

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/20/online-popularity/feed/ 0 HTML5, Flash, and Apple… http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/12/html5-flash-apple/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/12/html5-flash-apple/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:24:42 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1643 I’d like to start this blog entry off with a disclaimer: I am not a programming guru. So with that in mind bear with me as I take you on a short overview of my thoughts on the future of HTML5, Flash and Apple. Flash is often thought to be buggy (hence the decision for Apple to not support it). But with the advent of HTML5 on the way, one must wonder what the future of Flash will be. HTML5 can now be defined as the new standard of the web. Flash, which seemed to be the key to viewing the majority of multimedia based web content seems to be kicked to the curb. A multi-million dollar gaming industry has been built from the ground up based around Flash as the foundation, so without the use of Flash what could this mean to all of the gamers? Flash may still be the default platform for gamers, however HTML5 could (likely will) give Flash a run for the money. Although HTML5 will take some time to build momentum to reach where Flash is today.

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/12/html5-flash-apple/feed/ 0 Linden Lab and the Future of Virtual Worlds http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/06/linden-lab-future-virtual-worlds/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/06/linden-lab-future-virtual-worlds/#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:24:05 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1640 With the recent announcement of Linden Labs (you know the company behind Second Life) to begin restructuring, one must wonder what the future has in store for our friends. Does this really translate to the end of all the hype surrounding virtual worlds? Well as most of you know that follow this blog, I have long predicted the VW hype to trend downward. The news that Linden Labs will more actively pursue browser-based virtual worlds, doesn’t really surprise me (our CEO has been beating them up on this for some time). It seems as though this future for VW’s is inevitable, in my opinion it’s not a matter of if, just when. The large client download that virtual worlds tend to entail does not entice the critics nor skeptics, however once browser-based virtual worlds become more of a reality, those skeptics may be hard pressed to not change their minds.

The second announcement from LL entailed the fact that SL may become more integrated with social networking, again not a big surprise to most as I and many others have been predicting this for a while. With the meteoric rise of social networking the past few years, I believe this only to be a natural progression in the right direction.

What happens if Linden shuts down the enterprise sector of the company? Why wouldn’t companies go for the enterprise edition of Second Life? The opportunity for Second Life to be big is still there, despite the downturn of the hype cycle that exists now. If Linden Lab is able to introduce a valuable social networking integration within a virtual world, many may adapt to the idea and become believers. As for the browser-based usability access of a VW, if it is done right it has great potential. Time will tell if Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life, has the ability to re-capture believers and reel in the skeptics.

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/07/06/linden-lab-future-virtual-worlds/feed/ 0 Training: The Government & Social Media http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/06/08/training-government-social-media/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/06/08/training-government-social-media/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:09:31 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1636 The United States Government seems to change their limitations for employees accessing social media on a daily basis- well we do know that the Government has a tendency to change policies regularly, so how does this apply to social media today? While the “loosening of the social media belt” is taking place across the board, certain government organizations are finding it easier to do their jobs because of this. More government organizations are embracing social media, allowing collaboration and sense of community to flourish between employees (and We the People). A recent survey entitled “Social Networking in Government: Opportunities & Challenges” reports that 66 percent of all government agencies are currently using some type of social networking, varying from blogs to Facebook, Twitter, message boards and all the other social networking type of applications. GovLoop is just one such example of a social media platform specifically tailored for the government employee to connect and share information. While the current membership is just approximately 20,000 it is a growing community that is specialized to one target sector. Does this mean that we may see more tailored communities like this to develop in the future?

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/06/08/training-government-social-media/feed/ 0 Defining the Future of Social Media http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/06/01/defining-future-social-media/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/06/01/defining-future-social-media/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:12:46 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1628 A recent post on Advertising Age entitled “What Social Media Will Look Like in 2012” captured my attention and got me thinking (this could be dangerous, I know). Needless to say the article speculated that in 2009 most major marketers adopted social media as something that is here to stay and not just a fad. While I agree with this to some extent, the article went on to outline the eleven points to watch for in the coming years leading up to 2012.

• Privacy expectations will have to change: Sharing more personal information with people you don’t even know…hummm although some may be all into this I don’t think it is necessary for complete strangers to know my favorite color or what my preferred pizza topping is.
• Complete decentralization of social networks: Everything is becoming more portable from iPad to iPhone many check friend’s status updates and news while on the run.
• Our interactions with search engines will be different: I agree with the fact that real-time information will be king.
• Rise of content aggregators: Who wants to login to 5 different social networking services to check on statuses and news- the aggregator can serve as man’s best friend.
• Social media augmented reality: Kind of scary to know what your friend is doing before even picking up the phone to call. This to me takes away a certain level of personal contact, just like email has reduced the number of snail mail letters that are sent.
• Influencer marketing will be redefined: Social influence will have more pull than the old-school search features that Google and other major search engines currently offer.
• Ratings everywhere: User ratings could hinder or help, all dependent upon the specific instance. A lot of purchasers nowadays look at how products are rated by users before ultimately making the purchase decision.
• Social media agents: Oh great! More things going automated and taking the person out of the customer service experience, please press 0 not to be connected to a live person.
• Riding the Google (wave): It could be the next big thing, but only time will tell.
• Thinking beyond “nowness”: Could the answer really be the semantic web?
• Social media everything and return of digital media: Not too sure that social media may change to being referred to as digital media.

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/06/01/defining-future-social-media/feed/ 0 Going Soft: A Look at Soft-Skills Training http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/27/soft-softskills-training/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/27/soft-softskills-training/#comments Thu, 27 May 2010 15:09:20 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1625 More popular in the 90’s it seems as though some are still married to the whole idea of soft-skills training. This is like looking back in history for us here at Visual Purple and seeing something that we did 10+ years ago and then thinking of how far our simulations have advanced since the early days of soft-skills training. In today’s training era there are so many more options than what traditional types of soft-skills training once offered. It’s kind of like having an 80’s hair-do in 2010; some people just might look at you a little strange. No longer is it as unique or flexible as once thought- not too immersive, nor entertaining. Today faster computers allow the use of high-fidelity 3D environments and other vast improvements over what ‘old school’ (oh I mean soft-skills training) once offered. And dare I mention the outdated CBT (Computer-Based Training) regime?!

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/27/soft-softskills-training/feed/ 0 Deployment of New Technology http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/25/deployment-technology/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/25/deployment-technology/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 14:06:59 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1622 With new technology deployments- a lot are hesitant to jump in and take a risk. The conundrum here is really ROI; will my investment really pay off? New technology deployments are always risky. But just as with anything else without taking the risk one will never know what could have been. Although early adopters tend to jump on the bandwagon, many remain skeptical and want to see some proven success before trying out a new program. Without a tried and proven solution to demonstrate what your specific results may be it may be a hard sell (especially to those higher on the ladder). However, by taking the risk one may gain the technological advantage in the marketplace.

New technology always takes a while to reach the maturity curve and the ROI studies that follow will be tried and true, but you may now be behind in implementing a solution and your competition could have the upper hand. But by the time the technology is no longer new it may be too late. So are you a risk taker or do you avoid risk at all costs? It’s up to you but just remember you may lose the competitive advantage in this scenario.

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/25/deployment-technology/feed/ 0 The Social Search http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/19/social-search/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/19/social-search/#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 17:04:42 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1618 Socially- referred traffic is becoming the next wave of internet searching; rather than just utilizing the standard Google search feature. Although social search is a relatively new term, just being introduced in 2004/ 2005 it has been extremely successful and a lot of people today value the opinions of others to rank an article. Connections to the social web are becoming more and more commonplace today. Users are able to favorite articles they like and thus the rankings of that article ultimately climb, thus leading to a higher social search ranking. Case in point is shown when an article is tweeted, how many times it is tweeted shows the level of success or Digg for instance where subscribers are able to rate an article based on the thumbs up or thumbs down system. Allowing readers to find and share content is a good method, but what may appeal to one reader may not appeal as much to another reader. Another example is Digg the most “dugg” stories appear on the front page of Digg, this type of voting system has its advantages and disadvantages. So it boils down to human input vs. machine input, does the human input give the user too much control over content?

In some cases social networking sites are generating more referral traffic than the search engine giants. Many media sources (i.e. newspapers online) have made it easy for their loyal fans to easily spread stories across the social search (and rating) landscape. Social feeds have enabled content discovery in a completely different way than past internet systems allowed for. Although the social search is somewhat unique when compared to the main search engine companies (i.e. Google, Yahoo, and Bing) use of machine-based or algorithmic functions, the social search is more so based on personal opinion (by a human). These types of submission and voting systems for social sites are ever most popular and I believe that we will see “social” search continue to grow in the future. It’s these ‘social’ types of relationships that define a lot of computer usage time today. This word-of-mouth nature that social bookmarking allows for is leading to a social revolution of content discovery and ranking.

]]> http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/19/social-search/feed/ 0 Common Technology Gripes http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/17/common-technology-gripes/ http://blog.visualpurple.com/2010/05/17/common-technology-gripes/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 15:01:20 +0000 meganrutherford http://blog.visualpurple.com/?p=1613 We’ve all run up against trying to resolve frustrating technology issues, whether it is setting a new watch or programming a remote technology can make you want to pull your hair out at times. Consumer Reports National Research Center recently asked 13,000 subscribers for their biggest technology gripes, and not surprisingly almost everyone (95%) had a problem with a computer they’d bought within the last five years. In addition 80% had problems with their cell phones, and more than 50% had issues with their GPS, TVs, and cameras. While getting a computer error message that you don’t understand can be trying it all takes patience and determination to use technology in today’s technologically advanced society. TV’s nowadays need 2 or even 3 remotes just to utilize the functionality of turning them on and off and changing the channel or volume. These technology challenges all add up to just more daily annoyances that no matter how simplified they may seem to operate, they still present challenges for the novice to the advanced user.

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