Virtual Worlds Forum

More news from the fast-growing area of corporate collaboration within virtual worlds. Specialist information and services provider Informa is using Second Life to help its employees develop their careers. Its Transformed Careers Island includes information on job functions, competencies and skill gaps in a storefront format, as well as an assault course, virtual football tournaments, and meeting rooms to foster better communication between its staff around the world. Meanwhile, one of the company's German businesses has already hosted an event with in Second Life - an important development, considering Informa's sizeable conference business. "We understand that using Second Life flies in the face of the pessimistic reports expressing that too many employees spend time on social websites, but we believe in trusting our employees to achieve their goals," says Alison Chisnell, Informa's HR Director. "A much more interesting perspective is to use social websites responsibly, to encourage employees to achieve their own goals, as well as use them to improve business performance." Transformed Careers Island was created for Informa by virtual brand experience firm Depo Consulting. My first reaction is to wonder just how many of the company's PCs are capable of running Second Life at a decent enough frame-rate, and what the costs would be of ensuring every employee has a suitable machine. It's easy to scoff at the idea of teambuilding through virtual assault courses and football tournaments, but it's at least a different spin on the corporate collaboration trend. I also wonder if Informa plans to open up any part of its Transformed Careers Island to outsiders wishing to find out about the company - at the moment, it's employees only.