The concept of using avatars to meet in a virtual world is not new. Unlike telephone conference calls or Web conferences, virtual worlds allow for more human interactions, such as "turning" to an avatar to ask a question, or adding gestures and expressions to the communications mix. In 2006, when technology companies and PR firms moved into Second Life in earnest, there was a lot of experimentation in this area. Some companies held marketing events, product launches, and even staff meetings there. However, there were a number of issues that limited in-world meetings from gaining traction, including privacy concerns, the requirement to find or build suitable meeting areas, and a lack of basic presentation, scheduling and communication tools.

Rivers Run Red's aims to tackle many of those concerns. It's hosted on Linden Lab's Second Life Grid, the enterprise platform that companies and other organizations can use to build private virtual worlds using the Second Life environment. Companies using Immersive Workspaces don't need to build anything -- the default product comes with a private corporate sim that includes a lobby area, a conference hall with 60 seats, and several meeting rooms that can hold 20 avatars at a time. The meeting areas can display multimedia, PowerPoint presentations, video, and audio files. A workspace can be accessed through a Web portal, an emailed slurl, or an in-world invitation. Appointments can be set up on the website, and integrated with Outlook or iCal.

I have tried out the tool and am impressed by its basic features. I was using a somewhat typical corporate setup -- a relatively modern laptop (a 2007-era Lenovo ThinkPad T61 running XP) and a wireless connection to an access point located on a different floor. I didn't have to register to use the service -- Mimi Browning, Rivers Run Red's communications director, invited my existing Second Life avatar to come into Rivers Run Red's own immersive workspace. I was able to meet Browning in the private sim, view a presentation on one of the display screens, and carry on a long discussion in the auditorium and one of the meeting rooms (see screenshots below). Browning and I barely used text chat to communicate -- Second Life's live audio was fast and clear, and sounded much better than a telephone conference call. Even though we were on opposite sides of the country, it sounded like she was speaking in the same room.

However, there were some glitches. The in-world invitation didn't work, so we had to revert to a emailed slurl. Browning's laptop or wireless connection slowed at one point, which resulted in her avatar getting stuck on a low wall. And on several occasions, when attempting to teleport between the meeting room and the workspace's main lobby area, I was left in a bizarre flying state somewhere outside of the sim. These weren't show-stopping bugs, but I could easily imagine less-experienced Second Life users being flummoxed.

Fortunately, there is a "lite" workspace experience. It allows people who can't get into Second Life to access a limited selection of meeting elements from the Immersive Workspaces Web portal.