Team Alpha
Team Members: Aleksandra Wiszynski, Eric Olson, Kanchan Jahagirdar, & Brandon Banks
We as a team tried a few different collaborative tools. Amongst them were Second Life, AOL, email and Ichat. We used these tools at different stages of our project and most of the times met as an entire group but at times met with only a part of the group as well. Of all the tools that we tried, I liked Second Life and Skype the most. Second Life to me was very fascinating since it was introduced to me for the first time. The environment and it's capabilities totally took me by surprise and it proved to be a very enlightening experience on the whole. Where as Skype is a very familiar tool. I have been using it for a couple years and to see Skype having come such a long way from the time it was introduced, I was eager to jump in. So here' my comparative analysis of both the tools.
Comparative analysis of Second Life and Skype
It was my first time with Second Life. I had always heard about it previously but never really had a chance to use it. When our class met in Second Life for the first time, it was a very surreal experience for me. First it gave me the feeling of being in a classroom environment which was great! Second it also allowed people to interact. With a few more class meetings in Second Life, I thought meeting in Second Life for our project would be a good idea too. So initially we started meeting in Second Life just before our scheduled class meetings to brainstorm and share our research on our project. It was good initially, more so because of the convenience it offered in meeting in the same place as our classroom. But I felt there was a need to be able to do more. Second Life allowed us to talk and go places and see slides. But that’s all that we used Second Life for. We used it mainly as a chat room with our avatars for presence like feeling but simultaneously used email a lot to send documents and links to each other.
After a few meetings in Second Life, we decided to try Skype. The first time we met in Skype, we had issues since we had different versions of the tool. But once that was sorted out, the meetings in Skype proved more beneficial. One of the reasons that it was more seamless in Skype is that we were all familiar with Skype. I knew the Skype environment quite well since I have been using it to communicate with family across continents. The other thing thing that made it so easy was that Skype had a defined set of functions which was not complicated to figure out at all. Skype’s main use was the ability to make calls with video. Other than that the newest version also allowed us to share documents and our screen as well. That was very handy. In addition to be able to see the person (not an avatar), share documents and screens made it a very valuable collaborative tool. As a team we were able to get all the things things done from one place unlike Second Life. In our second meeting in Skype, we were able to accomplish a lot of tasks set for our project. We normally meet in Second Life for about 20 minutes each. But the meeting we had in Skype lasted over an hour!
Organizational Applications:
Second Life and Skype each have distinct benefits. Second Life in an organizational setting, can be used in place of a meeting room for large number of participants. Second Life has the capability of recreating a 3 dimensional space which can vary from being strict and formal to informal and eclectic, which ever suits the occasion. It can give a nice break from the traditional conference rooms. When corporations have offices situated globally and there is a need for people to meet, Second Life can offer a great opportunity. SL's capability to get a large group of people in one place is better suited for large group meetings. The sense of proximity is felt in large groups being in the same place is unique to Second Life. Being in an avatar also has it’s advantages. It sort of sets you fee and takes your inhibitions away. If you are meeting somebody for the first time in Second Life via your avatar, you are less likely to be apprehensive and inhibited about meeting somebody. That might actually be more helpful because then you are focused on the meeting’s purpose rather than yourself. In a way it ends up being more productive. Since Second Life can accommodate such large groups, it is exceptional as a training and educational tool in an organizational setting as well. It is also a great place to come together and learn team building skills as well.
Skype can also be a very valuable collaborative tool in an organizational setting. One of the best feature is it’s crystal clear audio and video capabilities. That combined with the ability to share documents and screens can be very useful for participants. That being said, Skype has it’s limitations in the number of people you can add to a conference call. In that aspect, Skype might be more suitable for small groups and teams. Skype can very use full to smaller teams globally situated who want to get together for an impromptu meeting or for longer ones as well. The video call capability of Skype is exceptionally good if you want to put a face to a person’s name. Being able to see the person also helps in developing personal relationship in a team environment. If you already have a working relationship in a team with somebody, being able to visually see, reinforces that relationship.
The effectiveness of each tool for users of all different levels of experience.
Second Life felt like it needed a little bit of experience to feel comfortable in that environment. There is an initial learning curve to be able to navigate and be comfortable in your avatar. And since it’s such an extensive environment, there is always something new to be learned or acquired which can be both, exciting and challenging at times. It's like learning to walk again. The uncertainty of a three dimensional world while being challenging can also be intimidating and thus might discourage some users.
With Skype, it is not so difficult to figure it out. There are a list of tools available which can be easily mastered by anyone. The familiarity of a two dimensional world makes it very inviting and friendly.
Below are screen shots from Second Life and Skype that our team participated in.
SECOND LIFE
1. What is your level of experience with the tool from? (Scale from 1-5. 1 being no previous experience, 5 being most experienced)
1 2 3 4 5
2. How comfortable did you feel using the tool? (Scale from 1-5. 1 being very uncomfortable. 5 being very comfortable)
1 2 3 4 5
3. Did you feel that this tool allowed you to achieve your goal for the conversation? YES
4. Would you use this tool again? YES
SKYPE
1. What is your level of experience with the tool from? (Scale from 1-5. 1 being no previous experience, 5 being most experienced)
1 2 3 4 5
2. How comfortable did you feel using the tool? (Scale from 1-5. 1 being very uncomfortable. 5 being very comfortable)
1 2 3 4 5
3. Did you feel that this tool allowed you to achieve your goal for the conversation? YES
4. Would you use this tool again? YES
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