I know you, and we've never even met before!

In my last blog I discussed Second Life, the Internet-based 3D virtual world in which user's can explore, converse, and chat using avatars.  I wanted to readdress the topic of Second Life because I just learned something new about the idea that I had not even thought of before.  You see, logging in and joining Second Life was a requirement for myself in my Master's program at Full Sail University.  Had I not been taking this course, I am pretty sure that I would have never signed up for access to this new, virtual world.  In addition, while my initial reaction of the virtual world was that it was "really cool," I did not see how this virtual world would be very advantageous to companies, schools, or universities for that matter.  However, after recently listening to a video interview with Josh Hallett, my opinion on the matter has changed.  I really thought that this could hinder people's development of interpersonal skills, but actually it might do quite the opposite.  You see, if you develop a relationship via the internet through Second Life or any other virtual modality, then you might be more apt to strike up an in-depth conversation as opposed to a surface conversation with that person when you finally meet them face-to-face because you already know them!  You've probably had detailed conversations with that person.  You would most likely know what's going on in their lives, whether it be good or bad, and an even deeper relationship after meeting in person would most likely develop.  While Second Life helped to bridge this relationship, had it not occurred before hand, a face-to-face meeting might have simply consisted of a "hello, nice to meet you and I'll see you at next year's conference!"      

What are your views on the matter?  Check out this video for yourself, and tell me what you think! http://media.fullsail.com/LMS/assets/2008/10/Video/JoshHallett-2102536A-1B78-E152-925DF1103C760109.mov