I happened across Kaneva's current ad campaign (shown here) for their virtual world/social network hybrid. Their value proposition? "Free 3D Chat."
It's really that simple -- Kaneva is just like a chat room (ok, I know what that is), it's 3-dimensional (I'm intrigued) and it won't cost you one red cent (sign me up.)
Now, before you scoff, let me say that I find this approach remarkably refreshing. For all of the high-minded philosophizing about virtual worlds, the metaverse and the future of the 3D web, today's contenders (most notably Second Life) are really little more than 3D chat rooms. And I mean that in the best possible way...
For more than a year, I've been characterizing Second Life as a massive 3D (or avatar-based) chat room when speaking to clients who can't wrap their heads around the concept of virtual worlds. And I think this analogy is pretty close to right.
Make a virtual world -- any virtual world -- about technology or 'architecture,' and all but the most diehard users are bound to get bored pretty quickly (just ask Wired's Chris Anderson.) But make it about people connecting with people, across the boundaries defined by timezone, geography and language, and you're bound to strike a chord.
I'm not sure how well this campaign is working or, for that matter, how Keneva is scaling now that they've moved beyond their private beta period (disclosure: I was a member of the private beta and an authorized beta blogger) -- but I think it does help to demystify virtual worlds for a mainstream audience that might otherwise be dazzled into disinterest.
