Lively - Is Google on to Something?

Google just announced this week the launch of it's new 3D chat software called Lively. Still in beta mode, but ready for the public to try out, Lively seems to bring chatting to another level. Is this the way of the future or just a cool new toy from Google?

Many are saying that Lively is merely a half step to Second Life, but without all the controls and number of people. Lively allows you to create your own "rooms" and avatars and then chat with up to 20 people at a time. The chat windows actually show up as speech bubbles like you would see in a comic book sketch, so it is as if your avatar is really talking (to a degree!). You can also put your "room" on your website or blog so people can join your chat as they wish.

Is there any business use for this?
For right now it seems a little too animated to have very much business use. Certain fields may find this to be a unique way of communicating with the visitors on their website/blog. For example someone who has a website selling children's toys could put this on their site and it might fit in nicely with their theme.

For the everyday business person, I think this is a long way off from going main stream. It is also one of the few, if any, Google products that you actually have to download and install software on your computer in order to use. This could leave some people leery, and keep them away at least until it comes out of the beta stage.

So for now we suggest you take a look, maybe even try it out, and if you feel it fits into your website theme you might even want to test it on a page or two of your site.

Remember: New tools are great, but they aren't for everyone.

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