1. Researching Avatars Aleks Krotoski University of Surrey, Guildford vBusiness Expo, Second Life 26 April 2008

2. Why?

• Marketing

• • Who are your current customers and what makes them happy?

• • Who are your potential customers and what will convert them?

• Research

• • What can we learn about the offline from the online?

3. Research Methods

• Qualitative

• • Interviews

• • Focus groups

• • surveys

• Quantitative

• • Network analysis

• • Data tracking

4. Qualitative Analysis

• Design

• Doing the deed

• • Takes longer than you think

• Getting the results

• • Text-based

• • Voice-based

5. Quantitative Analysis

• Design

• Doing the deed

• • Data capture

• Getting the results

• • Largesse multiplied by largesse

6. Online vs Offline

• Hows it the same?

• Hows it different?

7. Recruitment

• Social Networking across the metaverse

• Rewarding good deeds

8. Participation

• Welcome to the gift economy

• Invest in the community

• Trust is the most important currency online

• Remember the human behind the avatar

9. [email_address] http://www.toastkid.com