Vivaty Combines Social Networking, Virtual Worlds - How it Works
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While you don't have to download the cumbersome software that's normally part and parcel of participating in a virtual world, you will have to download a browser plug-in. Once you've downloaded the plug-in and Vivaty Scenes, you'll be prompted to choose an avatar. Unlike Second Life, it's only one avatar to a person, though you can change your avatar any time.
Movement is handled with the mouse and the directional keys. You can use your mouse wheel to pan in and out; there are also several ways to adjust your viewpoint (effectively, the "camera position" through which you see the scene). Additionally, there are eight "hot keys" that let your avatar take certain actions (like wave) or show certain emotions (like embarrassment).
In addition to gestures, you can communicate with other avatars through chat, which sounds similar to all the other text-based IM programs out there. You can also leave them a message. Functionally, this is the same as email, but it works a little differently: "Visit a friend's scene, find their corkboard, and leave a note. Your friend will get the note the next time they visit their scene, and also through a Facebook notification." Vivaty plans to make more messaging options available. If their chat function can handle audio, perhaps users may someday be able to leave voicemail. On the other hand, is this an improvement over what you can do in real life?
Choosing and changing scenes - your virtual room - looks to be as easy as point and click. You can add all sorts of custom items. You can also add photos and videos, including any YouTube video. Oh, and like any room in real life, Vivaty's scenes are in the round. Here's an example:
Okay, so I can't say much for the captioning of this example ("Rollover an thumbnail for a larger view"), but then again I'm not their editor.
Next: Where is it Going? >>
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