How to save time and money by holding a virtual

3D meeting instead of traveling to F2F seminars

for MGMA members.

Who are MGMA

members

Practice Administrations

in medical groups

supporting doctors

Time and money

Hotel expenses

Completing expense forms

There is an alternative

to F2F seminars.

Go Virtual

Virtual

Reality

You can save time and

money.

GO Green and help the environment.

Virtual Worlds

Virtual Reality

What is it?

What are virtual worlds?

A synchronous, persistent network of

people represented by animated

avatars, facilitated by computers.Mark W. Bell Indiana University

Create a new you as an avatar.

Virtual Worlds are

Friendlier

But virtual worlds

bring in-person

interaction to the

electronic medium.

Have remote workers

work together in the

same virtual space

and recreate the local

feel, as sight and

sound stream in just

as if you worked

together in adjacent

cubicles.”Dave Elchoness,

3Dxplorer.com

Should we chose one of

these virtual worlds?

Second Life is the fastest growing online community on the web. According

to research by the Gartner Group, 80 percent of active Internet users will

be participating in nongaming virtual worlds, such as Second Life, by the

end of 2011.Anders Gronstedt, The Gronstedt Group

Complicated

Expensive

Time consuming

Offers many options

Engaging and provocative

MGMA ultimate goal is to get here

Need to keep looking for another

alternative………………

Second Life is

We could hold virtual meetings

in Virtual Beginnings.

Another option

Better?

Still expensive

Less complicated

The second stop in the virtual world

journey. Still looking…………

Virtual Beginnings

The new way to hold meetings!

goweb3d

This is the best choice for MGMA members?

The best alternative

Easy navigation

Unique URLs

Screen sharing

No downloads

Update to Java

Simplified avatars

Customizable sites

Limited access

The first stop in the virtual world journey for MGMA

First, test the application

MGMA’s, first meeting with annual

conference 2010 members

Proposed home page for Virtual Annual

Conference 2009

Proposed site for Annual Conference 2009

meeting

Getting Started in Virtual Worlds

1. Clearly define your purpose in using virtual worlds and set clear

and achievable goals.

2. Evaluate technologies and choose the one that best fits the

purpose. Not all virtual worlds are the same. There are definitely

right and wrong choices.

3. Hire designers, developers, and builders that understand virtual

worlds. Virtual world development is different than web

development.

4. Start small with a focus group. Incorporate feedback as you

expand the project.

5. Train your employees to ensure that they know how to use the

technology. You will lose people who are frustrated with the

experience.

6. Do not overuse the technology.

7. Personality should come through to make the medium work.

For example, allow employees to customize their avatars or

workplaces, as appropriate.

8. Monitor the environment, reward successes, and correct

deficiencies.

9. Encourage engagement and community building. Permit social

interaction and business interaction, as you would in a real life

local workplace. Water cooler talk across 10,000 miles is an

important part of using virtual worlds in business.

Give Virtual Worlds a try and take

a shot at a friendlier, greener, and

cheaper way of working.