Virtual Tameside: using `Second Life' to engage with the community and extend council services

Second Life is a virtual world (http://www.secondlife.com/). Users create a digital representation of themselves, called an Avatar. Via the avatar users can move around the virtual environment and interact with other users of the system. Users have complete freedom as to the appearance of the avatar. Currently the system allows for text interaction though it is likely that there will be a real time, voice enabled system in the future.

Second Life is predominantly used for leisure purposes at the moment, with many millions of users and visitors every month. There is a junior version of the system, called Teen Life. However, organisations are increasingly using Second Life as a tool to conduct business. Recently one company with offices spread around the world set up a virtual office in Second Life where executives meet. They have employed a virtual receptionist, who is paid in Linden Dollars, the currency of Second Life.

The virtual world provides an opportunity to engage with a range of citizens in a new and exciting way. Within Second Life there is already a virtual Amsterdam, as well as an embryonic virtual Manchester. A virtual Tameside would provide many opportunities for the council to engage with our community and further support initiatives as varied as Tameside in Bloom, the Beacon bid for Transformational Services and consultation on the design or redevelopment of new parks and open spaces - to name but a few.

Further, through the virtual world that is `Second Life' we would be able to engage with hard to reach groups:

The service would be inclusive - all users are `equal' within this environment.

If we wanted to give `real time' access to council service users over a weekend period the cost of opening the building, lighting, heating, security and caretaking staff would be enormous. However, using Second Life we could allow the community access to our services at weekends and during the evening at a relatively small cost.

The idea would be to set up a virtual Tameside Council staffed with receptionists who would be able to answer queries and point service users in the right direction. These staff would work from home and would be the virtual face of the council. Alongside the reception area we would be able to promote initiatives and flag up important deadlines such as election dates. In essence we would be creating another channel for access to services.

There are many ways that the virtual Council could support the work of the physical Council. We could have a virtual citizen's panel, a virtual library information service; a tourist information office; a citizen's advice bureau.

The Building Schools for the Future initiative will mean the rebuilding or remodelling of all of the Secondary schools in the borough. The project is phased over a number of years and no bricks have been laid as yet. Within our virtual Tameside we could have a virtual school reflecting the design principles of an `ideal' school of the future. This would be a resource for the borough's teachers and pupils, providing a walk through experience which broadens the consultation process, encouraging pupils, parents and teachers to give suggestions and comment on the design ideas. This experience could also be offered to other boroughs which would raise the profile of the borough and support the BSF programme nationally.

These are just a few examples.

It is also the case that we would be the first council to make such a transformational and transactional use of this technology and as such there would be additional benefits to us in that we would attract publicity for the borough which would further enhance our reputation as go ahead and `can do'.

The anonymity of Second Life poses some challenges. Users accessing services may or may not be residents of the borough.

There is the potential for staff on the service desk to have a negative interaction with a service user, though in the case of Second Life actual physical violence is impossible unlike the traditional form of service engagement.

Sustainability also needs to be considered as there are ongoing rental and staffing costs associated with the project as well as initial and potentially ongoing development costs. Time needs to be spent fully understanding the marketing opportunity that this presents, e.g. what materials do we want to make available alongside access to services, what notice boards would be visible?

There will be costs around marketing the service, though it may be that via local and national press interest we are able to generate significant interest in the borough on a broad scale attracting publicity for `free'. On a positive note there is also the chance that the publicity and interest surrounding this venture may lead to investment from central government and the private sector.

Second Life presents a real opportunity to be at the forefront of a new technology which provides new ways of interacting with the community. It gives us the chance to empower and engage with hard to reach groups. It opens the way to real 24/7 access to services from the comfort of home over a broadband internet connection. Within virtual Tameside we can support our initiatives and various bids, from Tameside in Bloom through to the Beacon bid for transformation. It allows Tameside to establish itself as a leader in the use of new technologies, in new ways of doing things and it is an opportunity to publicise the borough on a global scale. This could be the next railways and canals opportunity, transforming our services in a dynamic and accessible way for the benefit of all in the borough.

It is recommended that:

Norman Crawford

December 2007