There is also the benefit of finally being able to connect in an engaging manner. All of us in government face very similar issues and problems, and by connecting we can find solutions faster and better compare our ideas and results. Until now, there really was no good interface to allow all of us from all over the world to interact in this way.

We can also use the tools in worlds like Second Life to create and share those ideas and concepts with each other and with the public. I can tell you from working years in government, people really don’t seem to understand what we can and can’t do as a city. I look forward to seeing tools like Second Life used to educate the public about government, its role in our society, established standard rules and laws and how they affect all of us, and even how to better navigate and work with government.

There are many other benefits, but if we can use virtual worlds to accomplish just the items I mentioned above, we will be way ahead from where we are today.

For example, I think the idea of Second Life as a virtual training environment instead of a costly or impossible real-world environment is a nice one – like the plumbing courses being run by the College of North West London:

http://excellence.qia.org.uk/162063

But with so many public sector players out there, surely it’s time for some Island Convergence in the spirit of rationalising our online presence?