The problem is, that these technologies have not been combined well in a single application; we still need separate applications to successfully collaborate online. There are application suites that provide both collaboration and communication functionality, but that functionality is experienced as separate, disconnected components. We have not yet reached a point where virtual collaboration and communication are nearly one in the same, as in a face-to-face working session.
Virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life, Active Worlds) promise to bring these two elements back together. In a virtual world, users in the same space can communicate synchronously while working together on an object, just as we would in-person in physical space. From a technical perspective, the technologies for collaboration and communication are still separate, but they are experienced as a single, integrated technology by the user. Recreating the seamless experience found in physically co-located work sessions is the key to improving virtual collaboration.
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