Find out how fans and the creator economy fit your business. Join Faisel Durrani, Looped, interviewed by Jim Louderback, Vidcon, on Oct 13. 

The Age of Experimentation
Using Hubb as its events platform, Untethered made an impressive attempt to show off the hybrid approach. Maybe it was too much of a good thing. With speakers from across the event industry, a small in-person event, a large virtual hodge podge of stuff to experience, it suffered from a bit of excess.The Riot Room (above), for example, was just the place to play in mid-conference. Attention was meant to wander.

Bizzabo Reports on 1,000 Events

This study is worth the download. Some of the more interesting insights? 

• 52% of virtual sessions focus on interaction
• 42% of all attendees watch the entirety of a virtual session
• The average virtual session is 54 minutes
• Attendees are engaged for 68% of the session

Facebook is keeping its metaverse megaphone on blast mode. It recently sponsored the Atlantic Ideas Festival and used it as a pulpit to make their metaverse intentions abundantly clear. 

But Tim Sweeney, CEO of Fortnite, takes a broader, more thoughtful, community-based approach with Epic’s metaverse. Fortnite Creator, the company’s open sandbox for games creators, prepared a 42 page how-to on making games and earning money on the popular platform. The company is also going whole hog on bringing an even larger selection of music events to its schedule. And it’s stepping up efforts to have parental verification through its work with SuperAwesome. 

In my column for Techonomy I discuss why Facebook’s Instagram for Kids was doomed from the start, likely to fall to relative upstarts like Fortnite that have a better grip on what kids want. IMO, Instagram for Kids sends the right message; it’s just the wrong messenger. Companies like Epic just may create a safer, more organic, healthier place for kids.

Paul Tomlinson spends 40-50 hours a week in VR 

He shares his best tips for making the most of the experience, shortcutting a lot of potential obstacles. 

Zoom is back working 9 to 5
The nearly 15 billion dollar acquisition of Five9 was meant to give Zoom an integrated support center. It would let Zoom focus on its core competencies like building features, and not supplying customer support. The deal hit the skids this week when skittish Five9 shareholders pulled the plug.

Don’t forget to grab your space in our new VEG Marketplace. It never sleeps so you can sleep better knowing the right people are looking at your products and services. .