Human Resources professionals are talking often about the Metaverse, but few of them understand what this next iteration of the web will mean for their business. Many have no idea how to even get started in the Metaverse.
Enter Dirk Lueth, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Uplandme, Inc., who helps people wrap their brain around this whole new world. He is the author of the bestselling book, Navigating the Metaverse: A Guide to Limitless Possibilities in a Web 3.0 World (Wiley, 2022). Lueth will answer your questions and explain the Metaverse at HR Exchange Network's upcoming HR and Future of Work online event.
First, however, he provides a preview of his session, some must-know information about the Metaverse, and a revelation about his preferred avatar:
Why should HR professionals pay attention and learn about the Metaverse? What will be the best uses of the Metaverse for Human Resources?
The lowest hanging fruit is the understanding that just like every marketing team has at least one social-media manager – a role that did not exist 10 years ago – every marketing team will have a Metaverse-manager in the next few years. Some brands already have Chief Metaverse Officers experimenting on the strategic level, but others will be operators who develop best practices in brand-engagement.
Many of those, I believe, will come from the current Metaverse user and creator community. This is an opportunity for HR professionals to start connecting with Metaverse users early to understand the potential of this role as it grows. HR professionals need to immerse themselves in the early adopter communities to understand how the open Metaverse is different from web2 engagement, and will thus require different skills.
New technology can be intimidating, and this is more concerning for HR because these professionals contend with their own hesitancy and that of the employees they manage. What's your best advice for getting beyond that intimidation and embracing the Metaverse?
HR professionals will have to re-think the very concept of work with the emergence of virtual worlds with open economies. This, however, provides many opportunities for those who understand the potential of the space.
The Metaverse, as an ecosystem, will include many ‘metaspaces’ that connect to it. To be successful and relevant, these spaces will have to look at their audiences differently than web2. Users are no longer couch potatos who just consume information. They are co-creators, co-builders, and co-collaborators.
We’re moving away from the digital scroller to the digital stroller: users are not just looking for what to read; they are looking for what to do, and the Metaverse offers exploration and context for their digital lives. The more immersed HR professionals are with how users behave in virtual worlds, the better they will understand how to make this new technology into a big opportunity for them.
What are your top three tips for getting started in the Metaverse?
1. Join a community! In Upland for example, there are many ‘nodes,’ which are player-run communities. Some are based on their virtual locale. Some are based on common interests.
2. Buy digital goods to understand the concept of true ownership and how it changes traditional business models.
3. Just start exploring. Stroll around and see what experience, game, or store catches your eye.
What avatar do you prefer being?
We have FIFA-branded, country-specific BlockExplorers (Upland avatars) from our partnership with FIFA in the Qatar 2022 World Cup. I, of course, love the Germany one and am looking forward to wearing it again for the Women’s World Cup in July 2023.
What will be the highlight of your upcoming session at the HR Exchange Network HR and Future of Work event?
I’m excited to introduce the ways for companies to adopt web3 and Metaverse mentalities and strategies - to help them understand where this is all going and why it definitely IS the future. As I mentioned before, it can be intimidating, but I like to help professionals understand the new way of thinking, which includes a different perspective of looking at consumers as DOERS instead of consumers.
Is there anything else you'd like our network of HR professionals to know? If so, what?
Much of the future of work, especially in the Metaverse, will be more decentralized, global, and based on user generated content. Embrace this! Think of the new tools that these creators will require to work with brands and traditional businesses, and help build the infrastructure to facilitate this.
Have you ventured into the Metaverse yet? Please let us know about your experience or weigh in about your fears in the comments. And don't miss the HR and Future of Work online event, where you can ask questions of Dirk Lueth, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Uplandme, Inc. Register for free now!
[inlinead-1]
Photo by Francesco Paggiaro for Pexels