First Impressions of Google Lively

I spent some time checking out Google Lively. This is a new program that allows you to create shared 3D spaces and embed them in your web sites. Google provides a catalog of avatars and objects to inhabit and accessorize your spaces. Among the the objects you can place in your 3D spaces are picture and (YouTube) video viewers.

I have a WhyPark site with photography content. And, my initial thought was that it would be neat to provide visitors with a 3D space containing interesting photos. So I created a space and dropped in some photo frame gadgets from the Lively Catalog. The gadgets were able to display photos hosted by ImageShack. However, when I placed the photo frames where I wanted them in my space, the picture images were rather small and unimpressive. Not the photo gallery experience I was hoping for. However, maybe the space template I was using (an island) wasn't optimal for my purposes.

While my 3D photo gallery is still a work in progress, there is another approach for using Google Lively with WP sites. Simply select an appropriate popular public room and embed it in your WP layout. As Lively users move around, chat, and change the objects in the room, they will be making your WP site more interesting.

Here's my photo site with an embedded Lively room:

www.MemoryIsland.com

Note:
To enter the 3D space you'll need to download Lively, which currently only runs on Windows XP and Vista.

You can tell by the domain name why I wanted to try out an island template for my photography 3D space. Below is an example of a Lively room.