I’m excited to report that starting next week, I’ll be providing deeper analysis of issues in virtual law via industry-focused papers which will be for sale through the Technology Intelligence Group, the most recent project from Christian Renaud.  Renaud, formerly Cisco’s Chief Architect of Networked Virtual Environments, has brought together an ever-growing collection of virtual world and game designers, analysts, academics, and other industry experts under the TIG umbrella, where we can provide deeper analysis than is practical in mainstream articles, blogs, and presentations.  From one of Renaud’s first posts about TIG:

We believe that the best people to provide emerging technology insight are the people in the trenches themselves, the people experimenting and pioneering.  Rather than receive the insight second or third-handed, the pioneers themselves are the contributors and analysts behind TIG.  This has not only the benefit of direct connection to subject matter experts, but allows us to reach far and wide across the emerging technology spectrum for new technologies and insight.  Open innovation applied via an open pool of emerging technology experts that are not proprietary but known experts in their fields.

The most interesting thing about this to me is that TIG isn’t just talking about these spaces, we’ll actively be using them as tools that allow us to provide ongoing analysis to subscribers.  Renaud explains:

[W]e are pursuing a social-hybrid model for the analysis provided by the Technology Intelligence Group.  In addition to deep insight and analysis, we will also be providing regular updates to the research in the form of written updates, audio updates, video updates, forums and virtual roundtables.  Rather than get one snapshot in time, you have the opportunity to engage in a group of fellow subscribers with the subject matter expert for ongoing insight as the technology develops and matures.  Its a conversation between yourself and your peers and the experts themselves.

The main website will go live next Monday, but in the meantime, TIG has been rolling out analyst introductions all week on TIG’s blog, including Dr. Richard Bartle, Dr. Edward Castronova, Dr. Wm LeRoy Heinrichs, Sean Kane, Bob Clay, Dr. James Oliver, and many more.  Drop by and see what we’re up to.