Why I think Google is pulling the plug on "Lively"

Lively is a google enhanced chatroom, sorta virtual world MMO, sorta kinda.

For info on Google's Lively, and ending the service only after 5 months, I refer you to Sarah Nerd of http://www.your2ndplace.com/ : Google Lively Already Ending Only 5 Months After it Opens.
November 20, 2008 by Sarah Nerd

There are other Second Life blogs that have mentioned this (http://www.massively.com/ / www.nwn.com/blog ) I'm sure you'll hit those two.

[HERE} I would generally add a screenshot of what Lively looks like, but imagine this image:

a general cliche of a cartoon character facing the corner of an empty room.

That's the photo of Google's Lively.

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I bring this up here: my theory as to the reasons why they're shutting it down. I believe it is NOT because it sucks, NOT seems childish, NOT because no one is using it, and NOT because no one gets it or likes it.... yes, those are all the reasons, however.... It was all just testing for Google to get their feet wet in the metaverse.

Google, I am guessing, almost predicting the future.... Google is using the technology from Lively, plus whatever they learned about social interaction, and is now moving toward these two technologies instead:

http://www.exitreality.com/

ExitReality is a new technology that has made the entire Internet 3D. By creating an instant 3D world from any web page, ExitReality adds a new dimension to the Internet. And this new universe of inter-connected worlds expands even beyond 2D to include thousands of innovative 3D places and games created over the past decade, and now ready to be explored.

&

http://www.weblin.com/

Meet your friendsand new peopleon every website!
weblin makes you and others on the Web visible as small avatars. There are others on the same page you are on right now. Weblin opens a new and exciting world on every web site.
Get to know people with the same interests. Do you want to enter this world? Get your personal weblin now!

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Both of these (which may I add have been discussed within Second Life in conversations for the past 4 years) are the beginnings of the future of the internet. Second Life is a virtual universe; a fictional world built up by the residents to make that inworld metaverse a reality..... and Linden Lab was always hoping that Second Life would be the "future of the internet"

Then comes along ExitReality and Weblin. The combination of these two would mean: any one can browse any webpage in a 3d virtual environment, while also seeing and chatting with other viewers on that page.

.... I remember pre-corporation SL times, 2006, Philip Linden would have town-hall speeches about how Second Life would one day be like "the future of the internet"...... (sidenote: thats why LL need corporations in SL now, because they need corps in SL so as Exitreality and Weblin technology comes out, the corps already have contracts set up with Linden Lab.)
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ExitReality is clunky and barely works..... its so flunky. The concept and ideal of it is brilliant, but it simpy DOES NOT WORK currently... I'm sure Google could drop a cool couple million on the company that created it and buy it out..... which then becomes Google's technology.

Weblin, which I am seeing much more potential in usefulness (Weblin is the new black of instant messagers). Google will simply use their Lively technology and create their own Google form of a weblin instant messaging)....

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So there's my guess, based on no fact, and no info. I am simply venturing an assumption as to why Google Lively is cancelling:

Google is cancelling Lively in order to create a much better social network virtual situation: which is a combination of viewing websites with other users, in a 3d environment, while being able to chat with others on the webpage.

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As an unrelatable footnote: I have always refused to use the phrase "Instant Messenger" ... and I will continue to use the word "messager". I believe that it is called "Instant MESSAGER" and AOL fucked up years ago, and the name just stuck. Keep in mind... you are sending an instant message, not an instant messenger . The little yellow AOL running guy is not really the instant messenger delivering your message to the other person. SO, in conclusion. You send instant messages, you receive instant messages, and when two people are messaging eachother..... they are not 'messengering' : You are using an instant MESSAGER.