We’re excited to share the topic and questions for this week’s #HITsm chat happening Friday, 1/14 at Noon ET (9 AM PT). This week’s chat will be hosted by Chuck Webster (@wareflo) and Joe Desiderio (@JoeDesiderio) on the topic “Healthcare VR…In VR“.
Note: This chat will not be held on Twitter, but will be held in Virtual Reality. VR Headsets are better, but there is a desktop option as well. See details below!
This week’s #HITsm chat will be something special since we’ll be moving from Twitter into the metaverse. Thanks to Chuck Webster (@wareflo), we have a cool virtual world we can go to in order to chat and experience what the future metaverse may start to look like. See the details on how to join below.
Instructions to Join in VR
First, go to Chuck Webster’s (@wareFLO) Sci Tech Chat channel…https://account.altvr.com/
- Set up your VR headset altvr.com/get-altspacevr/)
- Set up your non-VR Win10 client microsoft.com/en-us/p/altspa)
- Set up your non-VR Mac client altvr.com/altspacevr-mac/
Here is a Youtube tutorial for the Windows and Mac AltspaceVR apps. It shows how to install the non-VR clients and then (at 6:00) how to use your keyboard and mouse to move around, interact with objects, and travel between worlds. It is not exactly the same as the current user interface, but it is very close. Please use earbuds to prevent echoes (remember those from Blab?). If you do not have earbuds, make sure your microphone is consistently on mute. Click to toggle; when the microphone symbol is red it is muted.
If you have a compatible VR headset, it is simpler. While wearing the headset search for AltspaceVR in the online store (it’s free), install, start the app and follow its instructions, including the tutorial.
In either the VR, Windows, or Mac app, click on the Events tab, scroll forward through events until you get to our event and favorite it: Healthcare VR… In VR: Health IT Social Media (#HITsm) Joins The Metaverse! Guest Hosts @TechGuy & @JoeDesiderio. You can also to to this link, login, and favorite the event using your browser: https://account.altvr.com/
Our event will now appear in your Events > Favorites tab. At the time of the event (Noon, Friday the 14th) go to Favorites and click enter. You can also go to the Events tab and look for it again. If the event is impending, it will be easy to find. There is also an option to enter a code to find and enter the event (NJR779).
Here is a Youtube intro to the main AltspaceVR menu (lower left on your screen in Windows, Mac, or VR app).
Here are some additional tutorials, just in case you feel you need more instruction:
Get Your Bearings
https://altvr.com/guide-
Exploring the Title Screen
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-
One more thing: click on everyone’s avatar and then click to add them as a friend. The next time you enter AltspaceVR, if they are “in-world” too, you will see them on a list to the right of the Title Screen and you can go to wherever they are, which may be a world or an event (a temporary world that exists between an event start and end time). During our event, find and friend me. If you ever see me “in-world” come to wherever I am and say hi! I’ll take you on a tour of worlds and introduce you to lots of new friends.
I’ve spent thousands of hours in social VR (mostly AltspaceVR) over the past 4 years. It is the closest thing to the “Metaverse” that has been so frequently and emphatically touted in the news. Technically, the so-called Metaverse is much more than mere social VR platforms (something we will address during our event) but they are indeed the closest thing to Ready Player One.
“the #Metaverse is the internet, but also a spatial (and often 3D), game engine driven collection of virtual environments”
“just like most companies today have a website, at some point most companies will have a 3D virtual environment of some kind” https://t.co/gIS9xhmqDy #HITsm
— Chuck: Host #SciTechChat #SocialVR in #Metaverse (@wareFLO) January 10, 2022
Wander around. Visit popular worlds (Title Screen > Worlds > Popular). Enter live events (Title Screen > Events > look for “live”). Add friends. Accept friend invites (Title Screens > Friends). Find your tribe. Ask everyone if they have a Twitter account and connect there too. AltspaceVR is my favorite social VR platform, but Twitter remains my favorite news and communications platform. My Twitter handle (@wareFLO) is even part of my AltspaceVR avatar name, which appears when you click on my avatar. (Advice? You should do the same!) I have lots of new Twitter followers who I met in AltspaceVR. I always tell people to let me know they first met me in AltspaceVR so I can follow them back, no matter how few followers they have or how infrequently they tweet.
See you “in-world”!
Topics for this week’s #HITsm Chat:
T1: “Metaverse” is everywhere in headlines, news & opinion pieces. What is it? Over-hyped? How will health IT be affected? How can vendors participate? Join @wareflo and @JoeDesiderio to discuss in the #HITsm #socialVR #Metaverse! https://account.altvr.com/events/1888634443124441726
T2: VR therapy has much potential. Your fav applications? What are VR-based digital health unique marketing angles? Join @wareflo and @JoeDesiderio to discuss in the #HITsm #socialVR #Metaverse! https://account.altvr.com/events/1888634443124441726
T3: The “Metaverse” is more than just #socialVR, it’s augmented reality too. How will patients, clinicians & HC workers experience the Metaverse w/out VR headsets? Join @wareflo and @JoeDesiderio to discuss in the #HITsm #socialVR #Metaverse! https://account.altvr.com/events/1888634443124441726
T4: New VR headsets & AR glasses are coming. What your priorities re price, size, weight, appearance, functionality, etc? Join @wareflo and @JoeDesiderio to discuss in the #HITsm #socialVR #Metaverse! https://account.altvr.com/events/1888634443124441726
T5: If inexpensive VR/AR glasses are ubiquitous in 5 years, what do you see yourself (patient, physician, manager, HIT staff, marketer, etc) doing every day in the “Metaverse”? Join @wareflo and @JoeDesiderio to discuss in #HITsm #socialVR! https://account.altvr.com/events/1888634443124441726
Bonus: Ask @wareflo and @JoeDesiderio anything in the #metaverse: https://account.altvr.com/events/1888634443124441726 #HITsm
Upcoming #HITsm Chat Schedule
1/21 – Beyond the Patient: Family-Centered Care and the Future of Health
Hosted by Erica Olenski (@thegr8chalupa)
1/28 – Digital Health Funding
Hosted by Grace Vinton (@HITeaWithGrace)
2/4 – Black History Month
Hosted by Tiffanie Smith (@TifftheMarketer) from @KNBComm
We look forward to learning from the #HITsm community! As always, let us know if you’d like to host a future #HITsm chat or if you know someone you think we should invite to host.
If you’re searching for the latest #HITsm chat, you can always find the latest #HITsm chat and schedule of chats here.
