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ecooper1
May. 5th, 2007
02:33 pm - Rock on, Metaverse.
My communications class has been working all semester on a social networking service in Second Life called SLeuth 3D. It's distinctive because it improves upon the in-world search function with detailed user profiles and a database search. It's a useful tool for anyone looking for dating, mentor matching, or just new friends. We're launching it Sunday, May 6th, at 8pm Pacific/Linden time. This launch party is a simulcast of a concert in San Antonio, Texas of local bands Window and Soulbrand Theory. At the same time, we're having a shindig in the metaverse at the SLeuth office in Meyonohk 49, 98, 53.
Here's why you should log on to SL and attend:
1. Concerts are fun. And this one is not only fun, but also free.
2. While you're having fun, you can familiarize yourself with a product that can help you meet more people in-world.
3. You can find out more about the relationship between education, marketing, and the metaverse. As a team of "newbies" turned "experts" in the field, we have a unique perspective on creating, marketing, and launching a business in SL. Any of us would love to speak with you on the subject.
Curious?
Check out the bands on MySpace.
Window: http://myspace.com/window
Soulbrand Theory: http://myspace.com/soulbrandtheory
Check out our website and trailer: http://www.sleuth3d.com
Apr. 23rd, 2007
11:14 am - Update!
I think SLeuth is a really interesting project. I think that Second Life has a huge need for social networking beyond what the interface (i.e., the basic or advanced searches) offers. I've looked at similar services in SL, and remain convinced that ours is truly unique. It's not an overtly sexual "dating service," nor is it an unmoderated group to join that offers no result. And even though I'd never heard of Second Life or Web 3D before this class, I can understand its appeal. I agree with what Kicker posted in that I don't think it will ever match the appeal of the "traditional" method of browsing the internet, but that it certainly has its uses. That said, I'd be lying if I asserted that I enjoy all of SL's quirks.
My role in the SLeuth project is as one of the PMs or project managers. Our job is to mediate within and between the groups. I've been looking at the blog entries and have enjoyed getting opposing feedback on the class structure. On one hand, the groups sometimes feel disconnected from the project as a whole by focusing on their own work. On another, people feel that the group as a whole makes inefficient decisions and slows down the individual work that needs to get done. Clearly, this struggle represents the crux of all group project dynamics. I believe we have a lot of talented team members who represent a diverse quantity of opinions. I see this as a strength, especially for a service marketed to people who are beginning to be involved with SL. As recent "noobs" ourselves, we can offer a lot of understanding and different vantage points.
Mar. 20th, 2007
03:39 pm - Evaluation of Grady's Summaries
Grady analyzed three of the course readings. The first two were articles by Douglas Rushkoff titled “Atmospherics” and “Public Relations,” and the third was Nick Nobel's “Aesthetics and Gratifications: Sexual Practice in Virtual Environments.” With a conversational, direct style, Grady effectively summarizes the main points of each article. In "Atmospherics" I learned about the psychological impact of store design, in "Public Relations" I learned about PR and honesty, and in "Aesthetics..." I learned about virtual sex through gratifications theory. All three summaries transmitted necessary detail in the framework of an engaging synopsis.
The parts that related to our class aims were what I found most helpful. I think that Rushkoff's articles had a lot of relevance in terms of the marketing and building for SLeuth. We need to make sure our space is appealing for potential consumers. Similarly, marketing and PR go hand in hand. It's important to present our project in both an accurate and clear manner--accurate by describing exactly what we can offer, and clear by making sure it's easily understood by users and potential users. Nobel's paper seems like it would be fun to read, but doesn't contribute as much directly to the project as do Rushkoff's articles. I feel like I got a fair amount of information out of these articles without sitting down to read them, so Grady definitely fulfilled the goals of summary. Good job, sir!
Mar. 10th, 2007
10:13 am - Work Stations
The computers that I use with regularity are my laptop at school and at home, as well as the computers in the Comm. lab. For my laptop, I set up permanent tabs in Firefox of the reading list, class blogs, Livejournal, the Google groups page, my Gmail, my Trinity email, my Google reader, and my Google calendar. I didn't want to store my passwords because that situation makes me nervous. Still, the tabs will certainly cut down on time between opening my laptop and getting to work. My Google reader contains feeds of the Official Linden blog, as well as the Reuters/SL blog, SL Insider, and the SL Herald.
In terms of the mobile workstation, I used Google's customized home page. I was able to include the necessary links, as well as fun customizations like date and time and word-of-the-day. This way, if I'm on a computer that's not my own, I'm able to open up sort of a portable workstation. Hopefully this will improve productivity as well!
09:20 am - “Identity Construction in Virtual Worlds.”
Title: “Identity Construction in Virtual Worlds.”
Article author: Richard Bartle
Full citation: Richard Bartle (2003). "Identity construction in virtual worlds," excerpt from Designing Virtual Worlds, pp. 508-526. (Blackboard) 23-26, 2006, pp. 7-14.
Summary by: Erin Cooper
Key concepts, terms, and buzzwords:
• MUD/MOO/MMORPG
• disembodiment
• “slippage”
• PK-ing (Player Killing)
Summary:
Bartle examines the various purposes and outlets of constructing an identity in virtual worlds, starting with MUDs and MOOs and moving to MMORPGs. He explores race, gender, sexuality, and other ways that players self-identify. He emphasizes the learning potential associated with virtual worlds in terms of clarifying identity.
( Continue reading )
09:19 am - “The Great Cult Paradox: Why People Join.”
Title: “The Great Cult Paradox: Why People Join.”
Article author: Douglas Atkin
Full citation: Douglas Atkin (2004). "The Great Cult Paradox: Why people join " Excerpt from The Culting of Brands: Turn Your Customers into True Believers. pp. 1-16.
Summary by: Erin Cooper
Key concepts, terms, and buzzwords:
• Cult brand
• Self-actualization
Summary:
Atkin presents branding and “cult brands” such as Apple computers through the model of joining a cult. The main point is that, as in cults, people buy into brands because they are looking for individualization. The steps of joining a cult such as The Work or The Moonies are: feeling of difference, searching for an environment, sense of belonging, and hope of self-actualization. Apple, as one example, appeals to a user that doesn’t see him or herself as a PC user and is looking for something different. By purchasing a Mac, they have joined in a community and can explore their personal differences.
( Continue reading )
09:17 am - "The next step: Second Life professionalism"
Title: “The next step: Second Life professionalism.”
Article author: Aimee Weber
Full citation: Aimee Weber (2006). “The next step: Second Life professionalism." In "Going pro in Second Life" in New World Notes, May 25, 2006.
Summary by: Erin Cooper
Key concepts, terms, and buzzwords:
• Second Life Developer Directory
• Web 3D
Summary:
Weber writes about the importance of presenting a professional image in Second Life. She offers tips for individuals and organizations to become “professional” in virtual worlds; by “professional” Weber is referring to being paid for services by others or operating as a business. She has a lot of experience in this realm, having worked to showcase Regina Spektor in association with Millions of Us. She also quotes an interview with Robin Linden about the concept of professionalism.
( Continue reading )
Mar. 5th, 2007
11:46 am - Betsey Book & Branding
Betsey Book's article "Virtual World Business Brands: Entrepreneurship and Identity in Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming Environments" reminded me that one of the keys to creating a company is to choose a name that reflects us. Though we're interacting in the virtual world, we are still a unique group simply due to our RL personalities. This is significant because we're not forced into a narrow form of self-expression like a major company would be. I think it's important for us to choose something that's not based of an existing company and focus on something that we generate. There is enough room to be witty in our self-definition and marketing without having to base our company on someone else's branding identity. That's why I'm not a huge fan of "The Space." SLUM(M) has sort of a negative connotation, and for that reason I prefer SLAM(M). I feel that acronyms contain the element of necessary vagueness that the marketing strategy will be based on while still showing that we put thought into our brand name. Picking something like "The Cesspool" is vague and catchy, but it still strikes me as an arbitrary choice--it doesn't mean anything to us, and I think it's hard to convince people to have faith in our organization if we don't include a modicum of serious thought in what we're doing.
Feb. 27th, 2007
10:09 pm - Web 3D
I have mixed feelings about Web 3D. From one vantage point, I think it has incredible potential for connecting people in a new way. Adding another "dimension" to the way we communicate online reminds me of the ability to "talk" and instant message friends at the same time using microphones in our computers. While at one point in my life this would have seemed an unrealistic feat, each time I plug into iChat it becomes reality. I think that as the interfaces for Web 3D refine, the additional dimension could prove something we find so convenient we take it for granted--that is my hope, at least.
And yet on the other side, I relate to complaints that Web 3D slows things down. Due to technical complications with lag, graphics, and computers not being able to actually run the programs, the metaverse can feel like a hassle to take part in. It's also easy to question why exactly we're experimenting with this technology.
Despite these reservations, I feel it's imperative to immerse ourselves in Web 3D. I think a 9-week period of trying to build and promote a service in SL is an excellent way to test it out. From my perspective, I think it's a poor choice to either embrace or reject a technology without actually wholeheartedly giving it a shot.
Feb. 20th, 2007
10:47 pm - Project Concerns
My main concerns for the project revolve around creating something in the time frame available that is actually an effective product. I would like to make sure that everyone is able to work on some aspect that they find personally fulfilling, and that we are effectively able to break up the job duties necessary to getting things done. And though I know we talked about the sustainability of our project at the beginning of the venture as something we'll sort of deal with when necessary, I still have reservations about it. I know I don't have a lot of hours to give to developing in SL because my RL schedule is so packed, as I assume is the norm for the average over-committed Trinity student. I guess I'm just hoping we can create something great that can help link people that doesn't require a lot of maintenance. While marketing will need to be updated, I think something that can alleviate this concern could be related to the survey. I think that there could be a way to formulate it or the website in a self-contained way that either automatically compiles peoples' results or allows them to do their own searching (a la Craigslist). Other issues that I would like to work out are the details of renting land and the skills necessary for building, as well as how receptive the people of SL are going to be to our project. I think the newbie mentor-matching has huge potential, and may be our strongest selling point to a lot of residents. Overall I am enthused about the possibilities associated with the venture and can't wait to get started.
Feb. 19th, 2007
10:56 am - Dating-service research
So for research on our dating and mentor-matching service I investigated RL dating services. I looked online and found a lot of speed dating in San Antonio with companies such as:
FastDater
HurryDate
8 Minute Date
I also came across a USA Today article on speed dating:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/2002-1
Some other companies I looked into included:
Cupid
It's Just Lunch (http://www.itsjustlunchsanantonio.com
Coffee Date
The companies seemed to offer three main types of services. The first was speed dating, the second was group mingling scenarios "hosted" by the dating company at bars or different locales, and the third was a matchmaking-based dating opportunity (i.e., you fill out a survey and the company sends you on a group date or a one-on-one date). Our dating service will probably look most like the third option, but it could be helpful for us to somewhat combine the mingling aspect as well. I think the key will be a thoughtful survey and a lot of research on SL places to go on the dates.
When I think of what's unique about our project, I think it's the combination of in-world emphasis without including "adult" scenarios as our goal. That and Robin Harper's suggestion of newbie mentoring should coalesce to make it unlike other dating services in the game. The difference between our service and RL dating services or online dating services is that it's sort of a middle ground. I think the fact that it's located in SL means people will get a more full picture of the character they're interacting with rather than the 2" photo and licentious one-liner that seems so prominent on sites like Match.com. Similarly, dating or making friends in SL is still a remove from showing up to a lunch meeting or coffee date with someone you've never interacted with before. I think that can make people more comfortable using our service than other services available.
Feb. 6th, 2007
11:09 pm - Req. Blogging #3 - SL press & ideas for promotion
As just sort of an aside...
The thing that most blew my mind on 3pointD.com was a link to "The Girlfriend Experience" (http://girlfriend.mediamatic.net/in
And on to the purpose of this entry:
Second Thoughts posted an interesting article on January 27, 2007 entitled "The Liquidity Event" on how property in SL will eventually be devalued (http://secondthoughts.typepad.com/seco
Not that I'm voting for the brothel suggestion, but the SL Herald features Panty Hog as salacious yet successful "practical marketing." An excerpt on the "huge money-making opportunities in SL" in the mature entertainment sector:
"[People] couldn't be more wrong when they think there's no RL/SL trade possible in SL. Do they get out much? With an interface that allows adults to find each other an mutually masturbate successfully, without danger, and at a ridiculously low cost? Hello?? There's the porn pictures, the porn movies, the links to external Internet porn, and RL meet-ups of all kinds..."
The best part of this article is the good/bad list of ways to market in SL. See the full article at: http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/200
Feb. 4th, 2007
01:24 pm - Req. Blogging #2
I found interesting data from the USC-Annenberg Digital Future Project on the Spare Change Blog (Nedra Kline Weinreich's blog on "social marketing" and activism, found at: http://www.social-marketing.com/blog/)
"64.9% of online community members who participate in social causes online say they are involved in causes that were new to them when they started participating in social networks, while 43.7 % of online community members say they engage more in social activism since they started participating in online communities." (For more on the Digital Future Project, check out their report at: http://www.digitalcenter.org/pages/news
I think this data is particularly interesting because it provides concrete proof that the virtual realm is a great way to expose people to non-profit and activism organizations.
Weinrich presents a list of ideas of ways to market effectively including relating to audience members, creating your own content in which to market, making it easy for people to pass along information about your organization, all of which are basic cornerstones of the Second Life world.
I decided to check out Camp Darfur in SL. Camp Darfur, along with Stop Genocide Now, are organizations that come and set up a traveling refugee camp at various locations across America. The goal is to simulate what it feels like to be displaced as result of the genocide occuring in the Sudan. They now have a virtual Camp Darfur, and information is available at: http://www.campdarfur.org/index.php?tit
Ethan Zuckerman called it "a poor rhetorical strategy to suggest that this Second Life space had relavance to the situation on the ground" (see this entry at: http://ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=545)
Janet Haven agrees with Zuckerman that there is much lacking from a SL Camp Darfur simulation:
"As people who are choosing to visit a virtual world, we have all the control; we can come to Camp Darfur, look around, and then leave. Then we can come back. Maybe there will be someone interesting there, or something interesting happening. Then we might stay, and explore. Or leave again. Or sit and think. It's our choice. And because that choice always exists for us, but rarely or never for the refugees whose experience we seek to understand, I think Camp Darfur and other projects like it miss the crucial element that they wish to convey (read the rest at: http://www.janethaven.com/2006/05/why_c
Rik Santos Panganiban analyzes the Camp Darfur controversy and compares it to Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. His conclusion is that perhaps virtual promotions of social causes should be more uplifting: "We should harness new media technologies to inspire people to light candles rather than curse the darkness" (see the article at: http://www.rikomatic.com/blog/2006/05/v
Perhaps another activism venture would have warranted less controversy, but I think that the saying "all press is good press" has relevance here; some noteriety gets the word out about a cause, and if the publicity is negative then perhaps critics can propose alternate ways of raising awareness.
Feb. 1st, 2007
02:35 pm - Chuck D!
I went to see Chuck D's reschedled lecture in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. entitled "Music Beyond Lyrics: There's More to Rap Than What Sells." He had an interesting message about black icons and how they've changed from being real heroes to corporate creations, and how even early celebrities were genuinely associate with movements. His example is that photos of W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington have been replaced with posters of Snoop Dogg in peoples' homes, and that "too many props are given to people who don't do nothing for society." Chuck D presented interesting rhetoric, but I was dissappointed with the quantity of his lecture that was just phrases that were euphonic yet empty. Examples would be "We can't begin to have a conversation about diversity until we consider ourselves citizens of the world" and "They [the corporations] treat the masses like 'them asses." Still, he professed an extreme appreciation for self-education and tried to impress upon the audience the importance of how Dr. King was not "no punk" and had the "hard-core courage to love."
Jan. 30th, 2007
07:19 pm - Req. Blogging #1
I'm personally interested in non-profits of various types and different angles they can use for promotions. I think that it's a useful venture for several reasons. First, on SL it takes almost no effort to check out an organization. For the lazy, teleporting, clicking, and scrolling trump locating a business in real life--what with all the driving and mapquesting, fitting in a visit during normal operating hours can seem a daunting task. Thus, having a locale in SL allows more noncommittal people to see what a charitable organization is all about. Second, the operating costs in SL are quite low. Though land and rent on land can be costly, the cost to create property is a fraction of the expense of renting a building and employing staff. I think that a presence in Second Life can be a great way to minimize use of financial resources for administrative costs, leaving more money available to serve others. A third reason for promotion of a non-profit in SL has been percolating in my head since reading (excerpted) chapters of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. The main character describes the narrowing of the human population in terms of who has access to the Metaverse--beginning with who has access to a computer, who owns one, who has appropriate capability to run virtual world programs, etc. He states the benefits of marketing in this world: "Put a sign or building on the Street and the hundred million richest, hippest, best-connected people on earth will see it every day of their lives." This realization seems to echo what's going on with Second Life. People with free time and enough money to at least have access to a computer tend to be those involved in virtual worlds, and they would be the target market for any organization, including non-profits.
My search for info on SL non-profits began at the official website, which though informative, I found disappointingly brief. Their FAQ can be found at: http://secondlife.com/businesseduca
Next, I found an article on Tech Soup called "Change the World by Working in a virtual One," a non-profit that tries to connect people in the non-profit sector with technology. It features interviews with staff on three not-for-profit organizations: Lower East Side Girls Club of New York, Global Kids, and Amoration. It's available at: http://www.techsoup.org/learningcen
A short list of organizations with a presence in SL:
Global Giving
Creative Commons
Friends of the Urban Forest
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Make-a-Wish Foundation
Tech Soup
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
The American Cancer Society puts on the Relay for Life in different locales across America, but this year also created a Second Life Relay for Life. Just like the relay allows people to financially and emotionally support the cause in their regular lives, they can also show that same support in their virtual lives. While I think it will be interesting to explore the replication of real life practices by non-profits in SL, I also think it would be valuable to examine what an organization can accomplish in a virtual world that doesn't correspond to actions in real life.