5 posts from January 2008

What does it mean to plan an event in Second Life? Well frankly, it means a lot of work. In the last 3 years I've planned close to 200 events of various sizes and in a multitude of locations- everything from high-level conferences off-site to small roundtable discussions with individual speakers. However, virtual world event are a whole new beast – and here are some reasons why.

1.    Where will you host the event?

·        First you have to decide what you want the space to look like. Will you build something from scratch that is specific to each event? How many expected guests, where the numbers really could be tiny or enormous if the planning and press were targeted enough? Will there be video? Will it be sound? Skype or SL Voice, Text? Who will build this, what is the cost, where will you host it? If it is NOT a new space, will there be a memory in the space that you need to repurpose? What does re-using a space mean?

2.    Who will come to the event?

·         You have to go find the community, and then get notes sent to those communities, post on blogs, reach out to journalists (ok, this is similar to physical events) but you are much less likely to draw people with cues they find in their everyday life (they’d have to actually pass by and see it- but you don’t know where they will actually BE.) You really have to court people to get information out to their networks. And there is no alluring promise of food – which any good event planner will tell you - does help.

3.    Design how people get to the event.

·        In a real life event you plan where someone will walk in a door and every step from there to their exit. Not so in a virtual space, it’s harder to set up a process of movement , nor would I really want to control that flow in a virtual space (it’s all about discovery). But it does make it hard to guarantee a desired experience. Hard to greet all who come, etc.

4.    Anything that can go wrong; may go wrong.

·        This is general to event planning. And I usually l combat this by just OVER planning everything. But when was the last time you had to think about when someone was consistently falling through the floor?

5.    You have to teach many people (at least in the communities I try to engage) how to use the technology to help them have that positive experience.

·        When was the last time an event planner had to show individuals how to WALK around the space or how to turn their ears, eyes, and voice on? Never. You really have to watch for people who are lost and one-to-one buddy up with them to help them have a meaningful experience.

6.    Will you give hand-outs? Refreshements? Artists?

·        Ok, make them or get them on a stream.

7.    Content, content, content.

·        This is a usual issue and needs thoughtful consideration, but furthermore becomes another concern when you have to actually help bring thoughtful voices into the space and help them moderate the space just to get that content into the space.

8.    Making sure the physical technology to produce the event is prepared, tested, and then hold your breath that you stay on-line, have the needed bandwidth, and all participant computers cooperate.

·        Technology can be a barrier to a good physical event, but is rarely the deciding factor of success. I have yet to meet anyone who can control all technology issues. The best bet is to have a plan B, and C. Which means more work.

It all sounds simple enough, but it is a lot of coordinating, managing of different skill sets, and mind-bogglingly detail-oriented. And that’s from an event planner who lives in the details. Now- if you really want to start having fun, plan a physical event that coordinates with a virtual event.

It's all you can handle, baby!

So, I thought I was being so sneaky by putting my blog on Vox. I liked that I had a privacy option that allowed me to only share my blog with people I trust, however the nice little catch, at least as far as I can tell, is for that to happen - all my friends need to be Vox members. And that is NOT going to happen. So, I am forced to make my writing (cringe) public.

Six Apart is the host company that runs Vox (marketed as a personal blog), Typepad (for professionals), and Movable Type (for business). I liked the easy user interface and it really did only take me about 15 min to get this blog up. My husband was shocked when I returned after such a short time with "all my homework finished." That's usually not a typical work time for me... I also liked that it felt a little off the beaten path and the idea that I could participate in online communities without actually having to be public online. I think I'm just going to have to get over this issue.

So, fellow classmates, I'd love to know: Did any of you have privacy angst? Has anyone overcome this?

What is “the public good?” As one working on a grant exploring this exact issue in virtual worlds, I had high hopes for the Aspen Institute roundtable on, “Media, Creativity and the Public Good.”  As I understood the report, the “public good” is a vague definition for representative media that focuses on a moral code of conduct. Disappointingly, this report did not go deeper in to this important subject nor articulate any shared definitions for these terms.

To explore this topic religious leaders and media leaders were convened and although I would expect this group to blend about as well as oil and vinegar, they all seemed to agree that the direction of media, especially in the aftermath of the shootings at Virginia Tech, were not in the interest of the public good. Unfortunately, determining a corrective course of action was not determined nor was a better definition for the desired outcome stated. I believe that the first issue to changing the current state is not to lament where it is, but rather to articulate where it should be.

They “lamented […] the trivialization of the human experience” drive to cater to the “lowest common denominator”, “desensitization” and overall link between what is being modeled and values the community it is espousing (6,7,10). In past generations, art was supported by state and church entities with a level of assumed appropriateness. Today it is driven and sustained by market forces based on who will watch, purchase and support the art. Ultimately, consumers control what they watch and the Internet only exponentially expands those choices.

So rather than actually defining the topic of public good or creating a consensus for what they want, the group glazed that topic and then moved on to focus on various kinds of media including radio, TV and the Internet. They further explored WHO is responsible for media, from government, to broadcasters, to community leaders to parents and consumers.  And ultimately, ended recognizing that rights and responsibilities are intricately linked.

Online communities, are a great resource for a vast array of content, and I do not believe in stringent regulatory censorship, however there should also be “safe places” for children and adults who use the Internet without the sleaze that attendees at this conference were all likewise concerned about. Perhaps that could be a place to start. 

1) Why isn’t there a flat rate for cell phones? What makes them so expensive? I don’t understand why rates vary so greatly, why texting is an extra fee, or why rates can be upwards of $60 per month.

2) Why don’t all cities and major people hubs provide wi-fi? What does wi-fi actually stand for?

3) What does it actually mean to have a slow or fast connection?

4) How do I know if it is my computer or a poor connection that causes five minute loading times for relatively uncomplicated sites?

5) How do I protect my information and myself when I am online? For example, I’d love to keep all my finances on my computer, but I don’t because I’m not sure that I can protect that information.

6) What IS a server (besides a box) and how does it work?

7) When turning to the Internet for information, getting the RIGHT information is KEY! What are best processes to ensure that searches are accurate and helpful? Is there a group out there that helps people do better research once they have the internet?

8) Fear mongering has taught me to be afraid of identity theft, hackers, online predators, etc. What is the REAL threat and what can I do to protect myself without being limited by these factors?  And really, how important is protection software, anyway?

I did it. I joined the masses and started a blog today. After looking at Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, and Live Journal, I finally selected VOX. I think the easy interface, no need for my cc number, and opportunity to select who can read my posts, rather than live to the world were the features that won me over. In that order.

First a note on my blog, I’ve decided to take an INTRODUCTION course to online communities, which means that I’m not exactly sure I want to commit to a blog, or to being held accountable 30 years from now for what I write on this public/private space. Nor am I sure what I have to add to the subject of online communities.

So, I’m hoping to make this as non-identifiable as possible, at least as I work to find my voice in this space and understand discussions better. Perhaps it’s the Girl Scout in me working from the motto, “Leave no trace” a common phrase used for camping in wilderness where you want to leave a space just as you found it rather than strewn about with you waste. Or perhaps my desire to blog more anonymously stems deeper, from my desire not to fail – a trait that has always made me a horrible gamer. Or perhaps I’m just gathering my sea legs, and will find that I take to this like a fish to water and dive in deeper. Really, anything is possible – and I’m open to those possibilities.

Now that I’ve committed to try this, I’d like to post a few goals by which I will measure my success in this class.

1. I have a list of questions (that I’ll blog shortly) and by the end of this class, I’d like to have some of these questions answered. I may add questions as I go, but this is a jumping off point for all things online. I will answer AT least one question each week of the class.  I expect this list to grow as I go.
2. I commit to blog five times a week. The goal here is to make blogging a daily activity for a while as a way to immerse myself in the culture. I studied German for 9 months, but didn’t even START to understand the language until I lived in Austria for a while. And while I never became fluent, I did reach conversation level. I’m hoping to reach a conversational level in online communities. I will work to post this blog before I start my day to build this pattern into my weekly routine. I make no guarantees that any posts will actually be good, just that they will be there.
3. I will spend my morning commutes (don’t worry I take the train) reading other blogs and popular websites on technology. Part of fluency is literacy.