Continuing with the SL theme of this conference (can you tell that Linden Labs is a sponsor?), I went to a research panel on Second Life. The first was actually from Philips, consulting on behalf of companies trying to engage SL. They talked about the intersection of the virtual world and corporate culture as a form of digital neuroses. Characteristics of a virtual world are playfulness, creativity (designing), interaction, freedom to explore, role playing, joy and fun. These don't always mesh well with corporate goals, but this is no different than when a company from one culture (say the US) tries to market in another that is very different (say China). Interesting.
With the comments about creativity, I am reminded of why I initially began working on the Web. It was a form of creative expression, before which I never felt like I had any artistic talent. But, I could do Web Design and I was exciting about the process of making these spaces. Maybe this is what I will like about SL?
There were a couple of presentations about library applications, one that discussed holding six sessions of a class in SL. What do you think about that?
The final presentation that I saw (there was another but I had to leave to get some coffee and then a good seat for Henry Jenkins) was by Aleks Krotoski (pictured above) from the UK. She discussed network analysis is SL, and the role of opinion leaders. This brings up some good points for my next phase of research into the diffusion of social networks.
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