Thanks to those of you who attended the Team3/Gator Quest event in the Swamp on Thursday. The virtual Gods were smiling on us and all the technology came together for the presentation so the folks in the real world were able to see the virtual world, and the virtual audience was in fact able to see both the SL presentation and the live webstream from Weimer Hall. Along the way, we learned a few things I thought might be worth sharing right away.
Regarding audio and video, in order to see and hear multi-media effectively, you should load the newest version of SL AND the newest version of QuickTime. THEN, spend a few moments learning how to use the new navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. You can turn on/off the music, turn on/off the multi-media, and adjust ambient sounds, etc. with the volume controls. If, for example, as was the case on Thursday, the audio/visual came from the streaming media. SO, the master volume should be turned up, music and ambient sounds turned off, and the media button turned on. And viola! Sound and video in real time. We got quite a few IMs with people having difficulty initially, but I believe, in the end, everyone was able to see and hear effectively. Hope this is helpful in some way.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Who's Joining Me?
So reading through my blogs this morning I was pleasantly surprised that I had quite a few virtual worlds articles.
My favorite (and the one that the title of the post refers to) is Nickelodeon is developing a Spongebob Squarepants Virtual World.
Also interesting is that Paramount is using There.com (another virtual world... Anyone have experience with this one?) to by allowing avatars to place mini clips over their heads.
What really gets me about the Paramount article is how amazing viral marketing has become online. I'm not an advertising or marketing major and really know little about it, but holy cow this business is booming especially with websites like those created for the new Batman movie.
My favorite (and the one that the title of the post refers to) is Nickelodeon is developing a Spongebob Squarepants Virtual World.
Also interesting is that Paramount is using There.com (another virtual world... Anyone have experience with this one?) to by allowing avatars to place mini clips over their heads.
What really gets me about the Paramount article is how amazing viral marketing has become online. I'm not an advertising or marketing major and really know little about it, but holy cow this business is booming especially with websites like those created for the new Batman movie.
Just a reminder... Dean John Wright in the Swamp this afternoon
Hello fellow avatars,
Just a reminder that the Team 3 Gator Quest presentation by College of Journalism and Communications Dean John Wright is THIS afternoon. I have sent invitations to everyone to join our group so you may enter our parcel. I will also send a notecard reminder (if you haven't already recieved it) with a few details. In case you DON'T get it...
First, please go to the Welcome Center area in the SE corner of the Swamp. There you will be able to pick up and wear the HUD. Gaelle will be there to answer any questions you may have. Please arrive no later than 4:45 so we're ready to start by 5:00.
Second, please make sure you set the World Sun to noon... you'll get a much better view.
Third, if you have any trouble hearing, once the Dean has begun, you may need to move closer to front/center. Make sure you've turned down your ambient sounds, turn off your music, and turn ON the streaming video. You'll need it to hear and see the screens.
Finally, we will have a few questions that Brandog will be asking in IM prior to the Dean's comments that you will need to answer in the HUD. He will provide instructions. Once the Dean begins, we ask that you use the HUD to measure your response to his comments and the content. These will only be seen by you so will not be distracting on the screen. We ask that you save discussion in IM (or voice) for the post-speech discussion upstairs afterward. The Dean will only speak for 15-20 minutes, then you can head up to the teleports back up at the Welcome Center where Unknownhero2 Darwin will guide you to the Skybox.
Thanks to those of you who can join us! See you in the Swamp this afternoon.
Donna D, on behalf of Team 3
Just a reminder that the Team 3 Gator Quest presentation by College of Journalism and Communications Dean John Wright is THIS afternoon. I have sent invitations to everyone to join our group so you may enter our parcel. I will also send a notecard reminder (if you haven't already recieved it) with a few details. In case you DON'T get it...
First, please go to the Welcome Center area in the SE corner of the Swamp. There you will be able to pick up and wear the HUD. Gaelle will be there to answer any questions you may have. Please arrive no later than 4:45 so we're ready to start by 5:00.
Second, please make sure you set the World Sun to noon... you'll get a much better view.
Third, if you have any trouble hearing, once the Dean has begun, you may need to move closer to front/center. Make sure you've turned down your ambient sounds, turn off your music, and turn ON the streaming video. You'll need it to hear and see the screens.
Finally, we will have a few questions that Brandog will be asking in IM prior to the Dean's comments that you will need to answer in the HUD. He will provide instructions. Once the Dean begins, we ask that you use the HUD to measure your response to his comments and the content. These will only be seen by you so will not be distracting on the screen. We ask that you save discussion in IM (or voice) for the post-speech discussion upstairs afterward. The Dean will only speak for 15-20 minutes, then you can head up to the teleports back up at the Welcome Center where Unknownhero2 Darwin will guide you to the Skybox.
Thanks to those of you who can join us! See you in the Swamp this afternoon.
Donna D, on behalf of Team 3
Team 3 Event TOMORROW (April 3rd)
Please join us on our SL Gator Quest to better understand engagement and interactivity in Second Life as we host Dr. John Wright, Dean of the College of Journalism and Communications in the Swamp Amphitheatre, Thursday, April 3, at 5:00 PM (2:00 PM SLT). As the new dean, Dr. Wright will be presenting his vision of the future of new media and digital technologies in the College. Dr. Wright will be giving this presentation in RL as part of his "State of the College" address at the spring meeting of the Public Relations Advisory Council in Weimer Hall while we simulcast it to a SL audience at the amphitheatre. His presentation will be in voice, so please make sure you have your voice activated. We've also learned that it's best to sit closer to the stage for best sound quality.
You will also have the opportunity to participate in our study of engagement and interactivity through your active response to the HUDs that we ask that you attach at the event. Only YOU will see the HUD and your responses are completely confidential (no ID attached at all). Complete HUD directions are at the Welcome Center sign announcing the event. If you could plan on getting there at at 4:45, to make sure you have the HUD attached, find a seat, and we'll have a brief discussion/Q&A prior to the dean's comments. His presentation will be brief... approximately 15-20 minutes. We also invite you to join us for a chat in our "Sky Box Amphitheatre" after the presentation for feedback and a general discussion of your interactive experiences in SL. You can get upstairs by using the teleports at the amphitheatre Welcome Center. While your HUD data is confidential, public chat at the entire event will be logged and used for our final analysis.
Finally, if you have friends that you believe would have an interest in joining us on Thursday, please have them provide me their avatar's name via email (dzdavis@ufl.edu)so I can offer them permission to enter our parcel for the event.
Hope to see you in the Swamp on Thursday!
You will also have the opportunity to participate in our study of engagement and interactivity through your active response to the HUDs that we ask that you attach at the event. Only YOU will see the HUD and your responses are completely confidential (no ID attached at all). Complete HUD directions are at the Welcome Center sign announcing the event. If you could plan on getting there at at 4:45, to make sure you have the HUD attached, find a seat, and we'll have a brief discussion/Q&A prior to the dean's comments. His presentation will be brief... approximately 15-20 minutes. We also invite you to join us for a chat in our "Sky Box Amphitheatre" after the presentation for feedback and a general discussion of your interactive experiences in SL. You can get upstairs by using the teleports at the amphitheatre Welcome Center. While your HUD data is confidential, public chat at the entire event will be logged and used for our final analysis.
Finally, if you have friends that you believe would have an interest in joining us on Thursday, please have them provide me their avatar's name via email (dzdavis@ufl.edu)so I can offer them permission to enter our parcel for the event.
Hope to see you in the Swamp on Thursday!
Random Thoughts
Warning: This is more of a rambling of thoughts that I've had, and yes some things relate to SL, others not so much..
So, I sit here, on my computer with the understanding that we have about a month left this semester. And I thought about how when I first came into this class how excited I was. How I wanted to be in here, 1) Because people I knew just raved about SL and I had yet to be given an excuse to download it 2) I have had various expierences with virtual worlds, and was very interested in what made this one different. I came in to this class, not only wanting to widen my horizons, meet people from various degree backgrounds, but also have the ability to express myself.
And unfortunately I found myself in a very difficult place. Now understand, I still classify myself as being a young individual. And I think most would agree. I look around the room, and most of the people I sit with are not freshman in college. Even though people here are considered my peers, I do not feel like I am their peer intellectually. And many times this has stopped me from commenting in the class during discussion, and many times from posting or commenting on the blog as well.
And I regret that. I regret not taking the opportunity to step up and converse with those around me.
After such thoughts, I actually began to think about my interaction within SL. In terms of interacting with those that I might see in class, well, it seems as if I tried to avoid such things. As to other places in SL, I find it easy to start up a conversation with random people I meet, and I seem to have no problem with leading a conversation. And in real life, in any circumstance but our classroom, I seem to have no problems doing either of these things!
It just seems as for sharing, talking, and communicating within the class and on the blog, well I think feeling meek and shy may be an understatement.
And maybe all this has something to do with not really knowing as much as those around me. Or at least me feeling as if I don't know as much. Or maybe that sometimes I think that I really don't have much to say that would add value to the conversation.
I check the blog on a regular basis, and I think well, it would be nice just to post, post about thoughts, random as they be, some dealing with SL, others about news in technology and the world.
Hmmm. Well. I think that is enough rambling for now.
Hopefully later I'll get to post my machinama!!
So, I sit here, on my computer with the understanding that we have about a month left this semester. And I thought about how when I first came into this class how excited I was. How I wanted to be in here, 1) Because people I knew just raved about SL and I had yet to be given an excuse to download it 2) I have had various expierences with virtual worlds, and was very interested in what made this one different. I came in to this class, not only wanting to widen my horizons, meet people from various degree backgrounds, but also have the ability to express myself.
And unfortunately I found myself in a very difficult place. Now understand, I still classify myself as being a young individual. And I think most would agree. I look around the room, and most of the people I sit with are not freshman in college. Even though people here are considered my peers, I do not feel like I am their peer intellectually. And many times this has stopped me from commenting in the class during discussion, and many times from posting or commenting on the blog as well.
And I regret that. I regret not taking the opportunity to step up and converse with those around me.
After such thoughts, I actually began to think about my interaction within SL. In terms of interacting with those that I might see in class, well, it seems as if I tried to avoid such things. As to other places in SL, I find it easy to start up a conversation with random people I meet, and I seem to have no problem with leading a conversation. And in real life, in any circumstance but our classroom, I seem to have no problems doing either of these things!
It just seems as for sharing, talking, and communicating within the class and on the blog, well I think feeling meek and shy may be an understatement.
And maybe all this has something to do with not really knowing as much as those around me. Or at least me feeling as if I don't know as much. Or maybe that sometimes I think that I really don't have much to say that would add value to the conversation.
I check the blog on a regular basis, and I think well, it would be nice just to post, post about thoughts, random as they be, some dealing with SL, others about news in technology and the world.
Hmmm. Well. I think that is enough rambling for now.
Hopefully later I'll get to post my machinama!!
Speaker this week
Here's the bio on the speaker this week. She will be speaking about issues of law in Second Life:
Ida M. Jones is currently a Professor in the Craig School of Business at CSU Fresno. In 2006, Professor Jones received the Provost's Technology in Education Award, awarded by the Provost at
In 2004, Professor Jones successfully completed the coursework for the Certificate in Online Learning from UCLA. That program is an intensive program designed to prepare instructors for the rigors of teaching online. Ida serves as a campus Teaching, Learning and Technology Fellow. In addition, in her role as Digital Campus Fellow to the University from the Craig School of Business Ida provides assistance to faculty in the university and the school who want to deliver online courses. Professor Jones was the first recipient of the Verna Mae Brooks and Wayne D. Brooks Professorship in Business Law from 1996-1999. In addition to research, Professor Jones presents seminars to local businesses on a variety of employment law and ethics related topics.
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