Continuing on with our discussion (Part 1 can be found here), we discuss brand identity in virtual worlds, get deep into a discussion of virtual world PhD research and talk about governmental cluelessness. Lowell: One of the more controversial aspects of business in virtual worlds is brand identity. For regular virtual world users, the overt imposition of brand awareness … [Read more...] about Interview – Lee Hopkins, Business Communicator and PhD Student (Part 2)
education
Distance education close-up
Learning together apart: Distance education in a virtual world - Kim Holmburg and Isto Huvila Holmburg and Huvila's study, as related in the article link above, focuses on distributed learning opportunities for distance education students, 'distributed learning' meaning that multiple tools are used. Background information Some of the tools compared in the study were … [Read more...] about Distance education close-up
AVWW 2008 – registrations open
The Australasian Virtual Worlds Workshop and (AVWW) is back again in 2008 and it's looking like a fascinating two-day program. It's being held at Swinburne University in Melbourne on the 28th and 29th November. Keynote presenters include the New Media Consortium's Larry Johnson, SLCN's Keren Flavell, Linden Lab's Chris Collins and VastPark CEO Bruce Joy. We're proud to be a … [Read more...] about AVWW 2008 – registrations open
The Magic Circle – is not so helpful, actually.
"One of the more fascinating issues that bubble to the surface from time to time are real world legal consequences for things that happen in the virtual world." Tech Law Prof Blog "However this wasn’t a theft that happened on a street corner or schoolyard. This was a theft in a virtual world and the goods don’t even exist outside of this virtual world they were a part of." … [Read more...] about The Magic Circle – is not so helpful, actually.
Taking our biases with us into virtual environments.
People are using the same cognitive tools in their social interactions within virtual environments as they would in the physical world. A recent study has confirmed this happens even though our avatars do not necessarily represent a clear picture of the people behind those avatars, with regards to gender, race, and all those other things that we have biases against. The … [Read more...] about Taking our biases with us into virtual environments.