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The Association of Virtual Worlds has published The Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds. This free, downloadable book provides a guide, with links, to over 250 virtual worlds along with a glossary. Included are virtual environments for every age group ranging from Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow, Creebies, and Frenzoo, to one of my faves - Neopets, Planet Cazmo, and Scions of Fate. Coming soon: The Green Book: A Business Guide to Virtual Worlds.
“The greatest benefit of our Second Life campus has been as a marketing tool, really extending our brand out into a whole different channel,” he says. “Along with creating the campus, we also created a corresponding machinima video on YouTube that has had thousands of hits. That has done wonders in terms of throwing attention not just on our Second Life campus but on Ohio University as well.”
I’m all for empowering women to learn about technology, so when Women’s Voices for Change asked me to contribute a piece about educational opportunities in Second Life, I was more than happy to write this article about Learning in a Virtual World. If you’re interested in Second Life learning, you may want to check it out.
Second Life is a massive virtual world with many opportunities for learning and entertainment. Over 60 colleges and universities have a virtual presence there, and are joined by more than 500 librarians. If you are just starting out in this MMOG (massively multiplayer online game), this guide should get you up and running. Follow the SLURLs (Second Life URLs) by clicking or pasting them into your browser’s address bar and then clicking the “teleport now” button on the page to go to that location, (note: you will need to have established a SL account first & have the program installed).
Library Sites in Second Life
These sites are the 12 islands of the Alliance Library System which make up the Info Archipelago:
This land of perpetual sunset offers a waterfall in Hyacinth Valley, beautiful gardens, and secluded hidaways which make it a favorite destination for wedding receptions.
I will be speaking today at the ACRL/NY Symposium about Social Software in Academic Libraries. My presentation is here on Slideshare.net. Thank you to all of the college and university libraries who gave me great quotes about their social software initiatives to use in my prez. Also, here is a quick guide to all of the websites I refer to in my presentation:
The MediaShift blog has compiled a resource guide to virtual worlds including a glossary, background and history, a section discussing Second Life, a summary of how media companies are using virtual worlds, and a list of resources. Worth a look if you’re a fan of these online environments.
A recent study by the Yankee Group has indicated that there has been a significant lack of growth in virtual worlds such as Second Life which may be due to their non-mobile nature. According to this study, Second Lifers only average 12 minutes per month in-world, while sites like Facebook entertain visitors for 186 minutes per month.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic will give a live concert in Second Life on Friday September 14 at 7:30 pm. According to their website, the RLPO will be the first professional orchestra in the world to give a performance in SL. The orchestra’s Principal Conductor Vasily Petrenko will condcut Ravel’s Sheherazade and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. Following the show, orchestra members will take questions at the virtual Grand Foyer Bar. There are a limited number of seats, so those interested are asked to register.
The School of Dentistry and Health Sciences Libraries at the University of Michigan have partnered to create a video which features opportunities for Science learning and research within Second Life. This instructive three minute film spotlights such destinations as Genome Island, ISTE Island, ARC Research Center, and the New Media Consortium’s Research Park.
Watch the video to learn where you can find real-time weather data displayed on a 3D map, interact with cholesterol molecules, enter a giant cell and interact with it, conduct genetic experiments, take part in clinical simulations, and participate in a real-time conference with other learners.
Read about their experiences making the video in their blog post here.
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