Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?

CLASS SUMMARY:

The class discussion looked in more detail at what is meant by ‘content’ and talked about the various types of content that can be created online, from building objects in SL to writing posts for blogs etc. This led on naturally to considering the merit and value of content. Determining the value of other people’s content requires an understanding of their reputation. In traditional publishing the high cost of production has resulted in an industry that is controlled by the commercial publishing houses or the press. Academics are published following peer review. These mechanisms regulate the output and give consumers a signal regarding the quality and value of the output.

The online environment has all but eliminated the cost of production allowing anyone to publish to  a blog, or create any other content they can imagine, without any of the ‘gatekeepers’ of the analogue world filtering the wheat from the chaff. Therefore we have to find other methods for rating the calibre of what it available.

When offering our own content we should be aware of these issues so that we can present ourselves in the most appropriate manner to our relevant audiences. Developing our personal brand requires establishing a reputation for reliability and consistency to start with. Many of the online tools available to support content distribution also include statistical analysis of how our content is accessed which is useful for seeing how others might value our content.

We moved the class to the Dublin Amphitheatre for the second half of the class simply to vary the environment. This is one of the possible venues for the final presentation of the group project. However, it is entirely up to the class to decide on the most appropriate venue, which may be anywhere in SL that suits you and can be agreed by all. There was some discussion about how the groups are functioning and we decided to review that in the next class.

ASSESSMENT:

Tae reminded the class that he and Locks were conducting the first assessment of the module. Some students have not yet submitted links to their blogs or their twitter contact details. You need to do both immediately or you risk failing the assessment. Participants were advised to re-read the posts for each class and ensure they have completed all items listed under ‘activities for next week’, particularly ensuring you have written all the posts required.

ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT CLASS:

1. In your groups prepare a brief summary of progress on your project work.
2. Write a post to your blog describing your experience of working in your group so far. Be honest about what is not working in addition to what is working and consider how you would like to be better.