I haven't posted in quite a while, which is probably because of how frustrated I've gotten with our new platform, Second Life. I agree with everyone else who says that it's tough to adjust, because it is- people are a tad bit meaner in Second Life. For example, the first time I was exploring, I did not realize that my mic was on, and the administrator of a group I was exploring wrote a message to me saying something along the lines of "If you're not going to talk, turn your mic off. You're an adult so act like it." I know that isn't too rude but it definitely caught me off guard. Needless to say, I laid off of the exploring for a few days.
On a more positive note, the VWBPE conference is going on right now, and I attended my first session today (NonProfit Commons). Although I couldn't stay for the duration of the panel due to connectivity issues, I was still able to stay long enough to get the gist of what was going on. It was pretty cool to see people get together and to hear the panelist's story of how she became involved in Second Life!
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! My initial experience in S/L has mirrors yours a lot. While people were not so rude, they were not overly friendly. The one exception was the conference--people were very helpful there.
I enjoyed my experiences very much. The few sessions I attended were informative and prompted me to think about many issues that would not have been on my radar. For example, the occurrence of technology issues in virtual environments and the importance of teachers/instructors among other things to make sure to dress properly and be certain that their avatars have on undergarments--particularly those teaching children. In addition to teaching and learning, there are so many different things to consider, I found it very interesting.
I also experienced technical difficulties in other sessions and kept getting booted out and kicked off S/L. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa, I posted about a spot in SL where people were so nice and helpful, and I am learning so much. It's called Caledonia and there are really cool things to help newbies. I attended a trivia night on Tuesday. The sim also has a steampunk theme, which is neat. I am going tomorrow night, if you're interested.
ReplyDelete