Politico and virtual world explorer Max Burns contacted me the tell that he has launched a new blog "Pixels and Policy" that will examine how real world politics and policy is impacted by virtual worlds like Second Life. Sounds like concerns very near and dear to my heart.
Max comes out the gate very strong with a detailed examination of the virtual protests in solidarity with the reform movement in Iran, and what this might foretell for future civic actions and the government response. A version of this post will be published in Georgetown University's Foreign Policy in Focus.
I'll be curious to see how Max deals with skeptics like Prokofy Neva and Ethan Zuckerman, who in the past have criticized these virtual protests as pale imitations of the real thing that don't further any serious political change or movement building.
That said, Pixels and Policy looks like a site to keep an eye on if you are interested in how virtual spaces can be leveraged for political change. I'm adding it to my RSS feed right now.
