Betterverse: Nonprofits in the Virtual World

Dell, Adobe, the Well, and Get Satisfaction Talk about Online Community in Second Life this Wednesday February 1

 

This Wednesday, February 1, there will be a very special SF Online Community MeetUp featuring comunity managers from Dell, Adobe, Salon/ the Well, and Get Satisfaction, all in one place!  The real life gathering in San Francisco is full up, but you can still attend and participate in the simulcast virtual event in Second Life at the Nonprofit Commons.

 

Join Bill Johnston, Head of Global Community, Dell; Thor Muller, Chief Technology Officer, Get Satisfaction; Rachel Luxemburg, Group Manager, Community at Adobe; and Gail Ann Williams, Community Director at Salon / The Well to hear about their “secret sauce” tips to help build thriving and valuable online communities. The session will start with a panel discussion, followed by an invitation for participants in person and online to provide their own tips and anecdotes. Our goal is to leave themeetup with a long list of valuable ingredients to allow everyone to add to their own secret community sauce.  The meetup will be on February 1, beginning at 7pm PT and last about one hour.

If you are interested in how to build a vibrant online community around your brand or cause, this event is a must attend!

The SF Online Community MeetUp is the free monthly gathering of online community managers, enthusiasts, and innovators to meet and discuss tools and strategies for building and managing effective communities. 

Free Virtual Course in Spanish on Reporting on Disasters

On Saturday, February 11, Spanish-speaking journalists will be able to take a free course in Second Life on how to report on disaster situations.  Offered by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas and the Virtual Journalism Learning Center , the three-hour course will teach reporters the basic strategies and decision-making skills needed to cover a natural disaster or crisis situation (flood, earthquake, health pandemic, etc.). Argentinean journalist Sandra Crucianelli will be the main instructor.

I do wonder what the advantages of teaching in a virtual world environment versus a webinar format are for this kind of training.  Perhaps they will simulate a crisis situation like a flood and have the journalists have to decide what to do in real time?

Head to the VJLC website for more information on how to apply and participate.

Second Life Residents Discuss Implications of SOPA / PIPA on Virtual Worlds, Free Expression

Last Friday, January 20, at the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life, we had a great conversation about the proposed SOPA / PIPA legislation that would impose stiff penalties on websites and internet services that posted links to alleged copyrighted content. About 45 avatars crowded into the NPC amphitheater to share their views on bills before the US Congress, and the potential impact on the internet, free expression, and virtual worlds.

Thanks to the 45 avatars who came to participate!

Here's a summary of the some of the key points and links for further information and commentary.

SOPA/PIPA Discussion at the Nonprofit Commons this Friday, January 20

This Friday January 20, at 8:30am PT, I am hosting a special Nonprofit Commons meeting. We are inviting the our community and all residents of Second Life to join us to talk about the proposed SOPA / PIPA bills before the US Congress, and their larger implications for the internet, virtual worlds, nonprofits and education. Join us this Friday at the Plush Nonprofit Commons at this teleport link.

For those that still don't know, SOPA stands for "stop online piracy act" and is designed to go after websites and services that provide links to copyrighted material. Here are a couple of links to detailed descriptions of SOPA:

• CNN http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/technology/sopa_explained/index.htm
• NY Times http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/copyrights/index.html

And here's Hamlet Au's reporting on how SOPA might threaten Second Life and other virtual worlds:

 http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2012/01/eff-says-sopa-threatens-second-life.html

See you Friday morning at the NPC!

Nonprofit Commons

Take a horse-drawn carriage tour of Nonprofit Commons, an area that contains more than 150 nonprofit and social benefit organizations in Second Life.

Visit in Second Life

Betterverse is Dark to Protest Web Censorship

Today, Betterverse.org joins those striking against censorship. Join us in this historic moment: tell Congress to stop this bill now!

First Name: Email:
Address: Zip:
Write Congress Now!

Not In The US? Petition The State Department.

I am writing to you as a voter in your district. I urge you to oppose the Senate version of S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act. The PROTECT IP Act is dangerous, ineffective, and short-sighted. The House version -- just introduced by Rep. Goodlatte -- is far worse. Over coming days you'll be hearing from the many businesses, advocacy organizations, and ordinary Americans who oppose this legislation because of the myriad ways in which it will stifle free speech and innovation. We hope you'll take our concerns to heart and oppose this legislation.

Join The Strike! and add this to your site

Learn More: Watch the video · American Censorship page · View the Infographic
Read SOPA on OpenCongress · Read PIPA on OpenCongress

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Minecraft going dark on January 18 to Protest Web Censorship, Linden Lab is silent

 

From a tweet by Minecraft creator Notch, I learned that the website of the sandbox MMO game Minecraft will be going "dark" in solidarity with thousands of other sites on the internet closing their doors in protest of the PIPA / SOPA legislation before the US Congress. 

To be clear, the game Minecraft will still be playable for those that have already downloaded and activated it.  Just the web-version of the game and the website Minecraft.net will not be accessible. Still, that's a bold move for one of the hottest online games out there!

 No other MMOs or virtual worlds that I know of are planning similar actions, unfortunately, despite EFF confirming that these games and worlds are just as prone to censorship and punishment as "regular" websites. New World Notes asked Linden Lab, the makers of Second Life, if they would be issuing a statement or taking any kind of stand.  Their press person said that he "had not comment at this time."  How disappointing since Second Life could just as easily be put under scrutiny, penalized and even shut down, if even one of its millions of residents were to post links to some infringing content.

That's too bad.  It would be a powerful statement if the metaverse went dark, and if millions of players went to their representatives to tell them to oppose these bills.

Remember the Dream: Martin Luther King Jr Exhibit at African American Museum in Second Life

The newly opened African American Museum of Philadelphia in Second Life has just created a modest but informative exhibit about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr for MLK Day. It features some select images of Dr. King with quotes, plus several notecards with many more quotes from Dr. King on peace, social justice and faith. You can visit it by going to this teleport link.

If you are inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s words and would like to continue his dream, there are many ways to help the causes of peace, social justice and equality.Today is the MLK Day of Service in the United States. Head here for info on how you can be of service to your community today.

[Related posts: Doctoral students create civil rights era simulation in Second Life]

Join Global Kids' Youth-run Talk Show on Sustainability on January 13

Daria at Global Kids sents out an invitation to join a group of teen leaders in Second Life who are creating their own talk show in environmental sustainability issues on Friday January 13. "Let's Talk Sustainability" supports teens to develop expertise regarding sustainability, online broadcasting, and virtual world construction. Global Kids youth in New York City combined this expertise to produce talk shows that will feature interviews with STEM-related professionals, pre-produced videos, and audience activities. Each show is designed to introduce audiences to what they can do to live in a more sustainable world. 

The next and last two shows of this season: 

• 5pm ET Climate Change - What is the science of climate change?  Are there solutions to climate change that we can take action on now, or is it too late?

• 5:30pm ET Electronic Waste - What is e-waste and why is it the United States' biggest export?  What are the global consequences of e-waste, particularly for developing countries?

To be a part of the audience, head to the New Media Consortium Convention Center at this teleport link.  And before you go, fill out this form http://tinyurl.com/68ozchq.  

Celebrate the Reopening of the Virtual Museum of Architecture on January 22

From Rosalie Oldrich we learned that the Virtual Museum of Architecture will be re-opening on January 22 on the Rockcliffe University Consortium in Second Life. We've been impressed with the interesting architectural projects and contests that have been held on their space in the past, so we are happy to see that the VMA is going to continue programming into 2012!  

Celebratory activities will be happening all day from 11:30 am - 3:30 pm PT, including talks on sustainable architecture, living drumming and dancing on the plaza.

Here's the full schedule for the day, as of print time:

• 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Reopening ceremonies and discussion on sustainable architecture in antebellum mansions.  Participants in the talk are Delia Lake and Ethan Westland.  This event will be held in Rockcliffe classroom B. 
• 12:30-1:30 Live performance by SL's great drumming ensemble "DRUM!". Concert held in museum plaza.  
• 1:30-3:30 DJ Etoile will spin tunes and take requests on the museum plaza. 

Head to this teleport link to participate in all the festivities or just to check out VMA's new digs. 

American Library Association's Second Life Island Is Closed

Member Specialist for the American Library Association Kay Tairov sent out this short, sad message to the ALA group in Second Life about the closure of the ALA Island:

I wanted to let you know that ALA Island will be closing come the new year. ALA will still maintain a presence in SL, just on a smaller scale. Please send me an IM if you have questions. Thank you, Kay Tairov

Libraries, librarians and library associations have historically been some of the most active nonprofit groups in Second Life, establishing an entire archipelago of library-related islands during their heyday.  The American Library Association is one of the most prestigious and well-known library associations, and so their island closing is a major loss to the virtual world.  

See their blog for some history and background on ALA's activities in Second Life.  We'll approach them for a comment on why they decided to close the island after all these years.