Betterverse: Nonprofits in the Virtual World

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. 

2012 Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds Conference Set for May 16-18

Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds Overview from Eric Hackathorn on Vimeo.

Paulette Robinson sends out details about the 2012 Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds Conference, the annual gathering of the consortium, which is designed to "explore multi-agency and intra- agency collaboration using the robust capabilities of virtual worlds, examining best practices across multiple sectors."  They always have an impressive mix of government agencies, technology providers, and academics studying the field at this event.

The 2012 FCVW conference will be held on May 16 (workshops) and May 17-18 (main conference program) at the National Defense University in Washington DC. You can participate in person for a fee or online for free.  Head to the official website for details on the conference starting in mid-January.

Nonprofit Commons 4th Anniversary Celebration Wrapup

On September 16, 2011, the Nonprofit Commons, the longest running and largest community of nonprofits in the virtual world, celebrated its fourth anniversary with a series of events.  We received nearly 300 visitors to the archipelago, who enjoyed musical performances, a fashion show, exhibit booths created by our members, and socializing with our members and friends.

A highlight of the festivities was the kick-off gathering from 8:30am to 10am PDT at the Plush Nonprofit Commons archipelago.  Here are some highlights of the presentations during that time.

Video, Slides and Links from My Keynote "We Built this City" at SLCC 2011 [UPDATED]

As promised here are the links, teleport SLURLs, slides and (grainy) video of my keynote presentation at the 2011 Second Life Community Convention last Saturday, August 13.  Thanks , everyone, for all of your interest in my talk and in the projects mentioned.  And of course thanks especially to the amazing organizers, builders, and educators responsible for these remarkable projects below.

[UPDATE 8/22/11: SLCC has just uploaded a better quality version of the video here. My talk starts at the 4:50 mark]

Daniel Ben-Horin on TechSoup, Online Community, and Virtual Worlds (video)

 

My colleague Michael Delong (SL name: Bulaklak) has just posted to the Nonprofit Commons blog a nice summary of the talk that TechSoup founder and co-CEO Daniel Ben-Horin gave last month at the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life.  The awesome summary video above was produced by my colleague Evonne (SL: In Kenzo), who pulled out a lot of key points Daniel made in his conversation with Susan Tenby.

It was an honor to produce this event, after having received requests from several people in the community for Daniel to come into the virtual space to talk about TechSoup.  I think it was enormously successful, with more than 40 representatives of different nonprofit groups present, actively participating in a conversation with Daniel and Susan. 

I've been reflecting on some of what Daniel spoke about and how that relates to what we have been trying to achieve in the Nonprofit Commons.

Second Life Community Convention is in Two Weeks! Come in Person or in Avatar!

Just a little reminder that the 2011 Second Life Community Convention is only two weeks away, from August 12-14.  The real life portion takes place in Oakland, California at the Oakland Marriot City Centre.  But even if you can not make it to Oakland, you attend virtually in Second Life or via uStream.

I will be keynoting the opening session on Saturday, August 13, first thing in the morning. So that's good motivation to get there early.

More importantly, later that afternoon, Rod Humble, CEO of Linden Lab will be keynoting on "The Future Of Second Life." That sounds pretty important! 

Check out the full schedule on the official website.  They have added a cool web tool that allows you to create your own personalized schedule, whether you are attending in person or online.

Second Life Community Convention Heads to Oakland August 12-14

We received word about the dates and venue of the 2011 Second Life Community Convention, which is just around the corner!  This year, SLCC will be taking place from August 12-14 at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, California.  According to the organizers, "The Second Life Community Convention is three days of exciting activities, events, musical performances, machinima screenings, panels, workshops, and much more that showcases the abundant creativity of Second Life Residents."

For those that haven't been, the idea of a real world conference of virtual world residents does sound rather odd. But the times I have gone have been really rich and fun experiences.  Read on for all the ways you can participate as a sponsor, organizer, or volunteer.

Since this is in my backyard, I do plan on attending and covering the event.

More info after the jump...

Collaborate on a 3D Map of Japan in Second Life

In Yan, a professor in Tokyo, has rezzed this impressive 3D map of Japan from Tokyo to Hachinohe, which covers the earthquake, tunami and nuclear plant stricken areas.  From what I can make out from his message, In Yan is hoping that this space can not only be used to share information but also help people unite regardless of borders. Here's what In Yan shared:

I believe that 3D Virtual Space has more relative information for each incidence, then people can share feeling of crisis Also I think we can share idea and feeling through Virtual Space more easily in all over the world. Now is time to think about borderless nation (Virtual World) and I would like to share with it. So I would like to corroborate with any idea to visualize peoples thought and mind toward this crisis.

My idea are:

1. Open to public and any one can put any object up to 10 or so.
2. Some creation for future vision of Japan
3. Put Yutube movie of Tunami with it location
4. Set link objects to any information web site related with the crisis.

This is a great example of what virtual worlds can provide that is qualitatively different from other forms of social media: a collaboration space that can be inhabited in real time by various people from around the world, sharing information, other media, and most importantly emotional support and empathy.  An online game, Facebook group, or a Twitter stream just can not compare to the immersive experience of being in an embodied, 3D space.

Head to this teleport link to check out what In Yan has built.  If you would like to participate, drop a notecard on SL avatar "In Yan."

Are 3D Conference Tables the Best that Virtual Worlds Can Provide?

The April 11 edition of the New York Times has an article on "3D Avatars Could Put You in Two Places at Once."  It's basically a puff piece for the new book Infinite Reality by Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson on how the brain interacts with virtual environments.

Blascovich and Bailenson posit that we are within a few years of having meetings take place in virtual worlds versus in real space, particularly with the introduction of such consumer-grade technologies as the Microsoft Kinect and 3D without glasses, and advanced computing like IBM's "Watson."

I agree that we are getting very close to a time when virtual worlds can become a commonplace part of our experience as humans, in the same way that other communications and media have in the Information Age.  But I cringe at their depiction of these spaces as merely simulations of a bland physical reality.

Free Office Space Available for Social Benefit Orgs on Nonprofit Commons Archipelago

As part of my duties as Community Manager at the Nonprofit Commons, I have the fun responsibility of bringing in new nonprofits into our virtual world space.  While we are always welcome to have visitors -- which we have hundreds of each week -- we really want groups to explore the full spectrum of what virtual worlds can do for them.

One of the easiest ways to do that is to set up a virtual office space in-world.  The Nonprofit Commons is fortunate enough to have four sims in our archipelago, within which we offer free office space for qualifying nonprofit / social benefit organizations. Check out our directory of the 145 groups that call the Nonprofit Commons their virtual home.

If you are affiliated with an organization interested in receiving free virtual space to develop your digital presence, head to our website to learn about the whole process.  It's easy to get started, and we have several mentors and volunteers who can get you off on the right foot. 

While we welcome groups from a variety of sectors and causes, we have immediate openings in our Health and Eco Commons sims. So if you are a group that is concerned with health, wellness, disability, the environment, sustainable development and other related areas, you are especially invited to apply.  Others of course can register for a space, which we will provide on a first-come-first-serve basis.

If you have questions, please see our website, email nonprofitcommons@ techsoup.org or IM Rik Riel for details.  We look forward to hearing from you!