Buffy, you bring the knowledge of an experienced SL individual who uses it to the fullest on behalf of non-profits world wide.

I couldn’t help reflect on both RL and SL over the Thanksgiving holidays when I found myself with access to no tv or internet (and where the use of cell phone would be considered rude in front of others). It’s not that I don’t enjoy conversation or reading or nature, it’s just that I was reminded how these other communication vehicles can also add to everyday learning and enjoyment. Guess it’s all in how you approach each experience.

There are many conferences with real discussion on global issues such as climate and world politics happening all the time. I’ve ‘attended’ the UN Conference on Global Climate held in Bali and Second Life concurrently and plan to attend again this year, attended a week long conference on “Creativity in Second Life” sponsored by New Media Consortium (a collection of over 200 universities and colleges http://www.nmc.org), and the recent one on women’s issues where I met Christy are but a few.

The difference is, while one can email, chat, blog or find information on the web, there is a definite feeling of having a ‘presence’ while talking or typing to another avatar. This is a topic of many discussion papers on the ‘why’, although would not have believed it had I not tried it for myself.

There are over 200 virtual worlds in existance, many of which are aimed at children, There, Webkinzs and Barbie to name a few. With Linden Labs, creators of Second Life releasing their code, called “OpenSim” business such as Microsoft and IBM are rushing to create secure virtual reality (VR) worlds for businesses. The talk on the street is VR is going to explode in the next two years and I believe it.

Many asked why have a web site only a few years ago, and imagine a business trying to survive without one now. The same will be for virtual worlds.

I’m happy to give a tour of Bridges virtual office, or help your org get involved with the Nonprofit Commons to try it out for yourselves. Christy just IM me anytime

Take care and live with passion.

Buffy

Maybe this is just one more example of women multi-tasking. They can do serious work while still having some fun!

I thought that anyone using Second Life needed to get one until I read the same article Christy mentions from Gartner that virtual reality will be the social media tool of choice for a lot of people within 5 years, found out about the Nonprofit Commons (NPC) managed by TechSoup to provide free virtual office space for non-profits, and I tried it for myself. I get it now.

A user picks from a list of last names so real names are not typically possible. However, each week at the NPC where I meet with other nonprofits from all over the world, we say our real name, and where in the world we are located.

In 15 months the NPC has tripled in size, soon to grow to nearly 100 nonprofits. We are connecting in a way I would have not thought possible, and yes we discuss important topics. I say connected because that is how it feels to me now. I meet each week with like-minded people and despite the cartoonish feel and crazy looking avatars, we are real people sharing ideas, learning from each other, and collaborating on joint projects. I know the same is happening on the educational side as well. This would not be possible in real life given our geographical locations.

This is an opportunity to not only test-drive emergening technology, but the growing collection of educational and non-profit sectors are making it a tool for real-time use. One example is the American Cancer Society raised over $100,000 US last year in Second Life.

For Bridges, we have been able to spread an awareness of our program to a vast audience we likely would not have reached and we are collaborating on a international project for homeless with 4 others from the NPC, and continue to meet other women-focused organizations we would not have met otherwise for potential joint-effort projects.

Hope this helps give some of the reasons, I know it’s not for everyone but I do believe this will be the future and it can only help to understand what the next generation will be using.

For more about the Nonprofit Commons: http://www.nonprofitcommons.org

Buffy Bye (Buffy Beale in Second Life)