Here is the link to mine and Kate's video about the Lewis Alumni Centre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5eugv9Q_eA
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Second Life Assignment
For this assignment I visited the Second Life environment and found myself on the John Edwards campaign space. Edwards has a beachfront property which creates a very mellow, "let's have a good time" vibe. All around the sand Edwards has campaign signs stuck in the sand, and there are many picture displays as well. When I visited this space there was one other person looking around, but there wasn't anyone specifically from the campaign there to greet me. I found this environment pretty low-key, and I thought the pictures were a nice touch. They worked to showcase Edwards as a loving husband and father; more than a politician. Running along side the picture displays were little information boxes that you could click on to learn more about Edwards, his campaign, his wife's battle with cancer, just about anything really. In the center of the space was an area where visitors could receive free Edwards stuff such as lawn signs, bumper stickers, things like that. There is also a message board where people can leave messages about the campaign and their thoughts and suggestions for Edwards. Here is the snapshot I took of the area: https://mysite.wsu.edu/personal/cplucker/Shared%20Documents/revised%20snapshot.JPG
I think that Second Life can have some major benefits; especially when dealing with political campaigns. For instance, this type of program really lets users interact with the material, and allows them the illusion that they're "really" there. It is also another facet that politicians can use to get their message out; perhaps reaching people that they wouldn't reach otherwise. If I were conducting this campaign in Second Life I think I would consider having a "live" person there at all times to greet visitors. When I was visiting the site at first I was all by myself, and it felt kind of lonely! I think that since this is a political space, and because Edwards is trying to gather voters, there should be some "one-on-one contact with a Second Life individual on the beachfront property. The program itself is already pretty advanced which makes it pretty exciting, but I think there should be someone present at the "headquarters."
Of course, I think a program like Second Life runs the risk of simply being all show and no substance. It is set up to resemble a video game, and I think that most of the information being presented within Second Life is a lot like the information presented all over the Internet, it's just being viewed in a different format. I don't think that this should be a primary source for corporations and politicians to use for their media campaigns because I think more people can be reached by the more conventional means of communication (i.e. press releases, VNR's, events). I think that Second Life is an interesting and provocative way of presenting information, but it can also be a turn off for individuals who don't subscribe to this sort of program.
I think that Second Life can have some major benefits; especially when dealing with political campaigns. For instance, this type of program really lets users interact with the material, and allows them the illusion that they're "really" there. It is also another facet that politicians can use to get their message out; perhaps reaching people that they wouldn't reach otherwise. If I were conducting this campaign in Second Life I think I would consider having a "live" person there at all times to greet visitors. When I was visiting the site at first I was all by myself, and it felt kind of lonely! I think that since this is a political space, and because Edwards is trying to gather voters, there should be some "one-on-one contact with a Second Life individual on the beachfront property. The program itself is already pretty advanced which makes it pretty exciting, but I think there should be someone present at the "headquarters."
Of course, I think a program like Second Life runs the risk of simply being all show and no substance. It is set up to resemble a video game, and I think that most of the information being presented within Second Life is a lot like the information presented all over the Internet, it's just being viewed in a different format. I don't think that this should be a primary source for corporations and politicians to use for their media campaigns because I think more people can be reached by the more conventional means of communication (i.e. press releases, VNR's, events). I think that Second Life is an interesting and provocative way of presenting information, but it can also be a turn off for individuals who don't subscribe to this sort of program.
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