Virtual Lab 2: Task 4

Virtual Lab 2: Task 4

Second Life. What once seemed impossible is very usable today. Usable for entertainment, networking, and education. Second life is a virtual world used over the Internet that anyone can use because it's free. You can create a person, change their appearance, buy land and clothes and other items using the Second Life Linden Dollar. Second Life went online publicly in 2003 and has been increasing in popularity since then. Last month, accounts registered totalled over 13 million. Some participants view it as a game, though it's without point totals, levels or losers. In Second Life, and its many capabilities, all participants are winners.

While exploring this virtual world, you can walk, run, fly, and, basically, teleport anywhere in Second Life. It's also easy to communicate using the many options available to the user. You can text based chat with your keyboard or you can voice chat using a headset and microphone. Email is also available within Second Life. You can even eavesdrop on others’ conversations by simply walking up next to users who are talking. Finally, you can invite others to be friends and keep in close contact with them.

Educational institutions have taken steps to use Second Life. Montana State, Harvard, Ball State, Bradley University, Cal State and UCLA, just to name a few, have either talked about or have used Second Life in their classes or have immediate plans to use it for educational purposes. Some campuses already have full virtual replicas of their current campuses on Second Life for their students. This is very informational for students or student prospects to find their way on larger campuses.

From a technical standpoint, Second Life is used over the Internet. While running the program, most users need to limit the amount of applications they have open at the same time. By doing this, Second Life runs more smoothly. The program itself takes up over ten times as much memory as Microsoft Word. The best part about Second Life is the ability to explore. While tutorials are very helpful, the best way to figure out this is to simply browse.

When comparing the characteristics of Second Life to an alternate Web 2.0 Technology like Facebook, it is obvious how much richer a medium Second Life is. As was previously stated, Second Life gives individuals the opportunity to communicate. Through Facebook, people communicate on a leaner level due to the delay time between messages sent. On Second Life a user is given the opportunity to communicate instantly via voice or text chat. That being said, Second Life has more capabilities than Facebook to handle emotional messages. Facebook has given many people the chance to display themselves in the way they choose to be represented. For example, people may exemplify themselves to be conservative, driven, and sharp when in reality they may be far from it. Second Life is somewhat similar to Facebook in this characteristic because it allows users to not only portray themselves as they choose, but allow them to create an entirely new identity!

Second Life allows individuals to communicate virtually, almost physically. As previously stated, one has the ability to fly, walk, run and interact with others in Second Life. Facebook has limited interaction ability in this aspect as it does not allow immediate response.

When comparing these two mediums, both Second Life and Facebook are computer-based. Facebook has few glitches and is able to be downloaded onto any computer. Second Life states it is not compatible with computers unless minimum system requirements are met.

Although Facebook is a small part of the Internet, it has its advantages and disadvantages which are both similar to and different from those in virtual worlds. Both virtual worlds and Facebook are attractive because they are interactive, free, fun, and easy to use and navigate. Virtual world applications like Second Life can attract businesses by portraying the way your business is viewed by the public and can be used as an educational tool. Both Facebook and virtual worlds allow users to interact with other through sharing pictures, posting notes (IM, wall posts or videos, etc), or using the technology as a networking device.

Disadvantages of virtual worlds and Facebook are that they can be time consuming and distracting. You also have to be careful of Internet privacy issue. Although Second Life does a better job of keeping your identity hidden through the use of a fake name, you still have to be careful not to give away too much personal information about yourself. Posting a Facebook picture, writing a note on someones public wall, or making a comment on someone else’s wall could hurt you. Even if the information or picture is later deleted, it still exists in a backlog file. Many employers are now conducting background checks that include Facebook before deciding to hire or even interview a job candidate.


http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~mpepper/slbib
http://terrya.edublogs.org/2006/07/17/an-educator-discovers-his-secondlife/