tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post9057765669668462739..comments2022-11-11T04:13:56.292-08:00Comments on In a Strange Land: More On Second Life's Image ProblemsIggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-16695811963020807512010-07-07T16:43:43.706-07:002010-07-07T16:43:43.706-07:00It's really surprising that SL has so little r...It's really surprising that SL has so little resonance among the young, and so much among older people who might have been expected to be less comfortable with technology and social innovation. It puzzles me that SL is said to be difficult to learn, yet the equal or greater difficulty of WoW or games like Dragon Age is not felt to be a problem. In short: yes, the Lindens have some work to do.Wolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00232553962808209828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-2216252793592696292009-12-01T23:24:29.131-08:002009-12-01T23:24:29.131-08:00Repairing that image will be difficult if not almo...Repairing that image will be difficult if not almost impossible since when there is media coverage of SL we all know how it will look like. <br /><br />The investment for such an image campaign will be quite large in my eyes and judging from what I read lately it seems more to me that LL is on a sell out tour to make as much money with SL as possible as long as they are the only alternative in their segment.Tenchi Morigihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02750808391441927605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-58792369213986129192009-12-01T12:39:54.798-08:002009-12-01T12:39:54.798-08:00Oddly, I am quite OK with the situation you descri...Oddly, I am quite OK with the situation you describe, viz the use of SL for educational purposes and the rest of creation for getting a life. If and when avatars in SL or elsewhere acquire a degree of normalcy, your students will be well-placed. In the meantime I am sure it's something they will always remember, even if they choose for it not to endure.Peter Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17811527782413146351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-86901789172561126162009-12-01T11:50:50.428-08:002009-12-01T11:50:50.428-08:00Overall, the students' experiences have been p...Overall, the students' experiences have been positive. And the class is positive that they won't be back when the semester ends because SL is hard to master and has a bad image, if it has any image at all among 18-22 year olds.<br /><br />I'll write soon about how students found that traveling with a few friends made SL a lot more fun for them. Yet that has not been enough to retain them in the past 2 years. Of 100 students who I've taught, 2 still log on.<br /><br />Can you say, "recipe for insignificance?"<br /><br />I don't see you as an apologist, but I maintain that SL has a terrible image problem. I did not "go fishing" for critiques by students.<br /><br />And whatever I say critical of Linden Lab, I never talk down SL or virtual worlds--they can provide amazing opportunities for immersive learning, and that is an issue quite separate from SL's public image.Iggy Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-41847782322274876912009-11-30T22:24:35.514-08:002009-11-30T22:24:35.514-08:00It's inevitable that people fear and ridicule ...It's inevitable that people fear and ridicule the unknown. Some will have vested interests, inadequate kit or be too lazy and use negative perceptions as an excuse. Having teachers relentlessly talk down SL isn't helpful though. In my view there's a danger that the whole concept of virtual worlds suffers collateral damage as a consequence. Moreover, people will use it as an excuse to reinvent virtual worlds with fewer affordances than SL ("hey, fantastic, no avatars in my VW!!" Yup, I've seen this already). It's great that your students had a largely positive experience but you seem anxious not to portray it as such. Please don't portray me as a LL apologist -- every chance I'll be on ReactionGrid this time next year. A VW evangelist, certainly.Peter Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17811527782413146351noreply@blogger.com