Organizing in Second Life and Other Virtual Environments
Within five years, some say 3D internet will be as important as the web is today. Virtual environments are a viable and effective platform for community building. How can virtual worlds connect rural, urban, red state and blue state activists to the greater progressive community? Virtual worlds like Second Life provide opportunities for interactive and not-possible-in-real-life displays and offer an enhanced sense of presence for social networking and expansion of progressive alliances.
Hypatia Eames has a MS and EdS in Educational Technology and is currently writing her dissertation. Her interest in Second Life stems from learning 3d animation for medical visualization in 2001, and her later research into 3d virtual environments for education and training. Whille exploring SL as a means of building learning communities, she found a home in the Cafe Wellstone community of political progressives through connections with various Kossacks. She serves as Vice President of Netroots Nation in Second Life.
Chris has an MA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina and and an International Finance MBA from the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of International Business. He has worked in the finance sector for 15 years. He is also backup host for Virtually Speaking, an internet radio show featuring thought leaders active in the progressive community (including Mike Lux, Juan Cole and more). Chris writes on economics, personal finance and a wide range of other topics at DailyKos. He will be reporting on the credit issues facing consumers and small business owners.
I write political and social satire at the blog, Jesus' General, and run one of the largest groups for progressives, Cafe Wellstone, in Second Life.
Kelly has a BA in Biology from the Univ. of Rochester and a PhD in Immunology from Tufts University. She discovered DailyKos in 2004 while working in biotech and blogs both there and at StreetProphets. She is Operations Director for Netroots Nation in SL and a member of Cafe Wellstone. Her primary interest in all worlds is community-building.
Cotton is the founder of a group in Second Life called Peace Train. In 2008, Peace Train organized and ran PeaceFest 08, a multi-day festival for peace featuring over 100 live events, including interviews with peace-builders around the world. Peace Train is a global, interfaith, cross-cultural effort to create lasting peace through mobilizing dialogue, support and learning with real life peace organizations.
Last year’s event was a big success, and compelled us to establish the Peace Train Charitable Trust, a 501(c)3 public charity (http://slpeactrain.org). This year’s PeaceFest 09 is happening July 31-Aug 2.
