I've heard Michael Stephens' presentation on Library 2.0, including his extensive and enthusiastic comments about Second Life, so I was eager to explore that virtual world.
My work computer will not support a membership, so I confined myself to exploring numerous links on the site. I remember hearing that there was a flourishing economy of SL and found a whole raft of postings for Second Life jobs with detailed job descriptions and application requirements. None listed salary ranges. After finding a reference to Linden dollars on another SL link, I wonder if that's how staff are paid. I also discovered a column with the startling (to me) news that the Electric Sheep Company and Edelman PR, among others, were making a real (as well as a virtual) living on SL. The economic statistics page listed virtual land sales, resident transactions in Linden dollars, and also population statistics.
By contrast, I was surprised to note that a Victorian neighborhood in SL had a 19th century library and that the Land of Lincoln, a SL teen grid, is set in the 1850s and 1860s. Quite a mix of period nostalgia and current technology. I noticed that the Alliance Library System has done extensive work on SL, and found a long list of libraries that have some kind of a presence on SL. Because I could not join, I was unable to visit Info Island and learn about library services there.
What does it all mean? What is the organizing principle? Perhaps it is simply life with all its complexity adapting to a new dimension.
My experience with Puzzle Pirates was puzzling. I made an avatar, started an adventure, and found that I simply do not know how to fight with swords. Nor do I want to learn, so I will leave that to others.
The recent debate about reading, and especially whether the type of reading needed for gaming is different from that needed to read books is of great interest. I'll continue to follow that carefully.
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