World First: Stanford Uni hold conference in my house
I am blogging from the Metaverse U Conference at Stanford University in California.. listening to some of the great minds pushing the virtual world boundary.. and the coolest thing about it: I am sitting at home.
The whole conference is streamed into Second Life; so I am sitting ‘virtually’ with people from Africa to Canada watching a video screen. And there is lots of conversation! People openly commenting through text as the lecturer speaks. The provision has also been made to ask questions of the speakers, which is I definite two thumbs up.
This format has huge potential and should be seriously considered by ministries where travel is an issue.
Advantages: costs are minimal, the time commitment is reduced (no flights etc..), I can chat with those attending whilst it is happening, and if it is not worth attending I can leave the lecture freely!
Disadvantages: Only one major disadvantage I can see is that I am not interacting with people face to face, so reduced potential networking opportunities.
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Filed under Virtual Reality, Web 2.0 | |
One Response to “World First: Stanford Uni hold conference in my house”
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Interesting experience, that’s for sure. The difference with attending a meeting in a virtual environment like this is that you are together and not together with the other visitors. Compared to being in the visible world it’s easier to get in touch with the others. As mentioned in this posting, it’s possible to chat with the others, something that won’t happen this way in the physical world. Also it’s quiet easy and common to get in touch with individuals.
I hear the same kind of experiences from the people who attend church services in Second Life. In general people don’t see church related activities as a subsitute for church in real life but more as an addition. A good way to experience faith, together with others, people from all over the world. The social aspect is valuable. Despite the fact that people aren’t really together, they do feel that way.