Meeting+Spaces

**Virtual Meeting Spaces Evaluation**

 * Project leader:** Geoff Cain aka "Dante Arbusto"


 * Notes:** I have set up a few buildings and seating arrangements on the island in order to experiment with virtual meeting spaces. None of them are intended to be permanent. I would like us to hold a series of meetings on the island in these different locations and start to get a feel for what we tend to prefer: rooms, large halls, open air, stadium seating? We have been thinking about this quite a bit at Tacoma Community College because we have been looking at the redesign of the Learning Center.

Kayeri: I like the idea of using all of the capabilities of 2nd life environments to produce spaces. (no gravity, underwater, no weather, night and day transferability) Building spaces that look just like what we have in this realm seems unimaginative to me.

Geoff: I agree with that. That was one of the things that I decided early on was that, in my opinion, simulation and modeling were the best uses of virtual spaces and that the best spaces for meetings in a virtual world is "open air" and yet, closed spaces persist as a model. I don't think anyone is really studying why this is. There are a lot of assumptions and guesses. There is safety in the familiar for new people, a contained space may be an easier place for people to focus, etc.

Carol (NSCC): Geoff, you mentioned during the SL classtime on Thursday the act of a speaker holding a staff or conch shell. This is common way to establish the focus that you mention a need for (above). I would favor this type of symbol / ritual over a building. I encourage exploring new ways of doing and being in this space. I, however, am exploring with great caution as I work quite diligently to remain present in my earth plane reality. I need very little encouragement to wander off to other realms.