(Jeff, Paul, and Steve)The social structure in Second Life is similar to that of the real world. You will find people who are helpful and enjoy communicating while also running across people who are not so helpful. There is a higher level of self expression that in part is provided by the anonymity of not using your real name and being able to create an avatar of your choosing.
Our meeting in Second Life took place on the Dell Island. We picked the placed based on the facts it was easy to find (search: Dell) and not populated. The chat experience was basically the same as our weekly Wiggio chats but with a graphical background. The interface in not as intuitive or simple to navigate as Wiggio's.
Second Life can provide a classroom settings for student and instructors from around the world to meet. These classroom are only limited by the imagination of the teachers. If you are taking a chemistry class, it could be held in a virtual lab allowing for experiments without costly materials or potential hazards. The sense of a community is heightened by Second Life's social networking tools which allow for a comfortable setting to exchange ideas.
There is still much that needs to be improved in Second Life. The interface is not intuitive and at times can be cumbersome. The script language to create objects takes some serious time to master. New tools are need to augment the creation process. Technology needs to catch-up with Second Life and virtual worlds in general. Unfortunately there are high technical requirements. As technology continues to evolve and become smaller and faster Second Life will be able to run smoothly on newer smaller devices. Hopefully we will soon see smaller and faster graphic chips with faster wireless connections.
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