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(SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Monday, April 6
10 a.m. - OPENING PRESENTATION – Linden Lab chairman/founder Philip Rosedale
11 a.m. - THE IMMERSIVE INTERNET WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU WORK – Erica Driver, ThinkBalm
In this innovative and interactive session, industry analyst and consultant Erica Driver of ThinkBalm demonstrates how the Immersive Internet -- virtual worlds and campuses, immersive learning simulations, and 3D business applications -- will change the way you work. She shares real-world examples, focusing on use cases like meetings and conferences, learning and training, and business activity simulation. She then takes you in-world to show you first-hand what's so new and different about 3D. In-world, she tells the story of a February, 2009 ThinkBalm Innovation Community brainstorming session about the impact of the Immersive Internet on journalism and reporting.
Noon - LUNCH BREAK
1-2:30 p.m. - 3D ROUNDTABLE ON VIRTUAL WORLD MEDIA – All guest speakers/presenters, including:
- Philip Rosedale, Linden Lab
- Lila King, CNN
- Bernhard Drax (a.k.a. “Draxtor Despres”)
- Erica Driver, ThinkBalm
- Lane Merrifield, Executive Vice President, Disney Online Studios
Executive Vice President, Disney Online Studios Lane Merrifield and Second Life founder Philip Rosedale will be accessible to share their vision on the relevance and transformative nature of virtual environments on mainstream journalism. ThinkBalm’s Erica Driver will provide industry trend context to the discussion, while Lila King, a senior producer from CNN.com, will share the highs and lows of their virtual world reporting experiences. Bernhard Drax, a prominent virtual world blogger/reporter, will share his thoughts on the future of reporting in and around the metaverse from a blogger’s perspective. This event will be moderated by prominent virtual journalist Wagner James Au.
Among the topics to be discussed at this session:
- How “real” are these 3D spaces – and why should journalists care?
- What are the “best practices” in virtual journalism?
- Privacy issues in 3D reporting
- Is this just a niche? How can these stories appeal to a broader audience?
- Ethical challenges in virtual spaces
- Case studies of both successes and failures in pioneer virtual journalism efforts
- Future roles and responsibilities of reporters in virtual worlds
- Citizen vs. traditional journalism in 3D spaces
2:30-3 p.m. - INTERACTIVE SCREENING: "The Inaugural Broadcast of the American University in Cairo's Virtual Newsroom: Eight Egyptian Political Bloggers and an American Digital Diplomat Talk Transition of Power" – Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts, Dancing Ink Productions
A special screening and interactive Q&A with the makers of a virtual journalism video report, designed and produced by Dancing Ink Productions for The American University in Cairo with funding from USAID. This production took place in the virtual world of Second Life and was broadcast to a live global Internet audience. The live audience communicated in real-time chat with event participants and moderators in Second Life.
This broadcast-quality machinima documentary, which was produced in collaboration with Ill Clan Animation Studios, features a moderated discussion about the transfer of power between US president administrations between Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James K. Glassman (also a well-known journalist) and eight Egyptian political bloggers who covered the US election. The documentary depicts the event itself, as well as the reaction of Glassman, the bloggers and project director Lawrence Pintak, a veteran war correspondent and author who runs the American University in Cairo's Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research.
3 p.m. - CHILDREN AND VIRTUAL WORLDS – Lane Merrifield, Club Penguin co-founder
Voice of the Penguin
The function of the fifth estate in a child’s virtual world
Can virtual journalism bring together children from different countries and cultures and give them a global voice? Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin, one of the largest and fastest-growing virtual worlds for children, examines how innovative applications of traditional methods of mass communication in the online community of Club Penguin are offering children around the globe new opportunities to express themselves and learn about their world.
4 p.m. - HOW TO BECOME A VIRTUAL WORLD REPORTER (And Do Real World News) – Wagner James Au
A hands-on workshop on journalism based in Second Life. What's news and why, how to find it, and how to report on it.
5:30 p.m. - SPECIAL EVENT: A Virtual Q&A with Veteran Journalists Helen Thomas & Bob Schieffer
Former White House Bureau Chief Helen Thomas and CBS News´ Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer will appear in Second Life for an interactive Q&A session, held simultaneously on both the real and virtual campuses of Washington State University.
Avatars created by Second Life designer Haver Cole.
ALL DAY - INTERACTIVE ART EXHIBIT by WSU Graduate Student Heather Losey McGeachy
In addition to the day of panels and presentations, we invite participants to explore a hybrid real world/virtual world art exhibition from Heather Losey McGeachy. Information on the artist can be found at Heather Losey McGeachy. You can visit her online gallery in Second Life here SLurl: Location-Based Linking in Second Life.