An example of Public Relations in Second Life: MacArthur Foundation's briefing on digital learning

The MacArthur Foundation - one of the largest private philanthropic foundations in the US (and a client of Text 100) - just announced plans to build the field of digital learning. More information on this important initiative moving forward can be found on MacArthur's new blog.

The program was launched yesterday at a press event with panel discussion in New York and simulcast in Second Life (SL). With many universities already holding classes in SL, the virtual world was certainly an appropriate venue to announce an initiative on digital learning. The SL audience watched the event in the amphitheatre on the campus of the New Media Consortium (NMC). Larry Pixel, the avatar of NMC's CEO Larry Johnson, facilitated this part. The audience in SL could ask questions to the panel in New York and hear the answers on the live streaming video. At the same time, the audience in SL was displayed on a large screen behind the panel in New York.

Text 100 coordinated the outreach to the Second Life community and blogs. With 65 avatars participating the house was full. A little anecdote might illustrate how peer-to-peer dynamics on these new platforms can unfold: Beth Kanter was invited to live blog the event in New York. Since she is based in Boston, she decided to live blog from Second Life instead! There she met with education experts from across the world who not only watched the event in New York, but also engaged in lively chats between each other.

The last picture is to honor our very own Smiddy Smails - aka as Aaron Uhrmacher in the real world - who managed the SL part of this project.

Georg Kolb

Technorati tags: MacArthur Foundation, Second Life, Text 100, PR

Comments

[Beth]

Thanks for documenting the public relations side of the event. I particularly liked this photo of Danah Boyd the live blogger at the real life event and me looking at her while live blogging in Second Life. Somehow it is so geekily recursive that perhaps I could even hear digital dignitary status on your side bar!
http://flickr.com/photos/nmc-campus/274032610/

[Georg Kolb]

Nice shot indeed, Beth, and I have just added the phrase "geekily recursive" to the vocabulary of digital dignitaries :-).
Georg

[Mike Dory]

Fantastic to see how far you folks have come with this -- pioneers you are!

[Georg Kolb]

Thanks, Mike, you are part of it! The world should know that you composed our Machinima music. People listen to it about 100 times a day on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=synxFmQJ_0A