Adventures in Second Life

1. What is your avatar's name?

My avatar's name is LaLaLoo Frequency.

2. What difficulties did you have setting up your Second Life account?

Setting up the the Second Life account was actually very easy. Much like setting up
this blog, it was not nearly as difficult as I imagined it would be. However, after
setting up the account things quickly became confusing. My avatar took a very long
time to take form- a was a walking ball of smoke for over an hour. Also, the fact
that several people were all setting up avatars  It was very, very confusing to me.
Visually, it was overwhelming. I don't enjoy computers or any sort of video games,
so the 3-D image of the virtual word took some getting used to.

Did you try to personalize your avatar?

I did not. I was just so uninterested in the notion of Second Life that
personalizing my avatar was something I didn't even want to bother with.

3. What good is this technology? What could it be useful for?

I honestly can really imagine this technology being useful. Web 2.0 already has so many other applications (chat, facebook, skype) that
allow people to interact in a way that is much more efficient. Second Life is passe because it involves a level of interaction that is precisely why people
are drawn to the Internet; it allows you instantaneous gratification. Second Life seems like a whole lot of wonder around your fictional second self, not
really doing anything or engaging at all.

4. Did you notice the opportunities for social interaction? (alternately, are you
afraid that you'll be talking to the void?)

I did notice the opportunities for social interaction. Your avatar can talk and gesture with other avatars. However, there are much easier forms
of doing this already in existence, like gchat. It doesn't really make sense to me to have a Second Life self talk to another Second Life avatar
when one can easily get on msm and talk to friends or people anonymously with much more ease and anonymity.

5. What are the drawbacks of this technology? Why doesn't everybody have an avatar?

I think I've stated above the reasons: too interactive, an inefficient form of communication.

6. Given your current experience, do you think that you will use this technology
after the class is over?

Absolutely, not. I find my FIRST life much more intriguing.

FINALLY. Joining My Generation Thanks to my Class Computer Mediated Communications

1. Which service are you using?

Of the three options our class was offered I chose to use Blogger.

Why?

From the three services we were allowed to use (Blogger, Cicada, and WordPress) Blogger seemed like the best option for me, because it appears to be a happy medium between Cicada and Wordpress. Cicada seemed dry and over simplified. Wordpress seemed too complex and overwhelming for a computer novice, like myself. Blogger arose as a the happy compromise between the two; it offered some creative licence but not the extent that I felt lost without guidance.

2. How hard was it to set up a blog?

Setting up the blog was easy as pie. My 98 year old Nana could probably set up a blog.

If you had difficulties, what were they?

The difficulties that seemed to arise where when I attempted to make my blog attractive and enticing (ie: adding pictures, and changing my personal settings and profile) each blog seems to have its own language. For example, to return to the main menu on Blogger one clicks on the "Dashboard" icon. It takes awhile to figure out and comprehend these terms. Much like facebook that uses terms such as 'tag' and 'like' to represent different actions on the site these terms don't make much sense beyond the context of the website.

3. Did you notice the opportunities for social interaction? (alternately, are you afraid that you'll be talking to the void?)

I do see the opportunities for social interaction, for example specifically with the "followers" option on Blogger. However, I just can't imagine anyone following me, so I do fear I'll be talking to the void.

4. Given your current experience, do you think that you will use this technology after the class is over?

Probably not. I find it somewhat intimidating that so much information about myself is not available for others to see. My age, where I go to school... I had a lot of personal qualms about how much information I should put in my blog. The irony is that I feel in order to make a blog more interesting and attractive to outside viewers is to make it an intimate experience. The blogs I am most attracted to (for example, my favorite blog is one be music artist Lily Allen) are no holds bar views into someone's personal thoughts. That just isn't for me.

Also, I feel as if I would be able to manage my time well enough to keep up with posting information.