A Conversation with Second Life Entertainer Wythcwhipser Sadofsky

I opened a fresh word document and began to organize my thoughts for an opening to this piece. In previous articles, and suppose it’s been pretty much the expected standard, I would write an introductory paragraph and then follow it with a short bio along with a short description of how my interview subject and I met. It was at the Actors Sandbox by the way, when Wytchwhisper Sadofsky had been introduced to me by mutual friend Suzy Yue. As I stared at the screen, I thought how best to characterize this multi-faceted Second Life entertainer. Several words did come to mind and after a little bit of pondering I settled on vivacious, as she is certainly one of the liveliest and spirited residents of Second Life I’d met. As I worked my way toward a biographical sketch, I recalled that she’d sent me a notecard recently that contained a bio statement and I searched my inventory. When I found it, I clicked to open it and waited for it to load. It did and when I read the first line of the opening paragraph I laughed.

“Hello! You have entered the mind of wytchwhisper sadofsky, similar to the twilight zone but much more fun!” I grinned at the screen and thought, yup that’d be just about right and will work just fine.

For this interview we met on the stage of “The Weekly Look”, where she had served as co-host. The show had recently ended its run, but the set extant is still available. She was attired in a black mini-dress and her fiery long red hair certainly catches your attention. She took a seat on one of the chairs and I on the other. The pair of wings she wore, either fae or butterfly, I’m really bad on assessing the type of wings that are worn in Second Life, were spread open and provided a good backdrop to her comfortable seated avatar. They complet her outfit, I thought. After an exchange of pleasantries we began to chat.

"How was it that you found your way into Second Life?" I asked her.

 "How did I find my way into Second Life?" She asked in reply. Her question had been prefaced with laughter. "Well ... Goodness, do you want the detailed version or the short version."

 "Feel free to go into as much detail as you want." I replied.

"Okay, it's kind of weird actually. I was and this is going to sound odd, but I discovered the secret in the love attraction, which talks about what you send out, comes back to you. Anyway, so I just looked at that and in the secrets video, they talk about how when you're going along your path, how certain things just pop up as signposts as to where you're supposed to be going sort of thing. Like the universe puts stuff out to you ... shows you stuff and so I was doing designs for Sims 2 and wanted to bring it here …  and I was looking and I had a website for that and I was  spreading that in that community sort of thing when I stumbled across this program about SL. It was a gaming program because I've always been into gaming and I wanted to get involved the gaming production side of gaming.  Anyway so I ended up watching that and Second Life was mentioned in there.  I remembered when I had heard about Second Life in a magazine years ago. At that time I thought I should check it out and I hadn't thought of it in years until the program and so it was like wow I needed to go there so I came in second life thinking that I would create 3-D content that I would be able to market myself and all that good stuff and then I kind of got a little distracted as I fell in love and ...  just got distracted"

"Falling in love can be distracting" I commented with a grin.

"Yeah." She said and laughed.

"Was it a Second Life or real-life romance?" I asked her.

"Well I don't really don’t distinguish between the two … my avatar is an extension of me. If you met me in real life for coffee I would treat you the exact same way as I do in Second Life because it's just a communication platform … so I'm like myself." She replied.

"Minus the wings of course." I commented.

"I'm kind of grateful for that because it would be really hard to shop if I had wings in real life … and change rooms would be a nightmare." She replied and then added; "But yeah, I came across the first Second Life live musician I heard … it was HatHead Rickenbacker and I totally just fell in love with live music right there. My friend Stormy was really into live music as well so I would go with her to gigs all the time in SL getting involved in live music scene."

"The live music scene is certainly is a big part of the Second Life experience." I commented.

"Ironically my friend Stormy was also a Machinimatographer. She and HatHead put on the International Machinima Awards the first year and I was involved in that. I volunteered and was helping out. That was my first involvement with the Machinima community. I just met people from there and it kind of burst out into a big network." She said and then after a pause added; "I was actually not very good at paying attention to new stuff back then. I didn't wear shoes … it took me six months to wear shoes. I hated the majority of shoes I saw, so I thought screw it all and go barefoot. It's not like this can hurt my feet or nothing.”

"You started performing almost immediately when you came in to Second Life?" I asked her.

"No actually that was a long journey, because most of my life I only sang in private. I sang in the choir in school, but my ex told me I couldn't sing and I believed him. So I didn't for a long time and I would only do it when I was alone or if I went out for girls night out or something … we'd do the karaoke sort of thing." She said in reply.

"So when you started performing in Second Life it was a little easier because you were behind the keyboard … the avatar was there but you weren't?" I asked.

“Well that didn't bug me much. It was when I went to the Montréal Jam … the SL Montréal Jam in 2009 that I actually was encouraged to sing. Maximillion Kleene and Zerbie Magic … it was actually Zerbie Magic that got me to go on stage with her and JellyJellyJelly Benelli and I sang there … live in front of everybody. That was my first SL singing experience and I after that I came back to SL and I was going to start singing but I ran into a few problems. I had a friend that didn’t want me to because I would be competition.  I had equipment problems and I couldn't find the equipment that would be compatible with my current system.  I just kept running into road block  after road block after road block … plus there was like this fear because even though those few people that encouraged me …  there was like 13 years of my ex saying that I couldn't.  All those challenges I had overcome to start singing in SL. I finally officially started singing in April of 2011. I had sung before … one or two times … sadly at people's memorials with really bad equipment that wasn't working properly, but that's when I officially started." She replied.

"I spent some time listening to your singing, thank you for the video links by the way. You have a wonderful voice." I commented.

"Thank you. I came for the jam this year so I was at the Montréal Jam. I drove cross-country. It's weird because I had feelings like I said there was one of those pinnacle moments that told me I should go this way and in July I had this pinnacle feeling that I needed to go across Canada. So I just put my stuff in storage in Alberta and I packed my car with my basic requirements … what I needed to perform and everything else and I drove across Canada …. I followed my heart and now I'm still in Eastern Canada.  I thought … this can work but I'm still seeing what the universe is doing because in November the universe sent me a new sign and then this really cataclysmic thing happened in my life … it changed … now I'm am still uncertain what's in store for me but I'm just kind of riding a wave sort of thing." She said.

"Are you still in Montréal?" I asked

"No, outside of Ottawa actually … it's not too far away." She said.

"Circling back to the 3-D design that you’d come into Second Life for, were you thinking that you would do it for business purposes?" I asked her.

"Yes exactly I came in for business and I was thinking I'm going to go in because I had with my Sims 2 website ... I had over 6000 members and I was thinking I could do probably equivalent in the SL place and that as a bonus that I might actually be paid in Linden's by selling my stuff. Then life kind of took weird turns … even like doing ‘The Weekly Look’, that was a completely unexpected thing … it kind of fell on me and my involvement with TMU is kind of an interesting story as well." She replied.

"Tell me how you became involved with that?” I asked.

"Petlove Petshop was doing some work for this production that she was involved in and she was showing me all her actors and stuff when she accidentally TP'ed this person in. I thought it was one of her alts. So I started critiquing him … I was like he's not bad looking and he's kind of tall … commenting on his appearance and everything else. And then Pet's like … that's Chris and he's a person. So it was like oops! Then after that we got talking and Chris he was doing a show called ‘The Weekly Look’ and he needed a cohost. At first he was as going to have me on as a guest but because we were cracking jokes and our humor was so compatible he asked me if I would like to cohost … and I was like yeah sure that would be fun. Because you know I've done voice acting in the past that and we both had a fine arts background, so we have a lot in common. They're talking about another show possibly in the future. I'll be talking to Jake about tomorrow.” She said.

"So, ‘The Weekly Look’ is off the air?" I asked.

"The look is officially over. Chris and I got so busy that we didn't feel we could give it the attention that it deserved anymore. He definitely had to leave it because he got too busy and I since he had created it I didn't feel right about carrying on without him." She said.

"Circling back … would you still like to pursue your 3D design work or is it something that is off in the future?"

"Of course … well I mean my creativeness kind of flows and everything. It's just that I haven't had time to do as much of my 3D design as I used to. I'm still doing voice acting … after doing shows … voice acting at the end of the day and where I can fill stuff in."

 "I'm reading your bio statement … my Singing, Dancing, Acting, Performances, Machinima, Writing, Advice Articles, Artwork, Nudes, Figurative Drawings, Clothing, Meditation, Occult, Wicca, Rituals and Celtic Creations. That’s quite a mouthful." I commented.

 "That's all the creative stuff I've been doing in SL. I was also doing relationship counseling because there's a lot of people that have a hard time transitioning … they go into relationship thinking that their real-life emotions won't get involved, but they do and then they're like … HELP! I did some writing for that as well and facilitating. I did do some writing for some websites that sadly have gone down so I don't have links to those anymore. I've done theater acting in SL and now I'm involved with the Actors Sandbox." She said.

“A lady of many talents.” I commented

“I just go where my creativity leaves me really and it's really just led me to all those places.” She said. 

“How are things going with the actor’s workshop?” I asked.

“It seems to be going okay. Suzy's taken a bit of a hiatus this month. We’re all insanely busy, even Corky is getting busier. It’s doing well … the people that are attending seem happy with it and hopefully we’re providing them what they need.” She replied.

“The voice acting, you've done it previously to virtual worlds?” I asked.

“I'm trying to think of when I first started doing that. I think I've always done acting since high school. Before I went to the university I was an honor student in art and drama. So I was either going into theater or I was going to go into art. I ended up going in the fine arts … getting my degree in fine arts. Because I somehow thought it would be less exposing … the thing about theater is they criticize you on everything … your body shape … your appearance. I figure with my art it wouldn't be so bad, but is just as bad.” She paused with a burst of laughter. “Because you pour your soul into your artwork and then you put it up for people to tear apart. It's pretty much just as bad so it wouldn't have mattered what I wanted to. But my first official voice acting was Damien Valentine's Chronicles series.” She said in reply.

"I'm looking at your playlist from your Bio notecard. There are some really really really good songs on it, like 'Old-Time Rock 'n Roll', by Bob Seeger … Seeger fan here."

"Oh, it's bigger now I really have to update it. I added a whole bunch through the month of December and I haven't gotten a chance to update it at all. I took all the songs that I love listening to or that have personal meaning to me and I added them to my list. A lot of them have to have personal meaning to me but I also took songs that I like listening to … they don't necessarily have to have personal meaning … if they make you happy in the pants … 'I'm Too Sexy'  makes me happy in the pants." She said and then paused as we both laughed. She added; “I don't think I'm extremely sexy or blah blah … but singing that song makes me giggle and makes me happy so I like to sing it."

I read off several of the names of the performers on her list and commented, "Snow Patrol, Chuck Berry, Patsy Kline, Elvis Presley, Joan Jett, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe … it’s quite a diverse group of performers."

"I  even found some artists … sometimes I'll be feeling a certain way and so I type it into Google and then type lyrics afterwards …  that's how I found 'Worrisome Heart' by Melody Gardot. I was feeling worrisome one night and I came across the lyrics. I really liked the lyrics and when I heard the song I really liked the song so I started singing it. I discovered her in 2009 before I went to Montréal." She said.

"Based on your having seen other performers in Second Life, is there one out there who was influenced you in any way?" I asked.

"Well there is a lot who've influenced me and in many ways. I always admired Noma Falta ... and Zerbie who was the one who encouraged me to sing in SL.  Max encouraged me … but my most favorite performer in SL ever is HatHead Rickenbacker. He's the first one I ever heard perform live music in SL and he still my favorite. Franklee Anatra is another … I was there with him at the beginning ... when he was all nervous about starting singing and performing. I was one of his hostesses. Frank is very supportive, actually Frank's been like the voice of reason with his advice ‘don't let what people say get you down' ... There's just so many that I could give kudos to but those are the core people that have really affected my life …  and in a big way." She replied.

"I understand that it is difficult to narrow it down to just one person, there are some very good performers out there." I commented

"If I had to choose one I would say HatHead because he was the first one I saw. He's always done his own thing and not given a shit about what other people think … I admire that."

"You've taken a similar approach as things?"

"I have" She replied with laughter.

"I thought so." I said and joined in the laughter.

"It's not that I'm conceited and I don't care. I even said this to people who’ve shown up at the gigs ... there was somebody that showed up at my gig and he was being rude and mocking because I was laughing.  I just said … honey if you don't like it you don't have to stay. Seriously no one's forcing you to stay here because this is me and this is how I do my show and I can't change just because you don't want me to giggle … because I am putting myself out there which is hard enough to do and I'm not going to change to what your expectations are ... I do like to make my audience happy and I like them to be happy but I believe in individuality … it is important to accept people for who they are and I think tolerance is important. I believe we should be building each other up rather than tearing each other down so that sort of bullying mentality I have no tolerance for." She said.

 "There are some who probably would not take to that very well." I commented.

"I know I'm not everybody's cup of tea. But that's okay. They don't have to come to my shows. I want to say for my fans that have been really supportive … that support me because I am being myself. I've had people tell me that they appreciate that I encourage people to be themselves … to be accepted for who they are because they were maybe feeling some insecurity in real life ... and it made a difference in their lives. If I can do that for people ...improve peoples of lives, that makes me happy.” She said.

 "That's admirable. Down the road six months to a year for now, what kind of things is Wytch doing?" I asked.

"What are my evil plans? That's what you want to know. Well I'm working on some original songs right now so that should be interesting. I can't give too much away about it because it's kind of still in the works and may not work out … but we'll see. I'll be performing more in real life as well and I'm still going with the flow and seeing where things go … those are part of my evil plans right now." She replied.

"What about your art?"

My art … well my charcoal drawings and things like that are all kind of on hold as all my arts supplies and stuff are in storage,  but if I get time I intend to do some more 3-D stuff. It's just that I haven't had a lot of time … even like today, I had to book you between two other things that are happening." She replied.

"Any closing thoughts you like to share?" I asked.

"Well, I really do believe that we should be building each other up rather than tearing each other down and I just wanted to remind everybody that every time you attack somebody you affect them.  We should all be conscious of how we affect other people good and bad. So for you to do something or say something you should just think about how it would feel if that was you … just love each other … it's important and it makes the world go round." She said.

An Interview with Claus Uriza the CEO of Pop Art Lab

It's early on a Saturday afternoon and I'm in-world for a special event. A major exhibition has opened and I port over shortly after my avatar rezzes. Upon arrival, I quickly realized that while I'm close, I'd missed the location of the event by several hundred meters. Fortunately, one of the Pop Art Lab's staff saw my arrival and ported me over to join in the festivities. The mini map was awash with green and yellow dots when I did finally arrive. As I found a spot to park my virtual self to watch and listen, while I exchanged pleasantries with several friends in the crowd. On stage and speaking in voice was good friend Persia Bravin, the MC for the daylong festivities. She thanked the assembled crowd and then introduced Claus Uriza (Flickr Photo), the CEO of Pop Art Lab, who delivered the welcome address to the assembled avatars.

The event that day not only marked the opening of the exhibit, but also the anniversary of the company that Mr. Uriza had founded in 2008. Pop Art Lab provides support to musicians and singers who wish to break into the virtual world of Second Life. Besides organizing concerts, Pop Art Lab, "regularly hosts in-world concerts, inviting performers to play in front of a virtual audience". Pop Art Lab also hosts TV shows that have included artists like Greg Hawkes of "The Cars" and Max Morgan.

Shortly after he'd delivered his address, I left an instant message for him to both introduce myself and ask if he would be interested in an interview. He replied that he was and we met several days later in-world at the Pop Art Lab site. He sent me a TP and when I arrived, my virtual self was suspended in midair, flailing madly just outside of the facility.

"Oh shit sorry. I have to TP you out here." He said and when his offered TP request arrived, I clicked on it and soon stood next to him inside the lounge area of the main performance venues. While I rezzed, he added with a chuckle. "Hiya sorry."

"No problem, I'm used to the vagaries of a virtual existence." I paused and pulled back the camera view to take in the location before I asked. "How's it going?"

"Fine thank you … Where do you want us to be?" He asked.

I suggested here was good as I had spotted several comfy looking sofas nearby to where we stood. We both maneuvered our avatars and I waited for him to point click and sit before I sat across from him on an adjoining black leather chair. As I did he commented that our mutual friend Persia had given him some of my back ground as a journalist and that he'd also visited my blog.

"I just had a quick overview ... but you find cool spots all over Second Life right?" He asked

"A nice lady, Persia … she's been both a good friend and a good source for me. I said and then answered his question with; "I try … I'm looking to expand to other virtual worlds as well."

"Nice, any cool ones you like?" He asked.

"They're pretty much the same really. Second Life is where most of the people are right now. But others I think will grow. Inworldz seems to be drawing a decent crowd and there are a fair number of artists out there now." I replied.

"Ah yes, I've heard about it but have not tried yet. I might try new worlds to but now I want to be where the people are."

"What was it that brought you into Second Life?" I asked him.

"It was just curiosity. People at the office told me … and then I've been here 3½ years." He replied with a grin.

"Are you in the entertainment field in real life?" I asked.

"Kind of, I help public libraries ... well I select the best music albums and work as music editor where I recommend albums each week." He replied and then added; "I can find you a video a guy did recently … he interviewed me. It will tell you lot about the history and thoughts behind what I do in here."

"So what you do in real life then carried over easily into Second Life?"

"It wasn't easy at the beginning ... but I tried to find out how I could develop music offerings in here … but yes it is and it was kind of a transfer of what I do real life into Second Life, partly sponsored by the real life company where I work."

"So some early challenges ... what was the most difficult one to overcome?"

"Beside all the technical knowhow to get stable streams, it was and has been ... to face that avatars and people in general act a whole other way than they do real life. I mean designing builds in here ain't like real life. So it's interesting to see and experiment with immersive designs and see what works. For instance I had a restaurant here once. I realized it was fabulous for meetings. People relaxed more in there … felt close but that I think is one of the hardest tasks in here. It's a balance … some explore others TP away if there are no people." He replied.

"It can be a challenge to hold attention spans here." I commented.

"Well I've studied communication … to communicate in here is another issue to. People don't read group messages ... well not all do. Also, just to keep a tight organization differs from real life. Marketing differs a lot."

"How so?" I asked

"If you have an event in real life, you can do your PR one to three weeks upfront. In here it's like more fragile. You have to post many times and it's like people only remember or have the next 24 hours in their head. So often it's actually the PR that goes out in the last 24 hours that matters … it's a much faster medium. So for instance, on communication I've started to update my staff by email instead of notecards. I usually post updates to my staff one or two times a month, this way all are informed and I save time tell all in IMs."
"Instant communications … that's been the case in other social media as well, twitter comes to mind with mostly trending topics rapidly changing hour by hour." I commented.

"Yes exactly. I spend a lot time finding out what music to stream … what people like. I'm in Europe. So it kind of reflects my selections, but also its nice then people from the USA or anywhere can come here broaden their taste and vice versa ... I do stream lots of US artists to … so lots to be learned!"
"Have you worked with Second Life musical talent as well, to stream them?" I asked.

"Not specifically ... I've done it a few times upon events where the artists would then do a live set. So it's mostly live that I do. I do like to stream real life artists most … it's hard to find great talent in here. Maybe I'm just spoiled from real life work I don't know." He replied.

"Have any real life bands or performers crossed over to give Second Life a try?"

"Yes sure that's what our Pop Vox Music Show is all about. We have had like five pretty established real life artists in our shows."

"What has been their reaction to performing 'virtually'?" I asked.

"Good question. Generally I think the younger generation finds it much cooler. They're more familiar with this … all have been very excited … a few actually got hooked and stayed in Second Life. Most of them have never been in a virtual world before we helped them in." He replied.

"Going back to what you had mentioned earlier about people's attention span, have you had a high turnover of staff?"

"Nope it's pretty much the same guys in my team as when we opened except we've expanded. I think only a few have left our team … primarily due to real life and lack of time."

"What would you attribute then to those staying as part of the team?" I asked.

"I'm not sure i understand ... how I'll keep them?"

"Yes, basically … what has kept them as part of the team?"

"I think they like the whole spirit here ... they see we grow they don't get pushed they get freedom they feel ownership. It's hard for me to say." He replied and then added; "I'm pretty open … new guys feel its anarchy here … no management. They soon find out it's all is organized chaos. It's all about they must feel it's fun. I'm very organized and we are here … but before you get to know our guidelines, it might feel like chaos and a boss … me … who rarely bosses or creates any drama at all. We have zero drama … you cause drama and you are out of here. It's like creativity is header, no one can be creative in their participation if they don't get freedom."

"Creativity in serving your clients?" I asked.

"No it's more targeted into my way of leading all this. It's a bit hard to explain … it's about each of us has a talent. It's about making the best surroundings to get that talent out. Let's take builders as an example. They are individuals … have egos and all want their own stuff but you have to say … hey you are best at making real life replicas or hey you are best at making designs out of your own fantasy … and most important you have to be very careful in leaving feedback to the work. People are very sensitive to their creations. But you can't just say to three designers do this and that ... it's a creative process."

"I think it all could be a result of your recognizing the fluidity and dynamics of how to operate here in a virtual world. What motivates people ... to shape the desired results."

"Yes exactly, everyone needs to be happy."

"You'd mentioned earlier wanting to explore other virtual worlds, what other kinds of things do you see Pop Art Lab wanting to do here in SL or other worlds?" I asked.

"Our target is to create top quality events that are stable and in a way of doing that through our experience we are better set for the masses when they enter coming years. We operate in many directions create magic designs that we can open in other worlds too if they go big. Also we want sell commercial mp3s."

"Sell within Second Life?"

"Yes, help more real life artists in … grow community, we have a ton of ideas … somehow we just await the markets to grow and meanwhile we tweak all the details."

"Is that the way you see Pop Art Lab, as more of a community then a traditional business?"

"It's both ... I see it as a great marketing tool to reach out broadly. It's hard to tell … the community is max important to … we have lot to do on that and it hasn't been our main target. But we are a brand so it's easy for companies to benefit." He replied

"I know it's getting late for you. Are there any closing thoughts or comments you'd like to share with my readers?

"I think people must keep in mind ... we are some people in here who put lots of effort into making it a good experience to be here … and innovation doesn't just come out of making money. So a closing comment could be treat people with respect and behave just like real world." He replied.

Interview with Tessa Kinney-Johnson, Developer of the Virtual World SpotON3D

Through an associate, I was invited to a meeting conducted by Second Life® Resident Tessa Harrington (aka Tessa Kinney-Johnson), developer of the virtual world, SpotON3D™. Ms Kinney-Johnson, the CEO of UnReal Designs, LLC had recently begun holding a series of introductory meetings with interested Second Life residents to layout the scope, nature and plans for the venture. The evening of the meeting arrived and so did I at the headquarters of Unreal in Second Lifeｮ. There were just over twenty avatar's present for the session, in which the attendee's and Ms Kinney-Johnson engaged in a lengthy text chat where they exchanged information and she responded to the questions posed. Residents were provided an opportunity to collect information on the proposed term of service agreement and an overview of SpotOn3D through note card givers at the site.

After the meeting, I contacted her and we arranged for a date and time to meet for an interview.
Nazz: "The goal of SpotON3D™ is to make the first intentionally designed 3D Web Application – an alternative to Second Life®" Intentional how? Why as an alternative to Second Life ®?

Tessa: We are really not trying to replicate anyone, but rather create a virtual network that is intentionally designed to be a three dimensional expression of what we now think of as the World Wide Web. Our focus is on business, providing content protection measures, and a clear separation of our general population area and mature population community so that corporations, individual businesses and virtual designers can all exist together and have their needs met as much as possible from a very business centric point of view. That's not to say we won't have recreational users, because where there is great content you'll find users.

Nazz: I read from a note card I received, "I opened the world's first 3D internet mall with paying renters and everything". Where at and was it successful?

Tessa: It was called Bizworld and was located in the Active Worlds.com virtual world network. We had four different areas offering shopping of real world product through web on a prim type click and go. We had real world vendors even in those early days, because there wasn't a mechanism or demand for virtual product to be sold there or even land, as there is today. This was primarily because the programmers of Active Worlds didn't integrate it into the system we see it is now. Was it successful? I'd say the fact that the owners of Active Worlds did their own virtual mall to illustrate the power of their offering at their IP opening in 1998 was a pretty good sign we'd hit on a idea of value and the fact that Second Life® is filled with them now is just one more example of their success.

Nazz: I'd also read in the note card, that there is the intention to address the challenges to content provider. What are the challenges and what will you do differently to protect their rights?

Tessa: Well, the biggest challenge is getting the programmers to put content protection on their TODO list. It seems they feel like if they can’t make things 100% protected than why should they try? Others seem to follow the idea that because it wasn't implemented in the 2D Web, then that standard, or the lack of it, should be followed in the 3D Web too. We disagree. We feel a functional level of protection can be created and are doing that now. On the software front we're creating security at three levels - at our entry point, educating the community on the grid to what rights they have and don't have over virtual content they purchase, and by forming an affordable and community driven legal option for the designers, so their concerns and disputes can be handled in a more professional and effective manner. With those options we think we have a very good chance of cutting out 80-90% of the risk of content abuse and/or theft, which is comparable to real life statistics.

We’d also like to contribute to the OpenSim core developer community to help steer the discussion on how content sharing is done through Hypergird. As content begins to cross grid lines we’ll see a growing concern with OpenSim grids, because your content is only as secure as the honesty of that grid owner and their team. Once you rez product on their grid, they have possession. The risks are, if a rogue group or company wanted to, they could lock out the owner of the content and retain product, leaving the creator with only the right to take them to court for a resolution ... a very costly endeavor. That's why there's so much talk about Trusted Grids and respecting content rights and permissions these days.

Nazz: Also from the note card, "Doing our utmost to make content theft a priority" In your talk and in response to previous questions, you'd discussed a "mediation panel", how well do you think that will work and how well do you think it'll be accepted by content creators?

Tessa: We've spoken to about 75 people on this and other topics concerning the SpotON3D™ grid in our presentations, and not one had expressed a negative comment on our processes. Of course, it's easy to like it now, but I think they appreciate the additional efforts that are being proposed to help make their concerns truly heard. I don't want to make the other grid owners out to be the bad guys. In all honesty, the pioneers in our industry had no idea where this quest would take them and could not have anticipated the many challenges we've seen about content theft and protection. They try to remain very neutral on these issues and offer the simple solution of the DMCA as a tool to combat it.

We've elected to be a bit more proactive, primarily because of my partnership with Stevan Lieberman, of Greenburg & Lieberman, his copyright and IP practice, and his experience in this field. The Mediation Panel is an extension of our vision for content and contract disputes for virtual grids. Its designed to be ran by the community for the community by calling out for voluntary participants to hear disputes, preferably from all sectors of the grid's population, i.e., designers, land barons, users, scripter's, builders, and even techy legal eagles. The idea is to allow the complainant and the alleged offender a means to present their sides of the dispute, with the Mediation Panel members asking questions as they see fit. In the end they are to make a joint proposal on a suggestion for resolution. This is step free. If it turns out one or both parties don’t agree with the Mediation Panel’s proposed solution, then one or both can ask for arbitration with a real world Judge. That decision would be legally recognized not only in the states but in most of the overseas courts as well, so it has real teeth. This also means that the only way either party can dispute the judges’ decision is to go through the typical civil court process in a non-jury case, which would cost thousands of dollars – a big incentive to settle amicably through our system.

The arbitration process we're offering should be priced between 100 -300 USD, depending upon the case and its complexity that's something most business people can readily afford. It's a solution tailor made for micro businesses, because let's be honest ... in reality, justice of this type in the real world is only available to those with money, either because the alleged offender has deep pockets, or the accusing party has deep pockets. We're hoping this makes it more accessible for everyone to participate in.

Nazz: In your comments at the meeting I attended you'd mentioned "Distribution rights as far as sending content through the grid systems" What does that mean?

Tessa: That is in relation to our TOS. If you read the other virtual grid TOS’ closely you'll see that they either take all rights to any content or require that you share IP rights with them. This is a problem for big corporate and even medium sized companies, because they will not spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to pay for the software development and content to use Virtual Environs if they can’ own the content and have some measure of control over its use into the future. It's not a cheap thing to set up a grid or to design content that acts as an interfacing application between the people, places, and the things. Companies want anything they invest in to be protected, so their competition can't just right click and walk off with it and set it up in their stores or worse yet, have their virtual stores spoofed and fool the public into thinking they are in the official 3d web site for their company.

Our direction on TOS and the rights and distribution issue recognized the need to distribute across our grid network, but does not ask for IP rights as well. We feel asking more is uncalled for and too far reaching. Now eventually, as we establish relationships with other trusted grids, distribution of content will exceed our server perimeters, but they will have to agree to these same standards and to have all disputes handled through our Mediation Panel system, basically honorinig the way we've set up our business model. They’ll also have to prove they are a legitimate and legally run corporation with a solid standing in the community and agree to pay for and use our grid software created to protect content. This allows for growth without opening up everyone to huge risks when Hypergrid becomes truly integrated.

Nazz: "There are many problems we've all recognized over the years with how avatar accounts are setup on virtual grids, and while we haven't found a way to solve all of them we feel we've made great strides in overcoming many of the big challenges and hope you agree." What strides have been made and what are the plans to address the remaining gaps?

Tessa: First you have to address the griefer risk. Many have lamented over the problem of griefing and pointed to the free accounts as a reason behind that problem. With anonymity, griefers feel comfortable playing havoc on virtual communities. SpotON3D™ combats this with a reasonable solution for that, with our Freebie 30-Day Trial Account. It will allow interested persons to explore, chat and shop as much as they want for 30-days. Their account abilities are limited, in that they can't rez, build, script or own land during this time period. This gives them plenty of opportunities to experience the social aspects of the 3D web, then rewards them with a fully interactive experience once they upgrade. Non-SpotON3D™ clients will be given limited access to a region called “The Lounge”, where they can hang and chat with others who go there, but we seriously hope they will want to become a member of the community and contribute to its success, rather than just hang out and look to the paying community to pay for the grid’s infrastructure. That kind of business model is not only unfair to the paying class, but could very well be one of the reasons why we’ve seen wild pricing fluctuations over in Second Life®. To their defense, these avatars we walk around in are hungry beasts and they want to be fed with lots of bandwidth and computer power and that doesn't come cheap.

Second, we had to balance that with a need to make the membership fees we do charge more reasonable and serve a purpose as well. SpotON3D™ has addressed this in a unique way. Access to our grid requires registration for what we call a Web Account. This is the main account that stores all the data for the avatars made and are kept via a web page interface. Each Web Account is responsible for membership fees and funding of up to five avatars through the Web Account's Master Wallet that is funded via a verified PayPal account. This means there will be no anonymous accounts, even for our Freebie 30-Day Trial account, greatly reducing the risk of the SpotON3D™ grid being attacked by griefers and minors coming in without their parent’s consent. This also means a user will only pay one monthly membership fee for those five accounts, allowing businesses to create a unique avatar for each of their employees, or a family to create avatars for each family member under parental guidance and moderation. This also provides far more reliable accounting for our registration numbers than the usual way accounts are made, which should appeal to investors. They can be sure the SpotON3D™ user numbers are valid and have a reliable means to chart growth.

Thirdly, we needed to address the issue of how to separate mature content users from the general public to allow for a family friendly atmosphere for business and communities to dwell in together. What we saw in Second Life® was PG property positioned right next to Mature. To avoid all that confusion and chaos, SpotON3D™ took the high road and designed our grid from the start, with separate area for each, thereby establishing a responsible tolerance stance. It works like this. There are two sections to the SpotON3D™ grid - General and Mature Population. Each has their own membership fees of $1.99 a month, an introductory price and is just enough to cover any accounting and processing fees. All members are required to have a General Population membership and can add on the Mature Population access if they wish for another $1.99 a month. All payments again are processed through an established PayPal account, which isn’t impossible for a child to get, but far less likely than just using mom or dad’s credit card or driver’s license to verify their accounts. They’d have to have access to banking statements, which would require minors to take far more invasive measure to get in through our doors without a parent’s consent and approval. It also limits the ability of griefers to access the grid anonymously.

The rule of thumb as to what is acceptable behavior on the General Population is this- If you'd not do it in front of your Mother, Grandmother or an eight year old, then it's probably not a good idea to do it on our General Population areas. This is a simple concept that most people can understand and appreciate. Those who would argue they’d have no problems with performing adult behaviors in front of children and family members are probably not the type of audience for our grid. Eventually we may open an 8 to 15 year old grid, when a sponsor willing to moderate it can be partnered with.

The Mature Population is dedicated to individuals 21 years of age and over who desire to have adult conversation and interactions without the distractions and/or worries of the company of minors. Because SpotON3D™ is committed to a zero tolerance stance on child abuse behavior, be it virtual or real world, no minors, age play or even adolescent looking avies will be tolerated on the Mature Population grid. Anyone found doing so will run the risk of having all their SpotON3D™ avatar accounts immediately banned and eventually deleted.

And lastly, we had to find a means to fund these avatar's activities, respecting real USD currency and a virtual currency for those who use it in game play. Each Web Account has what we call a Master Wallet. This is funded directly from the user's Paypal account. The owner of the Web Account and Master Wallet can choose a monthly monetary value or budget for their SpotON3D™ grid activities, and then distribute those funds to each individual Avatar Wallet, again up to five. The avatar accounts can be controlled from the Web Account, determining what grids they will have access to, what products they can buy, and what inworld images they can view. It will also determine how much money their wallets get funded by.

The remaining gaps aren't really recognizable yet, but we're sure to find reasons to improve upon even these innovative ways to solve user account problems.

Nazz: "We hope to participate in an identification system that allows us to truly ID a person without them exposing their ID's online." Who is developing the system and how reliable is it?

Tessa: PowerSynch is the company that is spearheading the customization of SpotON3D™ software and will eventually create the ID verification system. The ID verifying system will be very reliable and voluntary for the most part, but may result in being excluded from premium services as a motivation to verify.

PowerSynch, LLC will also be creating most of the software implemented to enhance services to our business market, such as module plug-in-play business suite of tools that integrate the 2D & 3D Web to existing real world office tools. This will be implemented using open source products such as Open Office and other well known and increasingly recognizable software to build upon.

Nazz: How many designers have signed up or are willing to locate on SpotON3D™? Any recognizable names?

Tessa: We had several designers who have expressed interest and are waiting for us to finish the code needed to illustrate how sales are going to be handled. We'll be creating a dummy sales demo in our entry area in one of the four tutorial alcoves. Designers such as Fallingwater Cellardoor of Shiny Things, Phil Cinquetti of M&P Animations, Michi Lumin of Luskwood Creations, Javier Puff with Xcite products, and King Pascale of Prestige Prefabs.

We have a few who have publicly committed to SpotON3D™, such as DeeTaleZ, formerly known as Free Soul Designs, run by Dark Hennesy and his real life girl, who closed their old shop in Second Life® today and opened their new one, DeeTaleZ immediately after. They offer a bit of everything, so we are honored they have chosen our grid to be their home away from home, if you will. We don't expect to see them in till midsummer, because they are opening a kids section in their new store. Eladon Galsworthy of Pond Life Landscaping and Gardens has reserved a SIM in both the Mature and General Population areas and Language Labs has expressed a serious interest once we get voice working. We're shooting to actually have that available at or shortly after our opening. We’re still waiting on the OpenSim core development team to finish up a few things to tidy up the voice code.

We've also had quite a number of universities and non-profits requesting pricing into and details. And last by certainly not least, we're expecting a percentage of residents from Second Life® to come over the next six month as users prepare for the last price hike on the OpenSpace/Homestead regions to take effect. They'll be needing lots of merchandise and we’ll be offering lots of freebies to them from our extensive catalogue that’s never been up for sale before. But we really have no desire to compete with the designers, so we hope to get them in shortly after our first soft opening in June to set up their stores.

Overall, from what the interest we've seen and the response we've gotten from the few presentations we've given on our grid, we're relatively sure we'll be sold out within the first 60-90 days of opening. There are only about 21 islands open to rent and around 100 residential parcels in varying sizes for the first server setup, then we'll order another to host more islands as the demand dictates.

Nazz: Will the platform support live music?

Tessa: Media feeds were one of the first things implemented on the OpenSim platform, so yes! We're looking forward to some stellar live musical events on our Rent-A-Cloud Region Servers™ after they get rolled out.

Nazz: What about nonprofits, will there be consideration given similar to what Second Life® has done? Will they be able to operate fund raisers?

Tessa: Sure nonprofits will not just be able to operate from our grid, but we hope to be able to help sponsor some of the more notable ones such as the Run for Life Breast Cancer Foundation. We've had universities and other organizations that have ongoing concerns ask us about discounts and what we ask them to consider is how much lower our pricing is compared to the other professionally run grids. It is dramatically below market value for the services we are offering, in most cases a full 50% less than Second Life®, our closest competitor. We had our university and academic clients in mind when we committed to our pricing, so it's not that we've ignored their budgetary needs or feel they don't deserve special treatment. It's simply that we wanted to offer the same low pricing to everyone. To make it appear we had a discount for organizations like this we'd have to increase the prices for everyone else, and we feel that's the wrong message to send out in these tough economic times.

Nazz: There has been a substantial body of immersive art created in Second Life®, do you see SpotON3D™ providing the same opportunities for the arts?

Tessa: Being that our big push is to create a safe haven for artists and their content, yes we very much want to welcome artisans from all forms of media, and once we get open and making revenue I'm sure we'll find a way to reach out to them and have events, contests and virtual conference that will benefit all the community, including our creative community.

The Arts in Second Life Part Three

While reading Kurt Vonnegut’s “A Man Without a Country” recently, I’d come across an interesting comment he’d made regarding electronic communities. The chapter recounts how, in his writing life-time the technological impact had brought changes and, from his view, not for the better. He presents the reader a vignette of his routine in sending off marked up pages to a typist. It’s a delight to read and its theme revolves around the contact and interaction with his fellow New Yorkers. He begins with the picking up of an envelope at a stationery supplier, then a visit to the post office and concludes with his mailing by dropping off the envelope with the pagers. He then tells the reader:

“Electronic communities build nothing. You wind up with nothing. We are dancing animals. How beautiful it is to get up and go out and do something. We are on earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.”

I’m awfully fond of just “farting around” so I’m reluctant to dismiss his statement in whole. I believe that those surveyed for this and previous editions of “The Arts in Second Life” would disagree as each has built a community in this electronic metaverse of Second Life. All are remarkable and every day they get up and go out to do something for us and themselves. And it is something.

This is the last in the series, I do hope you’ve enjoyed hearing from these extraordinary people on what they’ve done and are planning to bring to our Second Lives in 2008. Here is part three of a survey on “The Arts in Second Life”.

Jilly Kidd - Written Word

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the SL Literature community and why were they significant?

The first milestone was the first SL Book Fair in Spring 2007. I helped to organize this with a team of people, the main ones being me researching and finding exhibitors, Selina Greene offering her land as the venue and organizing the event, and Roman Zeffirelli doing the build. This was a milestone because we gathered together publishers, writers and people involved in book design and production, all in one place, in a way that paralleled the London Book Fair. By gathering together, the exhibitors could attract traffic in a way that's difficult if they are in isolated locations only offering their own books, designs and writing. Exhibitors stayed after this event to create what is now Book Island and Publishing Island. This is a commercial area now and I wanted to work nonprofit with writers so I moved on to develop that project.

The development of broadcasting on SL. As part of the book fair, we encouraged authors to make appearances reading from their work using podcasting, but they still had to reply to audience questions in text. Afterwards I started an author interview show called "Meet the Author" which is broadcast on SLCN.tv, Second Life's cable network. SLCN streams this show live and I can talk to authors by phone anywhere in the world while the audience on SL can listen and ask questions by IM. The author reads, is interviewed and replies to questions all in live voice. This makes it like a professional television interview and is well in advance of what was being done for literary shows earlier in the year. The show is also streamed live online and archived for people to see on the website so it can also be seen by people who don't use SL. In this way, SL and RL have merged for this type of show. Another effect is that authors have seen the show online and have been attracted on to SL to join the literary community here. This show is for published authors and you can see it on http://www.slcn.tv/meet-author

The advent of voice. With voice becoming generally available, the types of events I've been describing have become much more widespread. Anyone can hold a reading in voice even if they don't have access to a stream or broadcasting technology - and they can film it and post to YouTube. The move from small isolated writing groups to big events and projects, like the ones I work on, helped get all of this started as we could get the land and the technology. Now I'm very happy to see an explosion of writing and literary events all over SL, with some professional authors appearing in cafes here and there, and writers gathering on beaches and in venues to read out and share their work.

The development of major SIMs for writers and publishers. Growing out of the projects described above, major SIMs have developed for writers and publishers. Book Island and Publishing Island are a professionally run venture with regular events. As a nonprofit organizer, I was surprised to be picked up by two very generous landowners who provided free space for me to work with writers. The first was Johnny Austin at the Joysco Convention Center who provided the venue for me to start my "Meet the Author" show. The second was Thinkerer Melville who provided a large parcel of land on Cookie Island to let me work with writers.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Things haven't developed how I imagined at the beginning of the year as I only imagined getting the writers' community together to enjoy friendships with writers across the world. The potential of SL has made it a much larger enterprise than I could ever have known.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

I see performance as being the way forward in 2008 and the next trend. We will still have the fairs and exhibitions to let writers display their work in various ways - with virtual books, links to websites, links to audio and live readings. In 2007, we had the largest ever writers' exhibition in SL - the Autumn Writers' Exhibition. We will continue to have these events to bring the writing community together and to let others see all or our work.

I see performance as the next big trend. Writers and publishers are increasingly wanting to have their work displayed not just as text, but brought to life on stage, film and audio. On Cookie Island, we have a team of people under Thinkerer Melville, who are very involved in performance in SL and RL, so we'll be bringing all sorts of performance art to SL. This isn't just literary - I also look for talented comedians and live singer songwriters who perform on our Saturdays Wild show on Broadway Live Island. All of this is to encourage live original writers in all forms on SL.

We also have Written Word competitions every month for L$5,000 prizes and publish virtual books with the winners. Writers here are also published online on our site http://www.writtenword.org.uk/ and can do a free online poetry workshop on my website message board http://www.communigate.co.uk/london/justpoets

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I was never on virtual worlds before so I had no idea what would be possible. I think coming to a virtual world as a total newbie can make you look at the potential in a totally different way, but I had a steep learning curve. The good thing about SL is that there's plenty of free help available so we learn fast.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

More RL authors and organizations are getting involved with the Written Word and taking SL seriously as a place to have a presence. On January 30th, we're hosting an event for the Poetry International organization (contact Ardor Foden who represents them here). This is a major Dutch poetry organization which also publishes international poetry and has links to national poetry societies. We're helping them make a film of their RL poets reading in SL and this will be shown in the Written Word's Red Sky Club on Dutch National Poetry Day January 30th. The film will be followed by readings by some published poets on SL including a reading from my book. Hope to see you there!

Desideria Stockton - Literature Alive!

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the SL Literature community and why were they significant?

Literature Alive! has really come of age in the last year. It went from a small project, just involving my students, to a grid wide project that targets not just student but also residents. Educational Designer, Eloise Pasteur, came on board as a volunteer early in the year, and, her arrival marks the most significant milestone. In the quest to provide edifying grid content to residents, Literature Alive! seeks to provide immersive environments that allow participants to engage the environment even when classes are not in session. In the past year, we have developed over 27 sites for literature, and we have highlighted the work of about 117 authors. While all of our builds are milestones, the one we are most proud of is a full scale Dante's Inferno used to teach the novel Linden Hills by African American novelist, Gloria Naylor. Designer Eloise Pasteur created an awesome 3D version of Hell based on the text of the Inferno. Another milestone includes winning a Foundation for Rich Content grant to create the Literary Holodeck which allows us to pass out our open access builds to anyone wishing to use them. Additionally, we won a Texture Support grant from the V3 Group which helps offset the costs of texture uploads. Continued support from SLCN.tv allows us to offer engaging prizes to students. Finally, Intellagirl Tulley and Typerwriter Merlin's book, Second Life for Dummies, features Literature Alive! as an example, and that is an excellent milestone for us.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Literature Alive! has grown in ways that I could never have imagined. It started out as just me and my students. Once Eloise Pasteur came on board, we were able to build engaging environments that moved beyond the "standard" college environment. As we met more and more people and collaborated with more of the educational community, we grew in leaps and bounds. Daliah Carter, a student from the pilot group at LCCC, is now my assistant. We really are blessed by how Literature Alive! has grown, but I think it is truly telling of the desire to have edifying content in the grid. People WANT cool places to go that don't involve money. The sciences have been doing a tremendous job (ISM, NOAA, Genome), and now literature is duly represented.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

I think the educational community is growing exponentially, and there will be more of a call for collaborative projects. In the fall 2007 semester, my students participated in the World University Exchange program headed up by Elmo Wilder. This brought together students from the US, Canada, Korea, France, and Japan. I think more of these partnerships will surface as we learn how to use SL as a collaborative and social educational tool. I also believe that more universities and colleges will legitimize virtual educational tools. In the past year, many of us have faced great resistance on our real life campuses, but as more and more articles are published in peer review journals like Innovate, the more we will find legitimacy for our work. Legitimacy leads to funding in many places, and many people are starving for institutional funding. I think organizations like NMC, ISTE, and Elven will continue to grow as people collaborate with each other and seek professional development. These organizations have been leaders in providing cutting edge development opportunities, and I anticipate that they will continue to grow. Finally, I think more educators will try to utilize the teen grid for high school projects. Fred Fuchs, at FireSabre Consulting, and Global Kids are doing amazing development work and I anticipate they will continue to grow.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I have toured a few other virtual worlds, and they are OK. If Second Life didn't exist, I would certainly use them, but SL has the best graphics (so far). I do believe that someone will build a better virtual world, so SL has the challenge of keeping up with the competition. However, I believe Linden Lab is full of a lot of heart; this model wasn't built on making money, it was built on a dream to change the world. The philanthropy in SL, the work of the MacArthur Foundation, and the work of residents working together for a cause (breast cancer, Relay for Life, The Virtual Orphanage Project) are all marks of long standing commitment to global service.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Literature Alive! will be creating a full SIM ghost town for the reading of Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. Students will be working together to create visual and audio-prim poems by Maya Angelou. Students will be working at the VIT world campus to build a tenement museum and a progressive era timeline. We are still looking for a home for the Inferno, but will be doing a small scale version of it on land donated by MillionsOfUs. I am fortunate to have the amazing Eloise Pasteur and Daliah Carter on staff, and we will work together to create rich environments that provide access to literature. Professionally, I am guest co-editing Innovate on an issue on virtual worlds. Literature Alive! hopes to establish a presence on the teen grid, as well. Most importantly, we hope to maintain our mission: we hope to create a lifelong love of learning through a lifelong passion for reading :)

ItsNaughtKnotty Cannned - INKsters

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the SL Literary world and why were they significant?

Last year, SL saw an explosion of cultural events. Establishment of Cookie SIM and sLiterary sim were key components for authors. At least two other SIMs are dedicated to book-ish themes. The number of periodicals paying for news stories grew. Theatrical groups received the gift of voice chat ... which the rest of us curse! The grid became stable enough to reasonably hold large group meetings without fear of lag or crashing. And, of course, the INKsters was founded and, I might be biased, but we've been digging the authors out of the woodwork all year and have a pretty amazing group together now and we continue to grow every week.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Things seem to be going about as one would expect. A little drama, a lot of expansion. There's no way to keep up with all the events now. Second Life seems to be growing up. If only we could get the Lindens to give newbies the tools to help them get connected to other people on arrival, rather than worrying about how to alter our appearance, it would do wonders. I tell every new person I meet to join as many groups as possible right off the bat. We're needlessly limited to 25 groups and a meaningful Second Life is all about collaboration and creation. Why the Lindens don't make that more evident to new arrivals is still a mystery to me.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

Ummmmmmm, I expect real world entities will find a way to make Second Life more than just a place for cheap advertising. Big interactive builds with highly creative designs seem to be evolving every day. My hope is the tools will continue to evolve to allow more artists access to easier tools so that people don't have to be professional programmers to create new and interesting things in Second Life. From a literary perspective, I'm betting we'll see "the metaverse" come into its own as a literary genre that is distinct from science fiction.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I'm a chat room addict. This is a fancy chat room where you look for the LEAST popular rooms, instead of the most popular. Being able to do a 3D web design while hanging out with people who have similar interests is quite charming, too. My experience with other virtual worlds is fairly limited, but I've been to enough of them to know that our ability to create our own content here is unique and quite wonderful.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Well, I can only speak for the INKsters. We're going to continue the daily competitions. I hope to find the rest of the writers in Second Life and put them all to work. :D We're expanding our critique group, our land holdings, our publications, and probably our workshops. We'll do everything we did this year, on a much bigger scale. Ultimately, my main goal is to find those people who feel a calling to become authors and help them find the tools to make their inner voices come alive. If I can help somebody do that, then I've made Second Life a better place.

Thinkerer Melville - Communication Arts

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the SL Literary world and why were they significant?

Voice. Many literary activities depend on oral communication. Poetry reading, once done in streaming audio, changes from a monologue to a conversation when you have voice. Plays can be more naturally done in voice and really require voice (oral reading) for collaborative development. Even written prose benefits from oral reading in a group.

Other milestones that I would identify are development of live comedy acts (Lauren Live) and live theater (by the Act Up group in July and October). Both of these are in response to the arrival of voice capability.

Possibly another milestone is the appearance of Broadway Live Island, a cluster of SIMs related to Broadway theater. These are being developed by Tom Polum, an experienced Broadway producer/artist. This, along with the ballet production by IBM and the documentary produced by Molotov Alva, mark the entry of real world cultural activities into SL.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Things move so fast in Second Life that I'm not sure I had a firm idea of how things would develop. I expected that the advent of voice capability would lead to the developments cited above, but I had no idea that things would move so fast.

I started actively using surrogates (Skype, TeamSpeak) for SL voice before the real thing became available. I encouraged both Lauren Weyland and the Act Up players to use the TeamSpeak server to get ready for performances in voice. I suppose others were doing likewise. So I think one of the reasons things move fast in SL is that many people are bringing lots of previous experience with them.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

I think the milestones mentioned above represent "proof of concept" steps in the cultural development of Second Life. As to the greatest impact, that is a judgment call that depends on the viewpoint of the caller. I will pick a sleeper on that. One of the groups I am working with wrote about seven plays last fall. These are all in a series to be called "Tales of the Metaverse." I see this as a demonstration of the potential for collaborative writing in Second Life. Last summer we realized (the Act Up players) that our rate-limiting factor was going to be the availability of suitable scripts with the necessary permissions to use copyrighted material. Now that the INKsters have demonstrated that they can produce the kind of scripts that are needed, I expect that capability to have a big impact.

Another trend I saw start is the development of multimedia art. (That’s the name I made up for it.) It is the combination of several forms of art, such as poetry, music, and 3-d graphics. Elros Tuominen makes some interesting versions of active art. I am now using them in a video I am making and expect to combine one of them with music and voice script I have written to produce a video. I hope to get other people to explore other ways of combining art forms in collaborative art.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I have not explored other virtual worlds except superficial inquiry. My impression is that SL is the only VR world where I could work with older, professionally experienced people – the kind who would seriously interact with literature and art. I would suggest that art and literature in a virtual village work better than art in a lonely garret.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Predictions are really hard to make, especially about the future.

I expect to see the development of theater groups, some touring with a repertoire of one-act plays that they can offer to interested theater venues. Some of these plays will no doubt be produced as videos and perhaps even used in ways that generate a little income.

I also expect to see an increase in comedy performances – both solo and skit format.

Molotov Alva’s documentary, “My Second Life” has been sold to HBO and should run this spring. I expect that the production of a marketable video out of Second Life will stimulate much more activity of this kind. More generally, I expect continuing change in the demographics with a substantial increase in the number of people with “grown-up” interests – business, professional, cultural, literary, entertainment – the kind of things people would look for if their company wanted to move them to a town they had never heard about. Such people enjoy and support the cultural amenities of a community and I expect they will do that in the virtual community of SL.

Lauren Canetti - Arts and Literature Group

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the SL Literary world and why were they significant?

I would have to say that in the last couple years that I have been here, I have seen interest groups move from the standard, carefree events and groups, to something more intellectual and thoughtful. The bringing of books into SL and the constant creativity of its own residents provide a huge backdrop for cultural and intellectual discussion of many works.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

I would have to say, with the invention of the voice chat, bringing more feeling and strength into readings, more jazz / coffee shops opening up and theatre coming full fledged into Second Life, there have been wonderful changes. I hope to see more in the future, including widespread discussions and a library of material written by SL residents, for all to share.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

Again, I would point out that the voice chats, along with the larger population of intellectual people seeking intellectual activities would be the largest impact. I personally have 200 people in my arts and literature group just chomping at the bit for more to soak up.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I have been involved with other virtual worlds, and in all of them I have found myself, not drawn to their tasks and storylines, but drawn to the intellectual conversations among the members... much of my time was spent sitting around a table in an involved discussion. This is what brought me to SL and what fuels my desire to stay here... I am not bogged down with meaningless tasks, unobtainable goals, I am able to enjoy an evening with a nice glass of wine and some strong intellectual pursuits.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

I see the theatre expanding in the next year, and am hoping to get myself involved in that.

I personally am excited to be reformulating my book study group and an art discussion group after a recent illness. Thankfully, I have someone else running the group in another area of the world, so we are hoping to have more participants, expand the views, etc.

I believe that expanding coffee shops to having more poetry readings and, eventually, putting together a library of works from the SL residents themselves will be a wonderful goal to obtain in the future.

Angeline Blachere - Book Island Events and Discussion

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the SL Literary world and why were they significant?

I think the opening of Book Island as a free standing SIM and the subsequent addition of Publishing Island paralleled the growth of the literary scene in SL. The SL literati hunger for places to find books, read books, display their works, and actually publish their work.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Definitely not the way I thought, but the reality was much much better. I thought that I would open my shop "The Book Doctor" and pick up a few note cards to edit and stories to work on. Instead, I have been busier than I ever imagined with RL work, paying RL dollars all because of my virtual shop on Book Island.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

I think that avatars' thirst for good books to read will continue to grow. I also think that more and more people come to SL as a place to market their work. There are readings and workshops and a thriving literary community.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I have not explored any other virtual worlds. I consider SL the most serious one for my needs and my market.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Definitely more events, book fairs, and readings and as the reputation grows others will follow.

My friend and I met again over morning coffee as I was finishing up this last part of the series. She’d commented in surprise at all that had gone on this past year and what was in store for SL’ers this New Year. “Nazz, what will be the next subject for your list?” she asked. I replied, laughing, that I hadn’t even had a chance to think about it. “Well, you’ve been so wrapped up in this and we’ve not had much together time of late. Maybe you could take me … hmmmmmm …..I know! *She puts hands on her hips while turning the upper half of her body slightly to look at Nazz over a shoulder. She bats her eye lashes and curls her lips into a smile whispering seductively *… somewhere romantic,” she said. All I could do was grin and nod my head in agreement.

My special thanks to each of you who contributed to this edition and Parts One and Two, from me, the humble recorder of your activities. And, also, a thanks to all whom I didn’t touch for this series of articles that are building communities in Second Life.

The Arts in Second Life - Part Two

Live musical performances have been woven into the fabric of Second Life so tightly now that even the Lindens have posted a message letting us know how to find out what is happening as we log into SL, suggesting we seek out a concert or performance to attend. Whether it’s the sweet voice of a jazz vocalist’s rendering of a standard, or that of a ballad, or the delicate pirouette of an SL ballerina, or actors on a stage, there is something for all residents of this metaverse. This edition is Part Two of “The Arts in Second Life”. Part one focused on the visual art community with contributions from artists, gallery owners and promoters. Part Two will follow in a similar vein with the perspective of performance artists, group owners and venue owners.

After assembling the list of people and then disseminating, collecting, reviewing and consolidating note cards, here is Part Two of a survey on “The Arts in Second Life”. Part Three, the last of this series will follow soon and its focus will be on Literature in Second Life.

Joy Ash – Mediaculture Group

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

I think that the milestone was that more and more really remarkable musicians came into SL, if you look at the biography of some: Siham Palmer, Napthali Hawks, Cyberpiper, MoShang and a lot more. It’s just I can’t count everyone, the list would be too long *smiles* and I don’t want to hurt any other musician I didn’t count.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

I didn’t think of how I should come or go into the Music business. I took it how it came but I had my line where I wanted to go and everything was just awesome.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

I see that more and more classical musicians are coming into SL and that’s really great. I know of so many great opera singers, classical musicians, and they are really great.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I’m not in any other virtual worlds because I have so much work in RL and SL with Mediaculture, so there is no free time for other virtual worlds.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

A lot of new musicians, really great musicians and bands will enter SL. Mediaculture has two projects going on in RL and that will be really a big thing with Second Life. Also next will be the copyrights about music in SL.

Yavanna Llanfair - Classical Pianists

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra playing live in Second Life in October - the first orchestra to give a live performance here. Also, Origin Rang's live piano performances - a true virtuoso, and a truly amazing experience.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

I opened a classical ballroom back in September, because I felt there was a lack of true classical music places in SL. Despite widespread interest in classical music, I am still surprised at how few places there are streaming good classical music.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

Hopefully, more top quality performances from the likes of Origin Rang, the Schumanns and other excellent classical performers. I started the group "Classical Pianists", which now has 76 members, with the intention of getting classical pianists together, and so that event organizers have a forum where they can advertise for performers, and advertise performances. There are some top class pianists in the group, some of whom are willing and keen to perform live in SL, and I hope that event organizers will use this increasingly as a source for contacting willing performers.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

Not recently, no. I was a Cybertown resident, but SL is just so far beyond that technology that it is not really comparable on the same scale.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Hopefully, an expanding of classical music events and places, I'd love to see my own ballroom in Basilisk being more used, where anyone can select from a range of classical streams.

Inarra Saarinen - Second Life Ballet Founder and Artistic Director

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

Well, the founding and first performances of Second Life Ballet *smiles* As far as we know, this is the first and only performing ballet group in virtual space.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Yes and no. Yes, in that I did have the goal to have choreography in progress, an active performing company, and to start being seen in First Life publications by the end of this year. This has happened. No, in that I did not foresee this kind and amount of success! Six hundred members, a large company, a 6 month run of our first ballet "Olmannen", demands for Euro and more performances.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

Well, again I have to point to dance performing art that is truly art and does not rely on pose balls or HUD’s. We are moving beyond sex, gambling, and club dances in SL and towards the arts.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I have worked with the Internet and performance a great deal in the past. I worked simultaneously with performers at geographic distances. I also worked with the ability to dance with images.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Again, speaking for Second Life Ballet, we are looking forward to some First Life/Second Life collaborations and explorations.

Cher Harrington - Audio Consultant

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

Key milestones for me on a personal level in the performance arts world were:

· Fox 11 News Los Angeles Interview: http://www.dublinsl.com/media.html
· Newsweek Interview
· Entertainment Director for iCommons Summit 2007 in Second Life: http://www.icommons.org/isummit07/ , 15-17 June, Dubrovnik, Croatia, REAL WORLD, 15-17 June, Ilha de Intercambio, Second Life, VIRTUAL REALITY. PURPOSE: To create a parallel iCommons Summit 2007 conference in virtual reality in Second Life, sponsored by iCommons, USC Center on Public Diplomacy, and Linden Lab. Success indicators were:
o Mixing the Two Worlds (Real and Virtual)
o Reaching More People via Second Life
o More Awareness and Use of Broad Sharing Vision, Principles and Methodologies
o Successful SL Conference Experience for iCommons and USC

Audio Consultant, DJ, MC for PHILANTHROPY IN VIRTUAL WORLDS EVENT, USC ANNENBERG PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ISLAND: Philip Rosedale and Jonathan Fanton conversation about philanthropy in virtual worlds. Combining USC staff, MacArthur Foundation staff and Philip Rosedale into one stream via Skype and Winamp to 4 joined SIM’s while MC’ing the event and DJ’ing SL Live Artists songs - each approved by Jonathan Fanton, MacArthur Foundation President.

Hostess, MC, Coordinator: Streaming seminars with MMAC - STREAMING AUDIO IN SECOND LIFE SEMINAR: How to stream audio to SL community. "Again by popular demand, given the number of queries by people seeking how-to info, Dash Renoir, Director of the Multi Media Arts Center (the MMAC), has set up another tutorial seminar, STREAMING AUDIO IN SECOND LIFE. He has asked SL audio consultant Cher Harrington to arrange and moderate the next panel."

Production coordinator of “Catch A Rising Star” for Dublin with artists such as Johnny99 Gumshoe, UFS Hyde and Matthew Perreault performing for the first time in SL. Catch a Rising Star was a showcase for upcoming Live Artists, new or not so well known in SL, from the first time portraits, installing audio programs to a successful two hour show in the Dublin SIM.

Manager: SL Live Radio: First dedicated all SL Live Artist Station: http://www.slliveradio.com. Courtesy of SL Live Musicians, Radio Cher, and PickSL Dublin Services: (http://66.34.54.162:8014 ). Pick SL Dublin Services and Radio Cher have been providing SL Live Artist recordings online since September 2006 and July 2007, respectively, and have combined forces in November 2007 into one SL Live Radio service to make more music available to artists and listeners.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Things are growing at a fast pace in SL - I hear complaints about only 25 group and TP issues - when I remember one TP point per SIM and 10 groups per avatar. I see this with the influx of live artists into SL - the number has more than doubled in the past year. Everyone has such wonderful ideas and there is a place for all in Second Life, it truly is a community. I believe that this community spirit will carry over and expand - designers, artists, scripters, venues, educators and more - all working together more efficiently to produce outstanding products, services, entertainment and talent that will become known beyond SL to the real world.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

One trend I see that I believe will have an impact on 2008 is Simulcast streaming - where the artist streams from a real life show into a Second Life venue.

Simulcasting began in the Dublin SL SIM over a year ago by simulcasting live shows weekly from The Bedford in Greenwich, UK into the Blarney Stone: http://www.thebedford.co.uk/ . The Bedford (also known as The Bedford Arms) is an English public house situated in Balham, London. It is a well known venue for weekly live music nights, featuring acoustic sets from up-and-coming new artists and established acts. This year, Dublin will be simulcasting biweekly with two additional venues streaming into the Blarney Stone. Simulcasting is about finding new talent in local regions and getting them heard worldwide, getting them into SL when they weren't already big famous stars, either, but regular talented musicians.

Additionally, musicians such as MidKnight Auer, Tone Uriza and Forsythe Whitfield are seeing simulcasting as a way to combine SL and RL effectively - sales and promotion to two worlds at once. MidKnight Auer streams from Stingaree in RL San Diego, into SL's Diegoland Club Wicked weekly, using a soundman and two microphones, as does Tone Uriza with his band, Tony and the Torpedoes, from the Boondock's Lounge in Arizona once a month.

Also, Forsythe Whitfield is planning to take his RL show from Montreal, Canada, and simulcast - announcing the brand-new CD while performing to both SL and RL audiences at the same time - on February 29. He is selling the CD to in-world audiences through an mp3 kiosk and then to the RL audience in person.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I was a beta tester for The Sims Online, and promotions director and DJ for a radio station there. To ask someone to listen to your station, they needed to have an outside audioplayer and paste the URL in the player. Each listener was a chore to get - many did not have Winamp, MediaPlayer, etc! Tip jars and pay were unheard of, we did it for the love of music. When I came to SL and saw you could step into a parcel and automatically hear music, this amazed me. But most of all, what changed my life was hearing RL musicians play live and streaming into a virtual world. I DJed for a while in both worlds, but I found that SL with its "advanced" streaming technology and live artists, was the place I wanted to be.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

I see more SL-RL interaction in the form of simulcasting, cd sales, artist promotion and a closer interaction between real world talent and SL Live Artist talent, as well as in-world collaboration.

· Biweekly simulcasts into SL Dublin from the RL United Kingdom, with new talent showcases

· Forsythe Whitfield will be releasing a new CD in Montreal, Canada and at the same time performing in SL, to both SL and RL audiences on February 29

· The expansion of SL Live Radio from inworld into the real world, as well as more real world radio stations streaming into SL, such as liveireland.com into Dublin

· More mega events such as the Philanthropy in Virtual Worlds event and the iCommons, combining 4 SIMs and speakers reaching out to audiences inworld and worldwide

· More educational groups in SL, offering classes inworld such as the San Diego Community College's graphic arts class being held in Diegoland SL on January 19 http://www.theseventhsun.com/0108_SDclass.htm
· More musicians creatively collaborating using programs such as Ninjam, like Komuso Tokugawa and MoShang Zhao. They recently joined together to bring SL the MoKo LoCo Ambient Blues Trance project, called "SynaesthAsia"

· In 2008, the Cruise ship "Galaxy", owned by Bill Stirling, will be on its "Grand Voyage 08 - A Celebration Around the World". The ship will "dock" at various locations, such as Dublin, Diegoland and Zurich, each month, for an exchange of cultures, ideas and activities.

Upo Choche – Act Up Theatre Company

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

I would venture to say that the grand-daddy of all milestones in Second Life is the introduction of voice to SL. Having founded Act Up just before it was introduced, we had the unique opportunity of seeing the difference between streaming a play and actually performing it 'live' with voice. One of our patrons commented on the difference it made in the production of our shows. While we were quite pleased with the results, it was nice to have a viewpoint of someone who attended both of last year’s performances to get feedback. Voice in Second Life makes live theater possible in SL. Before that we could only mimic it as best we could by streaming the actors’ lines in and choreographing the movement of the actors to the lines.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Short answer, yes, and no, *laughing*. But, in all honesty, I did not know what to expect or how live theater performances would be received in SL. With the feedback that I have received, I can safely say that there is definitely a place in SL for live performances and the general public loves it. One of the things we set out to do was to see if theater in SL would be possible and to see how receptive performers and patrons alike would respond. The response has been overwhelming and the support has surpassed any expectations or visions I may have had.

What were the trends that begin last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

The utilization of voice in SL will, undoubtedly, have the biggest impact. Some other things that will have an impact are the cracking down of casinos and removal of gambling devices. General chit chat that I have with friends and colleagues is that clubbing is becoming stale. I think that we will see a decline on the clubbing/sex scene and there will be a shift to other forms of entertainment for the residents. One of the outcries that cropped up with the internet when it first started out was all this pornography that was all over the place and the easy access to it all. Second Life seems to be in direct parallel to the internet when it first came into being. As the internet matured and people matured with this new medium, the waters settled down a bit and the internet has become a positive force in the lives of many. In 2008, I believe we will start to see the signs of Second Life maturing, as well as the residents maturing a bit (myself included, I'm not exempt LOL), and realizing how it, too, will be a more positive force.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I have dabbled a bit in other virtual worlds and read up on different ones. I have never taken the time to fully explore them outside of your typical MMO such as WoW, FFXI, Guild Wars, etc....

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

I think 2008 will offer residents new forms of entertainment that were not possible before. Since the founding of Act Up, I have seen standup comedy and variety shows surface. To help with this driving force, Act Up will be holding workshops at the beginning of this year to help educate and get people involved in performing live over the internet. One of the shows we have planned is “Midsummer Night’s Dream” to open in, well, midsummer.

Astrin Few – Live Music Enthusiasts and Jazz Enthusiasts

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

I can't think of any key milestones this year. I had hoped that the live music portion of SLCC07 might be a milestone, but I don't believe it was. There's been steady growth of the live music community, but no major watersheds that I know of, which is fine.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

I had no preconception of how SL live music would evolve in 2007 or any previous year. I just sit back and see what happens.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

Again, I know of no significant new trends in 2008.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

No, I have not.


What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Singing Arc, at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas on March 1st: this will be the largest, dedicated live music event to date and, essentially, the second of its nature since the much smaller event in Philly in March, 2006. It is a significant venue (400+), has sponsorship, and 11 outstanding SL musicians and is, therefore, a big step in the area of RL/SL music events.

Slim Warrior - Independent Musicians Group

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

When you say milestones, what do you mean because there is a lot happening? I’ll assume you mean significant activities in the music community. Well, for example, there are now 200-plus live musicians in SL, I remember in 2005 there were only 8. So, from last year to now, there has been a steep growth in the music community and 45 of the 200 plus are women. There are also a number of bands now in SL, several of which I use. I won’t talk about the celebrity band appearances in general. They have no bearing on the SL music community. They are PR splashes, basically, and one doesn’t ever see that celeb in SL again. Then there is the pulling out of corporate sponsors for live music, namely Pontiac and Ratepoint. At the moment, running a live music venue does not generate income, certainly not of any significance to the venue owner, hence the pull out of a few corporate sponsors. Although events such as Secondfest (award winning festival in SL by The Guardian and Intel) did create opportunities for SL musicians and media attention. Also, the opening of the Orange Island which aims to support the music community, too, was important. I set up a Forum for SLMC (Second Life Music Community) which has brought many people together, DJ’s, venue owners, musicians, etc, so we can discuss all matter for music in SL that’s done really well. We have also seen a great increase in the number of SL radio stations, i.e., SL Live which now has over 2000 listeners and they only play music from SL musicians.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Yes, it has been wildly exciting, not to mention the diversity and talent that I hear every day in SL. It’s a fabulous place to be *smiles* and to be part of it is inspiring.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

Trends that we will be seeing will be, finally, the education of the audience on how they need to support live music in SL by donation of Lindens to artists, rather than leaving the brunt of all costs to venue owners, as has been the case for the last two years. It is not sustainable as it runs now. We will also need more user based systems whereby we can eliminate the need for a middle person booking an artist and charging astronomical fees to book gigs. Lastly, the realization from many musicians that they cannot continue to charge RL prices for playing a gig in SL. It will be about teamwork between venues and musicians. There are some people who feel they can hop on the bandwagon and charge both venue and musician. And many musicians who come into SL under the impression they are going to get rich which, of course, is not the case. The introduction of voice in SL has meant another avenue for musicians to use as a method of performing, too. We also see NInjams and multi-jams occurring, not on a regular basis, but slowly growing. That’s been a wonderful thing. The first instrumental duet was with Astrin Few and Flaming Moe and I did the first singing duet live with Melvin Took, Melvin lives in Texas and I am in London.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

No, I don’t really explore other virtual worlds. I have looked at many but I do think, at the moment, SL is certainly leading the rest in terms of immersive and interactive experience for live music and visually, as well.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

There has been a great deal of interest, RL media-wise, in online virtual performances, especially in the UK, and we are beginning to see RL labels and PR companies scouting in here. I had a 4-page article out in Performing Musician and, since then, I haven’t stopped answering mails. RL/SL crossover is occurring already but I’m sure we will see more of that this year. As any online community grows, it goes through phases and what most people don’t realize that, as a music community, we are very small in the big picture but it is gaining more impact in RL than ever before. We are all pretty loud when we want to be *smiles* and better as a group voice than only one. I do think 2008 is going to be a very exciting year. In June, I am planning a seminar in London on music on virtual platforms which, of course, will concentrate on SL as a showcase. The response has been tremendous.

Preciousse Moody – Second Life Music

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

Although I have no basis for comparison, for me, SL music was the best in 2007. The best quality of musicianship SL has to offer... I found the talent from the UK and Canada to be particularly awesome!

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Not really, because I didn't really expect anything from the start.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

I don't know if this is a 'trend' but, towards the end of the year, I noticed more all day events. I really like that back-to-back kind of event, great lineups of talented people, one after the other, is great.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

No.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

The music scene is ultimately what keeps me here in Second Life. I think, in 2008, Second Life will start to show its true potential when the music industry gets more involved than they already have. Not just as a place to come and listen to people but, also, as a place for people to collaborate, network and make important real world contacts. SL live music rocks! May influence travel scenarios and crossover concerts and events into real life. A good example of this is the recent news of the SL music performance in Vegas...look it up.

Katie Reve – Pilot Theatre Company

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

The Performance Arts World, which encompasses live theatre, is a wide and varied stage. Large commercial production playing in London's West End, plays at the National Theatre, regional repertory creating new works every 3 months, concert halls and opera houses receiving one night gigs or weekly programs hosting productions, bring theatre to towns and cities across England. Arts centres with smaller capacities. Then there are the companies that tour and have no permanent venue fueling the physical venues, commissioning new writing, touring to schools, to prisons, to village halls and community centres, even outdoor venues.

This is true of theatre in the UK.

Pilot Theatre is a mid-scale national touring company, partly funded by the English Arts Council. They are in residence at the Theatre Royal in York, which has its own repertory company. Pilot Theatre opens its production there before going on tour or transferring to London. Pilot Theatre does have a national profile and has won awards and much critical acclaim for their work.
Marcus Romer, the Artistic Director takes the company in innovative directions engaging, particularly, in new technologies, not for gimmick but in ways that evolve expectations and drives narrative within the company's work redefining what live performances can achieve. The use of projection is not new, but the projection of active MySpace content adds a new feature. Pilot Theatre's latest work is for audiences 13 – 18, but is enjoyed by teens and adults alike, had its script developed in MySpace in collaboration with MySpace users.

In answer to your question about 'significance to the performance art world', it is difficult, as being at the eye of your own storm often prevents us, as active practitioners, evaluating our work in context with our contemporaries and the bigger picture. There is work emerging which combines live performance with the notion of how the digital world is influencing our lives. I saw Facebook, the musical, last year at the Edinburgh Festival. There is theatre exploring arts and science, bringing together future concepts and using IT and performance to engage its audience. Unlimited Theatre has looked at the subject of quantum physics and teleportation, informing and entertaining audiences. Again I saw them at the Edinburgh Festival and continue to follow their work. The power of theatre to politicise and inform was part of the 20th Century's dialectic. I think our evolving digital world, and the creative input it desires and necessitates to be vibrant and engaging, is part of the 21st Century dialogue, arts and science, voyages of discovery, a new renaissance. Pilot's presence in Second Life is part of that awakening. A new realm, a new interaction and new ideas exchange, a new format. But all connected to live performance.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

I, at PCM, and my avatar, Katie, discovered Second Life in Dec 2006. I think the collaboration of new media with live performance and its implications on how society will see itself and respond to the world around us in the future is profoundly linked. The tradition of theatre to educate, inform and reflect society's challenges is key to understanding cyberspace and bring people on board to engage with technology and consider what it means, whether it’s necessary, and whether it's good or bad, is part of social drama. The questions and debates I don't think happen enough. I was looking for people sharing this IT and theatrical vision. Pilot Theatre is part of that journey. Established in July 2007, Pilot Theatre's home hub was intended to hold a simulcast in Second Life of our opening night of 'Looking for JJ' at the end of September, giving us the opportunity to invite an audience not usually able to see Pilot's work. Being an arts company, the financial weight of such a project was enormous. My first job was to research and bring in quotes for the project. Expenses aside, the overriding problem, even if we had the money, was the real world infrastructure of uploading a live media stream on to the internet from locations without dedicated upload access. Domestic wi-fi or networked business infrastructure, not specifically IT focused, would prove inadequate and the solution was going to be hard and impossible to install in the time we had. So we decided to establish what we could with the resources and finances we had. Having a presence in Second Life was seen as an important step for the company. What we have today has come from this original concept. The emphasis, however, is always on the live event. We, now, at the beginning of 2008, have a Second Life presence and its future is very fluid and integral to Pilot Theatre's future work as a promotional tool or a delivery platform.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

We are still looking at simulcasting a live show. We have a live collaborative project in July, looking at new media and the arts called 'Shift Happens' taking place in UK and Second Life and a storytelling project with a 3D realisation yet to be fully conceptualised, but I am very excited about working with the writer, Richard Hurford, and Marcus Romer to make this happen.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

I am excited about myrl.com's notion of being able to take AV's to other worlds. I want the constant of being able to take Katie with me to explore other virtual worlds. Identity and SL are of interest to me also. I haven't had my curiosity spiked enough to check any others out. I know they exist. Pilot is interested in establishing a presence in the Second Life Teen Grid in the future.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

2008, we have the 'Shift Happens' event on July 3, much planning still to be done. A potential simulcast from New York to Old York! and SL with the next production of Catcher in the Rye, and the storytelling inworld collaboration details of which are in the brain-storming stage.

Circe Broom – Circe’s Circle of Sound

What were some of last year’s key milestones in the performance arts world and why were they significant?

The proliferation of venues gave musicians a far wider choice, and the opportunity to reach a wider audience. More people learned about live music in SL.

Looking back to the start of last year, have things evolved the way you thought they would? Why or why not?

Well, I think that when the floodgates opened to the free accounts, the entire world here changed. A lot of that is for the worst. Anonymous griefers haunt the venues now, and are replaced with another as soon as they are banned. It is an ongoing problem which I hope Linden Labs finds a resolution for. As for live music in SL, more and more musicians have discovered that performing in SL is a good way to gain fans for their RL careers, or to help get started in a RL career. It is good for audiences in SL, as there are far more musicians in here per capita.

What were the trends that began last year that will have the greatest impact in 2008?

*Laughing* The population in SL skyrocketed this past year.

Have you explored other virtual worlds and has that had any influence on what you've done in SL? If you have, has what you've done there been influenced by what you've done or not done in SL?

Well, I've seldom found a dragon to slay in SL; most dragons I know are friends of mine. Yes, and nothing compares to SL, even with all the bugs.

What can we look forward to in 2008? (Events, openings, influences etc.)

Last year, I would have said that more and more RL corporations would be funding the arts in here, but I no longer believe that. I have seen corporate funders come and go, and the one thing they have in common is that they all seem to go, they have not found a way to make SL pay off enough.

Many thanks to those who contributed and to Tini Jewell for her work in editing this and other editions of Lane’s List.