Untitled+Misfits+Work+Plan

Group Main Page Research Ideas Research Locations Research Project

= = //I think this new phrasing of our focus topic better fits what we decided our focus would on last Friday. Feel free to use the history to revert anything else you think we should have kept, but I do think that slimming it down like this is for the better. I'm also going to be modifying my 'member breakdown' area to refocus it. One last thing - I think that this Friday in class we should use the time to set up the early draft of our final, presentable "group journal" where we start pulling from everyone's journals in collaboration. - LM//

//Please feel free to go ahead and click on the 'research project' link above and get to work. - GD// = = =Work Plan= The Untitled Misfits research focus, strategy and goals.


 * Focus Topic:** Real life communities and relationships are under constant control by various modalities of constraint. By suspending many of these through a virtual world, what //new// constraints do we see as people develop the same types of communities and relationships that we have in the real world? What does the virtual world do as far as increasing or decreasing various real world constraints?

What are the specific goals/areas of research for each member, and how does it relate to our overall topic?
 * Member Breakdown**

__Clementine Ballyhoo__: I would really like to focus on awareness groups and real-life social movements (like the Save Darfur island) within Second Life and how they are either building upon communities/movements found in the real world or if they are simply substituting virtual activism for real action. More details to come later.

__Garbage Dumpling__: I would like to look at how Second Life either alleviates or exacerbates the feelings of isolation or social constriction that are evident for many Americans IRL.

__Hadley Kiergarten__: I would really like to do a case study of the four modalities of constraint within SL. I think it is quite interesting these constrictions are entirely user created. I also find it fascinating how the culture within SL is going to change drastically once new architecture is enforced via corporate control. How will the rules change and have they already? I will do my case study on the different sectors of the communities in which my group mates follow their research.

__Lumpy Mumfuzz__: My focus is primarily on business relations in SL. Specifically, I am examining how strong the communities are in the business world, including relations between business owners, owners and consumers, and between consumers. What institutional features of SL contribute to how these relationships are formed? How do these institutional features and their effects differ from those in real life?

__Mastadon Mornington__: I'm extremely interested in how the barrier between SL and RL can sometimes break down. I think that the currency situation in SL is a great example, but what I'd prefer to focus on is drawing a comparison to Fight Club and the multiple personality(ies) that many willingly choose to take on when immersed in SL. Everyone please let me know what you think about this idea!

__Major Important Questions:__ 1. Exactly what time does our research need to be posted in final format to the wiki? 2. What does the final format of our paper need to be when posted to the wiki?

__Updates to our Work Plan:__ Slide Format: Black Background, white writing, minimal text and large photos

Garbage's Research Slide Structure
 * 1) Will write the introduction to our research
 * 2) Will present his research first
 * 3) Avatars: skins and such (1 slide)
 * 4) Commerce: absentee commerce (1 slide)
 * 5) Sex on SL: not particularly interactive, masturbatory (1 slide)
 * 6) Land and Property: tie in to Mastodon's research (1 slide)
 * 7) Image in SL (1 slide)
 * 8) Research will draw mostly on Dewey, Berry and a bit of Klein and possibly a bit about Fight Club

Mastodon's Research Slide Structure
 * 1) Pictures of avatars as examples of SL: these will classify different types of SL users
 * 2) Pictures of property to further drive home the idea of people living their lives through SL
 * 3) Discuss privacy rights within SL activities; people seemingly want to be left alone.
 * 4) Protectiveness of virtual property in SL
 * 5) Dichotomy of community and private life of SL

Clementine's Research Slide Structure
 * 1) Traditional RL social activist groups (ex: Elk Lodge Dudes)
 * 2) Camp Darfur Island and Activist Communities that accomplish nothing other that awareness
 * 3) Memorials for RL tragic events
 * 4) SL religious communities (going to church in SL?)
 * 5) Community at the Transgender resource center (easy to be transgendered in SL as skins are easily manipulated)
 * 6) Don't forget the real world slide
 * 7) End on the note: these social groups and activists don't accomplish any sort of RL effects to the same degree RL activists would

Lumpy's Research Slide Structure
 * 1) The relationships between people who own businesses and how they advertise within SL
 * 2) How consumers find places within SL (how do most people find places, usage of word of mouth)
 * 3) Disconnect between people buying stuff and people making stuff (people never meet the person who buys their goods and those buy te goods do not meet the person from whom they are buying)
 * 4) Institutional aspects of SL that aid in the creation of disconnect in sales

Hadley's Research Slide Structure
 * 1) The modalities of constraint are entirely user created (examples of post cards)
 * 2) Modalities in Social Activism Sites
 * 3) Modalities in Business Focused Communities
 * 4) How do the modalities differ among the different communities? Generally, they do not. We continue to create the same constraints throughout SL that are in place with RL. This has intensified with the copyright expansion within SL. However, the expansion of copyright did not need to be in place in order for protections to be in place among the different communities.
 * 5) Conclusion Slide: Discussion SL and its disconnect in interpersonal relationships but very close resemblance to the modalities of constraint within RL.

Division of Paper: 1. Garbage 2. Mastodon 3. Clementine 4. Lumpy 5. Hadley