Second Life Experience

Even after almost a full week of exploration, I am still not a fan of Second Life--I found it very confusing and difficult to navigate. I do like the idea of it, but I just found myself bewildered and frustrated as I tried to figure out to how to more than wander around aimlessly. I did manage to visit Info Island, which seems like it would be a cool place, if I had known how to do more while I was there.

Here's my screenshot.

I also tried World of Warcraft, to see if I could get into any aspect of immersive gaming. I found WoW to be a little more user friendly--at least the gave me tips and guidance as I worked my way through.

Best practices: screencasting

Here are my discoveries for what it takes to create a successful screencast:

• Know your content, and your audience. Don't try to create a screencast on something you are just learning yourself. And create a screencast that will keep your target audience engaged.
• Know your equipment! Be familiar with how your mike, computer and screencasting software work. This helps eliminate "technical difficulties" once you are ready to start recording.
• Practice, practice, practice! Do a run-through or two, especially if you are self-conscious when recording yourself. It will help you rehearse timings and transitions and also help you feel more comfortable with your presentation.
  

Which console for you?

So I really just have to say that if this decision were actually to be made in real life, I should NOT be the one to make it! I don't know much about gaming at all.

That said, I would of course undertake a lot of research before making a selection. Let's say I'm working in a school library, and we want to implement some gaming that can be used to both A) attract students to library events and B) increase learning. I'd start by surveying the students themselves, and faculty as well. I love the site SurveyMonkey
for purpose of creating quick and easy online surveys that people can fill out.

What are some other criteria I'd use in making my selection, besides the survey results? Here are some questions I'd ask:

• How popular is it? Older consoles are pretty much out--no one's going to be interested in say, old-school Nintendo with Mario Brothers!
• What level of interactivity does it offer? We don't want users to just come in and then sit in isolation in front of the console. We want them to interact with each other.
• What games are available--specifically what educational games? I'm working in a school library, I want the kids to learn!

Based on the above criteria, and my limited knowledge of gaming consoles, I think I would probably end up going with Wii or Xbox 360. Not only are those popular and likely to draw kids in, but they also seem like they'd offer the degree of interactivity I'm looking for.

Online Gaming Screencast

I love Literati on Yahoo! Games.

Unfortunately, the girl I was playing with wasn't too fast, so this screen is mostly me waiting for her to make a move....

Literati

Ning

I think Ning is amazing! Libraries could do so much with it. While Facebook groups and MySpace pages are a great way for libraries to get the word out about what they offer, Ning offers so much more, because the library can have a whole social network all of its own. People joining the library Ning network can feel a real sense of belonging, and it might encourage them to take more advantage of the library's offerings in person.

Facebook How-To Screencast

Here's a quick screencast on one of the many applications Facebook offers, how to add it to your page and how to use it once it's there.

2008-04-13_1248

Sticky Social Network Sites

I believe that sites like Facebook and MySpace are "sticky" for a few reasons. First of all, they offer a quick and easy way to stay in touch with, and/or "keep tabs on," people from all of one's many different social circles. I first got into Facebook because it was a great way to stay in touch with college friends, and to disperse life updates to all my friends quickly and easily. I think that's what initially draws a lot of people to the site. And, being able to be in touch so easily is addictive for many people, myself included.

And then came the applications. They are what keeps these sites sticky. There is so much to do, check, update and so on with any given visit to MySpace or Facebook that you really can spend hours at a time there.