List of my online identities:
- myCSU e-box
- Interact
- e-mail accounts (Edumail, yahoo, gmail)
- blogger
- wikispaces
- LC_MOO (although this didn't work!)
- Delicious
- Ning
- SuperclubsPlus
- Second Life
- DEECD (Vic Education Dept) Portal
Do I show multiple identities or cosistent identities?
Most of my identities are consistent and are based on the "real" me. The only time I have changed my identity was with Second Life because I did not feel confident or comfortable revealing my "real" self on this site. However, the rest of the sites are able to be used for social or professional purposes. Therefore a consistent identity based on my real self is required so that others can find and communicate with me effectively.
What does my "persistent identity" say about me or what shouldn't it say?
My "persistent identity" is based on the real me and it allows others to locate and commiunicate with me, both professionally and socially. When I first joined Facebook, I was a bit nervous about putting myself out there on the internet. However, because I am able to control my contacts, I have become more relaxed and confident to put myself out there.
There does not seem to be a point in being in social or professional networks without using a persistent identity based on reality. The aim of participating in networking is to be able to find and link up with people of similar interests, backgrounds or professions. If we use hidden identities, then this makes it difficult for others to find us. Most of these sites allow us to control who we let in to our network through invitations, log ins and passwords, and I do not include a lot of personal information anyway.
I also find it difficult to be someone I am not. I created a different persona in Second Life, but this did not change the way I think, feel or act about things. Therefore, although the name and the image were changed to protect my identity, at the end of the day, even this is still me!
My persistent identitfy shouldn't say anything negative about myself or others. It keeps in mind my professionalism and reputation. It is respectful of these and does not say anything that could damage my reputation or that of others.
Exercise 5.2: Social Architects and Online Games
1) Define what is meant by social architect
The following is a quote about social architect:
"Where the architect designs physical space, the social architect designs social space….. The social architect’s task is to create the space for people to act on what matters to them."
from Peter Block in his book The Answer to How is Yes, as sited at http://www.thepracticeofleadership.net/2008/03/24/leader-as-social-architect/ 6/9/09.
Therefore people who design and create spaces for social interaction can be referred to as social architects. People who design platforms for social networking and online communities must be considered to be social architects because they are designing spaces for people to interact.
2) Investigate and compare ANY two of the following online communities and become a member.
3) Use a table to describe the objectives, rules of engagement and unique features of each and report your findings AFTER becoming a member.
I spent hours making tables in Word and then Excel and couldn't copy and paste the format of the table into Blogger. I tried saving as a picture in paint, but was unreadable. Therefore I am sticking with paragraphs!
ShuffleBrain: http://www.shufflebrain.com/
Objectives
ShuffleBrain "is building smart games for a connected world." I played a game called Photograb. This uses photos from Facebook to create visual recognition games. Users can create their own games using their own photos in Facebook. The primary aim is to "play friends to sharpen your visual skills."
Rules of Engagement
Have a Facebook account and link it with Photograb.You can invite others to participate.Participate in a tutorial and some simple demonstration games to begin with.Find each detail within a photo within the allotted time.Points are awarded for accuracy.
Unique Features
Linked with Facebook account.
Can create own games based on own photos
Findings
Very simple to use and is addictive. It is a great game for procrastinating. The site claims to "sharpen your visual skills." It certainly makes you look closely at the screen. I was always told this would give me "square eyes," and after a few games, I had a headache. Therefore, I think this is a fun, online game which allows some interaction with others. I don't believe its claim to "sharpen your visual skills."
One of the games I played was created by our very own Jeanie Axton, and was quite tricky!
Whyville: http://b.whyville.net/
Objectives
“Whyville is an educational virtual world for children to explore, learn, and create together”. Their goal is “to promote and foster learning” in a safe. online environment.
The site is particularly aimed at girls between 8 and 15. While activities are available in all subject areas, many activities have a maths or science focus in order to engage students in these subjects.
Rules of Engagement
Participants create an avatar.
Parental permission is required for students under 13.
Participants must gain a licence before they can chat, ensuring they learn about responsible behaviour.
Unique Features
Use of avatars in an animated virtual world.
Focus on cybersafety and appropriate behaviour.
Earn rewards, buy virtual products and manage virtual business to learn about budgeting.
Findings
It's a bit of a cross between Second Life and SuperclubsPlus. Like Second Life, you had to create an avatar to begin. Then a guide appeared to show me around the 'newbie' section, and explain how the environment works. Like Superclubs, there is a focus on teaching about cybersafety and appropriate behaviour to children.
You can choose to play various games, enter a range of chat rooms on a number of topics, or shop for virtual objects. I tried to play a tic-tac-toe game, but because I was the only person in the room, I was unable to. I think kids would really enjoy this site. It is animated, visually appealing, and does seem to have some educational value.
4) Try to find out who is behind the organisation and managment of each onilne community.
ShuffleBrain:
Amy Jo Kim is an internationally recognized expert in online social architecture. She has designed social architecture for Electronic Arts/Maxis/Origin, Digital Chocolate, MTV/Harmonix, eBay, There.com, Yahoo!, and others.
Scott Kim is one of the world’s most prolific and versatile puzzle designers. He has designed thousands of puzzles for such web game companies as PopCap, Gamehouse and the Tetris Company.
Whyville:
Whyville was launched in 1999 by Numedeon. It is based on “over 17 years of research in education and cooperative learning to develop an innovative environment for engaging children in constructive and engaging activities on the web.”
Are they true social architects?
The creators of both of these sites are social architects because they have designed platforms for social interaction and networking.
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