In an almost surreal scene, unprecedented numbers of euphoric people are mobbing America's capital city to celebrate a new hope for a beleaguered nation. It is a celebration so huge that the bounds of reality cannot hold it in. For the very first time, the inauguration of a new president will be trumpeted in this world and another; in life and in Second Life.

There are those who would dismiss Second Life's Inaugural Ball as a mere novelty, but it is more akin to the novelty of a first black president: It may be hailed for the moment as something sparkly and new, and, in truth, the initial moment may be little more than fanfare, but still the event marks an undeniable change in the future evermore. The effects cannot be predicted, much less measured. From this day forward, it is doubtful any serious political candidate will fail to represent in virtual worlds, particularly in Second Life.

we will examine the concepts of collaboration within networked environments. During the course of the semester, different models of collaboration will be examined as well as put into practice. Students will have the opportunity to exercise these methods in various contexts, within business applications, arts-oriented approaches, educational outreach, and general social exchange. We will explore the effects that networked environments have had on our exchanges, the hybrid models of communication that have developed, and the emergent process of networked collaboration. [edit]

Obama Grabs Headlines - November 5, 2008

The Virtual Worlds video archive is dedicated to the academic investigation and historical preservation of documentation of virtual worlds.

This collection is a collaborative effort of the How They Got Game Project of the Stanford Humanities lab, as part of the Preserving Virtual Words project funded by the National Digital Information Infrastructure Preservation Program (NDIIPP) funded by the U.S. Library of Congress. Groups at the University of Illinois, University of Maryland, and Rochester Institute of Technology are also partners in this important project.

The Social Media & Marketing Webinar.

Five week online social media training course for youth leaders in Tonga & Papua New Guinea. INTRO

Delivered as a pro bono project by all the facilitators / partners (see sidebar), the Pacific Youth project enabled young leaders from Papua New Guinea and Tonga to participate in a five week online social media course with the aims to:

• give participants an understanding of online platforms and technology for use with young people and in their own professional development • enable and empower through a supportive process of practical and immersive learning approaches • have fun.

All course content is available under the Creative Commons license which enables other organisations and young people to participate in the course themselves, remix or embellish upon it (as long as they provide us with credit/link).