Transcript of Conversation on “Anonymity, Psuedonyms and Online Spaces” at NPC

Nonprofit Commons Discussion on “Anonymity, Psuedonyms and Online Spaces: how important?”

August 12, 8:30am PST

At Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Plush%20Nonprofit%20Commons/88/126/26

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): well that is a good transition toward the topic of the day… Identity, anonymity, pseudonyms and online spaces

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): I’m sure there are lots of opinions and ideas about it, so I thought we should spend some time sharing out

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): First off, did folks gt a chance to read up on those links I sent out over the email list? I’ll repaste here for the chat log…

• http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2011/07/google-profiles-pseudonym-avatar-names-suspension-policy.html
• http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2011/08/04/real-names.html
• http://alphavilleherald.com/2010/12/second-lifes-new-naming-policy.html

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): also there was just an update on Google Plus…

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): they are not automatically suspending accounts for being “fake”. they now send you a warning which you have to “fix” your account before they turn it off

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Small comfort to those who use pseudonyms

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): And finally, South Korea just announced that they are requiring all citizens to use their real name and ID in all of their online interactions

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): so , yeah, these are interesting times

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): First off, what do folks think about how Second Life has changed, and the possible desire of LL to link your SL account to your FB account for example? Do you want your RL identity tied to your SL avatar? or kept separate?

 

TammySM: Well i guess i came to terms long ago you just have to be out there

Widget Whiteberry: I have an avatar account on FB. I’m happy to be linked to that.

Francesca Barnes: As a person with two FB accounts, I am annoyed by not getting to choose which one things link to

Widget Whiteberry: I used my slwidget gmail acct for both

kathee Gibbs: want it kept seperate

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Widget, that is separate from the RL identity?

Arielion Clawtooth: Facebook is doing away with avatar accounts also.

Calliope Novaland: yes, I do too Widget

Widget Whiteberry: yes Rik

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): I do NOT want to be forced to link my SL account to any external social network, account, website, period.

bulaklak: I think it’s good that they add it as an option. As long as it’s optional, then folks can choose if they link it or not.

Calliope Novaland: @ Rik, mine too

Zinnia Zauber: Make your Facebook Page for your avatar

Arielion Clawtooth: THey are saying they will take away any account not linked to a real life name.

Buffy Beale: good point iSkye

Widget Whiteberry: how do I verify that SL links to the correct FB account?

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): OPTIONAL is fine. Force is NOT.

Michele Mrigesh: The choice to link to RL or to NOT link should be up to the individual

Michele Mrigesh: …what iSkye said

bulaklak: And as long as it’s opt IN rather than opt OUT, then I think it’s good.

TammySM: yes i do agree there

Ozma Malibu: Here in the NPC though the two are already linked because we introduce ourselves. It took me awhile to come to terms. There’s the issue of stalkers. I hesitated because for some of us (say) there is a Vietnam-era bipolar ex to whom one was married for 17 years and who just became worse not better although one could still hope that will change.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): are there any advantages to having people’s avatars linked to their RL identities?

bulaklak: I can’t stand opt OUT practices

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): I agree with Michele, there are serious concerns with privacy here.

Ozma Malibu: Serious issues yes.

Hour Destiny: Speaking as one who is an “ethnical hacker”, I see all kinds of risks. Identity theft, social engineering, etc.

Arielion Clawtooth: I think this trend in both FB and SL is for sales. There are legality issues with selling things to avatar names. They want real names to target us for marketing.

Sarvana Haalan: Professionally, my SL id and RL Identity are linked…. literally… one side of my business card is mine ; the other side is “SarVana’s and her in-world info

 

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): I was outraged when I saw how my SL friends were losing their FB and Google accounts, when so many of us have pseudonyms for very good reasons.

 

Ozma Malibu: I do the same now Sarvana but still want these things to be my decision.

Buffy Beale: yes Oz I’ve heard of a number of stalker cases in SL so it’s important to have the choice

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): As Glitteractica mentioned , we have always asked people to share their RL name at our meetings here, if they are comfortable doing so

Gentle Heron: How many professional people in SL have a professional (public) avatar and a private just-for-play avatar, do you think?

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): In some ways, I think it is to build trust among people

Arielion Clawtooth: It’s all about marketing these days and your security is secondary. Look at credit cards. They risk your personally identifying information, tell you you’re responsible for keeping it safe, then SELL you protection? Can you say conflict of interest? :o)

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): @Arielion: That’s true, FB and Google have their policies purely for profitmaking purposes. I can’t see how that justifies bulldozing us into giving up our privacy.

Widget Whiteberry: Rik: what you don’t do is tell people in advance that this is the practice here

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): And also before we are representing organizations as staff or volunteers in the RW

Buffy Beale: And what’s to say a name that looks real is a real name anyways

Arielion Clawtooth: @Iskye I’m not justifying, “just sayin‘” :o) It upsets me.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): we alwasy try and say that is “opt-in” practice, up to the person to decide

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): and no judgment either way

bulaklak: Agree, Buffy. One can have layers of pseudonyms.

Sarvana Haalan: SarVana has a “twin” that serves as the “quality control” inspector and to explore to avoid conflicts of interest

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): but as a professional networking community , it helps

Calliope Novaland: I think as long as your ethics are good, it is healthy to have a non-work identity

Buffy Beale: just put a fake photo of a real person, how would they know you’re not that person?

Glitteractica Cookie: This will remain a professional networking community

Hour Destiny: What justification(s) have the Lindens given?

Sarvana Haalan: I hope that everyone is using th e”honor” system and are being up right…

Sarvana Haalan: But I am also a bit of a “Pollyanna” :-0

Arielion Clawtooth: In China the concerns aren’t marketing but free speech. They want to control what is said and it’s hard to punish an avatar. :o) Benjamin Franklin knew this when he wrote caustic attacks under a “pen” name.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): I presume Rod will address some of this in his keynote tomorrow

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): so another good reason to attend SLCC, virtually or physically

Buffy Beale: that’s a good point Calliope

Sarvana Haalan: So sorry that I can not attend in person burt will be attending via SL. Wooot, woot!!

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): I’ll talk briefly about identities and avatars in my keynote tomorrow AM too

Sarvana Haalan: *but

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): @Arieltion – I was agreeing with you *smile*

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): So who are examples of people who are most adversely affected by RL identity requirements?

Sarvana Haalan: May I add something?

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): one sec sarvana

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): then I’ll give you the floor

Hour Destiny: Human rights activists in China or similar places?

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): activists in represssive govts, right. who else?

Widget Whiteberry: lists many examples http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2011/08/04/real-names.html

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): @Rik: People who need to remain connected to important contacts while avoiding stalkers; abuse survivors….

Widget Whiteberry: she does – I haven’t

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): thanks, widget

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): OH yes! Widget’s link is very good

Hour Destiny: Current or protential victims of hate crimes, stalking, harassment, etc.

Sarvana Haalan: clients that may be HIV+ and have not disclosed

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): what are some that dana mentions that are important

Francesca Barnes: Govt employees

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): (remember, this is for the archive as well as people here)

Arielion Clawtooth: Any persons working in any security arena (politics, government, research) would be at risk

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): whistleblowers!

LisaSchaefer Ruby: A lot of people use the pseudonominous anonimity to harass

Widget Whiteberry: People can have many reasons related to personal or family safety or free speech or activism

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): I see reps from the transgender veterans here

Arielion Clawtooth: One person said she had emotional and psychological issues about being identified by family members

Widget Whiteberry: or a requirement to keep their personal lives separate from their private lives

Sarvana Haalan: lol, politicals and bankers looking to pol others on various issues 🙂

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): a transgender person might want to remain anonymous

Widget Whiteberry: or privacy from family members

Hour Destiny: C-level executives. They would have much less privacy and be easier to target.

LisaSchaefer Ruby: lol, govt employees use psuedonyms so people don’t know that they’re playing sl at work

Jen (jenelle.levenque): Many in the TG community operate “Stealth”

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Lisa is identifying some of the negatives, which we can get to in a minute

Arielion Clawtooth: @Lisa PLAYING?! Are you saying SL is a GAME? (Looking for tomatoes)… :o)

Glitteractica Cookie: PLAYING SL? We don’t consider it playing

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): (some do of course)

Sarvana Haalan: I have a high level exe friend when uses SL to just chillin… a “menta

Sarvana Haalan: *mental

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): those are all great examples

Glitteractica Cookie: this is not unlike any other online community, for professional networking

Calliope Novaland: I think Lisa is on to somthing.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): first up, Sarvana had something she wanted to say

Arielion Clawtooth: (Touchy much?) ;0)

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Sarvana?

Sarvana Haalan: Oh… almost forgot…

LisaSchaefer Ruby: I have used a pseudonym to experiment with how I’m treated differently when I’m female, male, and unknown

 

bulaklak: When I worked at the International Museum of Women, we encouraged fully fleshed out profiles on our forums, yet we also understood and allowed for anonymity and pseudonymity. It was important for women to be able to speak out about violence or repression without fear of retaliation.

 

Jen (jenelle.levenque): absolutely

Glitteractica Cookie: It is important that peole who are representing the nonprofits that they work at are on the up and up and that we have the blessing of the org to participate, otherwise we are defeating teh purpose of this community, frankly

[Widget Whiteberry: so we could add ‘research’ to motivations for pseudonymity

Sarvana Haalan: I have found that linking SL and RL enabled more networking in RL especially when you want to share information about issues, programs or funding opps

Glitteractica Cookie: Yes Sarvana, we hpoe that is the experience of all our members

Widget Whiteberry: seems there are very good reasons to link and not link identities

 

Jen (jenelle.levenque): I use my SL name as my RL female name

 

LisaSchaefer Ruby: has anyone performed any formal research on the role gender plays in an anonymous world?

Jen (jenelle.levenque): It is now listed on the TAVA website

Sarvana Haalan: I am connected to several in-world colleagues in Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

Francesca Barnes: Another aspect of research, for me, is that I want people who are unfamiliar and nervous about online communities to try it out. They need privacy to fulfill our Human Subjects Protection commitments.

Arielion Clawtooth: And we’re not even dealing with the issue of avatar association. A lot of people have a connection to their avatars, a sort of “wall of illusion” that is broken when forced to be the “real self” again. (Those with challenges who can be anything and anyone in SL forced to be the RL self, etc.)

Glitteractica Cookie: Yes Lisa, there are loads of articles on that

Ozma Malibu: Good point Arielion

bulaklak: Lisa, Rik and I saw a gentleman speak about that this year

bulaklak: I dont‘ recall his name

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): With so many ways people can be attacked online, their real identities stolen, reputations harmed, it’s safer to have a pseudonym and to have the OPTION to volunteer certain information instead of being told, “We are this hugely popular social network and we want to make megabucks off your personal info. Surrender it or the virtual door gets slammed in your face!”

bulaklak: He is an anthropologist

Glitteractica Cookie: in fact the NPC was featured in the New Scientist several years ago, b/c one of our members @jani myriam in SL was a transgender avatar who became a transgender woman

LisaSchaefer Ruby: Glitteratica: do you have a list you could sent me?

bulaklak: Who stuides gender in Second Life

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Lisa was bringing up some of the negatives associated with complete anonymity online

Hour Destiny: Some people are actually taken more seriously when they’re not using their RL selves.

Glitteractica Cookie: Lisa, I can send you a couple

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Trolling, griefing and the like

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Can we talk about that for a bit?

Glitteractica Cookie: please email community@techsoup.org and remind me

bulaklak: Tom Boellstorff

Ozma Malibu: If you are intersted in research issues, ask on the SLED list

Widget Whiteberry: virtuality frees us from the projections we encounter in rl

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): What are some of the negatives of online anonymity?

Buffy Beale: oh, yes I heard Tom speak in SL about his book

bulaklak: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Boellstorff

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): (tom is great)

Buffy Beale: ty bulaklak

Widget Whiteberry: Rik, are we talking anonymity or psuedonymity?

LisaSchaefer Ruby: ty buffy

Hour Destiny: Usually, there is much less credibility.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): either, widget

Widget Whiteberry: they are very different

Buffy Beale: so negative would be it’s hard to trust if you don’t really know who you’re talking to

Arielion Clawtooth: On the serface it seems like stripping away avatar names would make it harder for grievers but really it would cause those with that intent to step up their game and steal other identities.

Widget Whiteberry: we should separate them

Arielion Clawtooth: *surface

okay just complete anonymity first

Widget Whiteberry: thank you

Sarvana Haalan: personally… I get concern at times about how some individuals may react once thry discover my racial background… I fear that it may disrupt our potentila collaboration.

Calliope Novaland: I think anonomous or pseudo is an important one

Hour Destiny: Attackers would be much harder to spot and stop.

 

bulaklak: Well, from a Community Manager standpoint, it’s interesting. Anonymity can potentially degrade the level of conversation because people don’t feel accountable for what they say.

 

Widget Whiteberry: Widget Whiteberry nods to Sarvana

bulaklak: Especially in blogs.

TammySM: Well i think the biggest negative would be if someone came in to get help..some may feel ok sharing if anonymous but not it you can be found out.

Hour Destiny: So, much less accountibility.

Arielion Clawtooth: Wbulaktak I see that as a plus not a minus.

bulaklak: It’s something a little shy of trolling.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): chatroulette is some of what I fear from complete anonymity

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): a complete breakdown of social norms and behaviors.

Sarvana Haalan: Have had one one situation so far… which was good but not a surprise

bulaklak: I definitely see both sides Aerillion

LisaSchaefer Ruby: I like the FB experience better than sl, because people are portraying their real selves on fb. But I also know those people irl

bulaklak: Sock puppeting is a real issue

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): a lowest common denominator experience that doesn’t help anyone.

TammySM: well anyone you may want to work with shouldn’t make a difference and if that causes them not to you sure dont want to work with them

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): So what is the difference between complete anonymity and pseudoanonymity? or are they just degrees of difference?

Sarvana Haalan: a colleague reminded me that the person behind each ava may bring their RL bias into SL. 🙁

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): I see more negatives than positives, it’s really very worrying for me to see the trends everywhere. I’m fearing the day when in order to keep my identity private the only thing I can do is go off-grid completely. That will be a sad day for anyone.

Hour Destiny: The first one keeps chaning and the second one is where you stick with an identity.

Calliope Novaland: for me it’s a fuller expression of a pen name

Hour Destiny: *changing

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): Hour’s definition works for me.

LisaSchaefer Ruby: hm… when I play a male…is that anonymity or pseudonymity

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): (side note: I love this convo and appreciating everyone right now!)

Arielion Clawtooth: @Iskye No such thing as off the grid anymore. DId you see the research on face identity from photos? Google just bought the technology. If there’s a photo of your RL face your identity is known

Hour Destiny: To be completely anonymous, you need to keep changing identities.

bulaklak: Also at BAN6, I saw Eva Galperin from the Electronic Fronteir Foundation speak very eloquently about this issue. They do a lot of advocacy work around anonymity online. It really opened my eyes to the positives. https://www.eff.org/issues/anonymity

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): thanks bulaklak

Ozma Malibu: I started with 2 avatars, one for education and one for nonprofit, but Ozma and Sandy are the same person. I can’t really disconnect them from each other. So I use just the one. I don’t know what to call this situation. But have the other in case I need it & she’s anonymous.

Arielion Clawtooth: And because someone else’s security is at risk, so is yours.

Hour Destiny: I’ve identified people by their patterns in their behaviour.

Arielion Clawtooth: If a police officer’s identity is found out and a gang finds out about him, anyone associated with that police officer is at risk.

Jen (jenelle.levenque): People’s personalities come through even with just the text or IM

Calliope Novaland: I love how that works Hour 🙂

Widget Whiteberry: The people I work with @ Virtually speaking know my rl identity, but the -other – people who I meet in SL do not unless there is some ‘need to know’

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Let me say from a youth development perspective, giving a young person opportunities to separate somewhat from their RL identity can be a very empowering and important experience.

 

Ozma Malibu: absolutely, Rik.

Widget Whiteberry: Rik, I think that’s true for many of us

Arielion Clawtooth: @Rik and exposing their identity very dangerous

Michele Mrigesh: good point, Ric

Calliope Novaland: yes, Rik

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): They can experience what it might be like to be a different race, gender, physical experience, culture, etc

Michele Mrigesh: Rik*

Jen (jenelle.levenque): Not just the young folk Rik

RedGoddess (talkwithmarie): agree@Rik

Widget Whiteberry: it was certainly true for me – very empowering

Jen (jenelle.levenque): For Veterans as well as Transfolk

RedGoddess (talkwithmarie): for most ppl I think.

Ozma Malibu: street kids: it’s nonsense to ask them to use RL identities.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): they can literally try on different faces!

Calliope Novaland: works for older folks too

Sarvana Haalan: I must confuse that when I first returned to SL in 2009… I had been here earlier but the rudeness an dusability intimidated me… Oh, when I returned I found several avas in this community ( who made me feel comfortable in my “ava skin”. That why am so hooked on TechSoup and NPSL…. You are “real” in a virtual setting. 🙂

Buffy Beale: yes Oz, true enough

bulaklak: Great point, Rik

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): well I am old and set in my ways. Lol

 

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): it was ENORMOUSLY empowering for me to take on the identity iSkye Silverweb. I’ve been able to do so many more things with that than I would have with my RL identity.

 

Francesca Barnes: For many, I think that being gay and being in SL have shared atributes…being closeted is similar to having a “straight” avatar in RL

LisaSchaefer Ruby: I thought tat if I went around as a man, I’d ge more ‘respect.’ It’s not true. On most sims, people assume you’re young & uneducated even as a male

Arielion Clawtooth: Look at the boy that was bullied for homosexuality and killed himself for photos on the internet. Anonymous and as an avatar he could have expressed himself openly, but once his RL identity was shown, it pushed him over the edge.

bulaklak: In a way, it butts up against the creation of fiction, so there is a creative element in there, too, that I think is important

bulaklak: It’s a form of storytelling. Or can be

 

Hour Destiny: Also, I’ve heard of people having a lot of respect for a guild leader in a game like WoW and then finding out that person is a 9 year old (or thereabouts). If they knew the age beforehand, I doubt the kid would have been taken very seriously.

 

TammySM: omg

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): hour, that kid can develop his leadership skills without being judged!

 

Zinnia Zauber: I know I work on being as myself in SL as I am in RL. But, I think people really should focus on being their best self in SL.

 

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): That is one brilliant mind in that 9 year old body!

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): A treasure!

Jen (jenelle.levenque): We all have multiple personsas

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Zinnia, you are stealing my talking points for tomorrow

Calliope Novaland: that kid is already a leader

Arielion Clawtooth: It basically takes away 50% of the draw for being in a virtual world to begin with.

Zinnia Zauber: Well, I talk about this all the time.

Calliope Novaland: yes Jen!

bulaklak: I thought we were writing them right now, Rik

Jen (jenelle.levenque): SL gives us an opportunity to express them in a more accepting environment

Zinnia Zauber: This has been the focus of my work.

Glitteractica Cookie: And remember that there are many communities that don’t request for ppl to say their RL identiies. PPL can choose

 

Widget Whiteberry: I think of my avatar as part psychological projection and part creative outlet, all identity exploration ….

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): I think people outside of SL don’t understand that about what makes this a special place

Sarvana Haalan: plus here it does not matter that I am almost “older than dirt”. LOL, LOL when is what true collaborative interaction should be about

 

Zinnia Zauber: The avatar is our self worshipped and respected.

 

Buffy Beale: I agree Rik

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): all they see is crummy graphics and lag and virtual sex

bulaklak: lol

Sarvana Haalan: *which is…

Widget Whiteberry: Zinnia! ++

Hour Destiny: How does one use their RL identify in a fictional world like WoW, where everything else is fantasy? 🙂

Zinnia Zauber: This space is were we need to teach personal responsiblity and respect.

Ozma Malibu: The storytelling issue is important..we know that young people can work through issues by storytelling. But I have spoken up for NOT putting any kind of RL stories on the web in such cases. Then it’s there forever. Even stuff like poverty. I mean, seriously, that is a breach of ethics to even suggest using RL identities. We cannot do that in research anyway.

Zinnia Zauber: So, your name isn’t as important as your actions are.

HB Eternal: yay Zin

 

LisaSchaefer Ruby: I like going around as a weird ugly blob sometimes. The funny thing is, people assume I’m male when I do & they’re all mean. Then I get on by voice – suddenly I’m a real person…and female!

 

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): We should wrap up in a few minutes.

Calliope Novaland: good experiment Lisa

TammySM: lol

Sarvana Haalan: Rik… I am feeling a future NPSL “Multi-cultural” Summit emerging from this conversation… smikles

Sarvana Haalan: *smiles

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): But I wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to say what they are feeling on this subject

iSkye Bonde (iskye.silverweb): I hope a transcript of this will become available? This is such a good discussion!

Sarvana Haalan: this has been an stimulating “real world” discussion

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): and any efforts being taken to work on these issues with LL and Google Plus

Hour Destiny: I wonder how many Lindens have avatars that are anonymous?

Calliope Novaland: Is this an ongoing conversation in this group?

Zinnia Zauber: When you are raised on Sesame Street, it doesn’t matter if you are a monster, you are still a “good person”.

Hour Destiny: Does anyone at Google have a private profile?

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Calliope, no this is the first we’ve talked about it that I know

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): But we may have some speaker in the future talk more directly about Google Plus

LisaSchaefer Ruby: my niece is a monster

Widget Whiteberry: Widget Whiteberry smirkles (nod to Sar)

Arielion Clawtooth: @Lisa Aren’t they all as children? :o)

LisaSchaefer Ruby: but we love the monsters

Calliope Novaland: I’d like to create a forum for this convo. it has many sides and there is much to say about it.

Jen (jenelle.levenque): lol @ arielion

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): (its nice that you let a dragon facilitate these meetings!)

CarynTopia Silvercloud: that would be great to continue the discussion

Sarvana Haalan: When I was in Metaplace (before they closed down), there was a “Multicultural Celebration … a great “teaching” opp

TammySM: lol

HB Eternal: I was a child once…. I think I still might be

Jen (jenelle.levenque): The pengquin left us

Buffy Beale: misses the little penguin

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): me too, buffy

Sarvana Haalan: I miss the penguin tooo

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Okay I think we are getting side tracked

Arielion Clawtooth: Imagine the bullying some kid would get if he or she was a penguin and identified in RL

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): so let’s close this discussion for now, and thanks everyone for the honest and smart perspectives

LisaSchaefer Ruby: this was a really good discussion

Jen (jenelle.levenque): I’m not sure we are off track

bulaklak: Yeah, very great discussion.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Again, this will get posted to our google group, and to nonprofitcommons.org

Zinnia Zauber: There are two talks about avatars during SLCC. Please attend or watch them.

Glitteractica Cookie: thanks for facilitating, Rik

Buffy Beale: the transcripts are posted every week at http://www.nonprofitcommons.org

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): so we can continue to converse there and have updates here as they come up

 

Jen (jenelle.levenque): I find the acceptance of totally outrageous avatars as almost normal in SL. How can we translate that to acceptance RL

 

Arielion Clawtooth: Strange that people fight in RL over skin color but being another species in SL is no problem.

RedGoddess (talkwithmarie): good question@Jen

Buffy Beale: that’s a great question Jen

Calliope Novaland: I am a member of a group called Creative Identity, and we are about to revive it if anyone would like to join. This topic will be a big part of the discussion.

Widget Whiteberry: Perhaps virtuality teaches tolerance

Jen (jenelle.levenque): Cool

Sarvana Haalan: Arielion… so true

Jen (jenelle.levenque): All we need is an answer

Buffy Beale: great Calliope!

bulaklak: Cool, Calliope

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Jen, great comment

Jen (jenelle.levenque): Usually not as easy as the question

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Calliope, is that an SL group?

Zinnia Zauber: Authentic Avatar Brand: Build Trust Through Your Virtual Presence – by me and Authentic Avatar Brand: Build Trust Through Your Virtual Presence by a panel including Drax

LisaSchaefer Ruby: I wonder how rl would be if we didn’t have gender

TammySM: it would stink

Zinnia Zauber: Avatar Identity: Privacy and Transparency in Social Media

Ozma Malibu: Rik gave me the opening line for a list of suggestions I made of how to conduct a class in SL.

Calliope Novaland: yes, Rik

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): oh? ok

Sarvana Haalan: That’s is one reason why I desire so for RL colleagues to come in-world…. an example of real collaboration regardless of our differences.

Ozma Malibu: One very early day at the NPC meeting he said “oh, excuse me, did I just explode?”

TammySM: that is like saying what if we are all the same….boring

Arielion Clawtooth: There are some things you still need RL for. ;o) Not willing to give up that part. :o)

Ozma Malibu: Excellend manners, Rik.

Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): lol

Calliope Novaland: Thank you Rik, this was excellent!

Written by: rikomatic