It is with great excitement that I announce a project I have been wanting to launch for some time now: Betterverse.org. The site is dedicated to covering and aggregating the most exciting experiments in nonprofit and public good applications of virtual world technology from across the metaverse. For the past four years, I have been following and writing about the growing nonprofit sector in Second Life, and witnessing its expansion into worlds like Habbo, ActiveWorlds, Whyville, and Metaplace.
These are exciting times. I believe we are witnessing a very real broadening of our definitions of the public sphere, civic engagement, education, and community through this new medium. Everyday, people in virtual worlds are changing lives, opening minds, rallying for change, and building bridges across cultures and borders. I hope you will help me in bringing the most dramatic examples of this to light. Just a couple of recent initiatives:
- President Obama’s speech in Accra, Ghana was simulcast into Metaplace and Second Life, with an international audience conversing live across worlds
- Tens of thousands of young people in the virtual world of Whyville have learned about ecology, marine biology and coral reefs through the “Whyreef” experience
- The Relay for Life raised more than $270,000 for cancer research in Second Life
Betterverse itself is, of course, a non-profit venture. Your help getting the word out to your networks is much appreciated. The site has an RSS and Twitter feed for keeping up to date on what’s happening.
Please send any relevant news that you come across to rik@betterverse.org.
Written by: rikomatic