Interviews going well...

So I have finally handed in my last piece of coursework and can now concentrate on *doing* my research and writing it up!

Have had two great interviews this week - one with Lowell Cremorne, the editor of the Metaverse Journal and aussie virtual worlds new site and one with Pixeleen Mistral, the editrix of the SL Herald. Two quite different perspectives, and both very informative!

For those who are passing by this blog and who don't think they'll be able to sit down and chat one-on-one with me, these are the kinds of questions which I'm asking my interview subjects. Please feel free to comment or provide some answers:

• How do you *do* journalism in SL? How is it different from traditional journalism?
• What role does journalism perform in SL?
  
• What kind of interaction with readers do most media have? Can readers comment on stories and do these comments provide a kind of 'public sphere' function?
• How does Linden Lab govern SL?
  
• Do residents bring expectations of rights and/or obligations with them into SL?
• How does Linden Lab communicate with residents?
• What happened in the so-called 'Banking Ban' event? Did public opinion or journalism play a role in that decision?
• Which is more pertinent to Linden Lab: real life media or second life media?

Any comments or opinions welcomed!

Theoretical governance conundrum

I've found big problems trying to fit a theory of governance to SL because two conflicting situations exists concurrently.

Firstly, the situation resembles (Note resembles, not is!) a totalitarian government, whereby all aspects of the ‘contituents’ lives are effectively controlled by the government, they hold absolute power over their society and can rule without any real mandate or permission from the people. Developers hold the power over access to the world and control over the code.

Secondly, worlds exist in a consumer-producer relationship whereby the developer relies upon the users for their continued profits and existence yet, in SL at least, the users are also intrinsically involved in the production of the good – which is indeed never finished. So perhaps it is a more a producer-produser relationship. And lastly many parties in this world appear to be applying values associated with democracy to their experiences in world, such as individual liberty, right to protest and expression and defence of avatar civil liberties.

How might these different scenarios be consistently integrated into a model of virtual world governance?

Contradictions of Citizen Journalism in SL

In my research I've been reading about this interesting style of journalism called "citizen journalism". The basic tenet of this journalism is to include the voice of citizens in mainstream media, through publication of citizen-authored articles and citizen driven agenda's.

However I've found that often citizen journalism relies upon the existence of ‘mainstream’ and professional journalism in order for it to make sense. I.e. there is no such thing as 'alternate' or citizen media, if there is no mainstream or professional journalism against which to define it.

Is is then appropriate to compare this to SL? Can SL's media industry be characterised as citizen journalism? Is there a ‘mass media’ or dominant media which presents the institutional view? Or does the SL media only present a citizen perspective? Are SL residents even citizens?

Introduction & Research Directions

This my first attempt at blogging so please excuse any faux pas that I make! As I'm already half way through my research year I thought I would put up a few of my rambling thoughts and see if anyone has any comments. Please feel free to run with any of the ideas laid out here - any feedback would be great!

Also just to give a bit more context than the Participant Information Statement (which everyone has read of course!), I'm doing an Honours research year in Sydney, Australia - which basically means I get to do a one year research project in my final year of my undergrad degree. I'm looking at the relationship between journalism and governance in Second Life, and am hoping to make some interesting contributions to this area of study! (Fingers crossed.)

So my plan of attack has been to look at what kind of journalism is happening in Second Life - what sort of theories and understanding we already have of journalism might explain it, or are people doing something radically new and different? Then I'm looking at governance in Second Life, trying to find out what kind of values and models represent the funny mix of consumerism and citizenship which appears to characterise life in a virtual world. Then I'm looking at how these two elements of virtual life interact, through a case study of the couple of events which led to the banning of unchartered banks in Second Life in January 2008. I don't think anyone has done any research into this area before, but if I'm mistaken please point me in the direction of anything you've read before.

So here goes, wish me luck!
/dives in head first

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION STATEMENT

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION STATEMENT
Journalism and Governance in Second Life® Research

You are invited to be part of this study into journalism and its relation to governance in Second Life. As a resident of Second Life you may read SL publications like Second Life Herald, Metaverse Messenger, New World Notes, Massively or other blog or news sites about SL. You will also have been affected by changes to the rules or code that ‘govern’ SL, such as the imposition of banking and gambling regulations. Even if you haven’t been affected by these changes or don’t read about SL news, you will have opinions and perceptions about the way in which the SL world is governed and the role the in-world media plays in its development.

It is your knowledge and opinions about these issues that can help us to learn more about the governance of SL and Massively Multiplayer Online Games generally.

The study is being conducted by myself, Annabelle Boyd Jones, Media and Communications student (sljournalismresearch@gmail.com) and will form the basis for an honours degree at The University of Sydney under the supervision of Fiona Martin, Lecturer in Convergent and Online Media. You can contact her on ph: +612 9036 5098 or frmartin@usyd.edu.au.

I would like to use this blog to promote discussions around these topics throughout August 2008. I will be conducting interviews with SL media publishers, journalists, SL administrators, civic figures and SL residents. I will also chart the progress of my research through this blog.

If you participate in this blog, I may approach you afterward to be interviewed privately, if you are interested and at your convenience. The blog will be online at www.SLjournalismresearch.blogspot.com from May 2008 until November 2008. Please be aware that the blog is considered public space and you are contributing to a public conversation. You may use your online pseudonym if you wish to protect your offline identity, however this name will remain attached to your comments. If you would like to make any private comments or communicate privately with me, please feel free to email me at SLjournalismresearch@gmail.com.

Participating in any part of this study is completely voluntary - you are not under any obligation to consent and - if you do consent - you can withdraw at any time without prejudice or penalty.

You may withdraw from the blog and discussions at any time if you do not wish to continue. Your contributions up to that point will be removed from the public domain as far as possible.

However when your comments were given as part of the blog conversation AND your consent was freely given at the time of those comments, these comments will not be withdrawn from the research analysis. Your identity will be kept confidential and the comments designated anonymous. This caveat is because the research is studying public conversation and ideas about participatory journalism – removing one side of the conversation is likely to render that whole conversation non-sensical and redundant. Again I would like to stress that these conversations are considered to take place in public space. Nevertheless I will make every effort to negotiate with you and remove private or sensitive information from these conversations.

The consent form follows this information statement, and becoming a member of this blog constitutes informed consent. Your informed consent is required to participate in the study.

The results of the study will be published online, linked to my blog, publicized in the in-world media and possibly published in academic journals. Only I will have access to any private interview material and any private communications with you.

There are no incentives or payments for taking part in this study. However, you may enjoy engaging in the discussion about journalism and its relationship to the development of SL. Your participation may also aid in our understanding of important governance processes in SL.

For any discussion which takes place within SL, all participants will be expected to abide by the SL Community Standards as laid out by Linden Labs at http://secondlife.com/corporate/cs.php.

You will also be expected to follow the ethical guidelines as laid out in the Bloggers Code of Ethics available at http://blogging.wikia.com/wiki/ Blogger's_Code_of_Conduct.

Anyone found to be breaching these standards may be reported to Linden Labs, if the conduct occurs in SL, and may be asked to leave the research. This is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all participants.

Please feel free to let other people know about this study, and direct them to the blog to decide if they wish to participate.

If you wish to obtain more information about the research, please visit the blog at www.SLjournalismresearch.blogspot.com or email me at SLjournalismresearch@gmail.com.

Any person with concerns or complaints about the conduct of a research study can contact the Senior Ethics Officer, Ethics Administration, University of Sydney on +612 9351 4811 (Telephone); +612 9351 6706 (Facsimile) or gbriody@usyd.edu.au (Email).

This information sheet is available in printable form on the blog. Please keep a copy for your records.

INFORMED CONSENT FORM

INFORMED CONSENT FORM

Journalism and Governance in Second Life Research

In giving my consent I acknowledge that:

1. The procedures required for the project and the time involved have been explained to me, and any questions I have about the project have been answered to my satisfaction.

2. I have read the Participant Information Statement and have been given the opportunity to discuss the information and my involvement in the project with the researcher/s.

3. I am over 18.

4. I understand that I can withdraw from the study at any time, without affecting my relationship with the researcher(s) now or in the future.

5. By posting to the blog I consent to publishing of my comments and understand that these communications take place in the public domain.

6. I understand that I may communicate privately with the researchers via email at any stage. I understand that this communication will be strictly confidential and that in this instance no information about me will be used that in any way reveals my identity.

7. I understand that I can withdraw from the blog at any time if I do not wish to continue. I have read and agree to the conditions on my comments up to that point, as stated in the Participant Information Statement.

8. I understand that being in this study is completely voluntary – I am not under any obligation to consent.

9. I agree to abide by the standards of conduct as stated in the Participant Information Statement.

If you do not agree, you cannot participate in this study and should not post to the blog.


I agree to participate in the research study described above.