OPENING REMARKS
The BlogHer co-founders are describing BlogHer ACT! The initiative will harness the power of the blogging community to focus on health care as a burning issue. There is also a new spin off in Canada - BlogHer ACT will focus on the environment.
Notable sponsors include Google who is on site at Chicago with a staff of Google experts. AOL has provided video blogging kiosks. Yahoo is doing something I missed because the stream hiccuped.
The rules overview. SL conference organizers, please take note:
"Everyone here is press."How novel, a recognition of new media standards and the rules that apply.
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Woo! Second Lifers get a shout out!
We're getting ready to start "Avatar Hunt" led by Mygdala March. Back after the hunt.
Avatar Huntress Vint Falken takes the prize, despite some "guessing".
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Session #1: Combining blogging and Second Life
More and more bloggers are entering this virtual world to connect with community, chronicle their second life, and gain more readers. Residents are leaping out of their comments and into avatars to have full blown discussions on their blog topics in real time. How does blogging and second life interact and what's next? Discussion moderated by BlogHer in Second Life hostess Erin Kotecki Vest (aka Queen Tureaud) who has used Second Life as an extension of Queen of Spain Blog, with panelists Vint Falken - who blogs about Second Life, Second Life podcaster and blogger TheDiva Rockin and Koz Farina,the creator of the second life blogHUD, which allows you to blog FROM Second Life.
SCLN broadcasting this session LIVE.
The session is off to a great start, with the requisite newb streaker. That's why we love SL, I'm sure it will help fuel the negative press.
Q: Do you combine RL and SL in your blogs?
Vint : Focuses on SL on vintfalken.com since there is plenty to write about in SL.
TheDiva: Combines RL and SL since, SL is integral to RL activities.
Koz: Hasn't had time to do much RL blogging these days. Reuters is partnering with blogHUD to get the SL news combines with their news.
Q: How are you combining podcasting and blogging:
TheDiva: Was a podcaster first, then started blogging in January for personal blog, then in February for the Second Life Fashion Police
Koz: Starting blogging first, and was introduced to podcasting via the blogging community. BlogHUD upgrades will include tagging and Twitter integration. There is a twitterHUD available now.
Q: How are you getting traffic?
Vint: 50% of traffic comes from Google.
TheDive: Traffic mostly from Twitter
Koz: Traffic from Twitter, but increasing traffic from Google. Pro version of blogHUD will look more like a real blog.
Q: How do you recommend starting a blog about SL?
Vint: Note that SL is not the easiest program to learn. So ask questions to get started.
Q: Are there blogs in native language or English?
Vint: There are native language blogs about SL, but Vint has written the blog in English since several people speak English as a second language.
Q: How do you integrate RL and SL posts? Do you split your blog? Does SL allow you to be more creative?
TheDiva: Tags her posts so that readers can distinguish between SL and RL. Not sure that SL lets her be more creative, she blogs emotionally so when the emotion hits her, she blogs.
Koz: I just mash them all together.
Vint: Yes, the virtual world provides a place to create your own story.
(Temporary black out as I got distracted...)
Q: Will blogging become obsolete as people spend more time in world?
Vint: No. There is no in world browser, so there is not an easy way to communicate with large number of people.
Koz: We could aggregate RSS feeds in world, or create our own Google in world. Finds the in world newspapers and magazines interesting, and thinks that eventually the note cards will become much richer in the future with the addition of Mono. Mentions that you can't save snapshots in your inventory ( I don't think this is entirely true - save texture as allows you to take textures and photos from inventory to your hard drive)
Q: How do newbs get real-world readers? Is this a niche audience?
TheDiva: It's hard to pull in people because SL is so obscure and it's difficult for people to get it. There aren't any blogs (that I know of) that are newbie focused.
Koz: Sites like Flickr help dispell the myth that SL is a game, and can generate interest. Use blogHUD to generate interest around events such as live music.
Queen: Has friends now in SL that have found that the real time and synchronous nature of SL has helped build her blogging community versus just commenting on each other's blog.
Vint: Uses the SL Blogger group to meet other bloggers and share ideas and help each other.
Q: Some people say that blogging an excuse to stay home and not meet people. How do you respond?
Koz: The relationships are very real, and offers new ways of meeting people. Met his fiance on Twitter! Television is actually the killer.
TheDiva: Media has actually helped to grow her social network; met more people that way than she would have in RL. Now forums like SLCC are more comfortable because you already have a bond with someone from meeting and interacting in world and via networks.
Q: What are your favorite places in SL?
Vint: Paradise Lost will always be a favorite. Left SL initially for 3 months, but came back and found Paradise Lost. Svarga is a beautiful sim, and also the Greenies sim is a new favorite.
TheDiva: The Ben and Jerry's sim is the happiest place in SL. Podcaster island is a good place to meet newbies.
Koz: Live music venues are most interesting. Used to fly around but it was much less laggy then.
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More in the next post, and after the rolling restarts.
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