Woman takes ex-lover's Second Life...

[CBMatt]

Because one of my new classes requires the use of Second Life, this article caught my attention...


Kimberly Jernigan--a 33-year-old woman from North Carolina--was apparently distraught after her online relationship with a 52-year-old man from Claymont, Del., came to an end.

The pair apparently met through the online community Second Life and began a virtual relationship. The two finally met in reality several months ago, and the alleged victim ended the relationship, sending Jernigan into a downward spiral.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-10025123-7.html

[CBMatt]

And on a semi-related note, I thought some people might be interested in reading this page from my class' site...

Protocols and Suggestions for Students Using Second Life
Students who take courses using the University’s Second Life (SL) platform are taking real courses for actual credit, just as are students who enroll in online courses. The principal difference is that in SL students have a presence (albeit in avatar or character form) and that the SL class meets at a scheduled time. Because of these differences, all students who enroll in SL courses agree to the following stipulations:

1. Students who enroll in Second Life courses must, on their own, register with Second Life (secondlife.com), create an avatar, and agree to the Terms of Service. Second Life requires all “residents” (avatars) to be registered to people who are eighteen years of age, or older.

2. The student shall take responsibility for having access to the technology required to work in SL, including voice communication, and for addressing any technical issues that arise. The College may make available some computers for work in SL, but the student should not rely on this option.

3. Students shall comport themselves in the SL classroom in a manner consistent with established College guidelines for regular classrooms, and the sanctions for violation of these guidelines that exist in the real-life classroom setting will pertain to SL. In addition, specific to SL, students shall not show or use in class any device or script that can be used to damage the site or distract other students.

4. Students may use an SL name in class, but must agree in advance to submit their actual names to the professor for purposes of record keeping. The usual College privacy policies shall remain in effect for SL students.

5. All existing College provisions regarding academic honesty pertain to SL—to wit, the student enrolled in the class must in fact be the student operating the avatar during class, and it must be the registered student, unassisted by others, who is taking the exams and doing the projects.

6. Unless a part of a class assignment, any activity that a student engages in away from official "class property" will be considered private activity beyond the jurisdiction of the College, as is the case for off-campus activity in the real world. The student shall not represent his/her activities as authorized by the College, and shall take complete responsibility for his/her actions.

Please note the additional comments and recommendations:

1. Avatar identity: SL offers wonderful opportunities for exploring individual identity, and every effort will be made to accommodate these opportunities. Students will be allowed to choose the avatar that they prefer, including animal shapes and/or opposing genders; however, an avatar should not be offensive or unduly distracting. For example, avatars should wear appropriate clothing at all times; or to cite a second example, if a student decides to come to class as a dragon, he/she should not be shooting flames at other students.

2. Avatar Movement: You may want to practice moving your avatar or character in SL before you begin class. Be sure to check the “Camera Controls” and “Movement Controls” options under the View menu at the top of the screen. These controls will help you see yourself and move around more easily.

3. Respect for Property: One of the activities in SL is building, and this activity is both fun and educational. Please refrain from building on RoboRanch unless building is part of a class; the professor will automatically return any unauthorized objects to the owners. Go to a public sandbox where you can build to your heart’s content.

4. Here are a few matters of SL etiquette:

• When using text chat, don't "shout" when regular chat will do.
• Remember, text chat is public (all secrets will be exposed!); IM conversations are private.
• When using text chat and in a crowd, say the name of the person you are addressing or you may get unwanted (and often confused) responses.
• Avoid bumping into other people (although sometimes system problems cause avatar collisions.

I especially like this part:

if a student decides to come to class as a dragon, he/she should not be shooting flames at other students.

[Computer Hope Admin]

So I'm curious, what class requires Second Life?

[computeruler]

im curious just what second life even is

[Computer Hope Admin]

im curious just what second life even is

http://secondlife.com/

[computeruler]

ahh thanks

[CBMatt]

So I'm curious, what class requires Second Life?

There are actually many classes across the country (and world) that require the use of Second Life.  In my case, it is Computer Science (one of the last classes needed for my degree).  We have to use it for having class meetings.  We're also going to use it for presentations, although I'm not quite sure yet how that's going to work.

[fireballs]

A second life class? interesting...

From the original post... guy meets girl on internet, starts relationship, meets her in RL and dumps her... whats the betting her Avatar was a supermodel and she was more like an advert for McDonalds?! lol

FB

[CBMatt]

Heh, it's quite a common issue with virtual love.  Poor old guy probably thought he was getting a fit young hottie and instead got...well, this fine specimen of a woman...  I guess he didn't stop to think that there's probably a reason why she was looking for love on the internet.