My avatar, Biji Mornington, has been attending Nonprofits in SecondLife (NPSL) meetings at the Nonprofit Commons (NPC; http://nonprofitcommons.org/) on Friday mornings. So when Megan Keane (Penguin Asana in SL) asked me to live-blog this mixed-reality event, I said yes. A lot of the buzz at NPSL meetings of late has been about the launch of NPC's second island, Aloft, and plans for this morning's mixed reality launch event. Our panelists are physically here at the Netsquared Conference and virtually inworld at Aloft. Here in San Jose, CA we can see avatars gathering at Aloft, and at Aloft the avatars also see our panelists by video. Evonne Heyning (In Zenzo) introduced our panel:

More photos here

This panel is a mixed reality event - taking place both in the room and in Second Life. It is also the launch of the Nonprofit Commons Second Sim - you can learn more about that here.

Description: Nonprofit Commons in Second Life Mixed Reality Event: Panelists discuss their work and the in the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life and the benefits of virtual worlds for social change. This mixed-reality event occurs simultaneously in Second Life and features interactivity between the two worlds.

Hi everyone--

I'm Megan Keane (aka Penguin Kuhn in Second Life) and I'm the Online Community Manager at TechSoup. I'm excited to be attending my first Net2 conference and have been overwhelmed already by the amazing people, interesting ideas, and innovative projects that are here!

I am excited to be at the NetSquared conference alongside several other non-profits actively using virtual worlds in their work. Global Kids ( http://olp.globalkids.org ) have a number of interesting virtual world and transmedia projects that I look forward to presenting to folks on Wednesday, along with my colleagues. And I can't want to hear about the other mash-up projects being proposed by others and meet other non-profit and tech industry folks interested in the social media space.

Now it's after midnight and I should get some rest before tomorrow's activities begin.

Join in the Celebration of the Launch of the Second Nonprofit Commons Sim! Nonprofits and their supporters will be hosting a mixed reality grand opening celebration in San Jose as part of the NetSquared conference and in the metaverse on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, starting at 10:00 A.M. PST/SLT (Second Life Time), in the new second Nonprofit Commons location.

Highlights:

Hi Everyone! My name is Rebecca Wise and I founded and direct the Transgender Resource Center in Second Life. We've been invited to participate in the Second Life Mixed Reality event being held in the Kistler Room between 10:10AM and 11:30AM on day 2 of the conference. During this event I'll speak briefly on the profound impact that Second Life has had on my own life and how the success of the Transgender Resource Center powerfully demonstrates the potential benefit that immersive online communities can have in addressing serious behavioral health issues. As time permits, I'll also share a few of the key lessons we've learned while attempting to build and manage a rapidly growing community in Second Life. 

Since our time during the mixed reality event is limited, please feel free to chat with me at any time during the conference for a more in-depth discussion on any of these topics or visit me in-world where I'm known as Jani Myriam.

Last week, TechSoup's Senior Manager of Online Community Development, Susan Tenby, was one of the people who testified before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. The hearing's topic was, “Online Virtual Worlds: Applications and Avatars in a User-Generated Medium."

TechSoup's Senior Manager of Online Community Development, Susan Tenby, testified today before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. The hearing's topic was, “Online Virtual Worlds: Applications and Avatars in a User-Generated Medium." Tenby is the Founder of TechSoup's Nonprofit Commons, a virtual community for nonprofits in Second Life.

Today, in the Nonprofit Commons weekly meeting, a group of Nonprofit Commons members discussed their Mash-up Challenge project. I am voting for this project, and I am endorsing them.

Going to the Nonprofit Technology Conference in New Orleans?

Want to meet members of the NetSquared, TechSoup and Nonprofits in Second Life community? Join us for cocktails on Wednesday, March 19th from 5-6:30 PM at Loa Bar in the International Hotel (221 Camp Street). We'll be meeting in the "altar" area.

It's super close to the Sheraton New Oreans (where NTC is being held). Here's a Google Map of the two locales.

It looks kinda fancy, so bring your party shoes!

Big thanks to all the New Orleans natives who gave us suggestions for a venue!!

Flickr Photo Credit: New Orleans by Alejandro Forero Cuervo.