I am behind one of the several projects entered utilizing virtual reality, and I'm feeling compelled to draw some attention to those that are using virtual worlds to engage in creative nonprofit efforts. With the arrival of Second Life a few years ago, virtual reality (VR) has finally gotten a foothold as a technology for not only social networking and gaming, but also training, meetings, marketing, and yes, even nonprofit activities like education, outreach, activism, and fundraising.

Since the cyberpunk writings of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson painted immersive digital landscapes into their stories of virtual adventure, and following the dawn of VRML and QuicktimeVR some dozen years, I have been hoping to see virtual world technology really take a foothold in the ever-evolving set of Internet-based social networking tools.

 
Image by Beth Kanter


As an adjunct to the Second Life / Real Life mixed reality event that TechSoup will be producing on July 18th, the Ethos Roundtable will be holding a mixed reality gathering based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Ethos Roundtable is an informal group of people who are interested in using technology tools to support positive social change.  We meet once a month, usually in the same location as (and just prior to) the Boston 501 Tech Club.

But next Tuesday's meeting will be special:

Image by Beth Kanter

Here's a great new item for the Jargon File:  "mixed-reality event."  When I first saw this term, I thought, "Hey, isn't that what occurs whenever any two sentient beings interact?"

However, it turns out that according to Wikipedia, mixed-reality "is the merging of real world and virtual worlds to produce a new environment where physical and digital objects can co-exist and interact."  For example, a mixed-reality event can take place simultaneously in real life and Second Life.

On July 18th, there will be a mixed-reality mash-up that should be fascinating for all of us who are interested in technology for the nonprofit sector.

In the mix will be: