Second Life: Prospectus

Pride in the Virtual World
Trevor Thompson
January 18, 2008
Introduction to Field Research Methods in Virtual Worlds: MM333, Winter 08

Abstract
This prospectus will describe a plan for a research project based in the virtual world known as Second Life. It will tell you about the community of practice in Second Life in which I will be observing. The methods that I plan to use during these observations are also listed. It also includes protection protocols, a description of the population, sampling strategies, and a proposed time management. My plan however has some limitations, but I believe that I will be able to surpass them and have successful results.

Introduction: Research Problem
What is Second Life?
Second Life is a virtual world, that’s content is created by its residents and is overseen by a company called Linden Lab. It is not a video game by any means. Residents become whoever the want to be and create almost anything that they can imagine. Second Life is a social environment, a vast world of opportunities, from owning your own business to making friends around the world. Residents with similar interests band together in communities of common practice.

Proposed Community of Practice
The community of practice that I wish to research is a newer, mature, voice enabled sim in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual (LGBT) community of Second Life. Unlike most sims in this community it is set in a forest instead of the usual colorful beach settings that I found everywhere else. It appears to be very laid back and casual. The way the sim is ran and setup is not like any other LGBT sim that I have been too. The residents here are very friendly and helpful (as long as you follow the rules of the sim of course). They hold regular weekly activities, such as DJ nights in the group club, as well as a group wide event about every 2 weeks. The normal daily activities usually include chatting around the campfire, swimming, building, and more.

Areas of Interest
I want to focus on the LGBT communities in Second Life and the effects a virtual world has on it as a whole. The group that I chose to observe seems to have a tight bond or unity, that I haven’t seen anywhere else in my Second Life experience. I will attend their group events as well as do regular day-to-day observations. Also, since this is a newer sim I will be trying to get a closer look into the planning of events and any group improvements.

Method
Qualitative Approaches to Researching
For this study I want to be a participant-observer in as many activities as I can. I think this would be best since I am not new to this group and have built friendships with many of the members. This is a very social group, it would be hard to sit back and observe without people getting nervous about what I’m doing and change their habits. I believe that my connection to this group will help me to get any information that I need for my observations.

Subject Protection
All of the identities of the people I research will be protected by changing all their names, and no data will be used without permission from the subject. The subjects and landowners are made aware of the privacy procedures by a virtual notecard that I will give to them and make sure they understand and agree to before I proceed. This notecard was created during my time in the MM 333 course, and it explains the project and the protection policies.

Population and Sampling
Since the LGBT community in Second Life is too large to cover, I have selected one social group within that community. They are a newer, mature group in Second Life; they are based on their own sim. I will be basing my study mostly on the group of “regulars” or “veterans”, those who are in the sim on a regular basis and play an active role in the group.

Time Management
I will attend the groups planned events in their entirety to get accurate accounts of the event. Each event last 2 to 4 hours, and sometimes longer. I will also plan to arrive early to observe the setup for each particular event. I plan to be in the field for 2 weeks, at least 3 times a week, then out of the field for 1 week. Repeating this through the entire semester.

Potential Limitations
Some limitations to my research would be the ability to get information from the members. Some people get nervous when they are being observed and change their habits. Another limitation is since this is a voice enabled sim, most conversations are held openly but using the voice feature. This will make note taking harder, especially if I am tracking a particular conversation.

Discussion
With this research I hope to provide some insight into the LGBT community of Second Life. I hope to discover what ties these communities together creating bonds of unity. As well as find out what they truly want from their virtual experiences.
The goal of my research findings is to allow us to have better understanding of not only LGBT communities, but also virtual social communities in general. What are the differences of a virtual environment compared to a real world setting? Are virtual environments the future of social networking?