Well, today’s social could have gotten off to a better start. It seems Second Life picked today, at precisely the time we had planned to start the social, to have database problems. The problems were so bad that Second Life disabled logins, meaning anyone who wasn’t already “in-world” could not log in.

Eventually, a few of us met near the waterfalls on ASTD island for a nice chat. Dr. Jeong was able to visit, and speak with one of the incoming Doctoral students. Afterwards, a couple of people came back to my beach house for drinks!

Overall it was a positive experience. The issues we had point out the need to really design and think about technology – and backups for the technology. Those technical glitches always seem to happen at the worst possible moment. Being able to be in an interactive environment was a very nice way to meet new people before classes start.

We also have to thank ASTD for allowing us to use their island. I am a member, and getting their journal (Training and Development Magazine) has been worth the cost of membership to me.

When should we do this again? If you are a student, especially a distance student, would you be interested in holding meet-ups on a regular basis in Second Life? Post your thoughts in the comments!

I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures I took of the event. Till next time!

Please help us welcome the incoming IS students by joining us on the ASTD Island in Second Life Wednesday, August 20, 2008 from 7 – 8 PM EDT for an Orientation Social.

The event is open to all IS students, faculty, and alumni. If you are a current or former distance student, please drop by and show some support to incoming students.

Social Agenda: Location:
7:00 – 7:15: Mingle ASTD Amphitheater
7:15 – 7:30: Welcome by ISSA ASTD Amphitheater
7:30 – 7:45: Welcome by faculty ASTD Amphitheater
7:45 – 8:00 – Mingle ASTD Campfire

If you don’t have a Second Life account, please sign up here.

Once you are signed up, send an containing your Second Life name email to:
Gina Minks gminks at comcast dot net (aka Monet Baroque) or Issy Masduki iskandaria at gmail dot com (aka Sayuri Savira), or leave a comment on this post.

We strongly suggest going through ASTD’s Second Life orientation prior to the social. This will help you know how to maneuver through SecondLife in time for Wednesday’s social. Email Issy or Gina if you need help. Or, just leave a comment here!

Hope to see you Wednesday evening.

ISSA will be hosting a new student reception on the ASTD island in Second Life (a detailed post will follow soon).

Gina Minks and Issy Masduki will be facilitating the reception.  We are known as Monet Baroque and  Sayuri Issy in Second Life.

Are you in Second Life? Leave us your name in the comments!