from Ars Technica by
jtimmer@arstechnica.com (John Timmer)
It’s easy to develop a confusing picture of what goes on inside of multiuser virtual worlds, such as Second Life and World of WarCraft. Some reports suggest that the virtual reality enables people to escape from social interactions they otherwise find difficult; others highlight how users of virtual worlds find them satisfying because of the rich social interactions they enable. Some researchers at Northwestern University looked into just how well real-life social influences translate to the the virtual realm and discovered one that does: racism.
The authors used two different instances of social manipulation that are known to work well in the real world. The first is the “foot in the door” (FITD) approach, in which a small, easily accomplished favor is asked. These tend to make the person who granted the favor happy about their cooperation, and more likely to agree to further requests, even if they require more effort.
read more…
Categories: Resources - Statistics + Studies · Resources - Virtual Worlds
Tagged: racism, Study, Virtual Worlds
The core of the report describes six areas of emerging technology that will impact higher education within three adoption horizons over the next one to five years.
Categories: Resources - Social Networks
Tagged: Study, web 2.0
Original Source: http://www.socialtext.net/wiki-government-and-democracy/index.cgi?
For both emerging and established democratic societies, the Wikinomics<!– wiki-renamed-hyperlink “Wikinomics” –> era holds the promise and the inevitability of new models for delivering the functions of government. Government 2.0: Wikinomics, Government & Democracy is a global research project that will identify and analyze emerging opportunities to harness new models of collaboration to transform the public sector. It builds on a wealth of continuing research by New Paradigm<!– wiki-renamed-hyperlink “New Paradigm” –> – a renowned think tank led by author and strategist Don Tapscott – and a global faculty of experts.
The investigation will equip subscriber organizations with the insights required to harness new models of Web-based collaboration to reinvent the way they develop policy, partner across institutional boundaries, and engage and serve their constituents. The program will be conducted in partnership with the world’s leading thinkers and practitioners, funded by both governments around the world and private companies seeking to participate in this transformation.
We’ve opened up this workspace to inform members of the public about our new program and to invite input into our research. Feel free to jump in and have fun!
Find out more about New Paradigm’s Government 2.0 Investigation and how your organization can participate.
New Paradigm’s Government 2.0 program will investigate how public sector organizations can harness new models of collaboration to reinvigorate government and democracy. Read about the research agenda and suggest new topics for investigation.
As part of our ongoing investigation New Paradigm is building a public resource center. Do you know of any great gov 2.0 case studies that New Paradigm should be researching? How about papers on pertinent Gov 2.0 topics, people worth talking to, or other think tanks or government research centers that are doing similar work? Share your suggestions with the community.
Have your say: What should governments should do now to harness the power of mass collaboration and the web 2.0?
Do you have questions about Government 2.0 for New Paradigm researchers and other community members? Would you like to start a discussion with other community members? Post your thoughts on the Government 2.0 Blog<!– wiki-renamed-hyperlink “Government 2.0 Blog” –>
Categories: Resources - Wikis
Tagged: government, Study, wiki
http://www.slideshare.net/manuel.perez/models-of-government-blogging
Categories: Resources - The Blogosphere
Tagged: blog, government, Study
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