Two years to build an island?
Here is a typical article on the launch of a new island for an academic institution. Nothing out of the ordinary (over 400 higher education institutions are currently in Second Life), however I was taken aback when the article mentioned it was 2 years in the making.
I expect that includes the entire project from proposal to island completion. In that regard, it is not suprising. The bureaucracy and possible “push back” can be quite an obstacle in both academia and corporate settings.
A two year lag becomes more and more of an issue when Web 2.0 apps are coming on fast and furious.
They have a great collaborative plan outlined to include other community colleges on their island. I can’t wait to see what they have created, I am certain it is very well done from both an educational and Second Life perspective.
Want to learn Linden Scripting Language?
If you are like me, perhaps new programming languages may seem intimidating. Linden Scripting Language (LSL) is a great language and can really add a lot to your inworld endeavors.
Often it is the simple things that add value for your users. Perhaps just giving out a notecard, displaying some hover text, opening a URL, or other scripts that you have seen inworld. I just learned a piece of code that allows an object to open your map and offer to teleport you anywhere in the grid. It’s a nice alternative to a landmark giver and saves the user a click. But I digress . . . (those code snippets will be made available in an LSL library I am developing for eLearning Guild DevLearn 2008 conference attendees).
Torley Linden posted a new tutorial on a fantastic tool to help get your feet wet with LSL. The tool was created by Ann Enigma and is available (with wonderful documentation) at 3greeneggs. Torley’s video tutorial is available on the Second Life Blog here.