2009年6月16日 星期二

Questions for CNN iReporters

Questions for CNN iReporters

Purpose: To find out the essence and conditions of news reporting in CNN iReport, especially focus on Second Life (SL) stories reporting. The information you provide will all be anonymous and used for research.

Part A: Background Information
1. Age:
2. Gender:
3. Real Life (RL) Location:
4. RL occupation:
5. How long have you been a CNN iReporter?
6. How often do you submit SL stories to CNN iReport?
7. Why do you submit SL stories to CNN?

Part B: iReport Experiences
Q1. What reasons make you become a CNN iReporter in SL?

Q2. What places or what groups of people in SL do you find the most interesting?

Q3. How do you find SL stories to report?

Q4. What kinds of news have better chances to be “on CNN”?

Q5. What is your target audience? How do you know?

Q6. What topics are popular to audiences of CNN iReport?

Q7. What are the restrictions that limit your freedom to post news and pictures on CNN iReport?


Thank you for your sources. 

Individual Report I








1.Introduction
We want to know the conditions of virtual reporters’ reporting Second Life stories on CNN iReport. The project is about CNN iReporters’ experiences. We want to know the iReporters’ motivation to be reporters, the material they are interested in and want to report, and how is the chances to be “ON CNN”. As we are already the members of CNN iReport, the CNN iReport is the Website we are going to start with.

2. Method
First we loged in CNN iReport and sent the private messages to the iReporters. The message is as follows.
Hi,
We are English major students from Taiwan, doing a project about CNN iReporters' experiences and opinions about CNN iReports.
Please write me back if you'd like to join the interview! Thanks a lot!

Heather

The iReporters I sent the message to are as follows.

Raphaella Nightfire, janeforyou, knuw, VirtualNeko
RockerFaerie, ApolloManga, mincedmedia, wilpetty, scruples, rynprov


However, the efficiency of sending and receiving the messages was not good. No one sent back the responds. So we took a look at their iReport profile and saw if there were thier SL names or IM information. And we tried to type their CNN iReport IDs on SL to search, in chances that some of the IDs were the same as their avatars’ name. And then we added them as friends so that we could send IM to them, and interview them on SL.The names I found on SL the same as IDs on iReport are as follows.


Stiofainx, MincedMedia Clip, Wilpetty , Kathleen Blachere , Lora Constantine, Ambergris Baphomet


Among the six people I added as friends, three people accepted; they were Stiofainx, MincedMedia Clip, and Ambergris Baphomet. But I was only able to meet MincedMedia Clip on SL and sent the questionnaire to her. We met at her SL house “The Slow Rezz Cafe Antiques and Curios Shop”, located at Kataniya Springs by the Shore, Athena Isle. It was a beautiful cozy coffee shop, she collected artworks in this place. She said she was a professional journalist in Real Life and she wrote for newspapers. She is also a virtual reporter in SL. Recently she is employed as a cooperated writer by a company. She writes articles about marketing, business, and technology. But she seemed to be busy and we didn’t talk much.

The other two I was not able to contact them so far because I didn’t met them online yet.
Another interviewee is Colemarie Soleil, my group member Alice added her as a friend on SL. Her CNN iReport ID is Rockerfaerie, the name of her stage. She is a musician and also an artist doing many creative music videos on Youtube and SL. We met at her place.
[23:04] alicealice Zepp在线
[23:08] Teleport completed from http://slurl.com/secondlife/CNN%20iReport%20Island/54/34/24
[23:08] Connecting to in-world Voice Chat...
[23:08] Connected
[23:08] alicealice Zepp: Hello Heather
[23:09] dBase - Video Player : Menu disponible pendant 30 secondes
[23:09] dBase - Video Player : vous avez 30 secondes pour introduire votre lien Youtube en indiquant avant : /3

exemple :
/3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdCRwB81BAE

[23:09] dBase - Video Player : votre choix de video = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alQL5bHeHIM&feature=channel_page
[23:09] ColeMarie Soleil: hihi
[23:10] alicealice Zepp: This is Heather
[23:10] alicealice Zepp: and this is ColeMaire
[23:10] ColeMarie Soleil: Thank you! :)
[23:11] alicealice Zepp: Ya
[23:11] Heather Alenquer: hello
[23:11] Heather Alenquer: Hi i am alice's group member
[23:11] alicealice Zepp: We are doing a project : (
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil: nice to meet you
[23:12] alicealice Zepp: ya
[23:12] Heather Alenquer: nice to meet you too
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you *CC* Cole's Corner - Musette.
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Cole's Corner - - Jellyfish Grunge Pixie.
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Cole's Corner - - Tick Tick Boom.
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Cole's Corner - Heart Sore.
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Cole's Corner - Neon Nishi.
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Cole's Corner - Spring Sprite.
[23:12] alicealice Zepp: you can hear Colemaire music on youtube XDDDDDD
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Cole's Corner - Summer Sidhe.
[23:12] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Cole's Corner - Snowball Sprite.
[23:13] alicealice Zepp: very amazing ^^
[23:13] Heather Alenquer: ya i know
[23:13] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** Box of random particle wearables(unpack).
[23:13] ColeMarie Soleil: haha
[23:13] ColeMarie Soleil: ^^
[23:13] ColeMarie Soleil gave you **CC** - Particle Package.
[23:13] ColeMarie Soleil: Thank you! :)
[23:13] alicealice Zepp: haha I am not exaggeratingXDD
[23:14] Heather Alenquer: well, we hope you can help us do the questionnair
[23:14] Heather Alenquer: since we are doing a project for the class
[23:15] ColeMarie Soleil: ok
[23:16] Heather Alenquer: can you give us your email and i will send it to you, thanks a lot : )
[23:16] ColeMarie Soleil: *********
[23:16] alicealice Zepp: you are so niceeeeeee ^______^
[23:17] alicealice Zepp: hug
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: hahahahaha mostly
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: ^^
[23:17] alicealice Zepp: : )
[23:17] Golink Koba: lol
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: I don't have reason to be mean?
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: To you anyway :X
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: hahah
[23:17] alicealice Zepp: Ya
[23:17] dBase - Video Player : Menu disponible pendant 30 secondes
[23:17] dBase - Video Player : vous avez 30 secondes pour introduire votre lien Youtube en indiquant avant : /3

exemple :
/3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdCRwB81BAE

[23:17] alicealice Zepp: always be a nice girl ? haha : P
[23:17] dBase - Video Player : votre choix de video = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKzmle0iTSQ&feature=channel_page
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: No.
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: I'm not always.
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: No one is every always anything lol
[23:17] ColeMarie Soleil: if they are
[23:18] ColeMarie Soleil: RUN
[23:18] ColeMarie Soleil: lol
[23:18] ColeMarie Soleil: rbrt*
[23:18] ColeMarie Soleil: jfklasjf
[23:18] ColeMarie Soleil: ever*
[23:18] alicealice Zepp: so we are lukily !!!
[23:18] ColeMarie Soleil: man I can't type
[23:20] alicealice Zepp: : P
[23:20] ColeMarie Soleil: Let me know when it's sent.
[23:22] Heather Alenquer: i send it to you just now
[23:23] ColeMarie Soleil: one second
[23:25] December Larkham: Ahh so sorry. I hae a lot of im @_@; Hello Alice and Heaher :)
[23:25] ColeMarie Soleil: It's ok.
[23:25] ColeMarie Soleil: I'm helping them with a project.
[23:25] ColeMarie Soleil: Filling something out.
[23:25] December Larkham: Ok :)Don't mind m~
[23:25] Heather Alenquer: Hi
[23:25] December Larkham: Hello ^_^/
[23:26] alicealice Zepp: HI ^^
[23:26] alicealice Zepp: we come from Taiwan
[23:26] December Larkham: Oh! :D
[23:26] Heather Alenquer: I am alice's group member
[23:27] alicealice Zepp: Yes
[23:27] December Larkham: Nice to meet you both :)
[23:27] Heather Alenquer: nice to meet you too^^
[23:27] alicealice Zepp: and we are fighting for our project
[23:27] alicealice Zepp: XDDDDD
[23:27] alicealice Zepp: : P
[23:27] December Larkham: Do you need anymorehelp?
[23:28] Heather Alenquer: We are doing a project about CNN iReporters' experience about CNN i Reports
[23:28] alicealice Zepp: yes
[23:28] alicealice Zepp: about sl stories
[23:29] December Larkham: Oh I see
[23:29] December Larkham: What kind of stories?
[23:30] Heather Alenquer: anything is OK
[23:30] December Larkham: It is like interview?
[23:31] Heather Alenquer: Yes
[23:31] alicealice Zepp: ya
[23:31] alicealice Zepp: our professor likes SL : P
[23:32] ColeMarie Soleil: I bet he does
[23:32] ColeMarie Soleil: lol
[23:32] alicealice Zepp: So she encouraged us to explore in SL
[23:32] alicealice Zepp: : )
[23:32] December Larkham: lol col :D
[23:32] December Larkham: cool*
[23:33] December Larkham: If you need any help, please let me know :)
[23:33] Heather Alenquer: Do you report your stories on CNN iReport?
[23:34] December Larkham: Mmm I have never been!
[23:35] Heather Alenquer: how long have you been a sl resident?
[23:36] December Larkham: Two years
[23:36] ColeMarie Soleil: 8/29/2006
[23:36] ColeMarie Soleil: oh sorry
[23:36] ColeMarie Soleil: back
[23:36] ColeMarie Soleil: lol
[23:36] alicealice Zepp: wow
[23:36] December Larkham: lol
[23:36] Heather Alenquer: wow
[23:36] December Larkham: Welcome back Cole <3>

Sent:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 9:52:16 AM
[18:51] MincedMedia Clip: I have been a professional journalist in real life, and I have written for newspapers and trade magazines on business, technology and marketing. I am currently employed as a corporate writer
[2009/06/15 19:27] Heather Alenquer: Hi, thank you for writing me back: )
[2009/06/15 19:30] MincedMedia Clip不在线
[2009/06/15 19:38] MincedMedia Clip在线
[2009/06/15 19:48] Heather Alenquer: My message cannot be delivered : (
[2009/06/15 19:48] Heather Alenquer: Can you give me your email adress?
[2009/06/15 19:50] Heather Alenquer: your place is beautiful : )
[2009/06/15 19:51] Heather Alenquer: you collect artworks
[2009/06/15 19:52] MincedMedia Clip: mincedmedia@gmail.com
[2009/06/15 19:52] Heather Alenquer: Oh, i found you already gave me
[2009/06/15 19:52] Heather Alenquer: sorry
[2009/06/15 19:52] MincedMedia Clip: :)
[2009/06/15 19:56] Heather Alenquer: Being a writer must be very busy?
[2009/06/15 19:56] MincedMedia Clip: Yes, especially when you work for a company.
[2009/06/15 19:57] MincedMedia Clip: The company that employs me sells tax software in the United States.
[2009/06/15 19:57] MincedMedia Clip: It is very busy from November to April.
[2009/06/15 19:58] Heather Alenquer: you write for thier magazine?
[2009/06/15 20:01] Heather Alenquer: I have joined SL for only a few months.
[2009/06/15 20:04] Heather Alenquer: For the teacher's assignment
[2009/06/15 20:10] Heather Alenquer: we come here for a writing class, our teacher recommemd us sl to learn English.
[2009/06/15 20:22] Heather Alenquer: can I take photos of your place?
[2009/06/15 20:28] Heather Alenquer: The questionnaire is designed for the amatuer writers.
[2009/06/15 20:40] Heather Alenquer: sorry, but the deadline is coming, we have to receive the questionnaire as soon as possible. Thanks a lot :D
[2009/06/15 20:52] MincedMedia Clip: Hello
[2009/06/15 20:55] Heather Alenquer: yes
[2009/06/15 21:17] MincedMedia Clip不在线
-- Instant message logging enabled --
[1:37] MincedMedia Clip 目前不在线。

2009年6月2日 星期二

Group Project Discussion 1







We decided our group project to be the research on the English teaching centers on SL. At first, we parted for a while to search for places to do the research. I typed the key word “English”, and found a place called “English Village”, but it looked desolate. There was no building or plants or other things. Some of the places I found didn’t allow me to teleport my avatar. So I didn’t find the appropriate places.

And then I went back to Hubert to meet my group members. Alina found a place called ESL, so she teleport us there. She told us that she knew a girl who taught there. I went around the place to visit the surrounding and I notice the classes are quite expensive; perhaps they are relatively inexpensive than the classes in RL. Alina gave us the link that girl provided her. There is a school timetable. There are English class, Chinese class, Italian class, and Spanish class.

Malisa found a place called “Englishtown”. It was a beautiful place with many wooden buildings and a fountain on a cross street. Walking into the teaching center, it was a big hall with many armchairs. And then we found there were a lot of computers. I tried the computer. I clicked the screen and it linked to the website of EF(English First). There it provided many English learning interactions and the advertisement of the class.

We decided to interview the owners and the students of the teaching center. So we will design the questions first, and then communicate people of the teaching center. And we still had to keep searching for new places to do the research.

2009年5月12日 星期二

Palace for Dance in SL





The Palace, Ballroom is a good place for making new friends and enjoying dancing. As a cowardly adventurer beginning in SL, I chose this place to dream of being a prince in the castle. There is a strict requirement to wear formal long dress. But don’t worry; near the access of Ballroom, there are a couple of free dresses for ladies and gentlemen. Dressed up, and you can start your adventure.

At the entrance of the magnificent palace building is an information desk; the hostess of ballroom would welcome you there. She would speak friendly to you and help you if you need any assistance. Entering the building, inside is a gorgeous room; going up stair, on third floor there is a big dance square. Usually people dance and make friends there.

The atmosphere is comfortable. There are some little things that you can try right click to give hug or kiss to your dancing partner. There are gentlemen who work here are very good and would politely invite you to dance. As I tried dance alone, a guy who wore a formal suit came and ask me for dance. I thought he was nice, he simply asked me for dance and didn’t talk much. Although for me it was odd to dance with a stranger, but the atmosphere is quite relaxing, almost romantic. He noticed that I was taking the snapshots, and I explained to him I was doing my school assignment.

Outside the hall of dance square on third floor, there is a large balcony with tables and chairs that you can enjoy tea time with friends. There are many little buttons you can right click to have some interactions with your partner. All in all, you can enjoy your romantic moment here with friends and lovers.

2009年4月28日 星期二

Palace for Dance in SL




The Palace, Ballroom is a good place for making new friends and enjoying dancing. However, there is a strict requirement to wear formal long dress. But don’t worry, near the access of Ballroom, there are a couple of free dresses for ladies and gentlemen. Dressed up, and you can start your adventure.

At the entrance of the magnificent palace building is an information desk; the hostess of ballroom would welcome you there. She would speak friendly to you and help you if you need any assistance. Entering the building, inside is a gorgeous room; going up stair, on third floor there is a big dance square. Usually people dance there and make friends.

The atmosphere is comfortable. There are some little things that you can try right click to give hug or kiss to your dancing partner. There are gentlemen who work here are very good and would politely invite you to dance.

Outside the hall of dance square on third floor, there is a large balcony with tables and chairs that you can enjoy tea time with friends. The view is quite good from the third floor balcony. It is also a nice place for lovers. There are many little buttons you can right click to have some interactions with your partner. All in all, you can enjoy your romantic moment here with the people you love.

2009年4月17日 星期五

Free Close on SL

As a beginner of Second Life, I felt kind of scared to try new things. I was not the kind of person who could easily get along with strangers. Besides, though SL was not RL, I was still afraid of culture shock the teacher told us. At first my avatar was a girl with a plain dress and the hair was bounded a horsetail. I didn’t want to look always like a new comer in SL and wear always the same dress. I wanted to change my clothes and other things. The problem was I didn’t have any money. How could I buy clothes? And where could I get a job? It seemed very troublesome to me.

Thanks to my friend, who is my classmate and had been in SL more often than me. She introduced to me some places, where there were a lot of clothes for free. She teleported me to a ballroom where she said she met a few nice girls offering her useful information. They even gave her some cards. There were two nice gowns for free that are quite beautiful. I had my first new clothes there.

Then she teleported me to another place where there were a lot of aisles like supermarket. And many boxes are lined there. Those were boxes of free clothes, I could have many choices. Most of the girls’ clothes were dresses. Some of them I liked very much. Of course there are shops, but the items cost money. I would wait until I earn money to go shop.

Well, to me it was a special experience. It was kind of like beginning a new life. I think this do encourage me to explore Second Life world.

2009年4月14日 星期二

Clothes for Free

As a beginner of Second Life, I feel kind of scared to try new things. At first my avatar was a girl with a plain dress and the hair was bounded a horsetail. But I wanted to change my clothes and other things. The problem was I didn’t have any money. How could I buy clothes? And where could I get a job? It seemed very troublesome to me.
Thanks to my friend, she introduced to me some places, where there were a lot of clothes for free. She first teleported me to a ballroom where she said she met a few nice girls offering her useful information. And they even gave her some cards. There I got my first new clothes for free. There were two nice gowns that are quite beautiful.
Then she teleported me to another place where there were a lot of aisles like supermarket. And many boxes are lined there. Those were boxes of free clothes, I could have many choices. Most of the girls’ clothes were dresses. Some of them I liked very much. Of course there are shops, but the items cost money. I would wait until I earn money to go shop.
Well, to me it was a special experience. It was kind of like beginning a new life. I think this do encourage me to explore Second Life world.