**Update**

Researcher’s Toolbox Methods Issue Abstract Submissions: toolbox_abstracts@jvwresearch.org

Please submit abstracts of up to 500 words, including a title, names and affiliations of authors, in e-mail format.

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Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: The Researcher’s Toolbox

I. Editorial Team

• Tom Boellstorff, University of California, Irvine

• Celia Pearce, Georgia Tech University

• Dmitri Williams, University of Southern California

• Thomas Malaby, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

• Elizabeth Dean, RTI

• Tracy Tuten, East Carolina University

II. Call for Proposals

The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research announces a special issue devoted entirely to research methods and virtual worlds with the objective of creating a methodological toolbox for researchers. The editors for this special issue invite submissions from a broad array of disciplinary approaches.

Methods can include (but are not limited to):

• Physical-world and in-world ethnography

• Surveys

• Focus Groups

• Interviews (both physical-world and in-world)

• Design Research/Playtesting

• Experimental Methods

• Back-End Data-Collection-Based Research

This special issue has three overarching goals:

(1) To provide case studies featuring methods currently being developed and used in virtual worlds research in academia and industry. These contributions will emphasize practical information about how to design and implement various research methods.

(2) To discuss how multiple methods can be integrated in research design.

(3) To explore the key theoretical debates pertaining to method. Authors are encouraged to include a critical perspective, including discussions of the strengths and weaknesses of their own methods.

With these goals in mind, themed sections for the special issue will be as follows:

(1) Methods Toolbox

Papers targeted for this section should describe specific methods and how they are employed in different types of research, including:

• Practical “how-to” articles that present the basics of a given method, and how it has been modified for virtual worlds research.

• Specific case studies that describe how a method was developed and used for a specific project, including an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses.

• Research ethics and human subjects boards: how do we ensure that differing methods are conducted with ethical responsibilities to our research subjects, and how can we effectively explain our methods to human subjects boards?

(2) Methods and Research Design

Papers targeted for this section should discuss how methods can be combined to enhance different research results, including:

• Conceptual challenges: which methods to mix? Which to leave out? These questions concern the relationship between methods and research questions.

• Practical challenges: how to allocate sufficient time and attention to differing methods within a single research project.

• Write-up challenges: how to present the relationships between differing methods when publishing research findings.

(3) Debates about Method

Papers targeted for this section should discuss broad theoretical debates confronting methodologies for virtual worlds research, including:

• Key concepts: particularly because this is a relatively new area of research, many debates about research methods for virtual worlds arise because participants are talking past each other, due to the fact that key concepts do not have a shared meaning. What are some provisional conceptual frameworks that can facilitate more illuminating discussions of research methods in virtual worlds?

• Epistemologies: how do ways of seeing and meaning-making, as well as cultural or disciplinary approaches and biases, influence research approaches and outcomes with regard to virtual worlds? How can we avoid forms of “methodological partisanship” that claim certain methods have an epistemological privilege over others? When should generalizability be a goal, or not? When should causality be a goal, or not?

• Funding biases: how do differing sources of research funding shape debates over methodology? How can we better explain the value of various methods to funders?

III. Key Dates

Abstracts Due: 15 September 2009

Abstract Judgments Due to Authors: 15 October 2009

Full Papers Due: 5 January 2010

Initial Approval of Papers by Guest Editors Due: 1 February 2010

Final Drafts Approved by the Guest Editors Due: 1 March 2010

Publication Date: 2 April 2010

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research (http://jvwresearch.org/)

Special issue, Vol. 3 (3), 2010: Virtual Worlds for Kids

Abstract Deadline: 20 October 2009

Guest Editors:
Sun Sun Lim, National University of Singapore, sunlim@nus.edu.sg
Lynn Schofield Clark, University of Denver, Lynn.Clark@du.edu

While virtual worlds for young adults have received considerable research attention, virtual worlds for young children – from preschoolers to preteens – have not been studied as extensively. Yet statistics indicate that children worldwide are using the Internet at younger and younger ages, and are exploring a wide range of online environments including virtual worlds such as Neopets, Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin, Webkinz, BarbieGirls.com, MoshiMonsters etc.  Participation in such virtual worlds have been found to aid in the development of children’s social, linguistic and technological skills, and to offer them enriching learning experiences, outlets for creative expression and opportunities for identity exploration. At the same time however, concerns about the potentially adverse impact of such virtual worlds prevail, be it moral panics about sexual grooming, fears of online addiction or more mundane worries about exposure to online advertising. While research on children’s participation in virtual worlds is growing, clearly more light needs to be shed on the benefits and harms of children’s participation in these engaging and increasingly popular multimedia environments.

This special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research will explore children’s participation in online virtual worlds , and focus specifically on the preschool to preteen group, from about 3 to 14 years of age. We welcome participation from a broad range of academic researchers and practitioners using a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches from such fields as communications, psychology, education, computer science, sociology, anthropology and marketing. Topics of interest are (but not limited to):
•    typologies of children’s virtual worlds
•    ethnographies of children’s use of virtual worlds
•    avatar building, identity exploration and peer dynamics
•    educational uses of children’s virtual worlds
•    lifestage analyses comparing experiences of children of different ages
•    supervisory strategies of parents, guardians, teachers
•    joint online activities of siblings and other family members
•    family online activities in virtual worlds
•    policy and public education responses
•    industry self-regulation measures
•    advertising and marketing to children in virtual worlds
•    research methods and ethical issues

Please submit a 500 word abstract to the guest editors as an e-mail attachment no later than 20 October, 2009. The five best abstracts will also be submitted as a panel for consideration  by the Children, Adolescents and the Media interest group of the International Communication Association 2010 conference (held from 22 – 26 June 2010 in Singapore). Please include full contact information and a biographical note (up to 75 words) on each of the authors and indicate whether you wish to be considered for the ICA panel submission.  Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by 10 November, 2009 and will then be invited to submit a full paper to the guest editors. Manuscripts should be no more than 8,000 words, including notes and references, conform to APA style, and submitted by 31 March , 2010.  All papers will be subject to anonymous peer review following submission.

We also welcome submissions in the form of think pieces and interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship.

Important dates
20 October 2009: Deadline for abstract submission
10 November 2009: Announcement of results
31 March 2010: Submission of full papers
22-26 June 2010: ICA conference in Singapore
September 2010: Publication of special issue

Special Edition: Government and Virtual Worlds

Guest editors:
Paulette Robinson, PhD
Michael Piller, PhD
Information Resources Management College
National Defense University
Co-Leaders—Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds

The government has been increasingly interested in creating and using digital collaborative environments to interact within agencies, across agencies and with the citizens.  The current Obama administration has provided a more open and inviting culture for pursing this collaboration.  As one of the responses, there is a growing interest in the government to use virtual worlds (VW) to collaborate in government through 1) robust information delivery environments for citizens, 2) meetings, conferences, events, 3)  education and training, 4) rapid design prototyping, and 5) analytical individual and collaborative work spaces.

This special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research (JVWR) will highlight government virtual world projects, collaborations and research. Submissions that address projects will describe the project, challenges/solutions, benefits to the government and citizens, measures of success, lessons learned, and the future projections for the project. We welcome participation from a broad range of researchers and practitioners using a variety of research and methodological approaches.  The top three pieces included in this special issue will be invited to present at the 2010 Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds Conference.  We also welcome submissions in the form of think pieces and interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship.  See the JVWR website for details: http://www.jvwresearch.org/about.html.

Manuscripts should be no more than 10,000 words (including notes and references) and conform to APA style.  All papers will be subject to peer review following submission.

Timeline:

November 20, 2009:           500 word proposals with full contact  information and a biographical note (up to 75 words) on each author emailed to guest editors.
May 2010:                             Publication Date

We also welcome submissions in the form of think pieces and interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship.

Questions and submissions can be emailed to both Paulette Robinson (robinsonp@ndu.edu) and Michael Piller (pillerm@ndu.edu).

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research – http://jvwresearch.org

The metaverse is emerging, through the increasing use of virtual world technologies that act as platforms for end-users to create, develop, and interact, expanding the realm of human cooperation, interaction, and creativity. This issue focuses on applications and developments of metaverse platforms, including: Second Life, OpenSim, Open Croquet, Activeworlds, Open Source Metaverse, Project Wonderland, among others., and seeks the best papers examining the integration of metaverse platforms with external systems, integration of platforms, GIS/metaverse mash-ups, and using metaverse platforms for
cooperation.

The Metaverse Assembled issue will also feature the best papers from the SLACTIONS 2009 conference.
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Publication Date: February/March 2010.
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Guest Editors for this issue:

• D. Linda Garcia, Georgetown University, USA – garciadl@georgetown.edu
• Hanan Gazit, MetaverSense Ltd and H.I.T-Holon Institute of Technology, Israel (gazit[at]hit[dot]ac[dot]il)
• Garrison LeMasters, Georgetown University, USA – gl75@georgetown.edu
• Leonel Morgado, UTAD, Portugal – leonelm@utad.pt

Theme: Virtual Economies, Virtual Goods and Service Delivery in Virtual Worlds

Deadlines: Abstract – June15, 2009.
Full manuscript – November 1, 2009
Publication Date: December 15, 2009

Guest Editors:
Mandy Salomon, Smart Internet Technology CRC, msalomon@swin.edu.au
Serge Soudoplatoff, ESCP-EAP, Hetic; serge@almatropie.org

Whether it may be server as ‘land’, avatar enhancements, like a sword in an online game, an object that signifies social status in a 3DChatroom, or a currency that exists only in cyberspace, the range of virtual assets is as diverse as the scope of assets we gather in the physical world.

The total amount of assets in virtual worlds, including online games, is estimated to be in the vicinity of US$2 billion. The trade of millions of objects has given birth to virtual economies. Some, like Second Life, have a fluctuating currency tied to real world monetary exchange. Others, like Gaia, reward users for hours of play with gifts, which can be auctioned, following e-bay style, for real money.  QQ coins, the Chinese digital currency, are now so included in e-business that it is disrupting established banking practices there.
On the other hand, the regulatory framework surrounding these phenomena is often ill defined, and even worse, exploitative of millions of users. In Second Life, the End User License Agreement (EULA), explained by VW’s commentator Julian Dibbell as “that egregious tool of corporate tyranny over the defenseless voiceless customer” was successfully contested by Mark Bragg. Nevertheless, the statement that virtual goods constitute ‘property’, and hence can be ‘owned’ is still far from solid.

Given such vagaries, what motivates people to invest their time and money and continue to trade together? How is the value of a digital object determined? What can be learned about identity, reputation and social capital in respect to virtual products and services?

In some virtual environments, ‘currency’ is little more than a limited license right. Notwithstanding, models such as Project Entropia, demonstrate that the membrane between real and virtual trade is permeable. So, to what extent are virtual goods and services co-related to the real economy? How is the global financial crisis impacting on virtual expenses?

Clearly, there is a need for a better understanding of virtual commerce (v-commerce) while it is still in its infancy. Today the buying action is performed through a web site; what about tomorrow? Shall we see a proliferation of virtual shopping centers? Might the promise of virtual objects become an incentive for real world action?  And what would be the tax implications? How are national jurisdictions determined in the virtual world?

The seventh issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is dedicated to explore the issue of economy in virtual worlds in its broadest sense. We welcome articles from academic researchers and practitioners in areas such as communications, sociology, psychology, anthropology, information systems, political science, game studies and cultural studies.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
•    Characteristics of virtual world economy.
•    Classification of Virtual Worlds, regarding economic parameters.
•    Indicators, figures, status of the economy.
•    Relationships between virtual world economy and real economy.
•    The role and nature of virtual assets.
•    Government approaches to taxation of virtual economy.
•    Nature of goods and services that are exchanged among users; in world and out world.
•    Incentives for users to spend money on virtual goods.
•    Future of virtual commerce.

Guidelines and Deadlines
We welcome submissions in the form of full research papers, research-in-brief papers, “think-pieces”, essays, monographs, interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship.

For specific submission instructions and detailed descriptions of the different submission formats visit: http://jvwresearch.org

We are relatively open re the abstract format:
* Make it 1-3 pages (1 full page in condense form is fine… but do not limit yourself).
* Use the first page to tell us the gist of your submission

* What is the format (“full research papers, research-in-brief papers, “think-pieces,” essays, monographs, interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship).
* Try to answer how your proposed work relates to the concepts of Technology, Economy, and Standards.
* List other relevant papers or theories.
* Try to share what is unique about this submission.

Following the abstract (Deadline: March 30, 2009. 23:59) you will receive initial feedback by April 15, 2009 from the editors.

A full submission will be needed September 1, 2009.

By September 15 you will be notified re rejection, accaptance, or conditional accaptance. Depending on the quality and format of your submission you may be assigned to the external reviewers or one of the editors.

After we receive your updated submission your paper will then be moved to the publication editors which may call for minor technical changes.

CALL FOR PAPERS – Journal of Virtual Worlds Research – Vol 2 issue 3.
Theme: Virtual Worlds: Technology, Economy, and Standards

In this special issue we are looking to examine the often hidden relations between technology, economy, and standards in the specific field of Virtual Worlds.

Deadlines: Abstract or expression of interest (one page) – Monday, March 30, 2009
Full manuscript – September 1, 2009
Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Issue Editors:

• Dr. Yesha Y. Sivan, Metaverse-Labs Ltd. and Shenkar College
• J.H.A. (Jean) Gelissen, Philips Research
• Prof. Robert Bloomfield, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University

Email:

• yesha.sivan@metaverse-labs.com

Overview

We assume that:

1. Virtual Worlds are destined to become big; big in the sense of meaningful, influential, and making money for various current and new players. Every aspect of our lives will be affected by virtual worlds. Beyond being another media, Virtual Worlds will be part of our regular lives, they are going to enhance, improve, and better our quality of life. Much like the internet, virtual worlds will allow us to do “traditional” things more effectively, and do other things anew.
2. Real Virtual Worlds are defined as an integration of four factors: 3D view of the world, Community, Creation, and Commerce (AKA 3D3C). The more we have of these factors the closer we get to real virtual worlds. In that sense IMVU, Second Life, and Entropia are more Real Virtual Worlds than Club Penguin, World of Warcraft, and SIMS on-line.
3. “Standards” as a concept and mechanism are often misunderstood. People often link standards with competing concepts: open and free on one hand and propriety patents, limitation of creativity on the other hand. Like many other human constructs, standards are not inherently good or bad – what you do with a standard gives them value: be it good or bad.
4. Currently the virtual worlds industry operates more like the Computer Gaming Industry than like the internet industry. Each developer, be it private (e.g., Linden, Forterra) or an open source (e.g., Sun Darkstar, OpenSim) is developing its own server, client, and rules of engagement. The inherent rationale of these efforts is a combination of “we know best” and “we will conquer the world.” While this may be the case (see Microsoft Windows, Apple iPod, or Google search), the common public good calls for a connected system like the internet, where different forces can innovate in particular spots of the value chain.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Specific standards or family of standards that can impact virtual worlds.
• Economic analysis of specific standards for specific firms.
• Discussion on Privacy, Authentication, and related issue (for example Open ID).
• Legal Aspects of virtual worlds that can be set in the technical specs.
• Review of relevant technology platforms, their pros, and cons.
• Case studies of large-scale standardization efforts (Windows, Linux, GSM) and the lesson learned from them to virtual worlds.
• Visions of the virtual world’s universal access system (network and station).
• Comparing related terms such as working code, for and not-for-profit efforts, open source, formal systems.
• Key places were standards matter (looking for the mouse and windows of virtual worlds) in other words the interfaces to and from the real (physical) world.
• Economic analysis of various externalities in the field.
• Winning stories of standards in the field (be it private, public, open, etc).
• Example of wrong standards, failed standards, and other things to learn from.
• Short term winnings (VRML) vs. Long term value.
• What do we need to add to current standards so they will be used in virtual worlds (ISBN 3D? OpenID3D? etc).
• The impact of open standards on close systems (Android); the impact of propriety technology (iPhone).
• Connection various legal formats (GPL, LGPL) and new technologies (i.e., Grid/cloud for virtual worlds).

The editors of this issue specifically encourage short papers on specific examples (past, present, or future). If you need to use Jargon or acronyms please spell them and explain. Assume the readers are versed with various aspects of virtual worlds and not necessary economy, technology or standards. The link to real virtual worlds should be clearly spelled. Papers will influence the development of MPEG-V (the official ISO effort to develop global standards between real and virtual worlds.
Guidelines and Deadlines
We welcome submissions in the form of full research papers, research-in-brief papers, “think-pieces,” essays, monographs, interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship.
For specific submission instructions and detailed descriptions of the different submission formats visit: http://jvwresearch.org

“In thinking about the spaces of virtual worlds, and the practices
we witness within them, how can we define what counts as culture?
Can we see any common cultural trends emerging in different virtual
worlds, or are practices as disparate as the worlds and groups we
find within them?”

The formatting guidelines are:

* 1000-1300 words total
* The “think pieces” are brief essays or papers intended to spur discussion amongst the scholarly community.
* The pieces should aim to ask provocative questions for future research and debate, rather than provide definitive answers.
* We encourage the use of visual aids such as images, video clips, or links to content in virtual worlds.
* Abstract (no more than 300 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
* APA Style (unless it is inappropriate for the type of essay being submitted)
* The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
* Single-spaced

The deadline for submissions is: January 9, 2008, 5pm CST

Please send your submissions directly to: Mia Consalvo (consalvo@ohio.edu <mailto:consalvo@ohio.edu>) and Mark Bell (typewritermark@gmail.com <mailto:typewritermark@gmail.com>)

Background:
Over the past three years (2006-2008), the medical/health and public health communities have shown a growing interest in using online 3D multi-user virtual worlds like Second Life® (http://secondlife.com), OpenSim Grids (http://opensimulator.org/wiki/OpenSim:Grids), Twinity (http://twinity.com/) and other virtual worlds, to serve many purposes, including, but not limited to, health education, community outreach, training and simulations.

Some examples of the wide range of application of virtual worlds to medicine and health include:
•    Emergency preparedness training (Play2Train), http://www.play2train.org
•    Paramedic training (Kingston University and St George’s, University of London), http://www.kingston.ac.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/2008/october/13-First-paramedic-course-to-use-Second-Life/
•    A 3D virtual hospital that communicates complex healthcare messages and illustrate possibilities for the future of healthcare (Imperial College London in conjunction with the UK’s National Physical Laboratory), http://secondhealth.wordpress.com/
•    Public education and outreach about sexual health, including seminars and various experiences (University of Plymouth, UK), http://healthcybermap.org/slsexualhealth/
•    Medical research and teaching that includes reproductions of real-life laboratories and meeting spaces for collaboration, (Sbarro Health Research Organization), http://shro.org/SHRO/allPDF/pressRoom/press/08_2_11shro.pdf
•    Consumer health education and development of new ways for users and libraries to interact (Health Info Island)  http://infoisland.org/islands/health_info/
•    And many other examples—see http://healthcybermap.org/sl.htm

If you are involved in any research project or initiative related to health and healthcare in virtual worlds, please consider contributing to this special edition of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research. For specific submission instructions and detailed descriptions of the different submission formats visit: http://www.jvwresearch.org/section_policies.html

Deadline for Submissions:

Abstract – January 20, 2009
Full manuscript – March 5, 2009
Publication: May 1, 2009

For further information please contact:

Susan Toth-Cohen, Department of Occupational Therapy, Jefferson College of Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, USA, and Guest Editor, Susan.Toth-Cohen@jefferson.edu

Simon Bignell, Centre for Psychological Research, University of Derby, UK, and Guest Editor, S.Bignell@derby.ac.uk

Maged N. Kamel Boulos, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, UK, Associate Editor, mnkamelboulos@plymouth.ac.uk

About the Journal:
The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an online, open access academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from around the world. The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is a transdisciplinary journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research.

JVWR Editorial Team:

Advisory Editors: Nancy Baym, University of Kansas; Edward Castronova, Indiana University; James Gee, Arizona State University; Ang Peng Hwa, Nanyang Technological University; Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago; Jorge Peña, University of Texas at Austin; Ralph Schroeder, Oxford Internet Institute; Joseph Straubhaar, University of Texas at Austin; Kathleen Tyner, University of Texas at Austin; Natalie Wood, Saint Joseph’s University

Editor: Jeremiah Spence, University of Texas at Austin

Associate Editors: (Jim) Chee Siang Ang, City University London, UK; Mark Bell, Indiana University, USA; Maged N. Kamel Boulos, University of Plymouth, UK; Connie Cassarino, Center for Advanced Learning, IBM, USA; Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Aaron Delwiche, Trinity University, USA; Suely Fragoso, Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos / Unisinos, Brazil; D. Linda Garcia, Georgetown University, USA; Eric Hackathorn, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, USA; Sun Sun Lim, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Gilson Schwartz, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Amanda Salomon, Smart Internet Technology CRC, Australia; Yesha Y. Sivan, Shenkar College & Metaverse Labs, Israel; Stephanie Smith, NASA JSC Learning Technologies, USA; Kurt Squire, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Caja Thimm, University of Bonn, Germany; Robert Vinet, Community Chest, France

November 25th, 2008  |  Published in SLentrepreneur Magazine Feature Articles

by Sigmund Leominster, News Editor
The Second Life™ virtual world is, as we know, one of a number of online environments available to consumers. And it would not be unfair to characterize press coverage in general as tending toward an emphasis on the prurient and scandalous. The recent case of real life couple David and Amy Pollard, whose marriage has ended in divorce after he was found cheating with a Second Life co-respondent, Modesty McDonnell, has been covered internationally by many newspapers, TV stations and bloggers. In contrast, cases of Second Life intellectual property theft rarely make it past the pages of Second Life bloggers. And though the case of Stroker Serpentine (real life=Kevin Alderman) and his sex beds did make mainstream news, doubtless the implicit sexual angle enhanced its appeal as a “newsworthy” item.
The new Journal of Virtual Worlds Research offers a different angle – attempting a more sober and scientific analysis of virtual worlds. It is worth quoting the journal’s scope of practice in full in order to appreciate the gravitas of the publication:
“The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an online, open access academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world. The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is a transdisciplinary journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research. The field of virtual worlds research is a continually evolving area of study that spans across many disciplines and the JVWR editorial team looks forward to engaging a wide range of creative and scholarly work.”
The open access policy means that it is available to anyone and there is a free subscription to regular e-mail updates. Submission involves a peer review process, with each article being reviewed by two “experts in the field,” and a target publication in under ten weeks for articles of 25 pages or less. This turnaround time is substantially faster than that of many other journals.
The current editor is Jeremiah Spence from the Department of Radio, TV & Film in the
University of Texas at Austin. Spence is currently pursuing his doctorate and has presented at conferences internationally on virtual worlds.
Authors are encouraged to submit materials covering a wide range of formats. As well as standard peer-reviewed articles, submissions can include research-in brief papers, essays, monographs, “think pieces,” book reviews, and interactive online exhibits and demonstrations. The current issue of the journal (volume 1, number 2) focuses upon the theme of consumer behavior in virtual worlds, with specific titles such as “Consumer Code: Use-value, Exchange-Value, and the Role of Virtual Goods in Second Life” by Jennifer Martin; “The New Virtual Consumer: Exploring the Experiences of New Users” by Lyle R. Wetsch, and “Having But Not Holding: Consumerism & Commodification in Second Life” by Lori Landay. These are not your typical blog postings or sensationalist rants. For example, in Jennifer Martin’s article, she argues that, “Although there remains a lack of use-value in virtual goods, it is important to note that their consumption should not be read as irrational or meaningless. A significant number of individuals who enter into forms of online engagement highly value their interactions. (p.18).”
Reading through a number of these articles – and for those not used to academic writing, they can be a little dry and formal – is a useful exercise in stepping back from the drama of Second Life and getting a quasi-anthropological view of the virtual environment. SL® entrepreneurs and business people might even glean useful information from the papers.
As a free resource, and with its academic slant, the journal promises to be a valuable addition to the growing body of Second Life media.
Website
The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: http://www.jvwresearch.org/index.html

For one reason or another, it seems that Google is out of the virtual worlds business.