Global Kids' Digital Media Initiative

Global Kids was invited to present on a Games 4 Change panel at this year's Non-Profit Technology Network (NTEN) conference. However, we could not attend in person. Luckily they were game (pun intended) to have me present via Skype and Second Life. We are told it went really well and the audience of 45 received it well. Maybe if other venues are up for it, this can be a new way for Global Kids to present at more conferences.

Below, Benjamin Stokes from MacArthur on the left showed his SL screen at the conference, Moo Money on the left watched, and Susan from TechSoup (who was at the conference) stood by my side.

Update April 19, 2006
What nice feedback from the conference organizers to me and the others on my panel! "Thank you for the outstanding job you did at the NTC! We have honestly never heard such positive feedback from attendees about sessions. It seems that you've all done an outstanding job of teaching and inspiring, and we hope that you got as much out of the experience as the attendees did."

Update May 9, 2006
Okay, the strange keeps getting stranger. As Woody Allen said, "80 percent of success is just showing up." Well, apparently not any more.

The NTEN conference released all the evaluation results from the conference, not just the one for the panel I was on. This included "Speakers with the highest rankings and at least 10 evaluations." Recognize anyone we know?

• Barry Joseph / Global Kids / Video Games for Social Change: a New Movement / 4.96
• Mark Bolgiano / XBRL US, Inc. / The Great Open API Debate: Should we or shouldn’t we? / 4.93
• Madeline Stanionis / The Watershed Company / Email...Still the Best Way to Raise money Online / 4.92
• Steve Daigneault / Amnesty International / The Age of YouTube: Using Video Online to Reach the Masses / 4.89
• Ben Stokes / MacArthur Foundation / Video Games for Social Change: a New Movement / 4.88
• Charles Best / Donors Choose / New Approach to Social Change / 4.86
• Laura Quinn / Idealware / Branding Through Websites: Building Your Brand From the First Click / 4.85
• John Wall / M Show Productions / Podcasting: Nonprofit Applications and Practical How-to’s / 4.85
• Deborah Strauss / Lumity / Wireless Everywhere: How will it change the way you create social change / 4.83
• Tim Fullerton / OxFam America / The Age of YouTube: Using Video Online to Reach the Masses / 4.83
• Jamey Frank / STOP AIDS Project / Wireless Everywhere: How will it change the way you create social change / 4.83

Yup. I didn't even show up at the conference and I received the top ratings. What are we to make of that? Is this a next step in the old Nixon vs. Kennedy debate? Did the audience only experience an idealized form of me, through Second Life, and thus were not distracted by my warts and all? I feel honored to get such high ratings but what about the next time I am asked to appear at a conference - will I feel insecure doing it in person?

Benjamin Stokes from the MacArthur Foundation - who played a key role in "showing" me in Second Life at the conference, has this to say about it:

Funny stuff – at the Nonprofit Technology Conference in DC last month attended by Craig and I, there was a games panel convened by Suzanne. Barry wanted to stay home with his kids, so instead he and I did a joint effort to showcase his work using a combination of Skype, his Second Life avatar, a slideshow in Second Life, and videos in Second Life (all with my impressive in-world camera work, of course).

The survey results are now posted… and Barry ranked out as the #1 speaker for the whole conference (see below)!!! I can’t stop laughing. Their #1 speaker was never there in person. (Looks like my presentation also made the top 10, but I used no visuals at all, so either our audience was strangely friendly, or I don’t know what.) I’m going to tell Barry to blog about his success. Not sure what this proves, exactly, but it’s amusing...

Maybe Ben, who came in fifth overall, would have beaten me in the ratings if he had not been so distracted helping me out.