Business Communicators of Second Life®

Sky News Gets Rolling with Its 'Be A News Reporter' Challenge

Sky News has been tinkering around in Second Life since the Spring, and launched their SL island early this summer.  In a welcome sign that they are moving forward with an in-world strategy, news comes from Armin Ruede at Sky News that they have launched a Second Life "Be A News Reporter" challenge. 

The UK news service is exending its RL commitment to citizen journalism into SL with this - "cit-j" is something Sky News has fostered since 2005.

Their promotional machinima gives you the low-down on submitting on-machinima news reports to Sky News for use on their web site - or if the reporter avatar has enough charimsa and news-worthy savvy - the virtual report may end up on UK TV.  Sky News is inviting uploads of the news machinima via their SkyCast social network and video sharing site.

Sky News has also assembled a reporters' kit that is available in their virtual offices.  It includes helpful notecards on how to frame a news report, some do's and don'ts, and some technical tips on audio and video.  Included is the "must have" Sky News microphone - "must have" because it is a requirement to have it in order for a news report submission to be considered.  And a nice, subtle, professional reporter-type animation that microphone enables for your avatar as well.

The Sky News reporter challenge runs through September 30th. 

There are some indications that News with a big "N" is starting to mature in-world - and that would be "News" as traditional public relations people know it.  There are of course many existing exceptionally good SL news outlets reporting on the day's events and analyzing the big issues - and they actually get it right. 

But the launch last month of SLPulse, a free press release service (web-based) by Cold Fusion Intertainment, in-world news HUDs like Reuters', and Sky News now encouraging in-world cit-j video news reports are just a few of the elements in the overall effort toward tackling the organization and distribution of News using methods businesses, media and communictors are comfortable with.  With luck these tools and services will take on SL news models that are less "gatekeeper" and more "News Infrastructure/Enabling." 

This is Znetlady Isbell signing off for SL Business Communicators.  See you next time!

August 13, 2007

UK's Sky News Centre Enters Second Life: News + Performance Art

In keeping with its reputation for innovative news delivery, Sky News Centre will debut in Second Life in June.  The virtual news room will invite visitors to try out their anchor-person skills and engage with Sky News personalities and events, according to their press release.

But what is especially intriguing in the announcement - and worth keeping an eye on as it rolls out - is that Sky News apparently plans to recreate news-worthy events, such as "court cases, crimes scenes and natural disasters" to provide a "deeper understanding of the issues."

I hope my friend and former journalist, Gary Goldhammer over at Below The Fold, weighs in on this.  It is a fascinating endeavor for a news channel that has me thinking deeply about both the delivery of "hard news" and individual involvement with it.  A cadre of TV stations such as The Weather Channel and Court TV are certainly expanding the implementation of "news coverage" and have proven that viewers do value deep engagement with subject matter.  These shows however, also rely heavily on the "entertainment value" of news.

I wrote in an earlier post that as 3D spaces become more accessible to content creators and "audiences," content will become "animated, 360-degree, un-flat, multi-dimensional and multimedia."  This applies as richly to news as it does to other forms of communications.  And besides communicators and marketers having to understand how space and props are part of the message, so too will journalists.  Many of whom are still getting their heads around having to capture images and sound while keeping a story factual, objective and balanced.

I wonder how scenario building and "news event education" (my term) will juxtapose.  How will the collaborative, wiki-ish features of Second Life build upon it?

How will role-playing change "news"?

How will scenario shifting change our views of the events?

How will "being in" the "time and place" affect the perception of the story?

How will journalistic practices evolve to encompass 3D news delivery?

Before you jump all over me, I'm not saying news will be 3D any time soon and all journalists will be "building stories."  But as Sky News experiments with "news education," I am saying we may find some very interesting questions to ask about journalism and the evolving concept of "news."

Photo credit:  Synchronicity Writer, via Snapzilla

May 5, 2007