The XiMP demonstration activity

I have discovered a new approach to making media content available to users in Second Life™ (SL). All feedback suggests that this is new. The educational use cases are obvious.

By using a website and database to index, describe and tag media files (such as podcasts or videos), we create a dataset that refers to the content. This metadata can be sent to an object in world, such as a HUD, to give users immediate access to that content. By routing the URL and media type to a local media access server* the user can engage the media wherever she is…no need to open an external browser or teleport elsewhere to use a media display.

* The local media access server is a single script that can be placed in any object; a rock, a tree, a roof, or a transparent prim.

XiMP = eXtending interactivity with Messaging and Presence

Once we have media associated with SL content such as notecards and objects—and messages delivered by blue dialog prompt or SLURLs written in chat—we find there is a variety of ways to combine these resources into content bundles…or XiMPs, as I have called them, for convenience. By subscribing to a particular type of content or to a particular author, users can be notified when content is available; in this way we are “pushing” content to users in SL.

Think RSS feeds…FeedBurner or Google Reader.

1) User subscribes to content via website, which indexes media files
2) Website pushes data to the xHUD
3) xHUD sends request for media to local access server
4) Media access server assigns content to the local parcel media stream, and…
5) The user experiences the media remotely, individually, in the xHUD (or on a display in world)
6) Finally, in the demo, the media is displayed in the xHUD’s media display panel

The best way to understand this is to see the system in action. You are welcome to visit the demo at my parcel in Gyatso (SLURL). It only takes about five minutes; and, it is easy:

1) get HUD
2) step on green circles

Some rezidents are still “fuzzy” about what is happening, even after the demo. (Quoting a visitor, here.) Would you be interested in a personal demonstration? I would be glad to arrange to meet in world and discuss where this might lead, as well as how it works.

This project was inspired by my study of XMPP and Google Wave while preparing for an event in SL (see “Wave” titles in Recent Posts). A test system was working within the first day, and I immediately began to design the demo activity. Days later, I invited a few folks to kick the tires, and then posted an announcement in ISTE group chat. Six or seven rezidents showed up, all at once, and I noticed several problems with the design of the activity. I continue to refine that design.

Many visitors stick around to discuss the demo, and several have expressed willingness to participate further. I am now encouraging visitors to stay in touch, making contact by email (contact “azwaldo” at gmail dot com) or by following the newly created Google Wave (wave link: http://bit.ly/5iW36s , only opens for Google Wave users. Need an invite? I have some.)

As far as I know, this is the first activity designed using this approach. For a different project, Omei Turnbull helped create a way to store comments about a location (or build) as an asynchronous dialog (see GroupNotePrim). I suspect that a similar interaction would be useful in this system. (Learner is prompted to comment on some aspect of the location or build they have been sent to observe…)

Self-paced, asynchronous presentation of content is something for which virtual worlds are particularly well suited. A system like XiMP might extend our ability to support a lesson with media content.