Avatars99 Colonizing Cyberspace

Avatars99 Speaker Signup

Speaker Signup is now closed, but you can read about the process and discussion rooms below


A great way you can get involved in Avatars99 is to become a speaker. How can you speak at a conference held inside virtual worlds on the net? Picture yourself standing in a 3D custom-
built "virtual discussion room" (VDR) in cyberspace, managing discussion with friends or colleagues while avatar guests flow in from around the globe. Sound complicated? Well, we are making it easy for you! Simply fill out the form below and tell us about yourself and what you would like to speak about. You can choose from several types of session formats and topics. Our conference program committee will review your request against the schedule and get back to you on whether your session is appropriate to the program and can be fit in. When you are approved to present, you will gain entry to our brand new meeting space booking system where you will be able to design your own VDR presentation pod!

Recommended Topics and Past Speakers
If you are visiting these pages, you probably have some opinions or even passions about a greater 3D inhabited cyberspace beyond 2D document webpages. In the past two years, over 350 speakers have presented their views at our conferences. See the program for Earth to Avatars 96 and program for Avatars97 and speakers at Avatars98 (our first all-cyber conference), for their topics, views and biographies. Here are some suggested areas of interest to the greater online world audience:

Cyberspace Topics

  • Learning using shared virtual worlds (the VLEARN track)
  • How to design virtual worlds worth visiting
  • The art of creating and nurturing virtual communities
  • Technologies behind multi-user worlds
  • Stories from life in digital space
  • Digital biota/artificial life and amazing behaviors in cyberworlds
  • Virtual worlds for working, healing, entertaining
  • I-commerce frontiers in inhabited cyberspace communities
  • How to earn gainful revenues from and to fund cyberworld communities
  • The societal impact of these worlds
  • and finally... Why are we doing this?

General Topics

  • How can cyberspace be used to help your local community?
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Your Art (which might be shown in our Art Gallery)
  • Your job, your projects, your career dreams
  • What is happening in your country
  • Your culture, your language
  • Your pets, your home life, your hobbies
  • Money and investing
  • Love and romance
  • Travel: your favorite places
  • Anything else that might interest a general online audience

Getting set up with Active Worlds and the VDR

If you sign up as a speaker for the December 4th event you will be expected to download and install Active Worlds, (Windows only but runs well on Windows emulators on other platforms). Once your session is accepted and you gain entry to the special speaker booking system you will be able to customize your own VIRTUAL DISCUSSION ROOM (VDR). This custom area is a 3D auditorium where you will stand, surrounded on three walls by your words, web page links, and images. People will gather there in the context of your talk and be able to listen to your words, read your resources, and discourse with you and other attendees. In addition bots will be able to assist your session by recording your words and activating room services.

What will happen on the big day?
On the big day, December 4th, 1999, you will enter the VDR built for your presentation at your set time and and hold your session, either by typing or speaking live if you have set up a voice source (we recommend real server or GTS (www.graham.com). Your session will be posted on a Big Board schedule at the VDRHUB world which lists all speaker activities for the day. We will do our best to promote your session in advance, to ensure you will get folks online and in place for your time. To really ensure a good turnout, you should also take some initiative -- email friends and colleagues and point them to the Avatars99 pages. You should feel free to send out our press release. Remember, this is an experimental medium so your patience and diligence is appreciated. Additionally, as these are open, public spaces, all kinds of behavior can be expected from attendees. No screening of attendees will be done beforehand. We expect most guests to be civil, interested in what you are saying, and willing to participate. If there are problems, you will be able to contact Avatars99 hosts and peacekeepers for assistance. More guidelines on community netiquette and on presenting in-world will be posted closer to the event date.

How do you get signed up?
You will fill out your session submission form below. We highly recommend you download, install and learn how to use Active Worlds well before the day of the event. Please fill out the form below. Items in bold are required. If you have any problems or questions, contact Speaker Chair Bruce Damer.

Speaker Signup is now closed

We will let you know if your propsed session has been accepted into the Avatars99 program and Big Board

 


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