[satfix]

<p>Hypothetically Speaking...</p>
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<p>If a book was written about the actions and interactions of a virtual community - what would YOU include?</p>
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<p>.</p>
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<p>Would online personas have a right to not be written about? Would using the online personas be the same as writing about the real person?</p>
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<p>Would you be shocked to see your online persona revealed on the pages of a book about virtual communities?  </p>
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<p>hypothetically of course...</p>
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<p>What would be the chapters? Topics? </p>
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<p>List your chapters here..</p>

 

[Horrible Peanut]

<p>Would this be fiction or non-fiction?</p>
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<p>I've always fancied the idea of a dynamic guy- well loved, well dressed, fast runner, with an awesome sense of humor- let's call him... terrible squash... and his nemesis. A man of pure evil who drives terrible squash over the edge into insanity with his evilness... who... let's call... gd2.</p>
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<p>Yah- I'd read it.</p>

 

[fox-runr]

<p>I'm surprised there isn't one out there already.</p>
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<p>would I be shocked to see myself???  hmmm...would I recognize myself...and maybe a little shocked as I don't think my personality sticks out for a main character spot.  </p>
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<p>I could see a book written...kind of like "Tipping Zone", a psychological view of what brings people together and gee.....what is it that makes a place fall apart.   I think it's an interesting aspect, that when things are going good as far as viewership.....it's when things are breaking down in a way.</p>
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<p>or</p>
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<p>a blog type book.  kind of like "sh^% my dad says"   here, I'd dedicate a chapter to "life according to Brutal"   or "real mean one-liners by Mikey that aren't funny, but yet......"</p>
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<p>if the book was 1000 pages and just had to include my personna:  "desperate housewife" would be pretty fitting</p>

 

[jebba]

<p>There is a mystery by Peter May, called Virtually Dead, about a detective agency on Second Life, and the virtual world/real world connections.  I haven't read it, but it sounds like an interesting concept.</p>
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<p>On the one hand, one's online persona might be seen as a kind of intellectual property, so it may be inappropriate to use it.  But it's not like people copyright their online personas any more than they could copyright their own personalities.</p>

 

[altoids]

<p>Just as a side note, since I'm not really answering the question  (no strong opinion, sorry..)</p>
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<p>I read a fiction book called "This is not a game", in which a virtual community plays a part in a real life crime/mystery solving.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325&tag=kickrunners-20&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FThis-Not-Game-Walter-Williams%2Fdp%2F0316003158" rel="norewrite" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/This-Not-Game-Walter-Williams/dp/0316003158</a></p>
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[satfix]

<p><br>
But what IS Fact? and what IS Fiction - when it comes to a virtual community?</p>
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<p>I mean - that's the point, right? People can be whomever they choose to be - so if their persona is a fictional character - couldn't one then simply write whatever is decided to be true?</p>
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<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Horrible Peanut</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/71194/the-dynamics-of-virtual-communities-a-hypothetical-book#post_1963060"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>Would this be fiction or non-fiction?</p>
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[satfix]

<p><br>
People post with the understanding that the owners of the board have the right to remove anything they deem not appropriate - censorship, if you will. So - if the owner has the right to censor and the poster posts with that understanding; doesn't that mean the poster relinquishes all claim to 'intellectual property'?</p>
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<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>jebba</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/71194/the-dynamics-of-virtual-communities-a-hypothetical-book#post_1963066"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>There is a mystery by Peter May, called Virtually Dead, about a detective agency on Second Life, and the virtual world/real world connections.  I haven't read it, but it sounds like an interesting concept.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the one hand, one's online persona might be seen as a kind of intellectual property, so it may be inappropriate to use it.  But it's not like people copyright their online personas any more than they could copyright their own personalities.</p>
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</div>

 

[altoids]

<p>Well, fiction writers have drawn characters from people they know in real life or in the news for ages!  A disclaimer near the beginning of the book usually claims this was not the case, however, and any resemblance is purely coincidental, wink, wink.</p>

 

[altoids]

<p>In other words, if you created a character called "Mentos", who is witty, fun, and attractive, I'm sure I wouldn't think it was me, wink, wink.</p>

 

[altoids]

<p>I think I have something in my eye.</p>

 

[RandMart]

<p>Of course, it wouldn't really be a "book" would it??? Like made out of paper and printed up someplace???</p>
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<p>To maintain the spirit of it, it's integrity, it's <em>virtuality</em>, it should <em>only</em> exist in digital form ... 1s & 0s, baby, 1s &0s!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>BTW:</strong> I transcribed all the comings & goings of the "BEER Thread" back in CR over the 4 years of it's existence [yeah, every word, photo and link] ... it came out to be 1200+ pages ... the 10 Appendixes added another 200 and change</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's available as a volume of 3 PDFs, if an'y'all are interested</p>

 

[satfix]

<p><br>
Again - "Hypothetically" wink/wink....</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If the characters are represented exactly as they want to be represented on line (interesting, witty, funny, serious, attention whore, etc...) why would I want to change their persona at all.. I mean why would the 'hypothetical author' change their persona or what occurred - Why re-create a fantasy world anymore than those who posted have already created it?</p>
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>altoids</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/71194/the-dynamics-of-virtual-communities-a-hypothetical-book#post_1963076"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>In other words, if you created a character called "Mentos", who is witty, fun, and attractive, I'm sure I wouldn't think it was me, wink, wink.</p>
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[satfix]

<p>true<br>
 </p>
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>RandMart</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/71194/the-dynamics-of-virtual-communities-a-hypothetical-book#post_1963082"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>Of course, it wouldn't really be a "book" would it??? Like made out of paper and printed up someplace???</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To maintain the spirit of it, it's integrity, it's <em>virtuality</em>, it should <em>only</em> exist in digital form ... 1s & 0s, baby, 1s &0s!!!</p>
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[Horrible Peanut]

<p>All you have to do to protect yourself from litigation is two small but powerful sentences.</p>
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<p>"This work is a body of fiction. Any similarities to people, events or places is purely coincidental."</p>
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<p>"or is it?"</p>

 

[RandMart]

<h1 style="font-size:12px;margin:0px;">“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. By Order of the Author”</h1>

 

[coachie]

<p>so, in this hypothetical book, is there a character called coachmarcus?  and is he handsome?</p>
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<p>Does he try to be funny?</p>
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<p>Does he usually succeed only with himself?  (in being funny, perverts!)</p>
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<p>Because although that guy sounds awesome, I'm not sure I'd want to read about him as he is pretty boring and tends to avoid the poopstorms.</p>

 

[satfix]

<p>so, using information that was forwarded to me... i mean, to the hypothetical author - since it's a virtual (not real) world - that would be acceptable? I mean - it's not like there would be a list of characters with their real names and the such.. Is there a hypothetical line that can be crossed in a project like this or since it doesn't 'really happen' but on line - then there is no line?</p>
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[Horrible Peanut]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>satfix</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/71194/the-dynamics-of-virtual-communities-a-hypothetical-book#post_1963201"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>so, using information that was forwarded to me... i mean, to the hypothetical author - since it's a virtual (not real) world - that would be acceptable? I mean - it's not like there would be a list of characters with their real names and the such.. Is there a hypothetical line that can be crossed in a project like this or since it doesn't 'really happen' but on line - then there is no line?</p>
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<p><br>
As long as you kill off dg1- I won't sue.</p>

 

[wherestheportojohn]

<p><span><img alt="bootyshake.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/bootyshake.gif" style="width:25px;height:29px;"></span><~~~ You have permission to write about Karen's virtually non-gelatinous ass.</p>

 

[Horrible Peanut]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>wherestheportojohn</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/71194/the-dynamics-of-virtual-communities-a-hypothetical-book#post_1963210"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p><span><img alt="bootyshake.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/bootyshake.gif" style="width:25px;height:29px;"></span><~~~ You have permission to write about Karen's virtually non-gelatinous ass.</p>
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<p><br>
I'd hit that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wait...</p>