Of course, he's not an actual person. (What cruel parent would burden a kid with such an abhorrent name, anyway?) Whymog is a Resident of a virtual world called Second Life.
Here he is:
Clearly, he hasn't developed a sense of fashion yet. His hipster clothing and unfortunate goatee do little to ease his integration into Second Life.
Fortunately, it's all malleable. Right from the outset, Second Life's governor gives advice on how to walk, how to dress, and how to change one's appearance.
It's kind of like the director's cut of life. Nothing is static in Second Life - not even gender.
Whymog is happy being male, though, thanks.
There is a purpose to Whymog's existence, however. He is a student of the Metaverse.
Actually, to be more accurate, he's an avatar for me - a college student named Nick Cummings, who is currently studying at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. You can find my website here.
I started this blog to chronicle my experiences in Second Life to complement the formal research that comprises my Honors College thesis on Mass Communication in Virtual Spaces - in this case, Second Life in particular.
My hope is that this blog will offer several key benefits to my work:
- The blog will serve as a travel journal - it will offer me a chance to chronicle the character, shape, and environment of the virtual world. Witnessing it firsthand is the most authentic way to understand this new medium.
- Blogging presents a chance to flex my creative writing abilities while maintaining a legitimate journalistic quality.
- It embodies the very spirit of Web 2.0 and Second Life by acting as a public contribution to the wide-open space of the Internet. By writing about my experiences, I can hope to educate and connect with other people interested in Second Life - thereby acting as part of the community.
We've got a lot of traveling to do before then.
