What is this Workshop?  Where does Second Life fit in?

• This workshop is a collection of tools meant to allow people to collaborate on interactive exhibit design.  There are two major tools at your disposal:
• this website.  On the "projects" page, you can propose an exhibit project and work on the text concept in its wiki.
• Second Life.  At the virtual Tech Museum (go there directly with this slurl), you can prototype your exhibit in 3D and discuss it with others in this virtual platform.

How Do I Participate?

• You may start your own project to create an exhibit (click on the orange Projects tab, above, and then on Create a Project.
• You may ask to join an existing project (click on the Projects tab to choose a project. Once you have clicked on the project you want to join, click Join This Project).  If you click on the orange Help Wanted tab you may find a project that is looking for someone with your particular skills.
  
• You may make comments and suggestions on the projects others have started.
• You may register on the site (click the Join link on the right of the orange navigation bar) as a way to look around and keep informed.
• You may go to The Tech in Second Life to view prototypes in progress, participate in classes and brainstorming meetings.
  

What's In This for Me?

In a word, recognition. You can display your exhibit in the Tech Virtual Museum. You have a chance to have your exhibit built for the floor of one of the world's major museums. You have a chance to be selected by a world-class jury.  This is also a great professional development opportunity to hook up with other creative thinkers, artists, and museum designers, and to learn how to use some newfangled design and collaboration tools.

How Much Exposure Will My Exhibit Get?

The best virtual exhibits will be selected and built by The Tech for inclusion in its up-coming exhibitions.  We are now soliciting exhibit proposals for an exhibition, entitled UcanTu, on technologies benefiting humanity on a global scale.  We have just selected the winners for  an exhibition on technology in art, film, music and dance (see What Is the Art, Film & Music Exhibition? ), and Later exhibitions at the Tech will also draw on the virtual exhibits, as will exhibits at other major museums.

When Will the Judging Take Place?

Selections for the UcanTu exhibition will take place in June-July, 2008.  Selections for Art, Film & Music took place from February through April, and exhibit will open at the ZER01 Festival on June 4-8, 2008.  Further selections for this exhibition will take place, possibly later this year. 

What Are the Guidelines?

For guidelines for the UcanTu exhibition see the UcanTu FAQ.  For the Art, Film & Music exhibition, an exhibit must involve the role of technology in art, video, music or dance (see the FAQ on the Art, Film & Music Exhibition).  For tips on developing good, interactive exhibits, look at the tutorial in the basement of the Tech's Virtual Museum in Second Life.

What Does This Have To Do With Open Source?

Everything in the virtual museum studio is licensed under a Creative Commons license, and can be reused as long as the authors are given credit. For more info, see the Exhibit Licensing FAQ . And, like an open source project, this experiment is all about participation, community and sharing.

I Don't Know Anything About Second Life. How Do I Sign Up?

You're not alone: we will give you lots of support. To sign up, see How To Get Started With Second Life . Finally, this site is a collaboration. We will connect you with others with Second Life skills to help prototype your ideas.