This presentation examines the design of Internet sites that are intended to serve as online communities. A brief history of text-based sites will be given before focussing on visually rich environments in which participants navigate 3D spaces through the use of customizable avatars (habbohotel.com, cybertown.com, and activeworlds.com). I argue that in order to satisfy the desire of participants to engage in meaningful communication with other individuals, issues relating to ownership and control, governance, and immersion need to be carefully considered.
Last modified: Friday, 24-Jun-2005 15:34:18 NZST
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