CharlesBoudelaire

I've reached my 20 respondents. Thanks everyone who participated in my research.

Thank you Czari, I would appreciate that; I will definitely stick around; I'll send you an IM asap

Dear Awe, I am aware of the fact that some aspects that can be found in Second Life certainly take place in a taboo zone. However, I am not striving to make a depiction of a certain, general user in Second Life, an SL-equivalent of 'Joe the Plumber'; no, rather, I seek to substract a subset of the whole SL population that I assume to be fulfulling the profile I have in mind; the profile (or even historical figure you could say) that became the inspiration w.r.t. my thesis ;-)

Thank you Drake. I really appreciate that And Beth, I would love to! All these contributions will make it an amazing thesis, that's for sure

Thank you for all the lovely messages and photographs! I'm really touched by this :matte-motes-big-grin: You're all such kind-hearted people. I've barely ever encountered such openheartedness to the same extent as I do know. And that in just a week! May I use the pictures for my thesis? Then my thesis grader will become aware of everything that is possible on SL. *Feels flattered, happy, and slightly blown away by all the positivity, kindness and all the warm support and acceptance*

Beth Quander & Czari Zenovka; I'm very glad to hear that you both enjoyed our conversations as much as I did! Once I finish my thesis, I believe it will become available via an (obligatory) online database w.r.t. graduation projects in my particular university. As soon as I know more, I'll keep you updated. Alicia Sautereau; Thank you for your willingness to help me out. I sent you an PM :-)

Thank you so much @ the ones willing to help. You cannot imagine how happy that makes me! Syo Emerald and Czari Zenovka, I will send the both of you a PM.

You are right. Hence, for that reason I will also include in-world text-chat conversations. You make a good argument.

You are right, I should also consider using voice-chat or text-based chat in Second Life itself, that might be easier for residents themselves. The only downside then would be that in this case, as typing is a much slower process, the duration of the interview might increase with a few more minutes perhaps. But you guys have a good point. I will reconsider this. Kind regards.

I most certainly can; I have an account from Qualtrics, a sophisticated research engine that is mainly used for the gathering of quantitative data. This Qualtrics account is linked or affiliated with the University of Amsterdam, which I am a student from: https://uvasocialsciences.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_agA6LJPzKY352TP Kind regards.

Thanks for the information Zenephobe. And Zenta Bellah, be my guest

That should not be a problem. Paying in Linden Dollars is possible as well. I appreciate your willingness you participate in my research!

Dear residents, I am a graduate student in Cultural Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Currently I am writing my Master's Thesis on cyber-lifestyles. I chose Second Life as my investigation site, due to its variety it offers in terms of both the available activities on Second Life, and possibilities for one's identity. Therefore, I am looking for approximately 20 English-speaking respondents (both male and female) from 18 years and older who fulfill the following requirements: - Frequent visitor of Second Life, preferably someone who at least participated on Second Life for a couple of months, (almost) on a daily basis. - Describes oneself as an open-minded person; - Affinity for visiting or attending public events on Second Life (such as art exhibitions, concerts, etcetera); - Has a propensity to observe, but also to participate in his or her surroundings; - Preferably using a Skype account for the interview; but if that is not possible, voice-chat or text-chat in SL itself should be fine. If you meet with the criteria above and if are willing to help me out, I would like to interview you for a duration of approximately 0:45h - 1:00h via Skype, or probably somewhat longer if the interview takes place via text-chat (1:00h-1:15h) In return I will be willing to express my gratitude by returning the favour by making a donation of 10 US DOLLARS ($) (that is about 2500 Linden Dollars) to you, or another charity you would like to make a donation to (Planting a tree? Red Cross? Etc.) If you are interested in participating in my research, would you please inform me by either replying on this thread, or through a PM? Further details can be discussed there. I want to emphasize that these interviews will be used confidentially and only for purposes of my Master's thesis. Your participation would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance. A Master's student in Cultural Sociology. PS) To prove that I am affiliated with the University of Amsterdam, I provided the following link: https://uvasocialsciences.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_agA6LJPzKY352TP