What would virtual world non-profit collaboration look like?

I’ve been thinking about how virtual worlds might fit into the work life of an advocacy-focused non-profit in a meaningful way.  Here’s one scenario I dreamed up that isn’t science-fiction -- it can basically be implemented today with current technology.  Hopefully it might help some advocacy groups imagine the potential for virtual worlds to enhance their work, capitalizing on the unique affordances of these digital spaces.

Enjoy the virtual world nerdiness...

Han Lee, advocacy coordinator for the San Francisco-based Genocide Action Network, is out grabbing a falafel for lunch when he gets a text message on his smartphone.  It’s from his friend Tanya, telling him that the Communications Team for the “Arrest Asavedo” campaign needs to check in with him ASAP.  Coming back to his computer, he sees an IM inviting him to join a virtual conference going on.  He clicks the “Join Now” icon as he pops his headset into his ear.

His avatar rezzes into a small conference room that he recognizes as part of the Human Rights Watch sim, pretend sunlight pouring into the industrial-style loft space. As he turns his head, the headset registers the movement and changes his camera angle in turn. He sees that four other avatars are already there: Tanya, the communications officer for Human Rights Watch; Jorge of the Mexico City chapter of Amnesty International; Nguyen, a consultant with the UK Justice Watch and another avatar Han doesn’t recognize.

“Hi Han, thanks for logging in on short notice,” Tanya says as she turns from the large SmartBoard she had been rezzing.  Her avatar is a tall brunette in a wine red Victorian gown and matching combat boots.  “We needed to get your advice before going forward with the Asavedo web campaign tomorrow.”

“No problem, Tanya,” Han says, his headset transferring his voice from his computer into the sim, his avatar’s lips move in sync.  “I know time is very short on this.  Glad to be of help if I can.”

“You know Jorge and Nguyen from the conference last month in Austin,” Tanya gestures to the other avatars, a steampunk robot and ninja respectively.  “But you probably don’t know Joydeep Patel.  He’s a press officer for the International Criminal Court in the Hague.”  A South-asian avatar in a three-piece business suit walks forward and proffers his card.

A few weeks ago, Han met up with 25 other human rights activists in Texas to coordinate a public campaign to get the Colombian General Arturo Asavedo turned over to the ICC for torturing prisoners of war and ordering his soldiers to rape women in rebel-held villages.  Han had volunteered to serve on the Communications Team launching a new “Arrest Asavedo” website and sim tomorrow morning. They have been holding regular virtual meetings to coordinate the multi-national, multi-media effort ever since.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lee,” says Joydeep as he passes his vCard to Han. Contact info for Joydeep starts downloading to Han’s contact manager program at the same time.

“Mine as well.  Just call me Han if you like,” Han replies, passing over his own vCard.  “So what’s this all about?”

Jorge points to the SmartBoard and calls up the web banner for the “Arrest Asavedo” campaign. 

“We were about to queue this up for launch on 21 news sites tomorrow, when Joydeep contacted us about new developments at the ICC,” Jorge explains.  “In light of his new information, we think we might want to rethink the campaign strategy.”

“Oh yeah?” Han replies, curious.  “What’s the new info?”

“Asavedo was spotted in Havana last week,” Nguyen says. “And the ICC Prosecutor is about to file an order to extradite to the Cuban government.”

“That’s right,” Joydeep interjects. “The Prosecutor thinks that if we act quickly, we can have Arturo Asavedo in custody by next week.  But obviously we need the Cubans to cooperate.  Since your group told us that you were launching your arrest campaign tomorrow, I thought it best to see how we might take advantage of it to encourage the Cubans to work with us.”

“Wow, that’s awesome,” Han says. “Thanks for thinking of us.  This certainly does change our messaging a bit.  Tanya, what do you recommend?”

Tanya’s avatar calls up a 3-D map of the world that rezzes above the conference table. 

“Let’s look at who has the most influence on the Cubans,” Tanya suggests, focusing the map on Latin America. “Mexico is a good start. Human Rights Watch has a small chapter in Brazil, but that’s about it. What other countries are friends with Cuba?”  She adds a spinning blue arrow over Brazil on the map.

“Well, Amnesty has groups in Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela that can put pressure on the governments there,” Jorge adds, placing green arrows over those countries on the map.

“I forget if Vietnam is still friends with Cuba, but anyway we can contact some groups in Southeast Asia to see if they might do some lobbying of their governments,” Nyugen notes, adding question marks over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Han drops a bunch of purple arrows over the United States. “Well the Genocide Network can focus on our chapters with large Cuban-American populations on the East Coast and Florida.  Maybe they can get their relatives to do some quiet diplomacy back home,” Han suggests.  “Waitaminit, we have a Cuban-American on staff in Florida.  Let me add him to this conference.”

Han opens the “Dial Out” tool to call the cell phone of his colleague Ramon Santos in Miami. 

“Ramon, here.  Como estas, Han?” says Han’s colleague over a staticky cell connection.

“Hola, Ramon, sorry to bother you.  I’m v-conferencing with a bunch of folks from the ‘Arrest Asavedo’ campaign and we could use your advice. Can I add you to the conference?”

“Sure thing, drop me in, Han.”

The avatar of Ramon rezzes into the virtual conference room, but remains grayed out and unmoving to indicate that he is only connected to the call over a phone line. They quickly bring Ramon up to speed on the news from the ICC officer.

“That’s great news,” says Ramon. “I think we should able to be get an alert out to our Cuban-American members and to other relevant groups in the region that might help.  Just drop on my avatar the revised press release and anything else you think I should have.  I’ll be back at my computer in about an hour.”

“Excellent, Ramon,” Han replies. “Ping me later if you want to talk about it.  You sound like you are in the middle of downtown Miami, so I’ll let you go.”

“No problem, Han.  Just stuck in traffic as usual.  Chat you up soon. Bye, all!”  His avatar rezzes out in a flash of light.

Tanya calls up the Google doc of the press release on a separate SmartBoard.  For the next half-hour, the group tweaks the press release until they are all reasonably satisfied with it.  Nyugen grabs the text, adds the Campaign logo to it and drops it on each of the avatars present.  In a few seconds, the PDF version of the press release appears on Han’s desktop.

“Look great, guys,” enthuses Han. “I’ll get this around to our chapters in the next hour so we’re ready for tomorrow. Can someone post the machinima of this meeting for later, in case my colleagues want to know about the change in messaging?”

“Already on it,” Tanya says, nodding.

“I’ll have the Spanish version available in about 45 minutes,” Jorge adds.

“You all should know that the ICC Prosecutor will release the Order to Extradite at 0900 CST tomorrow during a virtual press conference,” notes Joydeep, passing text and video files to each of the avatars. “Here’s an advance version of the text and video statement, which I trust you won’t publicize until then.”

“Of course, Joydeep,”  Tanya replies.  “Thanks for being so accommodating.  I think we have a decent chance of getting this guy behind bars soon.”

“This is so exciting!” exclaims Han.  “I love working with you guys.  Next time you are in town, drinks are on me. Take care, all.”

Han logs out his avatar and calls together his team to give them the news.

Comments

[Prokofy Neva]

Rik, it's interesting that the transcript of this fantasy NGO meeting is in fact nearly verbatim to actual transcripts that I have each week with RL jobs.

But I have to give you a reality check here -- they take place now with Skype or people on their i-Phones, and with email. It's possible to get s document edited, the logos gathered, and the business transacted effectively without the distraction of a virtual world impeding the operation. It's possible to do it in record time without all these bells and whistles now, all of which cost pennies compared to a virtual world ramp-up. And the virtual world does impede, and doesn't offer the flexibilities of simpler technology. How so?

o being on a conference call, you can multi-task -- check email, look up websites (you can't do that from within SL), answer a text IM -- SL can be fussy about tabbing out of its window, and of course over-immersive and grabby of your attention

o if you had to log into SL with its performance problems, the meeting might simply crash, or someone would lag out -- not to mention the problems of having to ramp up a colleague who has never used SL and just doesn't happen to be one of those gamers who avatarizes well

o there's already a problem I can see as an old-timer in the movement of too many Jeremies and Heathers being fascinated with their tech and the externalities of abstract PR campaigns, and forgetting the clients, the victims, the cause itself, which remains very analog and organic and resisting to over-web 2-ing.

You could be having a fabulous 3-D immersive "successful PR campaign" and feel as if you've all done an excellent job, but you haven't saved a real life, you've only polished your own resume. The justice movement tends already to lead to such alienation/abstraction from the original protective motive of human rights work in my view because it mounts an abstraction -- that prosecution of high-profile perpetrators will provide some relief to victims. It doesn't. That has to be said. It provides relief first and foremost to prosecutors, judges, and lawyers, and only as a very complex institutionalization and long-term project, some kind of deterrent of the rule of law, that might eventually, and only in specific cases for some, lead to restitution and compensation.

o As you know, I'm a big booster of virtual worlds and SL, and run a small business and non-profits there. So why wouldn't I naturally jump up and down and endorse what you're saying? Because...I do both, work in SL but also work at real-life jobs that I could never put in SL because to do so would be an imposition on my colleagues. I can't tell somebody patching in from some hellhole or on their way to or from some hellhole trying to get the attention of hugely busy and high-level officials in a position to actually effect the situation to sit around and...virtualize.

o Therefore I look at the prospects for NGO work in SL very differently. Here's where they are going to be useful, aside from straight tip-jar types of fundraising:

-- use as conference space and platform for 2-3 day conferences/retreats where people need to have longer and more sustained conversations, especially with a wide variety of stakeholders or people from various countries. Here the conferencing can absorb the ramp-ups and crashes if held over 2-3 days, and can save enormously on travel and accommodation costs and enable people who are homebound or caregivers to participate meaningfully

-- prototyping of projects or proposals, 3-D layouts that funders or users can walk through -- imagine if you can build out the plan you have for helping a village in Africa or starting a women's cooperative in Central Asia -- and you, funders, and in some cases (depending on laws and bandwidth) the clients themselves or their representatives -- can take part

-- re-creation/preservation of destroyed/imperiled places -- for use to keep alive the social and cultural memories and documentation of victims of human rights violations and also to help diasporas keep in touch

-- Interviewing -- gathering testimony from eyewitnesses and victims and also prospective employees -- although issues of privacy and the vulnerability of the spaces to griefing remain serious issues

-- and lots of other things you figure out only by showing up and trying to use VWs, but mindful that it is a luxury of time and resources that are sapped from other areas when you do so.

That's why for me, if a group spent only $25 US on a 4096, and put an enthusiastic student or retiree on the job of staffing and exploring the space, they'd be better off than spending $15,000 on an island with no-show staff and 0 traffic and nothing to show but a bill.

So far, a lot of what passes for "non-profit activity in SL" is in fact meetings to discuss digital technology and how you can use it for causes that people think they might launch some day. That's ok, but it's important to remember it is not tethered to people in real life who need services.

Recently, a guy who is active in a non-profit came to one of my Friday night meetings about the economy and governance of SL and talked about a project related to domestic violence. He felt that if he had 700 notecard-takers, and flew around going to interesting "meetings about meetings" in virtual space that this was important and relevant. Well, kind of...except 700 contacts -- website hits, telephone calls, mailings -- are what you'd achieve in a day of RL volunteer or staff activity in a busy RL NGO office, not a month or three in a place like SL.

It's important to keep in perspective that Relay for Life raised in SL what a barbershop in Omaha, Nebraska can raise in real life. So unless SL can help the barber shop and not merely be an international barbershop for a handful of affluent DSL or cable line owners with high-end graphic cards, it's not there yet. I don't think you help it go there by being over-enthusiastic about its realities and prospects now.

P.S. Quiet diplomacy at home?! Get the Cubans to help?! Which virtual world are you flying around with *that*, Rik?!

[Rafi Santo]

Sounds like a scene out of the as-yet-to-be-made movie, Mission: Advocate!

I think that Prok's commentary is pretty right on, but on a different note, I'm not sure how the tech you described would currently work. (Like the phone calling in with avatar popping up, for instance.) Can you elaborate on the tech points that might not be obvious?

[rikomatic]

Thanks for the detailed comments, Prok, as usual.

I think there is a role for direct service provision using virtual worlds, particularly for hard-to-reach folks with physical and emotional disabilities or who have serious privacy concerns with f2f meetings. But that wasn't the point of this little thought exercise.

I love the examples you gave, many of which I have also thought of in the past. Your scenarios, like mine, require them same commitment of the activists to the real lives they are trying to impact, so I'm not sure where we differ really.

The conferencing aspect is particularly crucial. I often find that people leave RW conferences jazzed to make a difference on the issue that the conference was about. But they soon lose steam when the cold reality of implementing all of those idealistic visions hits their desktop. Providing virtual spaces where the conferees can continue to check-in and inspire each other I think fills a real need that no other tech can really come close to.

The Cuba scenario I know is very much speculative. It hopefully did not distract too much from the general intent of the exercise.

[Jeff Porten]

Hmmm... my addendum to the criticism: seems to me that the most likely trend path going forward will be the interaction you describe, but using videoconferencing rather than VR. We've got built-in webcams in most laptops these days, and any number of applications that can create sideline views for shared collaboration next to these videos.

Next to this, SL and other VR spaces strike me as the IRC of the next decade -- excellent for what it does, with provisions for things you can't easily do elsewhere, but as a niche space compared to mainstream means of communication. Your thoughts?