Doing Brainstorming is one of the applications of Virtual Worlds. The feeling of presence that we can have thanks to be into our avatars, make it possible to be focused on the realization of a brainstorming. Thanks to be located in a space, which we share we others, we feel we are taking part in a common activity.
There are some tools that help us to brainstorm in Second Life.
Brainflowing has been created after studying some of those tools. Draceina Pinion (S.L name) and me have designed and created this tool trying to incorporate into it several functions that will help you to brainstorm in Second Life and to take advantage of the brainstorming you do in this Virtual World, for applying the ideas and discussions generated into Real Life.
Brainflowing, consists on a board where the text wrote by participants will be displayed. Because we were interested on can people can transfer the brainstorming to real life, we have added one option that allows sending the brainstorming by email. Furthermore, we can also display the brainstorming in the local chat. In this way, people can copy and paste in a document.
We also considered that when we organize a brainstorming sometimes is needed to show elements, ideas or images for motivating the participation or even for conducting it. Thus, Brainflowing has an option for displaying URLS where we can previously publish some appointments for managing the brainstorming.
Brainflowing takes advantage of Second Life in order to achieve things that we cannot obtain in real life. There is a common resistance to express what we think. Thus, by using this tool, participants can brainstorm by anonymity. This means that people can brainstorm freely without fear of annoying others, without fear of ridicule, etc. Usually people avoid saying what they think because they don’t want to get others angry, because they are shy or because they feel not sure about what they think. Brainstorming by anonymity enhances the feeling of belonging to a collective purpose, an exchanging of ideas made to achieve a previously defined collective objective.
Brainflowing has a symbolic price of 2000 linden Dollars, which are equivalent to $5.28, £4.68 or €5.52, and it is available in Dracy´s Virtual Shop, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zerelia/227/99/74
Clik here for arriving to the place where you can find the Brainflowing
Further readings
Updates of the device
Update of braindlowing. Two new features related with the use of the language
Update June 2010. Select the type of Brainstorming you want to perform in Second Life, by using Brainflowing
Events
Presentation of Brainflowing at Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education, March, 2010
Brainflowing at ISTE. (October 2010)
pictures of presentation of Brainflowing at ISTE (October 2010), taken by rosefirerising
Brainflowing at SL Languages 2010. (October, 2010)
SLlanguages (videos of presentations)
Videos
Video about Brainflowing (made by Draceina Pinion)
Bibliography related to brainstorming at Virtual Environments
Entretien de groupe dans Second Life, by Guillaume Hervet, Leila El Kamel and
Benny Rigaux-Bricmont. RECHERCHES QUALITATIVES – Vol. 29(1), 2010, pp. 69-98.
Gómez-Diago, G. (2010), ‘Brainflowing, virtual/physical space and the flow of
communication: An explanatory approach to the metaverse through a tool designed for brainstorming’, Metaverse Creativity,1:1, pp. 49–65, ISSN: 20403550,
Testimonials of users of Brainflowing (December, 28, 2010)
Multiracial communities and the virtual world: Second Life as educational site of engagement?, by Dean Anthony Fabi Gui