Abstract

Linden Research’s Second Life is a three dimensional world created by its residents. In this world is an island called Iowa that was envisioned, built, developed and is operated by Iowans, both faculty and citizens from other walks of life. This case study discusses the design and development process, the current content of the island called Iowa and operational issues. Virtual Iowa is a work in progress like many web pages were in the early days of the World Wide Web. The design process was driven by a vision and by funding realities, the building of the 3D space was largely accomplished by volunteers and people compensated with land to use for shopping rentals, or entertainment venues. The purpose of the case is to document the process used, share lessons learned and stimulate more systematic research on virtual building teams and their organization, motivation and management.

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