During the hour-plus Case Camp Second Life last night at the Crayonville amphitheater, I got an IM from one of the other participants remarking that the experience wasn’t like a conference call, an online chat, or a videoconference; it was unique.

It’s hard to articulate what makes it different to somebody who hasn’t attended one, but it has something to do with the mashup of the best elements of all the traditional tools of distance meetings. The audio streaming through Second Life wasn’t unlike a conference call (with the audience muted so only the speakers could be heard); there were some glitches with the audio. Some of the 40 participants had trouble figuring out how to listen, while the delivery of audio also dropped out for a bit. Slides appeared on large posters behind the speakers; it’s easy to zoom in to read small type up close, even though moderator C.C. Chapman had to let some people know how to do it.

There’s also the limitation on the number of participants—about 100 signed up but a lottery was held to select the maximum of 40 the Second Life technology could accommodate.

But the ability to see and sit beside other participants, regardless of where they actually were—and to IM with participants while speakers were presenting—brings a new dimension to the presentation milieu. (This is my third such session in SL, and the benefits have been evident every time.)

Also, it was nice that the four 15-minute (or so) presentations were typical of Case Camp and had nothing to do with Second Life. Douglas Walker talked about using viral/word-of-mouth marketing to launch the Rock Paper Scissors Society. John Wall (of “The M Show” and Ronin Marketer) ran through a Google search campaign conducted for a client. ScotiaBank’s Michael Seaton (pictured below) talked about a viral campaign the Bank mounted involving the Ottawa Senators hockey team. And a final presentaiton from the World Wildlife Federation Canada looked at a campaign to raise awareness of global warming.

The use of photos on the “slides” was entirely appropriate for the purpose, which contradicts one “rule” of Second Life that blogger rayfordif proposed: Never use photos (“Do not put pictures of RL people into the build. It really kills the immersion”). It serves as a reminder the abolutes are problematic—every rule has its exceptions.

Case Camp is a great idea, but the only people who can take advantage of it have to be in (or travel to) the city where the event is held. Second Life provides a venue for this—and other—events that removes geographic constraints. The glitches are just growing pains and will undoubtedly be worked out; these really weren’t deal-killers for me, anyway. I’m definitely up for more in-world professional development opportunities. Kudos to Bryan Person, Kate Trgovac, and Case Camp founder Eli Singer for pulling this off.

Two more images follow: First, Michael Seaton speaking to the audience, and me watching the presentations.