Practice Observations and Note taking

I conducted my practice observation January 17, 2009 towards the end of a
"REZ day" (avatar birthday) of one of the group members.

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Location: The event took place on the island I am studying and the general area
was the dance floor.

Arrived at 4:56 slt
Positioned myself at the right edge of the dance floor
Immediately greeted by "#1" and "#2"
4:57 slt No members teleporting to island
Reggae music streaming with calm atmosphere
4:59 slt "#2" offers to animate my avatar to dance
4:59 slt members only slow dancing
members congregating only at/near dance floor
no movement around island
5:01 slt "#1" and "#2" discussing RL topics
5:02 slt local chat displays foreign language
5:03 slt "#1", "#2", and "#4" exchange good-byes
5:04 slt all dancing comes to a stop
5:04 slt "#2" and "#3" spam the local chat and make noise
5:06 slt I moved to left side of dance floor and sat in beanbag
5:07 slt "#2" leaves dance floor
5:07 slt tip jar automatic logout
music still playing with no dancers
most members logged off
5:10 slt moved to "smoking lounge"
5:11 slt "#2" and "#3" sit on couch together
I sit on pillow near couch
5:12 slt "#2" strikes conversation with me and "#3"
5:12 slt "#2" explains teleportation problems during event
5:15 slt "#2" and "#3" still conversing
5:25 slt "#2" and "#3" logout
5:25 slt I leave area


Observational Notes:

People/Locations
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Everyone on the island was congregating only at the dance floor.
The rest of the island was unpopulated.
No one left the dance floor while the event was taking place.
Once the event was over, the people that stuck around made their way to the smoking lounge.


Layout/Scenery
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sploder
DJ booth
tip jar
12 dance orbs
Red, Yellow, and Green dance floor (classic Rasta colors)
speaker cabinets
marijuana plants


Attire
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The majority of the members were not wearing typical Rasta/Reggae outfits.
The girls wore skirts with small tops and had wild, flowing hair.
The males wore jeans and tshirts with their hair done in dreadlocks.
Some were wearing no shirt.


Interactions
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Everyone was out on the dance floor dancing with each other.
Some were dancing solo with the group, while others were
slow dancing with a partner.
All of the converstaion was done by local chat.
I did not notice any group chat or vocal chat.


Methodological Notes:

I mereley observed from the right side of the dance floor, instead
of being an active participant. My observations may have changed
had I interacted with the group.

I arrived towards the end of the party. I would have witnessed
people teleporting on to the island had I arrived at the beginning.
Also, I would have witnessed greetings and events at the party if
I had been there for the entire time.

Does this particular event represent how every party takes place?
Out of over 1,000 members, do only a very small percentage of them congregate?


Theoretical Notes:

I arrived at the party expecting to feel like I was in Jamaica.
My expectations were confirmed when I realized the group was dressing
and dancing in typical Reggae style on a beach.

The group owners were the first to greet new-comers.

Everyone was dancing the entire time. While some didn't have
a partner, they still danced in unison with the entire group.

At the end of the event, the music calmed down and everyone
began to dance slowly. Conversation was also at a minimum.