14 July, 2002

VIRTUAL WORLD FORCES GLOBAL COMPANIES TO ADAPT TO MEET CUSTOMERS DEMANDS

As the digital age continues to invade our lives and users demand more from the service it has been necessary for companies to adapt to create 'virtual presenters' as well as make effective use of the 'virtual team'.

These issues, and how they are being tackled by global companies, are just a couple of the subjects that will be addressed at 'Incubation2' the trAce International Conference on Writing and the Internet at The Nottingham Trent University on July 15th to 17th 2002.

In her talk Presenting the 21st Century, the Editor of BBCi's Communities Lizzie Jackson will discuss the development of 'iPresenters' as a result of the public being able to organise the way they receive information.

She said, "The 'i' in iPresenter stands for interactive with the emphasis firmly on active. iPresenters are people who know their way around the web can talk to the camera and can communicate their passion for entertainment, sport, music or science. They will have to act as navigator, librarian, archivist and discussion hosts across the full range of BBCi's interactive services and communities across TV, radio and the web to bring BBCi into the 22nd century."

Nottingham Trent University's Catherine Gillam will continue the theme by looking at the rapidly growing phenomena of the use of the virtual team by global organisations. She explained, "There has been little research conducted in this area as to whether teams that are conducted across time, space and organisational boundaries are affecting the way that people traditionally relate to one another.

"trAce itself is an example of such as team. We have a website editor based in America and tutors and students all over the world. Working in a virtual environment throws up a myriad of organisational and managerial issues but we have proved that these can be successfully addressed to ensure that teams work effectively regardless of location.

The conference will also feature a unique physical performance of a story developed online by writers and artists worldwide.

Website editor for trAce Helen Whitehead said, "The venture is an interactive mystery web drama that aims to address how writers and artists collaborate on the web but unlike other virtual dramas, it will culminate in a physical event and conclude with a costumed performance at Incubation2.

"We called it M is for Nottingham? Writers have been meeting on the web in key locations around a virtual Nottingham since May 24th to discuss the nature of the mystery, search for clues and speculate about the direction of the developing story. The culmination in a physical event is a very exciting development and it will bring together everyone who has been taking part over the last seven weeks."


Ends/

Note to News Editors:

This year's international Incubation2 conference will investigate learning and teaching on the web and examine the culture of the internet, such as how we feel about meeting new people online, how the web helps address diversity and difference, and whether there is a cultural divide between writers who use the web, and those who don't. The conference also aims to offer advice on how to make the most of the creative interactivity offered by the web.

It is taking place from July 15-17 and follows on from the huge success of the first Incubation, which attracted 150 academic writers and non-academic writers from all over the world. For more information on the conference visit http://trace.ntu.ac.uk/incubation or contact Catherine Gillam on Tel: +44 (0)115 848 3533 or via email trace@ntu.ac.uk


For further information contact:

Lorna McClement, Media Relations Manager on Tel: +44 (0)115 848 6589 or via email: lorna.mcclement@ntu.ac.uk

Serjeet Badhan, Press Office Assistant on Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2259 or via email: serjeet.badhan@ntu.ac.uk