Cyberpunk Cityscape in the Sky

INSILICO Corporate News Network

Dear community members,

The GMs are planning to kick off a (IC) corporate news network in INSILICO. It will inform the roleplayers about recent and future important events, official announcements and job offers (+ occasionally useless crap for fun). To do so, we need YOUR help!

First of all, let me illustrate the concept:

Gemini Cybernetics' public relations and press department is responsible for public news, media etc (as stated in the setting). It will publish information in two ways. Firstly, as Saskia suggested in the last Storyteller meeting via weekly bulletins. These short articles will be send via group notices in the INSILICO Metro group. To give you an impression, here is one of Saskia's examples:

Gemini Network News, June 26th, 2478

Top Story: Terrorism at the Blue Ant

Terrorists from outside of the City come to Insilico to spread death and destruction. On a calm evening, two entities arrived at the Blue Ant Bar, proceeding to shoot and destroy the club, maiming several innocent citizens severely, culminating in the setting off of an illegal explosive device. Thankfully, the quick actions of your loyal and friendly IPS officers prevented any deaths and the terrorists were taken into custody. Gemini and the IPS has your safety in mind, Citizen. Help Gemini, help yourself! Think about your family, report any signs of dissent to your closest IPS headquarters immediately. Remember, you never know who you can trust, terrorists may be around every corner. Buy Gemini today!

Lifestyle: Area man loses cybernetic turtle

Roger Asturias, Citizen, has lost his cybernetic turtle, Maximillion-7. Asturias, a systems engineer involved in keeping our dear City's solar collectors operational, says that he lost the turtle while at Food Nation. "I was startled by the two... er, employees," he says, "I rushed out, but when I got home and put away my instant-burritos, little Maxy was nowhere to be found." Asturias offers a modest reward for the return of his pet.

In the first article you get important information, the second one is for fun and something to laugh about (who knows, maybe his turtle is really somewhere in INISLICO...GO and find it!). By means of these articles the press department will not only create awareness for events but also inform about your environment (for instance the solar collectors).

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The second way depicts a digital newspaper where the bulletins and other articles are published together in regular intervals (for instance every two weeks, not sure yet). It still has to be decided on how this will happen. We are thinking of an in-world publication by means of these magazine devices one can open and skim through. Another possibility is to publish the newspaper as regular blog posts or as an own homepage (this page could be displayed on the media screens in-world (the ones where you can also set the music streams)).

Anyway, that is not the problem. The main issue is to get good stories together and that is the point where we need your help!

Gemini Cybernetics is recruiting personnel for their press department. If you are relatively active, enjoy writing (many of you do!) and are still looking for a place (or something new?) in INSILICO this could be your opportunity. However, we do not want to exclude people who are not keen on being a corp but still would like to contribute. Hence, Gemini will also accept work of freelance writers. The only (logical) criterion is and will be that the articles are in favor of the corporation(s).

For the ones of you who are interested in becoming a Gemini journalist, check the group. I have updated it preliminary: Corporate Group of INSILICO

If you simply like the idea and want to contribute contact one of the GMs!

We are sure this will spice up the roleplay and give it more depth! Storylines will be connected even further and YOU, the people of INSILICO, will have more topics to discuss and argue about while sitting in the Blue Ant, reakt0r or meeting in one of the dirty back alleys.

We want this project to be a success and we are sure it will be!

With your enthusiasm and passion, the roleplay in INSILICO has improved tremendously and we enjoy being your GMs.

Keep it up!

Tags: cybernetics, department, gemini, journalism, media, network, news, newspaper, press, public

27 Comments

Comment by Ashling Alchemi on July 2, 2009 at 7:42am: Well, I love to write, but I don't think it would be ICly of me to write with a pro-corporate slant, and I already have a job. But [*raises her hand] oooh oooh I do have one idea. Maybe I will submit the occasional freelance piece under a psuedonym that contains secret messages for other players? It could help add a new layer to my RP I think....getting to be a large onion, that.

Comment by Saskia Republic on July 2, 2009 at 7:50am: I can't wait to write some stuff!!

Comment by Core on July 2, 2009 at 7:59am: Oh I'd love to participate.. though like Ashling, it wouldn't make sense that Core writes in Gemini's publications. But I'd like to participate, even if it's not my character writing the texts.

Just a question... the press releases I've posted in the past
http://insilico.ning.com/profiles/blogs/press-release-bcss-launches
http://insilico.ning.com/profiles/blogs/press-release-employment
http://insilico.ning.com/profiles/blogs/press-release-bcss-and

Would they fit in the publication, or not because they are not in the favor of the Gemini propaganda ?

Comment by Saskia Republic on July 2, 2009 at 8:27am: I think you can submit things to it, OOC, like if you have a storyline that you think would be in the news, let us know and we can slant it in a Gemini fashion. I think the same could be done for press releases and ads like that Core.

"Sub-par security service opens in Insilico. No one knows why."

Comment by Alexx Novi on July 2, 2009 at 8:35am: I wouldn't say complete press releases but the fact that a new security company was established in INSILICO is definitely important and should be mentioned in an article. Since BCSS is "merely" a security company and does not compete nor constitutes a threat (atm) this should be included in the newspaper. @Ash: You don't have to identfy yourself with the written stories ICly; fact is that we need people who write stories and articles. You have to be aware though that all texts will be proof-read before they are published. If anti-corporate content is found you will likely get into trouble ICly !

Comment by Yukiko on July 2, 2009 at 8:41am: Oooo, I like this idea. *brain starts chruning*

Comment by Ehrman Digfoot on July 2, 2009 at 10:03am: This is a great idea. One of the things I've always appreciated in Insilico is the use of the website as a multimedia tool for creating stories that are in many other sims presented in daunting and often inaccessible notecards.

Do you think it would be too much trouble to record a vocal/digitally generated track of someone reading these reports and play it through the media screens as a radio broadcast? ----or better yet, create machinimas once the news group builds up enough participants, and loop them through the screens with Gemini, BCSS, Fusion, Atonement and Reaktor ads sandwiched in between? And, while I'm on a roll here . . . maybe if all of this took off Skills could sell the ad space to some of the SL vendors in the mall and hire out the weekly graphic design, news anchoring and machinima work to IS residents.

Comment by SaintRaccoon on July 2, 2009 at 11:44am: Well that would be something I'd love to do and I could certainly as I feel I'm too Casual. That would be a nice way to Join in the RP in a more definite way. :)
But I don't know If my character should or "could" ICly.