g r e e t i n g s !	PROJECT
		Obviously when the user is engaged in composing the content of the conversation, i.e. typing or speaking, it would distract her too much if she had to simultaniously control the animated behaviour. I am therefore going to explore how low level communicative behaviours can be embedded in an avatar, in such a way that the user would still feel she is in control even though a few subtle but important acts have been automated. This behaviour can be modified by the user before engaging in a conversation. For instance, if a user wants to have a private conversation with another user, she might turn the "give passing avatars a friendly glance" variable to zero but increase the "intimacy" variable. While locked in the conversation, her avatar gives clear visual cues to other users that they are not invited to join.
	The whole issue of avatar control and automation will be the subject of my MS thesis, but I would like to use this project as a starting point and focus on a particular problem related to the larger scheme. I will try to implement avatars that signal meaningful cues to each other about the state of their conversation, based upon user modifiable parameters mapped to common social conventions.