Your2ndPlace

This evening, Bart Heart sent me an offline IM with links to three announcements posted by Second Life International Business(SLIB) CEO Tyrian Camilo. Please click here for the main announcement page.

While I'm not one to jump when a CEO throws me a few links, I had to make a note of this. How could I not?

When Camilo acquired WJUV, a company owned by the now-delisted Atlas Venture Capital(AVC), the owning company had been halted by VSTEX pending an investigation. As I've noted several times, I was the de facto chairman of the AVCIC, the committee appointed by AVC shareholders to investigate potential wrongdoing by then-CEO Monkey Canning. In the AVCIC Final Report , I criticized the transaction as fraudulent on Canning's behalf and where Camilo and Intlibber Brautigan where concerned, a decision of questionable integrity.

But Camilo, who has reportedly dabbled in the notorious 'ad farm' method of selling land at extortive prices, is learning: You play with fire and you get burned.

Based on the announcements, Camilo's request for the domain transfer of WJUV's website, WJUV.com, was met with a request by our ol' pal Frank Corsi (former SL: Jasper Tizzy): Pay me for my 50,000 WJUV shares, first.

Whether Corsi owned any shares is unknown, but Camilo was quick to announce that his 'lawyer' had been contacted. Some six hours later, Camilo posted a third announcement to report that the website had since been sold to Valentine Heart Inc (VHI) CEO Bart Heart, despite Corsi's offer to sell it to Camilo for $30 USD. Camilo decried this transaction as unfair and, again, alluded to a possible litigation.

[Hoorenbeek](HBK) is a reputable clothing and accessories company that is publicly listed on SL Capital Exchange (“Capex”). As a fashion enterprise, HBK has performed remarkably well since opening its IPO last October. As a publicly listed company, HBK has become a hotbed of investor concern.

The controversy surrounding HBK follows a February update posted by Limer Fredikkson, an avatar shared by Ansor Hoorenbeek and Pilgrim Nordwind. The update announced that HBK would withhold dividends until its monthly income could sustain a 400,000L$-apiece salary for Hoorenbeek and Nordwind. Though the update concluded by assuring shareholders that Fredikkson would return to field the expected questions and concerns following such an announcement, this never occurred. In the months since HBK's decision, there has been a complete lapse in open shareholder/company communication.

HBK share prices have experienced a downward trend that bottomed out at .18L$ towards the end of May. Whether to blame the withholding of dividends, the lack of communication, some combination therein, or none of the above, is debatable. Rumors have abounded and answers seemed nonexistent. When Fredikkson posted HBK’s May financial statement, the lack of renewed inquiry on the company’s exchange forum seemed a good opportunity for a credible, talented, and well-meaning Y2P writer to jump in and ask a few questions.

A post on the Whitfield-Hastings website suggests that CEO Cristopher Whitfield has passed away.

Whitfield-Hastings was a prominent bank that turned its attention to land sales after the banking ban. The company also has roughly 1.4M L$ invested in the WSE under Whitfield's name. The post states that Cristopher Whitfield's Second Life account was removed, which apparently provoked a legal battle of sorts between Linden Lab and Whitfield's RL brother 'Steffen,' the latter eventually receiving control of his brother's land holdings.

To put it lightly, it seems a little fishy. There's no official announcement of Cristopher Whitfield's death. Further, am I wrong in assuming that the executor (presumably 'Steffen') of the RL Whitfield's estate would have been responsible for canceling his SL account? The post states that Steffen had to fight for the holdings of the account because it was canceled. That the fight even HAD to occur on that premise makes absolutely no sense to me.

I must admit that the controversy surrounding Geyl Fapp's death has made me a bit skeptical of oddly-timed passings. A post on the WHJ forums jokingly suggested taking out life insurance on Cristopher Whitfield as a means to ensure some recuperation of funds in a company struggling to find footing after the banking ban. Was that post foreshadowing or simply dark humor no-doubt finding the author abashed in the wake of the actual death?

Further, if the land truly was transferred, is there any possibility that such a decision might extend to virtual exchange holdings? Based on the lack of information on the WHJ website, these questions don't seem likely to be answered anytime soon.

It's been a while since my last post. Much like Nobody Fugazi, I've been preoccupied with 1st life concerns. Frankly, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of developments where my areas of interest are concerned.

Monkey Canning has disappeared (the name anyway) and AVC liquidated. WSE 4.0 has been "CO.MI.NG" for some weeks now. Lord only knows what became of Intlibber and ANCAPEX. SLCAPEX is having difficulties making good on the SLW buybacks, but they seem to be trying.

So in my opinion, what I've missed in the last month or so seems to be more of the same. Of course, I'm a relative newbie to SL finance, so the events that led to my joining Y2P that were groundbreaking from my perspective, might be taken as more of the same by more experienced investors. Or perhaps we're in a period of recovery. Or stabilization. Perhaps it has always been thus.

SBP has changed hands again, my fellow AVCIC member Munito Jacobus taking over and rebranding it Penny Blue Association(PBA) - I wish him well. Delicious Demar is no longer on the WSE, but Sarah Nerd's pioneering Real Estate company remains. Despite my personal opinion of the WSE, I must admit that I am curious to see how SNE might fill the gap left by DDE. Similar trends are occurring at VSTEX. With Tizzy and Canning disappearing (again, in name at least), individuals such as Skip Oceanlane and Bart Heart are experiencing remarkable success. Are we experiencing a new era of growth in the virtual exchanges or am I just getting my hopes up? I'll pray for the former, but I won't hold my breath just yet.

Indeed, there is more than one indication that this process isn't anything new, but merely prelude to the same. In the next three months, I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of our current exchanges hasn't disappeared, two or three companies haven't turned out to be a front for one scheme or the other, and at least one familiar face in SL finance will likely start an entirely new exchange.

As I noted here, I am presenting at Prato 2008: ICTs for Social Inclusion: What is the Reality? this October on inclusion in Synthetic Worlds.

And this means you get to have a say.

The abstract of the paper, as of right now, is:

Synthetic worlds, popularly known as virtual worlds, are 4 dimensional worlds that are extensions of the internet. As with the internet, a variety of people participate from around the world interact and even transact business through these worlds. It seems intuitive that if synthetic worlds are not the future of internet usage, the role that they will play is going to be large enough to have an impact.

From an economic perspective, synthetic worlds as an extension of the internet present a unique opportunity for those who can create goods that fall under copyright law, as in the case of Second Life (tm).

Not everyone can access virtual worlds at a technological level. There are hardware requirements, internet access and even computer literacy in the context of synthetic worlds that need to be addressed.

From a cultural perspective, synthetic worlds can offer a true melting pot - but can also magnify biases and outright prejudices against people of varying skin color (avatars), presentation of an avatar, language, religion and other factors.

Internet governance issues will also play a large part in this.

A part of the future of technology revolves around the communities and societies that develop the technologies. As an increasing number of people around the world gain access to broadband, it is logical that the increase would be reflected in synthetic world usage. How this shifts the use of synthetic worlds will also shift how the technology for these worlds are developed - impacting economies, cultures and technological subcultures, as well as real economies.

The premise of the paper, therefore, is to collect and present as much information as possible, as well as capture real incidents that have occurred in these worlds. Such a capture will allow derivative works to happen, and most importantly, may attune more people to the environment in which many people will not only play in, but conduct business in as well.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Nolan 140, 166, 32) – April 19, 2008

SL-Realtor.com is pleased to announce they are re-branding as MetaRealtors.com. “While some look at Linden Lab’s new copyright restrictions as interference with their businesses, we view it as an opportunity to not only re-brand ourselves but examine the potential to expand in to other virtual worlds.” said Hel Christensen, MetaRealtors.com Chairman.

In celebration, MetaRealtors.com will be holding a contest with the winner receiving L$5,000. The object is to design MetaRealtors.com new terminals. Interested individuals who want to participate are encouraged to submit prototypes to Hel Christensen no later than Friday, May 2, 2008. The winner will be selected on Saturday, May 3, 2008 and notified no later than Monday, May 5, 2008. The winning terminal will become the full property of MetaRealtors.com.

In addition, MetaRealtors.com is hard at work. “We see this as an opportunity to conduct a head-to-toe examination of the company”, said Ash Wade, MetaRealtors.com CEO. “Our goal is to identify ways to innovate our existing services. For example, you’ll see the roll-out of our exciting new franchise program over the next few weeks.”

MetaRealtors.com will continue to offer a superior ways for Real Estate Agencies or any individual who wants to sell or rent virtual land or space an opportunity to list and promote their virtual Real Estate on 2D Web. The website contains an advanced search function and tagging system to help people find their perfect property.

For additional information about MetaRealtors.com, contact either Ashleigh Wade or Hel Christensen.

About MetaRealtors.com:

This is actually a response to Ciaran Laval's great post, Do we expect too much from Linden Lab? - my comment was getting so long I decided to make it an entry.

Ciaran brings up many very valid points. There is a lot of confusion about what residents of the synthetic world of Second Life can expect, or should expect. More, residents should know what their own responsibilities are and what should be in their grasp.

Realistic Expectations of Linden Lab

There are things that Linden Lab is responsible for in the context of Second Life; most of what should be expected from Linden Lab is vaguely defined throughout the Second Life website. That changes in the official Second Life blog do not make it to the rest of the site, including the Terms of Service and Community Standards, is a problem.

The gambling ban isn't in the Terms of Service. The ban on banks without a real life counterpart is also not in the Terms of Service. I find it odd that they wouldn't be - granted, we who have been through these periods are well in the know, but the only reference a new resident would have on such policies, in writing from Linden Lab, should probably be found in the Terms of Service.