Join In on SpotON3D's Gift Exchange!

To help everyone get in the holiday spirit, we at SpotON3D are having a "Secret Santa"-type gift exchange.  Here are are the rules:


1. Log in to SpotON3D, and send Ixmal Supermarine or Tessa Harrington the name of the avatar who is taking part.  If giver and receiver are a different alt, please make this clear!  We need this information no later than 2pm MVT (Pacific time) on Saturday 22 December.

2. We will do a random draw, and send you the avatar name to whom you send the SpotON3D SANTA gift. We will send you an IM inworld with the avatar name by 8am MVT (Pacific time) on Sunday 23 December. The gift should be either created/made by you or should cost no more than 250 SO$ from http://SpotONSynergy.com - absolute MAXIMUM!

3. If you need to get some inspiration about the person to whom you're giving, let us know and we will try to send some clues about what he or she may like, based on our research [ie nosiness!]

4. You should send the gift to your recipient by 4pm MVT (Pacific time) on Monday 24 December.


Have fun, all you secret Santas out there!
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If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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SpotON3D Holiday Party, Friday December 21 - Come One, Come All!

Everyone is welcome to come celebrate the holidays with us here on SpotON3D!  Marly Milena, one of our community members, is hosting the party and is helping organize activities which will include collaborative building, poetry readings with a holiday theme, and time for dancing and socializing.  Looking for something to get you in a festive mood?   We have been busy decorating and preparing for this special time of year, and would love for you to come celebrate with us!

The party will be on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 starting at noon MVT/Pacific time.  It will be at Marly's area on Inspiration Island West, at: http://3Durl.com/map/spoton3d/Inspiration%20Island%20West/67/201/22.


If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

SpotONSynergy Under Maintenance

SpotONSynergy is down to work on some configuration issues. Please forgive the inconvenience and report any non-deliveries of items if that's occurred. You can let us know here as a reply to the blog. We'll read them but not post them publicly out of respect to your privacy.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to work to make your experience with us a good one.

"The Mutant Diaries" - an Encore Presentation by Eva Moon - Today, Tues Nov 27th, 1pm Pacific

Eva Moon is a talented singer/performer whose life has been profoundly impacted by cancer, and she has woven together her feelings and experiences into an original hour-long presentation of narrative and music called "The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping My Genes".  She will be performing it in SpotON3D THIS AFTERNOON, Tuesday, November 27 at 1pm MVT/Pacific time, at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage.  This is an encore of a performance originally done in SpotON3D on October 27.

Eva Moon's 'Mutant Diaries' is both touching and funny -- a great combination. Learning life's important lessons isn't usually this entertaining!  Those who attended her first performance in SpotON3D found themselves both laughing out loud and shedding a tear.  We're sure that you will respond the same way when you see it, so please don't miss out on this very special event!

The stage can be found in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/ veesome/lambda/213/188/28.

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

SpotON3D is Back Up!

We are happy to report that the SpotON3D online world is once again available as of this morning, Monday November 26th, and that our Web site is back up as well.  Engineers were able to resolve the inadvertent wiring mistake from last week, restoring functionality to our primary server.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration that this outage caused for our visitors and residents, and we thank all of you for your patience.

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** UPDATE - SpotON3D Still Down... ***

The SpotON3D Web world remains down.  As stated in the original posting, the cause appears to be a server outage that occurred sometime between 4-5pm MVT/Pacific time on November 21, 2012.  We rent server space at a data center, and it appears that someone who is sharing rack space with us inadvertently made changes to the wiring going to our primary server.  This has disrupted access both to our grid service and to our Web page.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we have had trouble locating an engineer to help with this, but we continue to work on resolving this issue as quickly as possible.  We will keep you informed of progress, and we thank you for your patience.

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SpotON3D Currently Down - as of 11/21 5pm Pacific

The SpotON3D Web world is currently down.  The cause appears to be a server outage that occurred sometime between 4-5pm MVT/Pacific time on November 21, 2012.  Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we have had trouble locating an engineer to help with this, but we will continue to work on resolving the issue as quickly as possible.  We will keep you informed of progress, and we thank you for your patience.

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

You can sign up for an account with SpotON3D by going to https://spoton3d.com/register/, or through your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

"The Mutant Diaries" - an Encore Presentation by Eva Moon - Tues, Nov 27th at 1pm Pacific

Eva Moon is a talented singer/performer whose life has been profoundly impacted by cancer, and she has woven together her feelings and experiences into an original hour-long presentation of narrative and music called "The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping My Genes".  She will be performing it in SpotON3D on Tuesday, November 27 at 1pm MVT/Pacific time, at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage.  This is an encore of a performance originally done in SpotON3D on October 27.

Eva Moon's 'Mutant Diaries' is both touching and funny -- a great combination. Learning life's important lessons isn't usually this entertaining!  Those who attended her first performance in SpotON3D found themselves both laughing out loud and shedding a tear.  We're sure that you will respond the same way when you see it, so please don't miss out on this very special event!

The stage can be found in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/ veesome/lambda/213/188/28.

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

System Down Briefly Friday morning 11/9, 12am Midnight MVT/Pacific

Our system will be down briefly starting at 12am midnight MVT/Pacific time on Friday, November 9, 2012. Down time should be no more than 15 minutes.  During this time, you will not be able to log onto the SpotON3D™ platform, and if you are logged on at the time maintenance starts then you will be logged off.   Please make sure to save anything you are working on half an hour beforehand (by 11:30pm MVT tonight), to make sure that it stays through the restart.

We always list our times in MVT, or Metaverse time.  This is always the current time in the United States in the Pacific time zone, which is now Pacific Standard Time. You can use the converter at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html to convert this to your local zone. For your convenience, here are the anticipated windows for the down time, converted to some common local time zones (assuming a 15 minute window).

November 9, 2012

12am - 12:15am

1am - 1:15am

2am - 2:15am

3am - 3:15am

8am - 8:15am

9am - 9:15am

10am - 10:15am

5pm - 5:15pm

Pacific Time:

Mountain Time:

Central Time:

Eastern Time:

Greenwich Mean Time:

Central European Time:

Eastern European Time:

Eastern Daylight Time (Australia):

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

You can sign up for an account with SpotON3D by going to https://spoton3d.com/register/, or through your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

Barby CelticWarrior, live in SpotON3D - SUN, NOV 4 @ 1pm MVT/ PDT

Barby is performing in SpotON3D on Sunday, November 4 at 1pm MVT/Pacific time.  Come hear the incredible Barby CelticWarrior  performing live at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage!

The stage can be found in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/ veesome/lambda/213/188/28.

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.


A Great Performer with an Amazing Background
Barby is a seasoned performer who has been pleasing audiences for three years in Second Life as CelticMaidenWarrior Lancaster, and now brings her awesome talent to SpotON3D! She plays all your old favorites from America, Eagles, Carole King, Carly Simon, Van Morrison....etc, etc. She knows 2001 tunes, and if she can't do the song you request, she is sure to be able to substitute one you won't be disappointed in. She even learns songs that her fans have requested she learn.

Celtic taught herself to play the guitar in 1971 when she was 13 years old. Her first performance was at an 8th grade talent contest, for which she sang Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”. She spent her teen years in the middle of her bed with her John Denver song books. When she left home to join the Air Force, she married and quickly started a family which left little time for guitar playing. During the mid 1980’s she found comfort in performing worship music for her mission church in Okinawa, Japan, as well as singing in a contemporary Christian band which toured around the island. She performed in the USOs for American Military servicemen and their families. Celtic has also broadcast live on Japanese radio from the Okinawa Zoo, and Botanical Gardens. She traveled to the Philippines and performed for 5000 people in a dilapidated athletic auditorium, and traveled around the barrios sharing music with the local people. Now Celtic is playing everything from folk to classic rock and easy listening, and rounds it off with traditional Celtic ballads (which she does acapella).


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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

Resident Profile: Sophie Wildrose

Ok, I'm a guy.  For me, I usually don't care what I put on my feet, just so they feel comfortable and keep me warm during the winter.  But in my observations, ladies become quite worked up over their footwear collection, wanting to pick up and show off as many different styles as they can find.  Well ladies, good news... you're in luck!  To help satisfy your fix for elegant and stylish shoes, we at SpotON3D are very happy to welcome back an old friend, Sophie Wildrose, who brings back her line of StepUp Heels to the marketplace.

Last year, Sophie had rented a parcel of land in SpotON3D and had set up her shop there.  Unfortunately, she was forced to relinquish the land due to economic conditions.  When she stopped back in recently to visit, she discovered something that we evidently had neglected to emphasize the first time:  Presently, anyone who becomes a Premium member at SpotON3D is GIVEN (that is, receives for FREE) a store in one of our Creator Island malls.  This has been in effect for a while now, and we expect to continue offering free shops for Premium members into the immediate future.

Sophie already has 43 different selections set up in her store, along with a pair of shoes that is freely available for everyone.  And she's still working on more!

Sophie started out in Second Life™ in 2007 and began making shoes there, which she continued doing for two years.  She has now established a presence in several other online worlds.  On Island Oasis™, you will find her under the name F4 Forzane, running a shop there called TIPTOE Designs.

Sophie lives in New Zealand, and says that she has "plenty of quiet time to create." She truly enjoys creating her line of heels, and is happy that people like them. Money is not her primary motivation, but naturally it helps out. She also tells me that she would "never say no to friendships in any grid, as some people are lovely."  In spite of this, she is not a big socializer.  "I rarely go clubbing, I am always thinking of what i could be making. (lol)"

In addition to her shoes, Sophie also has some dresses listed for sale on SpotONSynergy, and she says that she is thinking about creating some accessories in the future.  She also plans on introducing a line of men's shoes soon.

Visit Sophie's store in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/spoton3d/Creator Island PG/115/59/29.  You can also check out her marketplace listings by going to https://spotonsynergy.com/marketplace/creator/4e9f694d-399c-4328-aeea-22b44502cfeb/Sophie_Wildrose..

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes.

Musical Presentation by Eva Moon -Today at 10am MVT/Pacific

Eva Moon, a singer/performer from Second Life, will be putting on a special presentation in SpotON3D today, Saturday October 27, called "The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping My Genes".  This is a musical that she wrote about overcoming cancer, an issue very close to her heart.  She will be performing at 10am MVT/Pacific time at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage in SpotON3D.  It will be a very special and moving event, and we hope that you can come.

The stage can be found in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/ veesome/lambda/213/188/28.

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

System Down Briefly Tonight, 12am Midnight MVT/Pacific

Our system will be down briefly tonight/early tomorrow morning at 12am midnight MVT/Pacific time on Monday, October 22, 2012. Down time should be no more than 15 minutes.  During this time, you will not be able to log onto the SpotON3D™ platform, and if you are logged on at the time maintenance starts then you will be logged off.   Please make sure to save anything you are working on half an hour beforehand (by 11:30pm MVT tonight), to make sure that it stays through the restart.

We always list our times in MVT, or Metaverse time.  This is always the current time in the United States in the Pacific time zone, which is now Pacific Daylight Time. You can use the converter at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html to convert this to your local zone. For your convenience, here are the anticipated windows for the down time, converted to some common local time zones (assuming a 3 hour window).

October 22, 2012

12am - 12:15am

1am - 1:15am

2am - 2:15am

3am - 3:15am

8am - 8:15am

9am - 9:15am

10am - 10:15am

5pm - 5:15pm

Pacific Time:

Mountain Time:

Central Time:

Eastern Time:

Greenwich Mean Time:

Central European Time:

Eastern European Time:

Eastern Daylight Time (Australia):

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

You can sign up for an account with SpotON3D by going to https://spoton3d.com/register/, or through your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

RESIDENT PROFILE: Virginia Dickenson

I love and respect those who dedicate themselves to teaching, and I'm happy to see that SpotON3D has always been supportive of those with a vision to find creative and innovative ways for using online worlds to educate. With that in mind, we are honored to welcome Virginia Dickenson to our platform. Here, she will be combining her passion for education with her skills for designing within a digital environment.

Virginia is the president of eLumenata, Inc.™, a company specializing in instructional design and e-learning applications development. She and her colleagues are now putting together a series of three regions, eLumenata 1 through 3, along with a fourth one named ICS Connect™. All of these regions will host a unique set of learning tools.

"We are creating a rainforest," Virginia tells me, "with rivers and paths to follow, caves, etc. The gal I use is an amazing landscaper. The continent is to be a setting for my Instructional Systems Design course that I originally designed and taught for Shell™ (Shell Oil Company)." Virginia was the global provider for instructional design training for Shell's MATPC refineries for over ten years.

The approach to her Instructional Systems Design course "will be hybrid – some facilitated, some will be self-learning, and some will be ad hoc team learning." Here are a couple of the concepts currently under development:

• The Temple of Learning – a stone temple ruin with several “Altars” for the Learning Theories. Each altar will be devoted to one of the five major families of learning theories:  Behavioral & Social Learning, Humanistic, Cognitive, Information Processing, and Developmental. There will be scripted functions that allow learners to interact with specific applications designed to teach that learning theory.
• The Tree of Knowledge – a HUGE elfin tree with several learning platforms that will be utilized as learners cover content development and the various forms of instructional analysis. This will include various scripted interactive applications.

Virginia feels that it is important to take this approach, rather than trying to model a traditional classroom.  "The purpose of utilizing an 'exotic' learning environment is to demonstrate the versatility and possibilities of learning in a virtual world in ways you CANNOT teach and learn in the real world."

One of Virginia's colleagues will have an entire sim, or region, devoted to a learning tool he developed called ICS Connect™, which will be utilized for identifying Entry Level Behaviors and Characteristics. He will also be teaching his own workshops there, and doing his own certifications for that tool.

Virginia plans to make her instructional design training course public and sell it in modules, with the first module being complimentary.

Virginia is an educational, training, and technology consultant.  Listen to these credentials: She has worked extensively in the corporate arena with major oil and chemical companies for over 22 years as a consultant, and with institutions of higher learning as a consultant and a professor for seven years. She is A.B.D. with a doctorate in Education, and she specializes in Adult Learning, Organizational Development, Educational Research, and Instructional Systems Design. She also is currently completing a Masters degree in Project Management.

Virginia chose the SpotON3D platform because she feels the management here appreciates the level of expertise that she brings to the table, and she was impressed with their clarity of business purpose and attractive pricing structure for small businesses. She also mentions that she is very happy with the customer service that she has received.

In her spare time, Virginia is an avid quilter, makes pine needle baskets, does scrapbooking, enjoys horseback riding, and even sometimes works as a DJ in another online world. She has a love for cars (owns a one-ton dually crew cab), and is proud to admit that she's also a bit geeky, having recently purchased a Raspberry Pi!

In SpotON3D, Virginia uses an avatar with her real name, as well as an alternate avatar named Xenon Darrow. Xenon is also the name that she goes by in Second Life.

Virginia, we at SpotON3D extend you a gracious welcome. We're thrilled that you're here, and look forward to working with you more!
For more information, please check out these links:

• eLumenata™ Web site
• Virginia/eLumenata on Facebook™
• Virginia's LinkedIn™ profile
• eLumenata™ on Twitter™

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

Barby CelticWarrior, live in SpotON3D - SUN, OCT 7 @ 9am MVT/ PDT

Barby is performing in SpotON3D today -- Sunday, October 7 at 9am MVT/Pacific time.  Come hear the incredible Barby CelticWarrior  performing live at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage!

The stage can be found in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/ veesome/lambda/213/188/28.

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.


A Great Performer with an Amazing Background
Barby is a seasoned performer who has been pleasing audiences for three years in Second Life as CelticMaidenWarrior Lancaster, and now brings her awesome talent to SpotON3D! She plays all your old favorites from America, Eagles, Carole King, Carly Simon, Van Morrison....etc, etc. She knows 2001 tunes, and if she can't do the song you request, she is sure to be able to substitute one you won't be disappointed in. She even learns songs that her fans have requested she learn.

Celtic taught herself to play the guitar in 1971 when she was 13 years old. Her first performance was at an 8th grade talent contest, for which she sang Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”. She spent her teen years in the middle of her bed with her John Denver song books. When she left home to join the Air Force, she married and quickly started a family which left little time for guitar playing. During the mid 1980’s she found comfort in performing worship music for her mission church in Okinawa, Japan, as well as singing in a contemporary Christian band which toured around the island. She performed in the USOs for American Military servicemen and their families. Celtic has also broadcast live on Japanese radio from the Okinawa Zoo, and Botanical Gardens. She traveled to the Philippines and performed for 5000 people in a dilapidated athletic auditorium, and traveled around the barrios sharing music with the local people. Now Celtic is playing everything from folk to classic rock and easy listening, and rounds it off with traditional Celtic ballads (which she does acapella).


------------------------------

To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

System down for maintenance 9/30 starting at 12am MVT

Our system will be down for maintenance early tomorrow morning, beginning at 12am midnight MVT/Pacific time on Sunday, September 30, 2012. Maintenance should take no more than 30 minutes to complete.  During this time, you will not be able to log onto the SpotON3D™ platform, and if you are logged on at the time maintenance starts then you will be logged off.   Please make sure to save anything you are working on half an hour beforehand (by 11:30pm MVT tonight), to make sure that it stays through the restart.

We always list our times in MVT, or Metaverse time.  This is always the current time in the United States in the Pacific time zone, which is now Pacific Daylight Time. You can use the converter at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html to convert this to your local zone. For your convenience, here are the anticipated windows for the down time, converted to some common local time zones (assuming a 3 hour window).

September 30, 2012

12am - 12:30am

1am - 1:30am

2am - 2:30am

3am - 3:30am

8am - 8:30am

9am - 9:30am

10am - 10:30am

5pm - 5:30pm

Pacific Time:

Mountain Time:

Central Time:

Eastern Time:

Greenwich Mean Time:

Central European Time:

Eastern European Time:

Eastern Daylight Time (Australia):

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

You can sign up for an account with SpotON3D by going to https://spoton3d.com/register/, or through your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

Also check out our SO3D Like Bytes page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/TessasLIKEBytes

System Down for Maintenance 9/21 starting at 2am MVT/PDT

Our system will be down for maintenance early tomorrow morning, beginning at 2am MVT/Pacific time on Friday, September 21, 2012. Maintenance may take 2-3 hours to complete.  During this time, you will not be able to log onto the SpotON3D™ platform, and if you are logged on at the time maintenance starts then you will be logged off.

We always list our times in MVT, or Metaverse time.  This is always the current time in the United States in the Pacific time zone, which is now Pacific Daylight Time. You can use the converter at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html to convert this to your local zone. For your convenience, here are the anticipated windows for the down time, converted to some common local time zones (assuming a 3 hour window).

September 21, 2012

2am - 5am

3am - 6am

4am - 7am

5am - 8am

10am - 1pm

11am - 2pm

12pm - 3pm

7pm - 10pm

Pacific Time:

Mountain Time:

Central Time:

Eastern Time:

Greenwich Mean Time:

Central European Time:

Eastern European Time:

Eastern Daylight Time (Australia):

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To follow all of our blog postings, please be sure to subscribe by clicking the "Join this site" button, or by submitting an email address in the "Follow by Email" box along the right margin. And if you see something that particularly interests you, be sure to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages using the icons provided.

You can sign up for an account with SpotON3D by going to https://spoton3d.com/register/, or through your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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RESIDENT PROFILE: Ceecee Flores - An Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Story

It’s only human for us to want to present ourselves to the world in the best possible light.  We don’t have perfect bodies, skin, hair or teeth, and we can’t always afford to buy the clothes we'd like.  3D Web worlds give us the chance to recreate ourselves however we choose, so that we can be that perfect specimen.  At SpotON3D, we've always advocated a more reality-based approach with avatars, but that doesn’t mean we don’t continue to embellish our appearance, hiding all those little imperfections that we don’t want others to see.

Then... along comes Ceecee Flores.  Here is someone with much more reason than most to want to cover up her own physical limitations, but she has chosen not to do so.  Ceecee has spent most of her life in a wheelchair, and it seemed natural for her to create an avatar that reflects the lifestyle she and many others have learned to deal with on a daily basis.  It is a truly inspiring story.

Her view of the world has helped to shape her choice.  “Some people have been compelled to question,  ‘Why would you put your avatar in a wheelchair when you can walk here?’  I am not a very good actress and never get asked to RP (role play) twice or in fact have I ever wanted to.  I live in a home that walking people find difficult to use. My microwave built-in wall is about 18 inches off the floor. Cook top and sinks are lower than usual and made so I can roll under them easily. Oven doors open to the side, not drop down.  I have never driven a car without hand controls. I feel just as out of place in my abled friends’ kitchens as they do in mine. Rarely is my wheelchair very far from my reach and grasp when I am out of it.  Frankly, if it is I am very uncomfortable.  My clothes are cut different than able women's. Made to fit my bigger arms and not put pressure on my skin where I can't feel. I live in a different world than most people. A world that was made to suit my needs. My world is as familiar and comfortable to me as yours is to you.”

But it is not just because of personal comfort that Ceecee has chosen to use her wheelchair in an online world.  She also thinks of herself as “something of a rolling ambassador for the differently abled community.”   When people encounter her avatar for the first time, they go through the same stages of awareness as in real life:  some shock, then curiosity, and finally acceptance.  So, it serves to help others to appreciate the fact that those with disabilities are real people with real feelings, no different than abled people.  As Ceecee puts it, “awareness in virtual life leads to awareness in real life.”

One thing that Ceecee finds particularly upsetting is the lack of coverage of the Paralympic Games on American television.  “I find it disturbing that today as I write this, over one billion people around the world are watching the Paralympics in London, and there is no coverage at all on American TV.  In Holland there is a world class tennis champion. Her name is Esther Vergeer. She has not lost a singles match in women’s wheelchair tennis in over 453 straight matches. A ten year winning streak.  Any other athlete who had so totally dominated a sport would be a household name.

“So I refuse to hide and pretend I am not a wheelie.  I think people need to see us as a normal part of the world and realize we exist. The chair is no different than eyeglasses. It is just something people like me use, an aid.”

In short, Ceecee created her avatar as it is “because she is reflection of me.” She makes her own clothing to fit her avatar properly, and she even had her avatar skin created from photographs of her.  She is not afraid to embrace everything that she is, and make it a part of her online life.

Besides the time she spends on SpotON3D, Ceecee enjoys frequenting a number of other online worlds. She currently has her home base on 3rd Rock Grid™, and also spends time on several other Opensim based worlds. She also has accounts on Active Worlds™, Kaneva™, There™, and Twinity™ to name a few. Wherever she goes, she enjoys getting together with others, listening to music and making people laugh. "I love to just wander off to a grid I have never seen to marvel at what truly clever people can do."

Ceecee, we're so glad that you came to SpotON3D and wish you the best in everything that you do.
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The Paralympic Games took place this year in London from August 29-September 9. Unfortunately, I did not publish this in time to inform everyone of the live events, and do I apologize for that. However, you can get information and see videos of the events by visiting http://www.paralympic.org and http://www.facebook.com/ParalympicGames.

Sometimes it is difficult for an able-bodied person to know how to interact effectively with someone who has disabilities.  For information on this, please check out http://www.unitedspinal.org/disability-etiquette/.
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System Down for Maintenance 9/4/2012 starting at 11pm MVT

Our system will be down for maintenance this evening,  Tuesday September 4, beginning at 11pm MVT/Pacific time. Maintenance may take up to several hours to complete.  During this time, you will not be able to log onto the SpotON3D™ platform, and if you are logged on at the time maintenance starts then you will be logged off.

We always list our times in MVT, or Metaverse time.  This is always the current time in the United States in the Pacific time zone, which is now Pacific Daylight Time. You can use the converter at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html to convert this to your local zone. For your convenience, here are the anticipated windows for the down time, converted to some common local time zones (assuming a 3 hour window).

September 4, 2012

11pm - 2am

Pacific Time:

September 5, 2012

12am - 3am

1am - 4am

2am - 5am

7am - 10am

8am - 11am

9am - 12pm

4pm - 7pm

Mountain Time:

Central Time:

Eastern Time:

Greenwich Mean Time:

Central European Time:

Eastern European Time:

Eastern Daylight Time (Australia):

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You can sign up for an account with SpotON3D by going to https://spoton3d.com/register/, or through your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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*ahem* a "Special" Kind of Laptop...

Just a gentle ribbing.. if anything, a rather affectionate and friendly teasing at the creative spirit of the Amish and how they manage to honor their code of ethics but stay amazingly in the loop of today's technology.

An abacus for the screen... chalk and slate for input... powered by chickens... yes, it's the Amish Laptop!

Could this be their secret weapon??

Read more about it here
Also be sure to read the Faq!

Ixmal Supermarine came across this little gem, and we thought that it was funny enough to share.

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Disclaimer:  The article referenced here was produced by and is the property of DD ParodiesTM.  They state on their own Web site, and we reiterate here, that this is NOT intended to be derogatory in any way toward the religion or lifestyle of the Amish.  It is simply poking fun at the lack of technology associated with the Amish, while taking note that at the same time there are many Amish Web sites to be found.

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Barby CelticWarrior, live in SpotON3D - SUN, SEPT 2 @ 9am MVT/ PDT

Barby has rescheduled her concert in SpotON3D for this Sunday, September 2, at 9am MVT/Pacific time.  Come hear the incredible Barby CelticWarrior  performing live at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage!

The stage can be found in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/ veesome/lambda/213/188/28.

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D account, get one now by going to http://spoton3d.com and clicking the "JUMP INTO THE 3DWEB 4 FREE" button at the upper right. You can also sign up or log in thru your Facebook™ page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.


A Great Performer with an Amazing Background
Barby is a seasoned performer who has been pleasing audiences for three years in Second Life as CelticMaidenWarrior Lancaster, and now brings her awesome talent to SpotON3D! She plays all your old favorites from America, Eagles, Carole King, Carly Simon, Van Morrison....etc, etc. She knows 2001 tunes, and if she can't do the song you request, she is sure to be able to substitute one you won't be disappointed in. She even learns songs that her fans have requested she learn.

Celtic taught herself to play the guitar in 1971 when she was 13 years old. Her first performance was at an 8th grade talent contest, for which she sang Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”. She spent her teen years in the middle of her bed with her John Denver song books. When she left home to join the Air Force, she married and quickly started a family which left little time for guitar playing. During the mid 1980’s she found comfort in performing worship music for her mission church in Okinawa, Japan, as well as singing in a contemporary Christian band which toured around the island. She performed in the USOs for American Military servicemen and their families. Celtic has also broadcast live on Japanese radio from the Okinawa Zoo, and Botanical Gardens. She traveled to the Philippines and performed for 5000 people in a dilapidated athletic auditorium, and traveled around the barrios sharing music with the local people. Now Celtic is playing everything from folk to classic rock and easy listening, and rounds it off with traditional Celtic ballads (which she does acapella).


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~*~ Basic Babble ~*~: Surfin..... On OSGrid! WOW!

~*~ Basic Babble ~*~: Surfin.....: Sticking with my little Beach Boys theme : I spend most of my days on the  SpotOn3D Grid  but many nights I go to  OSGrid . Last night...

FINDING MY VOICE

FINDING MY VOICE

The Hypergrid Inspiration
Maria of Hypergrid Business sent me an email and while writing my response I thought this would actually be a good opportunity to speak to folks in a more personal manner - not just as the COO for SpotON3D but also as a life long artist, mother, manager of talented folks and being biz savvy tech gurl. So here it goes. 

The Linda Influence
I have to thank Linda for this. She's been a big inspiration for me for years as I watched her take on some of the most bullying bloggers and forum trolls .. as I've learned they are called. I think she's the bravest women I know. That's why I'm doing this. She's been encouraging me to come outta my cave and let people get to know the person behind the company - the ME better through bloggings like this. 

I've become a bit scared to do this because, in the past,  I've been called out for spelling things wrong and such and ridiculed even after explaining that I am dyslexic, so turned it over to others. I didn't want to get into defending my problems or casting an unfavorable or ignorant light on the community and company, just because I can't always say what I want in the most polished manner. The few times I've tried to say something publicly ... well let's just say it got pretty scary for me with the venom that resulted. And it not only affected me, but hurt another long time friend of mine, Luna Bliss. I didn't ever want to be responsible for that happening again, so I just decided to take a back seat. But I can see Linda's point. And she's right. People will judge me no matter what. If I remain silent then they only hear one side, so I'm trying to be brave like Linda and stick my head out of my cave and pray I can handle the bow and arrows that will surely fly as a result. LOL  So here it goes ... 

WARNING ... THIS IS A LONG BLOG!!! I don't know how to write small. Maybe because I hold it all in for so long? :P


Maria of Hypergrid Business asked me in email, in response to our most recent newsletter: 

"Any reason for the name change? Is there an ownership or management change at the company?" 

My first impulse was to simply say ... 

"No ... but surely there will be as we grow." 

After all, that's just evolution of a business. :) 

But then that seemed a little vague and didn't really explain things the way I prefer to. If you know me you know I am one who strives to be as transparent as possible in my business dealings, so here I am giving it to you straight from the horse's mouth. 

What Changed On Our End
The corruption wasn't just one thing. We had a lot of our services scattered on different servers and it made more sense to combine them to open up another one for more region hosting as we're getting more residents and wanted to make sure we had the servers needed. Then, you add in all the new and old government regulations put upon PayPal now that they are seen as a legal banking institution, and you get them being picky when we ask for special things like helping us fix our mess here.  We're not a nice tidy box business. We color outside the lines and that presents a challenge in running things through services like PayPal.

What Changed On PayPal's End
We'd hoped PayPal could merge all our existing subscriptions over to ease the pain with our users, but alas they said they could not without contacting each and every subscriber for permission. We have no control over our users' subscriptions unless it's a legal thing that we go through PayPal's dispute channels. This was a conscious decision we made so that our members would always have control over their choices to remain a paying resident with us or not. The move to the "new" PayPal, per their suggestion, meant we would have to ask everyone to re-subscribe. The "new" PayPal account is actually my old one from my design firm that's been laying about stagnant, so we figured why not put it into service again and get things up and running again asap. 

Putting Our Members First
The discounts and grandfathered pricing was our way to take a bit of the sting away and thank our users for going to all the trouble to help us get through these changes. 

What has surprised us the most in the last 24 hours is the support we're seeing in this switch over. Some of our members are outright refusing to take advantage of the new prices, insisting on paying the regular price in support of our community and business. I cannot express how honored and appreciative we all are of such loyalty and support. Yes ... giving you a great big hug here MsVelvet! 

The End Results
While all of this is frustrating for us, the reality of PayPal becoming a legit banking entity is all good in the long run; it means better security and more accountability. We just look at this as growing pains for them and us. And heck!  I'll take growing pains over "the sky is falling" type rants any day! LOL 

The Next Challenge 
Having said that, many know we're coming to the most challenging part of any start up, and that's getting the word out to people beyond the existing virtual world user base and expanding our reach to a larger mainstream audience. An audience that will need the skills and talents of our creative community to enjoy and take full advantage of our 3DWeb perspective. The aren't going to be mechanics like us tech-heads and graphic guru's. They will dabble here and there, but mostly they will look for that instant gratification thang. 

To prepare to reach out to this audience has required years of work adding extra ease of use functionality on top of the awesome OpenSim base, stripping away basics that no other grids would even think to live without, such as the standard inworld money systems, and creating a truly new way of creating accounts and access permissions to keep kids safe without dummying down the grownup's experience to an 8th grader's. 

Accomplishing all this has required hard cold cash to the tune of about 10k-15k a month. Now we need to pay for marketing, which can cost up to 3K per month for at least 6 months. That's 12K-18K we need to raise, which can be earned through our new subscriptions that are definitely helping to get us there. We've even been talking about doing a Kickstarter crowd sourcing campaign. And while giving money is great, we'd actually prefer folks pledge to help spreading the word about us through their social media channels, like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIN. That is honestly far more valuable to us than an advertising campaign ... but we'd not turn down donations from those who feel more comfy helping out that way :D 
Type in My3DWebSpace@gmail.com to PayPal if you feel the urge. Just be sure to leave us a note that its for our social media push.

A Word to the Nay Sayers 
I do want to say something to those who think that our monthly membership fees are unfair, or those who would feel the urge to bash us around a bit for even considering doing a Kickstarter campaign. We are only here out of the generosity of our users and supporters.  We have never accepted any outside investor funding, because their focus was on money rather than community. By us asking YOU ... our users, to help fund us, that makes YOU our primary concern and keeps us focused on YOUR NEEDS AND WANTS - not investors or advertisers. That's what our whole platform and business model is based upon. Otherwise, I think we'd run the risk of becoming more corporate than we are really designed to be as a community. 

Why We Court Business, Education and Government Projects
How else are we to make it possible for our creators to earn a living income, but by bringing them in on big budget projects? But, we feel strongly that should not come at the cost of the spirit of creativity we've tried to foster on SpotON3D. Everything we've done has been in support of creators to help them leverage their offerings securely in a new way and be able to turn it into a career that they could really live off of. 

My History as an Artist
Being an artist who has lived off my skills, augmented with "real world" jobs, I know how valuable its is to be able to whole heartily pursue your artistic dreams without that "real" job. I think everyone should have the opportunity to make that a reality and that's been my vision for SpotON3D since day one .... starting 17 years ago in Active Worlds. Yep ... that makes me the old lady of the 3DWeb as I've always called this, and I wear that badge with pride. It takes a great deal of energy, persistence, faith and love to stick with something like this for that long. Just ask anyone who knows me. I am a mothering type, just trying to have a positive impact on the people I am fortunate enough to come in contact with. 

We HAVE Given Back to the Community ... With Paying Jobs & MORE!
Our biggest expenses to date have been our team member contractors. Our actual costs for the technology only add up to about $1K a month. As I said on Vanishes blog, if asking for a premium account and rational but affordable rental sim fees to keep our most talented folks working in this industry is selfish, then so be it. I'm the biggest oinker there is then! :D

Yeah .... I know we'll get same old people saying things like, "Why haven't you been submitting code". We have, but we didn't think we needed to raise banners and shout out about it. Especially since doing so was against the rules due to the difference in the licenses.

OpenSim is a BSD license which gives you to right to do anything you want without restrictions or requirements to submit your changes back.

SL/Linden's Client is GPL, which requires anyone who uses it to submit all their code back to the community. 

The rule was that you could not submit code to OpenSim if you'd viewed the SL client code in the last six months and all our coders who worked on the back end of our flavor of OpenSim also regularly viewed and work with the client code. This mean we were actually blocked from contributing.  I hope that clarifies that and puts that old dead argument to rest! LOL 

Our Vision for This Technology - The 3DWeb
If you're looking for an SL look-a-like, then we're not the place for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for what SL COULD HAVE BEEN, then come on in for a visit. Our team and community have built what is said by most to be the single most stable, secure, responsibly run and innovative grid built upon the OpenSim base code. 

Its NOT About Money or Even the Science For Us
We believe in this technology - not as a science of 1's and 0's, but as a means to literally bring the world together in a way that simply has not been possible before - an extension of the already proven strengths of our current two dimensional web. This MUST go forward and MUST do more than just act as a hook up venue or a glorified chat room. That's good stuff for sure, but definitely marginalizes the capability of this technology if we don't strive to push the functionality to the max and expose it to a broader audience.

Its About Bringing the Metaverse Together
I truly believe that the 3DWeb has the potential to pave the way to a new way of working that respects our earth's resources, allows families to be more connected and responsible, and for businesses to grow a heart and a brain and view their employees in a new light ... and vice versa ... to steer the world's controls back into a more balanced position. And everything we say and do as members of this Metaversian community affects the speed and power of this drive to change. That's why I've been adamant about this not being just about SpotON3D, Second Life, InWorlds, Gay Nation Grid or any other grid out there. We all should be working together to raise awareness of ourselves AS A COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY ... not just as a single grid or business. Why? Because we all offer something special that meets the needs of a niche audience. One grid's presences does not mean the others have no value or importance. 

Tessa

PS:  
For all the anti-patent folks ... you've had your say on every single blog out there so I feel no need to have it repeated here. If you'd like to paste a link to a previous blog you've expressed your opinions, I'll consider putting that link up, but otherwise I think it would be boring and redundant to have all that repeated here. 

Yes ... we've patented stuff and

Yes ... we understand you think patents are evil devices to block the road map for Opensim and 

Yes ... we know you think we're legalistic, even though we've never threatened anyone legally - no lawsuits, no cease and desist letters, no letters threatening to squish anyone's rights to make their own path to their goals in a new and innovative way.

And NO ... we aren't like the Mob, shaking down users to user our plugin. Its actually free for any member of our community to use: https://spoton3d.com/world/get_your_plugin_here/

AND YES  ...  our old 3DURL system is still open to anyone to use for other grids if you know the hack *winks*, though I can't promise that will always be the case so i'd not recommend anyone use that for a production level tool.

So, now that all that's outta the way, let the blogging begin, but I should tell you that I will reserve the right to no publish repetitive, redundant and non factual rude postings. I do not believe in encouraging blog spamming to support another business either. I don't go on other people's blogs and spam their comments section to generate business buzz for myself, so I not going to allow that here on ours either. Yes ... you know who you are that I am speaking to. :)