Grid Wrap w/Stevan Lieberman - Sat. March 31 at 11am MVT

Stay tuned for the next edition of the Grid Wrap program, coming to you live from Grid Wrap Studios this Saturday, March 31, starting at 11am MVT/PDT!

Grid Wrap is a bi-weekly talk show, produced and hosted by Varda Silver. This week, our special guest will be Stevan Lieberman, the co-founder of SpotON3D and the angel investor for our company. Here is Varda's official announcement regarding this week's program:
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Coming this weekend on GridWrap, we have the one and only Stevan Lieberman, a mastermind in Webworld based law as well as one of the co-founders of SpotON3D! We will be taking a look into what he does and what has inspired this great vision!

If you ever wanted to learn more about YOUR Rights as a Creator or what it takes to create your very own Web world, then you need to tune in March 31st at 11AM PDT (Pacific Daylight time)!!

Music is by Cris Covers, a wonderfully talented singer with an AMAZING VOICE!!!!!

Then coming up in April, we have the EVER ELOQUENT FROLIC MILLS!! He is the creator of The Best Of Second Life Magazine (BOSL), a talk show host, humanitarian, and so much more. He is outstanding!!!

Oh My Gosh, dont miss out!!! These next few shows are so exciting.. it's Electric!

If you wish to watch the show live, you may do so by simply creating a free account at https://spoton3d.com/register. Please RSVP, as seating is limited, and we do ask that if you reserve a seat that you please attend.

The show will begin at 11AM MVT/PDT (Pacific Daylight Time). That's 1pm if you're in Texas and 2pm if you're in the Eastern states. If you are abroad, try this handy time converter...
http://www.timeanddate.com/.

If you find you are unable to attend the show, please feel free to join us via livestream at http://www.livestream.com/spoton3dcom.

Wow, so much going on! I hope to see you all there!!!

If you have any questions about the show, sponsorship, or advertising, please feel free to contact me at vardasilver@gmail.com, or gridwrap@spoton3d.com.

Peace, Love, and Light,
Varda Silver

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

Our Hub Huggers: Making Visitors Feel Welcome

If you work or play in other online worlds such as Second Life, think back to the day when you first logged in. Was there someone there to welcome you with open arms, answer your questions, and help get you started in this new and strange place? Or did you feel like you were pretty much left on your own? When I first got there, I remember feeling like it was up to me to figure everything out for myself, and I would have really appreciated it if I had received more personal attention at the start.

That's where our greeters -- whom we like to call "Hub Huggers", because they're responsible for monitoring our "hub", or landing area -- come in. They are a core network of volunteer residents, committed to making sure that every visitor to SpotON3D feels like a VIP. It means so much to us that you took the time to check us out, and we want to make sure that you get the most of out your time here.

From Sunday nights through Saturday evenings, we do our best to make sure that at least one of us is always here at the hub, greeting visitors as they come into SpotON3D. Inevitably, there will be times when this is not possible, as we may get called away to tend to other projects or to help out other residents. For these times, we have an ingenious "announcer" system that will remotely notify all online volunteers of any new arrivals, so that we can quickly help out each other as needed.

What Can You Expect When You Arrive?
Among other things, when you first arrive at SpotON3D you can expect the following: (1) a warm greeting; (2) a friend request; (3) an invitation to the SpotON3D Help group; (4) a pack of free landmarks and starter items; (5) help with setting up your avatar or getting you accustomed to moving around; (6) information about what SpotON3D is about and how we can help you specifically, based on the things that you like to do. We are also happy to help with land rentals/3DWeb subscriptions, information on migrating content from Second Life to here, and much more.

Visitor reaction to our Hub Huggers is varied, ranging mostly from gratitude for the personal attention to astonishment that they have finally found a place that cares about them. This level of service pervades our entire staff, starting from the top down. We are all deeply interested in making sure that your experience with us is a complete success.

Want To Become a Hub Hugger?
If you are a visitor who enjoys helping others, we encourage you to become a part of our network of Hub Huggers. The act of helping has its own intrinsic rewards, but we recognize the value of this service and want to make sure that you receive something tangible in return. So, volunteering as a Hub Hugger at SpotON3D for at least 40 hours a month will earn you a free 40×40 parcel with 732 prims, which you can use for as long as you continue to volunteer. This is our way of saying thank you for helping our community grow and bringing back the spirit of good will. If you are interested in helping out, simply speak to one of our Hub Huggers, or email us at contact@spoton3d.com.
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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

SPECIAL FREE PRESENTATION! The Neurobiology of PTSD How PTSD Alters Your Brain Structure--in plain easy-to-understand terms!

LIVE in both SpotOn3D 3D and Second Life Web Worlds!
Find out why PTSD IS A PROVEN BRAIN INJURY: How it happens, what it does to the brain, and its effects on physical, emotional, social and spiritual health. NEW Material and images!
Voice and text *
FREE and Open to the Public! Bring a friend, spouse, family, your therapist!



WEDNESDAY, March 28th
11 AM
5 PM
WHERE: SpotOn3D
http://3Durl.com/map/spoton3d/Fearless%20Nation%201/169/76/38


FRIDAY, March 30th
1 PM
WHERE: Second Life: The Bayview Ampitheatre, Etopia; http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Etopia%20Island/84/155/23

Our March Newsletter Is Out!

Yay! On Thursday we released our March 2012 Newsletter and e-mailed it to our subscribers. We were a bit late in getting this one out, which we apologize for. We will do our best to stay on schedule with this going forward.

Some of the points covered in this newsletter were:

• We recently adopted Wordpress as our Web development platform, which should speed development time..


• In the near future, we will be changing our corporate identity from SpotON3D to WorldWorks, which will be accompanied by a new logo and website. SpotON3D will continue to refer to the community of residents here from Second Life and other online worlds.


• A new land rental / 3DWeb subscription tool will be released soon, which will greatly automate the process of subscribing to and setting up new regions.


• We will be launching our very first pod pad community, SnowyBrook Winter Resort, within a couple of weeks.


• As in previous newsletter, we spotlighted a sample question and answer from our Wiki site. This month, we went through ways that you can migrate your content from other online worlds into SpotON3D.


• At the end of February, we held a grand opening of our new Creator's Cafe, developed and hosted by Kitteh Noir. If you are a creator, be sure to join the Creator's Cafe group and come hang out with other creators for discussions, collaboration, or just for a coffee break!


• We greeted some of the new members of our community, and provided links to their product listings both in world and on the marketplace.


• We announced that we are looking into expanding the Double Dutch Delivery (DDD) program to Inworldz, as well as to the Gay Nation grid.


• We are excited about the growing popularity our Grid Wrap program, and invite everyone to come in world to attend the bi-weekly Saturday shows. Please check our calendar and watch our blog postings for upcoming show dates and times.

If you are not currently receiving our newsletter and want to be placed on the list, please email us as contact@spoton3d.com. That way, you won't miss out on hearing about any of the exciting events that we have coming up!
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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 Rumors of our Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

You simply can't believe everything that you hear.

We recently caught wind of rumors that SpotON3D was supposedly headed for bankruptcy, and in fact that we would be shutting down within the next few days. Nothing could be further from the truth. We're not certain where these rumors are coming from, but we want to dispel them now.

We have a group of dedicated people who have been working hard to lay the foundation for what is to come. Our primary concerns so far have been:

• Solving some technological problems that were proving to be barriers to a successful user experience;


• Setting up a structure so that groups with different needs and expectations will feel comfortable and can function effectively, without fear of being interrupted by someone seeking a different experience; and


• Bringing in creators from other digital worlds to help us develop a substantial base of content, so that future consumers will have a reason to come check us out, and more importantly will want to stick around... especially those who have never before experienced the 3DWeb.

We have successfully overcome the major technological issues, and have been setting up Web worlds to accommodate groups of residents with different needs. With our growing base of creators and content, we are finally reaching the point that all of this can become a reality. We have some very exciting developments on the horizon, and we are definitely NOT going anywhere.

If you need proof that we are still a vibrant company, consider these points:

• We are utilizing Facebook as a way to reach out to the friends & family communities. We have developed a World on the Web plug-in, which is the only fully functional client that can sit right inside of a Web page, and we already provide a SpotON3D Facebook app that uses our plug-in to let people quickly sign up and get online right from their Facebook pages. Soon, this same Web plug-in will also be made available for our customers to use on their own home pages, so that they can have their clients sign in directly to their specific region (or 3DWeb space) within SpotON3D.


• Within the next couple of weeks, we will roll out our first recreational PodPad community, Snowybrook Winter Resort. This will be a quad Megasim (four contiguous regions with no perceptible sim boundaries), with villages made up of furnished cabins that can be rented for a low monthly rate, and will include fun activities such as snowboarding, skiing and ice skating.


• AKK Horses, a creator of popular rideable horses in Second Life, has been setting up their products on our platform, and we have been working with them to overcome some Opensim issues so that all of the product features will behave as expected. This will prove to be an exciting addition to our community.


• We are in the process of developing an app called Remote Avi that we expect to be ready by the end of the year, which should let you access the SpotON3D platform and perform many movement and chat functions directly from an iPad. Check it out here: http://ez.spoton3d.com/ipad_prototype03.mp4


• We have already begun working with an experienced game programmer, someone who has years of experience coding for some popular MMO games. This person will be a valuable asset in helping us achieve our goals as we press forward.

So, if you happen to hear any rumors that SpotON3D is going away... well, be assured that we are only getting started!
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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

Spotlight on Technology: The Man Who Prints Houses

Wow, I'm getting old. When I went to school, I remember my teachers handing out tests that were printed using mimeograph machines, and the smell of that still lingers in my mind. Then along came the more standard photocopiers, and I was fascinated by how quickly they could reproduce an original document, not to mention spitting out extra copies that were neatly collated.

I also remember thinking... how cool would it be if I could make a copy of something real... something like a table, or a bike? Oh sure, I already knew about molds that could be used to produce many copies of the same thing. But what if you could copy something directly, without having to make a mold for it? Unfortunately for my legacy, it would be up to others to actually turn this idea into reality.

The process of 3D printing has been around now for years. Much like a regular printer uses ink to reproduce a document, 3D printers can replicate a physical object by applying layers of material which are then hardened, creating an accurate replica that is as durable as the original. Some of these printers are even sophisticated enough to handle objects with many parts, such as the movable jaws of a pair of pliers, and can produce a working copy from a scan of the original.

Someone Who Dares to Think Big
Until now, 3D printing has mostly been used to make copies of relatively small objects. But one man has had much loftier goals--he wants to be able to copy a house!

An upcoming documentary entitled "The Man Who Prints Houses" follows the story of Enrico Dini, an Italian architect and robotics expert who has built the D-Shape, an enormous 3D printer theoretically capable of replicating a two-story building. While having some success with it, so far he has not been able to use the tool to generate a complete building, and he has undergone many hardships along with way. I am hopeful that Enrico will eventually be able to make his device work properly, but in any case his story is very inspiring. Here is the trailer for the documentary, currently scheduled for release in mid-April:

The Man Who Prints Houses Trailer from Marc Webb on Vimeo.

I really look forward to watching this documentary when it is released. I expect it to be captivating, both from a technological and a human interest standpoint. Enrico's story is a reminder to all of us that we should never be afraid to follow our dreams.

You can read more about Enrico and his journey by visiting the official Web site, http://www.themanwhoprintshouses.com. You can also read more about this at http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/21/2811146/3d-printing-d-shape-monolite-enrico-dini.
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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

PayPal Screen Changes Causing Confusion with Payments

Whenever you make a payment to us, such as to purchase SO$, upgrade to a premium membership, or start a 3D Web Hosting subscription, you are automatically redirected to PayPal's Web site to complete the transaction. Recent changes in PayPal's format has caused a lot of confusion, so we wanted to explain what you need to do in each case.

Please note that THE CONFUSION IS A DIRECT RESULT OF CHANGES THAT PAYPAL RECENTLY MADE TO THEIR PAYMENT & SUBSCRIPTION SCREENS. In both cases, their changes have made the credit card info the most prominent feature on the screen, while drawing attention away from the standard PayPal login.


WHEN MAKING SINGLE PAYMENTS (e.g. purchasing SO$):
The screen that comes up presents you with two options: you can choose to use your PayPal account, or choose to pay using another method (either Bill Me Later or credit card). However, by default it now presents you with the options for Bill Me Later/Credit Card, making it APPEAR that you must enter that information to proceed. This is NOT TRUE. To use your PayPal account, you simply click the “Have a PayPal Account?” link located near the top (see the image below for single payments).

WHEN STARTING A SUBSCRIPTION (Premium upgrade, 3D Web Hosting):
Starting a subscription takes you to a different screen, but one that is equally confusing. Beneath the subscription information is a section where you choose a payment method. At this point you should choose the radio button option “I already have a PayPal account”, and click to continue. However, once again the default on this screen is to have you create a PayPal account, and the majority of the screen is dedicated to asking you for your credit card information and billing address, again making it seem that you are required to enter that information. And once again, this is NOT TRUE. (see subscription image below)

YOU CAN HELP!
We as a company have no direct control over these screens. Although we have explained the problem to PayPal, at this point they are unwilling to make changes unless they hear enough complaints from others. Therefore, we are asking you to PLEASE contact PayPal by clicking the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of their Web page, and either call or email them. Please encourage them to make their screens more understandable, either by not showing the credit card fields by default, or by allowing the "use Paypal" option to be set as the default.