EDUCATORS & NON-PROFITS

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INTRODUCTION ::

SpotON3D™ Web System is the first platform designed with the intent to organically develop a network of grids to service the diverse needs of the Metaverse citizens. These grids are called Web Worlds because they incorporate the best of the 2D web and embed them into the 3D experience. This makes it the most likely protocol for the emerging 3d web as we know it today, where real world, entertainment and recreational users can develop into separate, but interconnected micro grid communities.

PRICING :: 

REGIONS -

$59.99/mth + NO SETUP FEES 15k prim island

$39.99/mth + NO SETUP FEES   5k prim island

MAINLAND PARCELS - 

$14.99 - 732 prims 1600sqm parcel

$ 29.99 - 1875 prims 4096 sqm parcel

Launched Web World Grids ::

SPOTON3D :: http://spoton3d.com

• - The INFO Hub Grid for the network Web Worlds - THINK of it as a 3D search engine for the SpotON3D Web Worlds

VEESOME :: http://veesome.com

• - The Recreational Grid - the place we unwind, hang out, shop, chat and explore together.
• - Seeking Pathfinders to assist our users as they come into our grids. Email us at contact@spoton3d.com

Upcoming Launches ::

MUSICAJAM :: http://musicajam.com

• - Helping Musicians to bridge the distance with their online audiences through FREE Virtual Concert Scenes

EDU-MERGE :: http://edu-merge.com

The one stop shop for education ::

• - Check out colleges, universities, community colleges
• - Shop for educational gadgets and tools
• - Rental recruitment offices so prospective students can check you out online
• - Find Solution Providers to build your online campus to offer live real time interactive
• coarse work.

BIZ-GRID :: http://biz-grid.com

• - Home of the GOGREEN Virtual Office - Your Turn-Key Virtual Solution to online meetings
• - ONDemand Cloud Powered Conference Suites - Host up to 100 guests for just 9.99/hr

NOT SURE WHAT GRID YOU WANT YOU SIM IN?

No Problem! Reserve your region now by setting up your subscription for you LAND RUSH region. We'll set you up on the Veesome or SpotON3D Hub Grid and then move you r region to the grid of your choice when it launches - FOR FREE!

WHY AREN’T YOU IN SPOTON3D?

The Mac is Coming and other TidBits...

Whats New

Hey Hey folks, we got some great news for those that use a Mac, we now have a Mac Viewer Client in Beta, you can get it at Spoton3D download page here.

Animals Are Coming!

Rumor has it that we are getting furries! Yes indeed a big name on Second Life is opening a store on VeeSome, more news about this soon.

Help Needed

Are you good with OpenSim, do you know your P & Q's in Second Life? We are looking for mentors to help folks with questions and to show them around VeeSome. If you patience, have a good amount of knowledge and a little time please contact Shinmai Sasagawa in world. Oh, I forgot to tell you what you get for it, yes it comes with benefits. In Mentor village you can choose a house you can use as an office, do some demonstration's or even a mini-store. You also get a spot of land off VeeSome Central as a place to relax.

That's A Big Piece of Land!

Did you know we have MegaRegions? What is a MegaRegion? Well its four of our islands glued together to make one huge island. You can get your own Megaregion for the current price of $149.99 a month. There is a demo region you can view in Spoton3D in Aquila.

Megaregions are not like separate regions, they are one large region so there is no hesitation when you move around as you get from going from one region to another. This program is in Beta testing so please, if you wish to try one, be patient and give helpful feedback.

If you are interested please send an email to contact@spoton3d.com.

Wrapping it up for today, see you all in world soon!

Blizzard's Push to go REAL

I recently read a post on Truth/Slant about Blizzard's new efforts to go augmented reality, which of coarse brought many things to mind for me. First up, as a 15+ year veteran of the 3D Web, as I call this, I am very familiar with the duality of our existence online. I’ve never made it a secret that behind the character name, Tessa Harrington, is the real me, Tessa Kinney-Johnson, 15+ year veteran of the 3D Web, as I call this, and the Co-Founder/COO of SpotON3D.com, a new 3D Web World software that really pushes the idea of augmented reality. Whew! That was a mouthful.

So, after all that I’m sure you can imagine what side of the fence I fall on here. I don’t believe things are as dire as Paul Tassi @ Truth/Slant would like to think as long as this is handled responsibly. I can't give a unequivocal nods to Blizzard, as I’ve not had time to really research all the details of their RealID program. I do know they give you the option of whether to participate or not with your game character. If they do the opposite on the forums, allowing you to choose if you link your game character to your RealID forum accounts, then I think that’s not only good news, but a responsible way to go about it. The linking of the two should ALWAYS BE VOLUNTARY. The only exception to this would be in the case of behaviors that, if done in real life, would constitute a crime, such as harassment, stalking and the like, and even then that should mean your info only gets shared with the proper authorities. A banned account should be enough notice to those inside and out of the game environment that someone has trespassed and have reaped the consequences of their behaviors. It also gives notice to those that would think to grief that game in retribution, that they could be held responsible in real world terms, which I think – again – is not a bad thing.

What many might not think about is that this may also be a result of a lot of legal work that’s been going on behind the scenes since the Craig stalking incident and online bullying of kids, businesses and adults. When you start seeing real crimes connected to online behaviors then our legal authorities have no choice but to deal with them in a very real way. That includes requiring gaming companies, online forums, and blog sites to rein in and establish some standards that have some real teeth.

Having said that, I think there will always be games online that will won’t tie ID’s to their gamers and I think they will become the places folks hang out in who can’t restrain themselves from being “bad”. Question is, will mainstream users still be willing to tolerate such risks these "anonymous" sites would present, after experiencing the calming effects accountability tends to have on their community. If we’ve learned anything from the last 15 years of wild west standards online, is that without some level of accountability for our behaviors, we as human beings can be just as brutal, inhuman and unethical as we can be open, caring and generous.

The 3D Evolution of the Web - Its Here

Few look at the Internet as an application by which modern human evolution is spawned, but as we've watched technology grow from the telegraph to Skype® we've seen this curious impulse to try and replicate and expand our reality into our online experiences.

How did this start? With the invention of the Web Page, a simple upgrade of the text based bulletin board, where the word ruled the day. Gone were solitary stale pages of text. They were replaced by colorful imagery, video and sound that we could click on and interact with like never before. Like a bare wall waiting for the wild spray of graffiti, we openly painted our thoughts and ideas on these digital canvasses with code and pixels.

The Techno-Renaissance had begun, yet one was still left basically staring at static wordy versions of our TV’s. People shadow boxed around each other on these pages, never truly connecting simply because they didn’t know anyone was there to reach out to. Enter Social Media in the form of MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter, and many more. If there ever was a doubt people wanted to connect, the viral growth of these community web zones settled that. Millions of people logged on daily to bridge the desperate gap of their geographically dissected relationships. They flocked to reach out and bring their clans, extended families and friends together again, and even added new people to the fold from connections that circled the globe. Yet, there was still a longing for something more like real life. People were still READING PAGES instead of SHARING WEB SPACES.

Then came MMORPG’S & Life Simulation games such as The Sims Online ® & World of Warcraft®. Millions found themselves gathering in groups, communicating, and creating experiences through game play that were tantalizingly realistic. They were sharing these spaces, but if they strayed off the script of the game it was only in a text dialogue, since they were limited to what was predestined by the game maker. That’s when the arrival of Virtual Worlds such a Second Life® gave people the freedom they craved to create their own dialogue, clothing, animations, scripts and more – to be the designers of their own game!

In this magical Camelot-like era people started valuing their avatars and their possessions in real world terms. Player accounts were sold on Ebay®, love affairs spawned real life marriages and children. Game collaborations turned into real careers and incomes, as mainstream businesses and marketing firms crashed upon the scene offering big ticket contracts. Universities and training companies forged alliances with noted artist, creating utopian vistas and innovative ways to make learning more portable and intuitive. But, this also heralded in the legal and economical concerns of real life. Separation of the “wild wild west” player class from the more reality based biz and educational sectors was desired, as well as a more biz friendly IP stance, and greater stability. They also expressed a need for security as new content theft tools threatened to decimate the low cost 3D creator market. These unanswered requests eventually lead businesses, virtual and real world, to vacate the Virtual World experience as quickly as they’d come in.

As a result of this shift and recent criminal incidents in real life that were directly attributed to online interactions, leaders in the legal, entertainment and social media sectors have responded by using systems like OpenID®, PayPal® and others as a payment and/or authentication step. Giants like Blizzard’s® World of Warcraft, Facebook, and LinkedIN push the boundaries by asking us to link to two up. Instead of scaring folks away, its resulted in them growing. Facebook registrations have increased from 30m users in 2005 to well over 400m. LinkedIN has gone from 35M in 2007 to 70m today. The world seems to understand that for the Internet to fulfill its promise we all have to accept that it can't be done anonymously.

3DWeb Worlds are the next obvious evolutionary step in merging our real lives with our online interests, offering all the tools, economy and social structure that replicates our real life existences, but giving us an affordable global reach. With that must come reality - not just the sense of being real online. Laws, business standards and real world decorum has to play a role in the evolution, and thus, why predominantly recreational virtual worlds like There.com®, Sims Online®, and Second Life® are gone or struggling to evolve to the next phase. They all held out this Utopian ideal of open online societies with thriving economies that could create and support real businesses and careers. But what they forgot to do was institute any real world structures and standard to protect the outcome their users investments.

SpotON3D's 3D Web Worlds and Grid Systems are designed to fix this. By no later than mid August, SpotON3D will be rolling out an ambitious line of Cloud & Grid products that address the needs of many business & corporations, academic institutions, and non-profits groups as well as those individuals and creative teams who simply want to create their vision for recreational use. As we've always said at SpotON3D - 'Its not about any one grid. Its about expanding beyond any one virtual world, game or social hot spot. Its about building the 3D Web for tomorrow.

If you're a Business, Academic or Non-profit org. and would like more information email us at gridsales@spoton3d.com.

If you are a creator who wants to expand and sees the potential of what SpotON3D is doing, drop us and email at contentproviders@spoton3d.com. Approved vendors will be given a free starter shop in our Creator Islands central market, as well as have their setup fees waved for select land rentals. Please note that these offers are limited in number and the time period they'll be offered.

Lost Boys - More New Content Creators Coming!

As SpotON3D is growing and developing we are running into more great and well known content creators among many of us. Jorie Muircastle and Myca Amaterasu, two professional 3D sculpt artists, are a couple of creators that match that description. Their goal is to reaching out to the community, not as competition, but expanding and sharing the market, helping others to build, create or just use and save their 3D sculpt maps. I went to their store in SL to visit with them. They were very hospitable, even giving me some of their great 3D maps as a gift to use in my builds! Thanks guys!

So here is a bit of our conversation.

Jorie Muircastle: we are in our store ... Lost Boys inc.. still under construction, my manager and partner will be here in a moment.

While we were waiting I turned and zoomed around my camera. The store is built in a futuristic environment, in a cosmos looking sky, and the building had glowy glass.Then Myca arrived.

Jorie Muircastle: This is Myca, we often sculp side by side.

Arkad Baxton: I see you guys have some nice work here. Is it the main profile of your business? Maps.

Jorie Muircastle: yes, mostly. We do textures, sculpt maps, various builder kits
Myca Amaterasu: Jorie dos the best stuff. He takes on the larger more detailed projects IMO.
Arkad Baxton: When did you start to do that in SL?

Jorie Muircastle: I think from day one I was building and trying to sculpt. (It) was hard at first and at some points (I) gave up and bought kits, but the huge expense is what got me to start a store to provide more affordable kits for folks. Our new product line is showing what can be done with Curvy 3D, a new sculpt program.
Arkad Baxton: Can you tell me some more about that program?

Myca Amaterasu: I, myself use a set of programs, but right now out of 12 years worth of experience Curvy has the look and feel of a program that takes an edge.
Jorie Muircastle: We are working close with the programmer, Iggie Memo.

Then I asked them to tell me more about their business and their philosophy.

Jorie Muircastle: what drove us is, as a builder you can easily spend 3000+ for supplies to build 1 couch that looks like everyone else’s, trying to complete in prim conservation. It would kill a newcomer to SL.
Myca Amaterasu: I’m a little deferring then Jorie. I put a set of products out for the users to use and learn from, but I don’t keep them out forever. I actually put them in storage, so after some time it helps give folks a set of unique items of their own.

Arkad Baxton: What do you see in Spoton3D as to developing your business.
Jorie Muircastle: I was seeing an education ground in a place to help people- reach a creative potential the old world way by providing a lot of tips and experience for the new people. This may sound, odd, but I like how it was organized, not cluttered. The bare essentials were out for people to get started, the information centers.... the rest is like a pioneering ground for people to explore and build on. It is really artist friendly, and right off the bat, I was shown that its about putting creativity in people’s hand. But, I also like that there was an amount of security... so that people do not have to fear about their stuff getting stolen by copy bots... making it.. well... a safer feeling to be there.
Myca Amaterasu: Well my self ,I have been in many markets and have been in many 3d worlds. I have even worked with motion capture developers and set up my own grid for a sand box. Right now Spoton has me curious. I am wrapping up some projects here and on the web and then plan to "dive into" spoton and see what it offers.
Jorie Muircastle: Normally we do not allow our products, per our TOS, to be used on other grids, but we felt secure enough that we do extend to Spoton3d, and welcome our customers to use our content there... we have modified our ToS to cover it.

Arkad Baxton: What do you think of the Double Dutch Delivery system as idea? Buying it on one place and having the product on both grids.
Jorie Muircastle: I think its an excellent idea. It is actually convenient too. Sometimes exporting content from one grid to another can be a pain in the tushy... it sort of makes it painless.. order what you want.. and run with it.. hassle free.
Myca Amaterasu: That is a brilliant idea I think myself. Its a shame that so few have actually looked in to that. So far the only others I know that have is realXtend and OS or Hippo grid.

Arkad Baxton: Knowing Spoton3D what is your plans for the near future on that grid and with their services? How do you see it working for you?
Jorie Muircastle: after we get things settled here, with the move and settling on the new island, we plan to open a small shop on Spoton and offer our products there as well. It works for us in the fact of it being another adventure in fun and creation.
Myca Amaterasu: well with anything young ... I like to get my paws in early it gives me a chance to really see where its going to head. I know Jorie is excited about it. I am as well and yes I have about a terabyte worth of content that I will bring over to spot on in the upcoming session. I think Spoton has a chance in media , and that’s a lot coming from me, so I know you will find Jorie and myself there soon.

If you would like to check out Curvey3D, you can try the demo, click here:

http://www.curvy3d.com/

And to check out SpotON3D go to http://spotON3D.com for your FREE FOREVER account.

The Questions You Should Ask When Expanding to OpenSim Grids

If SpotON3D is not the grid for you, that kewl. It would be impossible for any one company or grid to meet the demand of such a diverse and passionate community. We still want to help out anyway we can. These questions are designed to help you evaluate the risks and limits as you explore all your options, rather than eliminate any grids.

QUESTIONS TO ASK … THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Does the gird have a certified https:// website?

2. Under About US or CONTACT US do you find a reference to real world contact information, i.e. phone, email that associates with their dot com, physical mail address -not a post office box.

3. Do the founders/exec staff use real identities or game character names?

4. Are you given contact information that clearly identifies the owners, their physical address, a working phone number and email addresses that are answered within 3 to 7 days?

5. If needed, would you have enough information make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau or even the legal authorities where you live?

6. Do they have a user verification system to minimize griefing risks?

7. Do they have a working economy? If so, is it based upon trading one virtual currency for another, like VWallet for Lindens? If so, can you identify the person(s) behind that system in real world terms?

8. Do they have a system in place and staff to deal with griefing and copy bot risks?

9. How do they handle minors on the grid? Is the grid segregated to keep kids that might come in out of areas they should not be in? How would they handle a report of a pedophile? What is their stance on child avatars?

10. How are payments for land & products handled – through a recognized subscription service like PayPal or manually?

11. Can you cash out via trusted money system like PayPal?

12. Do they provide records of all payments for product, services and land rentals?

13. Do they have a TOS in place?

14. Is the grid’s structure based on a peer-2-peer hosting or a hosted solution? A peer2peer grid is where you host your own sim and link up to their central asset server for storage of the communities content? Or is it a fully hosted solution like Second Life® or SpotON3D™? If the second is true, then is the grid hosted on someone’s home server system or a professional co-location?

15. What would happen to your content if you were to have to leave? Would they reserve The right to continue to use, distribute or sell your content on their grid or through a web based selling system, or would it only exist in the inventories of those you sold to and your own avatars?

16. Does the grid have a system in place to report and/or resolve social and legal disputes through?

17. What is the grid's stance on legal Intellectual Property Rights? Some folks believe simply don't believe in IP or copyrights and see no reason to respect such laws. You need to ask subtle questions to determine where they truly stand in this issue if you hope to use the grid in question as a secure selling destination. The easiest way to do this is to ask if its okay to bring in sculpts and textures you've purchased from SL. If they don't ask you to get the permissions of the original seller, or have a 'no see-no hear-no speak" stance on such things, then that is most likely a good example of how much they would respect your work in someone else's hands.

SUMMARY
We hope these questions help you in your exploration of the many wonderful grids available on through the Virtual World community. SpotON3D will be hosting community events for all the virtual would community in hopes that we can rebuild bridges to the many folks who have left out of heartache, frustration and financial redress. These are hard times indeed, but together we can make something even better - let the phoenix rise again.

Response to Linden Lab Blogs & Press Releases

The latest news out of LL has raised a lot of concerns for our community. Many mourn the loss of so many of our favorite Lindens - our last touchstone to Linden Lab. Many wonder what got us here. Gwyneth Llewelyn has written a very timely and accurate blog that pretty much summarizes the last six years and why LL's future is in question. This is a must read for anyone involved in SL: http://gwynethllewelyn.net/2010/06/10/reset-and-do-a-180%C2%BA-turn/

WHY DIDN'T BUSINESS COME BACK TO SL?
Many think the reason is because of the recession or the technology learning curve, but others believe its more about LL's long history of stepping on toes - not just of their business and educational users, but of each and every class of user on their grid. You don't refused meetings with Fortune 50 and 500 companies and garner good will or be taken seriously in the world of enterprise business. The kind of bad will that creates runs so deep that you'll never get a chance at it again. And that's the shame of this, because its not that this could not be done, or that these people didn't want it. Its always boiled down to the arrogance factor. That whole, "You're not important enough for me to listen or respond to." attitude. As a 15 year veteran of the 3D Web I've seen this more than I'd care to admit. But, I also know that this is a necessary transition that I’ve been warning close colleagues and friends about for the last 18 months.

IS SpotON3D YOUR NEW EXPANSION DESTINATION?
Over the last 18 months, me, (Tessa Kinney-Johnson aka Tessa Harrington in virtual), my business partner, Stevan Lieberman of Greenberg & Lieberman, an IP attorney, and our team of programmers have been working tirelessly to create a solution for business, education and even social users. We’re not talking a poor man’s substitute, but rather a truly redefined 3D Web experience. We don’t expect to fit everyone’s ideal, but hope many of you will check us and give us an opportunity to show you our vision for the new face of the 3D Web.

HOW WE HOPE TO HELP THE METAVERSE COMMUNITY -
COMMUNITY SANDBOXES TO CHECK BACKUPS & NO UPLOAD FEES!
We still want to help out anyway we can even if you decide we're not your new home. We have created a sandbox in SL and have several community sandboxes available on the SpotON3D grid for those who need rezzing, packing and unpacking space. Here you can then test out your backups to make sure they have come over well in a more secure and professional environment.

NO UPLOAD FEES FOR PAID MEMBER ACCOUNTS
There are no upload fees for paid members, so the only price of admission is a paid membership of $2.99 a month to the SpotON3D grid and to joining the SpotON3D group in SL and the SpotON3D HELP group in SpotON3D. Yes, you will hear a few announcements about our presentations during the month. I hope you can understand the need for such things.

NO IP RIGHTS ISSUES
Our TOS clearly states we have no rights to your content except to support the delivery and storage of purchases made by our users of your products.

CONTENT PROTECTION AT THE FRONT DOOR & MORE MAKE SPOTON3D FAR MORE SECURE
We redirect all non-SpotON3D clients to an locked down region, so you'll not have much worry about your content being ripping by the use of a client.

NEED REFERENCES? LOOK AT WHAT SOME OF THE ELITE OF SL & VIRTUAL WORLDS SAY ABOUT SpotON3D!
"Another strength of @spoton3d: leverages Amazon cloud computing so customers can boost scalability to 100 avatars or more based on need." - Erica Driver of Think Balm.com

"This company has clearly given a lot of thought to their platform especially in the areas of copyright, intellectual property, cost and user experience for both Enterprise and Education." - Shambles Guru (SL™) of International Schools Island

"I heard a lot about how SpotOn3D is really making sure that content creators can safely sell their products and be sure that it is not easily copied and pirated. Technically and theoretically it remains impossible to make it 100% proof, but many should be happy with 99% solution." - Jani Pirkola - Virtual worlds specialist, Research program coordinator at CIE.fi. One of the founders of Maxping.org magazine.

"Well right now Tessa you are top of my list regading an alternative grid to work in!"
Lilith Heart of Heart Designs in SL

AND THE LIST GOES ON OF THOSE WHO ENDORSE THE SPOTON3D GRID:

Chris Badger, formerly of Forterra
Light Sequent Educational Instructor Training Specialist
Sexat Uralia of Virtual Helping Hands & Texas University
Yehoo Newall, Security Specialist
David K., Formerly Dj Linden- SLE Project Manager of Linden Labs
Matt Fiertze of First Link, Inc, V-Business group the best practices and standards frameworks group for Virtual Worlds
Stringray9798 with the American Cancer Society
Luna Bliss & Dakota Callahan of Bliss Gardens
Lilith Heart of Heart Garden
Steffi Villota & Dark Hennesy of DeeTalez
Madddyyy Schnook of SL Guide
Lindy Low of Grid Gear on SpotON3D
Nazz Lane SL Resident and Blogger
Angelo Biondi of Second Inventory
Ariella Languish of Framedin3D.com

We of coarse do this in hopes that you'll make us your new home for your expansion beyond any one grid. We hope you'll see the value in the work we've done, forgive our growing pains as we push forward our very aggressive technology to do list, and give us constructive feedback on how we can make your experience better.