“Help People, Inc. has sponsored our groups and Island for six years now, and it’s their Board of Director’s decision that its time for the company to move on,” reads the statement. Little further explanation is given for this closure that is sure to have a major effect on the help industry in Second Life©.

Praising the effort, the note stated, “HPI has been a staple within the Second Life Community for 6 years, it’s hard to believe it started out on a small little area that barely got 10 people per day, in comparison to the 1000+ per day that we now have. Over the years, with the help and perseverance of all of you, it exploded into the greatest of ALL Help Group’s in Second Life and we feel what we have all contributed will in fact linger on for year’s to come. In our history within Second Life, we have helped and assisted in excess of 500,000 residents.” While giving the link to the Help People website at http://www.HelpPeople.com, they make no mention of the closing at the site, leaving open speculation as to what’s next for Help People.

Meanwhile, Help People staff are scrambling to join other help organizations and planning their strategies to continue to help other residents. There is a universal sadness fallen over HPI, with the expected backlash toward the organization. More information will be posted here as it becomes available.

CEO Neo7899 Collins wasn’t impressed with Second Life® as a social networking venue, but later, armed with a business plan, he re-entered SL with a vision. The self-described “insider” has worked for many top companies in SL, Red Door and Moolto.com to name a couple. Now, he is the CEO of his own company, Above Business Solutions.

His French (Canadian) “accent” barely noticeable, Mr. Collins outlined his business credentials chronologically, as systematically as he appears to approach his actual business. He is well-prepared for success in business, with a Master’s in sociology, a certificate in marketing and public relations and 10 years of real life experience in the field.

There.com was his first virtual world experience and he worked in-world at a university. He found There.com appealed to a different market, being a 13-years-old and up social networking site. SL is more business oriented, due to the adult market.

In SL, Collins first worked at Ewing Fashion Agency as marketing director. “The money was low,” he stated, but he wanted to learn about how to work in SL. He began to work in sales and marketing at ICON lifestyle magazine in December 2008, learning how a magazine is put together. In March 2009, he joined Metaverse TV and took it upon himself to market it. He still works with them currently. It has expanded to a full sim with wonderful architecture. The bi-weekly news show, which covers events in SL, has become a daily show. He has watched as the Frolic Mills show grew into highest rated show in SL.

Waiting only to establish his name in SL, he started his business solutions firm in June 2009.

While others may or may not have real life experience, his company is different because Collins and his associates have experience. He offers not only advertising, but focuses on working a strategy for up to two weeks for each client. Because Above Business Solutions isn’t his main source of income, he offers solutions at an affordable rate, using the profits to pay his tier and SL expenses and give to SL charities. Other companies charge real life rates because it’s their real life employment. Collins’ primary goal isn’t making real money; it’s research and development of SL market and economy in an effort to assist SL businesses. He beats everyone else in price, due to this philosophy.

The only time Collins earns “real” money is when he works in sim development, taking an empty sim and building it from scratch for a company.

He began to work with Best of Second Life (BOSL), a top commercial company in SL, in September 2009. He worked in sales for Frolic Mills and was able to see the day to day operations. Mills made him manager of Casablanca Hotel, which includes stores in the lower level, suites for rent and hosts events. “They have many projects and it’s a good company to work for,” Collins stated. BOSL also owns Patch Thibaud Auditorium, a top theater.

One of his clients, BeReal (fashions), owned by Ricko Dasgostino, is one of the top classifieds. He mentioned a few of his other clients, his passion for his work evident. He handles marketing for Aleida Rhode Designs, a top designer. He has worked on a wedding sim, Vesta Amor, and Brightfield Virtual with Amethyst Jetaime. He subcontracts about 75% of his building projects to Brightfield Virtual as they specialize in building sims.

His office at ZI Ocean View is small, but he likes it. He doesn’t think it’s necessary to have a large office since he spends so little time there. As for publishing and graphic design, he has about 10 staff members. Wanting to offer the client the best of everything, he chooses the designer that is right for the job, whether that designer is in-house or a contractor. “Not every graphic designer would be right for every job,” he explained.

When asked how he has time for his varied interests, he revealed his philosophy regarding SL. You won’t see him dancing in SL or meditating. SL is a business venue and a complement to his real lifestyle. He does his playing in real life.

Find out more about Above Business Solutions at abovebusinesssolutions.com. IM Neo7899 Collins in-world for information on his free business consultation.

Marina Medical Water Birthing Area

Looking to get pregnant? Get ready for a mind-boggling array of choices. There are plenty of maternity products and services for anyone wishing to have a baby. It may take some time to wade through all the options, but here is a preview of some of the main options to get you started.

Finding General Information

A notecard named SEX & Babies from Bouncing Bundles Maternity Center (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lady%20Di/213/189/21/) explains the “birds & bees” in SL. It states, “this notecard has been created to clear up any confusion about sex and reproduction in SL. First of all avis do not reproduce no matter how long you putt two of them on a set of poseballs and whisper all kinds of words into each other’s ears which I will not repeat here.” Then, how do you get pregnant? “You become pregnant simply because you choose to be. Having a partner is completely optional although with most there usually is a partner to share the experience with. You start out by taking a pregnancy test. These are random object givers usually with a very high percentage of getting a positive test.  After all most people who take the test want to be pregnant and the clinic where the test is taken is in the business of providing maternity services.” In fact, anyone can test positive for pregnancy, including males.

After you receive the good news, you can find some basic information from the Brighter Beginnings Maternity Center Guide to Second Life Pregnancy by Tracee Seelowe. The book is free at the center (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Silver%20Bow%20County/37/29/21/) and it offers advice and discusses the types of pregnancy products available and what they are used for. “First let me congratulate you on taking this opportunity to explore one of the most popular roleplay experiences in second Life,” the book begins.

Maternity Clinics

Maternity Clinics are excellent places to find the answer to any question. There is usually a staff member available to discuss the pregnancy process and next steps to take. There are a wide variety of clinics catering to different personality and roleplay types, as well as residents who speak languages other than English. Services are offered packaged and a la carte. A typical clinic will have: a reception area with information on all aspects of the pregnancy and birth; a shop for purchase of packages and products such as HUDs, AOs, babies, furniture and clothing; and exam rooms and delivery rooms. You will likely find clinic staff to be very friendly and talkative, although one staff person showed up in a holster with pistols. Upon being asked if she was security, she laughed and asked if she could be of assistance. You may want to check several clinics to help you make your decision about what services you like the best.

Asgard Delivery Room

Asgard Medical Clinic and Pregnancy Center (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Good%20Region/54/217/701/) is near the top of the search list and is a typical clinic with friendly staff. You likely be offered a tour, no matter where you go. Always tour the facility before you purchase. The tour will give you an opportunity to see if you feel comfortable there and find out if you like the staff. Asgard is a very modern and clean-looking facility with reasonable package prices staring at L$4700 that includes “shapes, exams, delivery, baby and babycare HUD (shapes are only included if your shape is copy/mod/transferable).” If you have a package and want twins or more, you can purchase additional babies for L$1500 for prim baby, or L$2500 and L$3000 for newborn and infant (older baby), respectively. The price list given by notecard in the reception area or by a staff member is very extensive, the most thorough of any of the clinics covered by this article.

Keep in mind the package costs are sometimes dependent on the purchase of a specific product. At Bundle of Joy (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bundle%20Island/122/116/24/), for example, if you don’t purchase the Bundle of Joy baby, you will have a separate price list. If you like the product offered, in this case the baby, and the package, you’ll be content. You’ll have to decide whether you want to pay higher prices for the service or want to shop around more, if you prefer a different baby. Also, purchasing your services separately or a la carte may ultimately be more expensive. If you purchase a package, you’ll get more for your Lindens.

Each maternity center has some unique attributes, sometimes offering services others don’t or sometimes providing a unique atmosphere.

Mother Goose Lobby

The first level of Mother Goose Maternity Clinic (Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mirror%20Dimly/51/111/21/) has the look of a club. The clinic also has reasonable package prices starting at L$1500 with the baby purchased separately. The unique service offered here is, “something that most clinics do not, photo packages. These are a great way to freeze time and look back at this amazing experience.” The photo prices start at L$250.

Mother Goose offered some good advice for planning your purchase:

“This is the suggested order of purchasing things when you want to experience an SL pregnancy**

1. Conception HUD, if your [sic] not already pregnant.

2. Clinic package

3. Tummy Talker

4. Pregnancy AO, if you would like one.

5. Baby is the last thing you need to worry about. You don’t need baby until the day you deliver so we suggest making this the last thing you buy. This will also allow you to save up so you can afford the baby you really want.”

This center is also connected with an adoption service. Although this topic could fill an entire article by itself, it should be noted that there are options for people who aren’t interested in pregnancy, but want a child. As well, some adopt when their baby gets older, for the experience of a child growing up.

Heavenly Babies Maternity Clinic (SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Jeaden/182/103/21/) offers a Roman spa-like atmosphere, a circular reception area with huge marble columns. Packages start at L$1800 for clinic services. Other products such as HUDs and babies must be purchased separately. The clinic’s mission statement is appropriately listed on the notecard:

“We at Heavenly Babies Maternity Clinic are dedicated to enhancing your Maternal and Paternal experiences in all that we do.  This is a roleplay environment, and we will strive to give you the experience that you have always longed for.”

Curiously, this center offers abortions, which are unnecessary in SL, and are fraught with emotional and political issues in real life.

Marina Medical Massage Area

The uniqueness of Marina Medical Group and Maternity Resort (Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lavish%20Estates/26/160/22/) is that it’s truly resort-like. Bordering the ocean, it has a meditation area, massage hut and large park with a fountain. The birthing “rooms” are two separate buildings, each to be used by one client only. Each building has a bedroom area, a livingroom and a water-birthing area. One of the buildings has an Oriental theme and the other is very modern. The exam rooms are in a separate medical building across the courtyard.

Exams and Delivery

Exams and delivery are done by appointment. As in real life, if you miss a scheduled appointment, you may lose the opportunity to have it or be charged extra for rescheduling. Any “emergency” or unscheduled activities like exams, Lamaze classes or delivery carry an extra charge.

Products

The products associated with pregnancy are too numerous to describe individually.

Babies may be prim or sculpted. A baby may be custom-made. Baby types include human, furry, vampire, drow, gorean, mermaid, aiko and neko, each carrying costs for the modifications. You pick the name for your baby, but there is a cost associated with changing it after it is born. Birth certificates come with many pregnancy packages.

AOs and HUDs at Mother Goose

HUDs and AOs will make your avatar act and look appropriate for pregnancy. Starting from about L$700, a tummy talker is generally seen as an essential item. The tummy talker can be set to talk about the baby and its needs in local chat or only to you so that it doesn’t disturb other players.

Shapes may be purchased to simulate the growth of your belly or you may alter your appearance to grow as in a real pregnancy.

Maternity clothing is available in any style that suits you, from sexy to goth. Baby furniture and accessories are also available.

Let the Buyer Beware

Keep in mind as you browse all the services that most if not all clinics have a “no refund” policy. Purchase your services after giving some thought to what is most important to you in the experience. Do you want the entire experience with several exams and ultrasounds or would you be happy with a pared-down plan that is less expensive? Is it important to you to have a water delivery or will the standard birth suffice? Perhaps you will choose the standard option and leave more Lindens for a special baby.

At least one of the clinics has had some problems with phony staff. In this scenario, someone claiming to be staff of the clinic you’re visiting offers to take your payment. Sometime later, you find out they were only pretending to be staff in order to steal your money. To avoid this problem, always pay for services through the vendor on the wall or directly to the owner of the clinic. Find out the name of the owner and keep it on a notecard, if it’s not listed on the informational notecards passed from the clinic. Never pay someone you are unsure of; instead, tell them you want to think about it and contact the owner.

Finally, this advice is from Bouncing Bundles, “DO NOT remove anything from the contents of your baby. This includes all scripts, animations, sounds, objects or anything else. Not only will your baby stop working, but you will also void your warranty!…Tummys and other items can also cease to function if their contents are removed.”

Enjoy your roleplay, but be cautious regarding those problems. A bit of care will save you thousands of Lindens.

All the environments, products and services offer each SL woman or couple the pregnancy and birthing options of their dreams. Although the options may seem overwhelming at first, the client should be able to find almost anything in a pregnancy roleplay she could desire. From the atmosphere of the maternity clinic to the type of baby, she may find the options to suit her unique personality, as well as include her partner’s specific roleplay desires. Joyful wishes to those of you who are experiencing pregnancy in SL!

SOS Makes the Showcase!

New Build

Within the classic-looking building, the space has been expanded. Some familiar components, images and objects, have returned but are reconfigured. New elements have been added, including some awesome new images in the second level, that were not photographed due to the disturbing themes. You may still touch the images to receive statistics and information.

As you enter the building, there is a wall of information and resources to your left. The lower level is a simple, quiet space, with a couple table and chair sets for getting together in small groups. It is decorated with cheerful art and an inviting fireplace. The most attractive new feature is the memorial of candles dedicated to loved ones lost to suicide. This is very popular with guests and had doubled in size within a couple days.

The theatre is located nearby and if you join the group, you will be notified of the events, including wonderful music by engrama and Phoe Nix. There is an opportunity to contribute to SOS with Lindens, as well as by volunteering.

For more information, visit http://www.sossd.org/. And watch out for the creepy eye!

By Se7en Wirsing

Alizarin Goldflake has created a virtual aquarium for you to play in at Atelier Alizarin. Intricate in detail down to the tiny bubbles and diatoms, this work has a haunting quality. It is stunning in gray tones with a few hints of color. There are several poseballs within the work you may use to swim and flip. Invite your friends and enjoy tumbling about together.

On November 28, 2009, Alizarin hosted an Open Studio to celebrate Acquarella, her newest build. This is what the invitation said about it: “ACQUARELLA, an aquarium on a cosmic scale, is filled with swaying, lacey aquatic plants, schools of neon tetras, animated angelfish and goldfish, drifts of diatoms, and huge green lily pads that bob up and down in the invisible current. Pose balls invite people to swim to the songs of whales, and throughout there are traces of an untold story. Who is hunting whom with those ghostly sonar pings?” Her childhood memories of her aquarium were her inspiration for this work.

When asked what she hopes people will feel or think as they explore Acquarella, she replied, “I hope people feel delight in Acquarella. I hope they marvel at the textures and have a sense that there is a mysterious story behind the art.” She is hoping to gain some insight into what people think as a result of the story contest she is accepting submissions for until December 21, 2009. The winner will be announced December 28 and will receive L$1500. The winning story will be published via an Art & Artists Network! group notice.

In real life, her digital drawings are in many museum and corporate and private collections. You may view them at http://www.marthavista.com. Surprisingly, her awe-inspiring landscapes are not manipulated photographs; they are drawn by hand in Corel Painter using a digitizing tablet and pen. “I am most inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e, especially Kawase Hasui. But I look at everything and learn from it,” she explained, when I asked her who inspires her.

The other floors have plenty of art to check out next time, but for now I would like to spend eternity in the tranquility of Acquarella.

Find Alizarin on the web:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizaringoldflake/
http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyK90WywARM

When the First Meta virtual credit card, MetaCard, was introduced in 2007, it received a fair amount of media attention inside and outside of Second Life® as a novel concept. Now, two years down the road, how successful is the first virtual card?

The MetaCard, with its buy-now pay-later concept, functions similarly to a regular credit card. The avatar has a credit limit, can purchase goods and services at participating stores, gets monthly statements and pays interest on rolled-over balances. He can even pay his bill in-world at one of the ubiquitous First Meta ATMs. According to www.firstmeta.com about 170 stores participate in the MetaCard program, although some of the listed stores appear to have closed. The participating stores offer almost anything one would want in SL, from clothing and furniture to birthing service and tattoos.

The MetaCard’s image could use some polishing. Its website desperately needs refreshing. Many of the SLurls (location-based linking in Second Life®) on the participating merchant page are broken, leading to empty lots, and on the press page, some of the links are broken or lead only to the source’s home page. The page for Tangs contains outdated information and the SLurl leads to the nonexistent store. The blog was last updated in June 2008 and promotions listed have been long over.

This is not to say First Meta is on the downhill side. On the contrary, Aileen Sim, the Co-founder & Director of Business Development has recently been awarded a Shell Merit LiveWIRE Award. “The Shell LiveWIRE Awards 2009 showcases creative business models for our modern times…The Shell LiveWIRE Awards is co-organised by Shell Companies in Singapore and the Institute of Technical Education, in partnership with ITE Alumni Association and Singapore Press Holdings Chinese Newspapers Division. Not just an award, the Shell LiveWIRE Awards offer shortlisted applicants a holistic programme which includes insightful training workshops in business management and networking opportunities,” according to Shell’s website.

First Meta was repeatedly contacted for comments for this article and had no response. Perhaps the firm is busy with its Beta project, First Meta exchange (FMX), “a multi-world virtual currency exchange.” Within the FMX, US dollars or Euros may be exchanged for currencies in virtual worlds, including SL, and currency from one virtual world may be exchanged for currency in another, such as Lindens (SL) and IMVU credits may be exchanged. If you are involved in more than one virtual world, you may exchange one currency for another and there is an option to manage all your avatars from one account.

From the few participating merchants who responded to inquiries, opinions varied on the usefulness of the card. Wayne Babii, owner of PixelDolls, said, “I haven’t had a sale through MetaCard for about 4 months. I used to get regular sales, then it slowed down, and now nothing.” When asked how much of her sales (approximately) are by MetaCard, Anuitka Barthelmess of kraftika jewelry stated, “less than 1%.” CCTV Giant of Shoe Fly Shoes explained, “With the global downturn of the economic markets – I think more folks are using MetaCard less.”

In that case, why would they keep accepting MetaCard? “It is worth if customers are happy. Usually there is a promotion for MetaCard users, price reduction,” Barthelmess said. Giant thought similarly, “Giving customers options is always a good thing,” but went on to say, “There are a couple of drawbacks to using MetaCard, as a third party merchant. MetaCard disables the ‘touch to buy’ option which a lot of customers do not like. All Card based systems are limited by how much people read. There is always some level of support with any kind of attachable object that is related to the sales of merchandise. Proper training and conditioning of customers is a must.”

As far as spending habits, it doesn’t appear that people in virtual worlds spend more if they are purchasing by credit card. Barthelmess suggested, “I think it is more like the way to organize your funds.” “At one point they did. Decline of world economic market made people think more about their lindens,” Giant stated. They will continue to participate in the MetaCard program, even as Barthelmess asked, “Question is: do customers really need a card in virtual world for virtual money?”

While talking about the MetaCard, CCTV Giant explained a newer product that promised to track and increase sales. In the beta testing stage now, the Grid Card was conceived by Giant in 2007. He explained, “It is an in-world solution that communicates with our website – www.thegridcard.com– which collates the sales data so that merchants can get a quick and comprehensive snapshot of all activities — we give a snapshot of cash sales [Lindens], gift card sales, MetaCard, store credits, and XStreetSL, which can all be exported to a CSV format.”

“While the system is tied to the web to gather data, it is not dependent on the site for operation exclusively. In addition to normal gift card operations, the Grid Card has a loyalty points system, instant rebates and store credit management. Store credits can be added to a customer’s account from the website,” he stated. Loyal to the MetaCard, he still accepts it as a component to his Grid Card system he touts as “the first gift card system to integrate with First Meta.”

He elaborated on the system, “the Grid Card has multiple split options — unfortunately, in order for this to work — the splitee (partner) must also have a MetaCard account just for the system to work correctly. The Grid Card will work fine in this scenario as a standalone; however MetaCard will not.” It is fortunate for First Meta he operates the system in this way, as it promotes the MetaCard.

The MetaCard may have lost its novelty, although it was a forerunner to innovations like the Grid Card system. First Meta, however, is bouncing back with unconventional new services.