Virtual Worlds News Sucks - Since Joey Seiler Left

Once great, VWN now does suck terribly since off-to-law school Chief Seiler anointed Replacement Feldman http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/

Free vs Fee - The Debate Continues

The saying "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch" was popularised by science fiction writer Robert A Heinlein. But the science fact is that most of the online services and content we use today are a free ride. It is a growing trend. Despite pulling in 5% less traffic than transaction-based websites three years ago, free content sites are now 73% more popular, according to data from Hitwise. http://www.guardian.co.uk/tech-media-invest-100/free-or-fee

Introducing the HABBO Euro Ad Sales Guy

How many Ad sales guys has Sulake hired and fired for Habbo? Countless it seems ... here is another one. Good luck Mate! "Hussain Chowdhury is currently European Sales Director for Habbo UK, France, Holland and Germany. Habbo is a virtual world / social networking site aimed at teenagers. Hussain's media career spans across online, magazines, outdoor as well as cross media. Hussain began his media career at CBS Outdoor's (then known as TDI) Special Projects Division; CBS Impact where he worked on various outdoor innovations and ambient media projects. Hussain then moved to the award winning Bauer Creative Solutions Team (formerly Emap) where he held several posts across FHM, Arena, The Face magazines and different disciplines across a variety of integrated cross media campaigns spanning across magazines and online as well as utilising other areas of the portfolio that included events, radio and TV. Hussain worked with clients as diverse as Audi, Adidas, Electronic Arts, Scottish & Newcastle, Blackberry, Nintendo, Apple and many more.

Hussain¹s most recent role is at Sulake, Finnish virtual world/social networking experts and creators of Habbo. Sulake are specialists in building successful online communities in the youth space. Habbo features clients as diverse as Coty, 20th Century Fox, Sega, COI, Warner Bros and the NSPCC. Hussain heads up Habbo's advertising teams across Europe. http://www.guardian.co.uk/megas/judge-hussain-chowdhury

WonderRotunda Is Pretty Cool

PG likes WonderRotunda https://www.wonderrotunda.com/. Very cool and educational. Aaccording to Founder Garfinkel interviewed in The Washington Post; "he didn't do a lot of market research as he was developing Wonder Rotunda; he mostly came to this space as a concerned father. "My daughter was spending time on Webkinz and Club Penguin," he said. "They weren't as constructive as I thought they could be." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/09/26/ST2009092600907.html
PG loves the Park Pass payment concept - https://www.wonderrotunda.com/checkout.php billing by Cybersource's Authorize.Net http://www.authorize.net/

WebKinz Trading Cards ...

... should also come with secret codes so they serve as payment methods ;)

Club Penguin Membership Cards Are Great But ...

CP has been a huge success. But it's payment network could also use some work. It is conspicuously absent of proven offline payment methods e.g. prepaid cards like Wallie, UGC, etc.... Check the CP Payment Method Mix https://secure.clubpenguin.com/membership/faq.htm#method-accept With its owner's huge retail distribution network (for those of you ignoramouses out there CP is owned by Disney and is part of the very successful and pioneering Disney Interactive Group) they do cover the US nicely with its own branded prepaid cards or "Membership Cards" https://secure.clubpenguin.com/membership/membership_cards.htm And they do offer them in the UK at Sainsbury's. But why not extend their payment network reach by adding other prepaid methods? Bet they would sell a lot of memberships through Wallie Card in The Netherlands or Ukash in UK for example. And why are they not selling their gift certificates in Euros and other currencies and only making them available in USD? Strange ... So comment here if you want CP to add more prepaid cards http://support.clubpenguin.com/help/contact/billing.php