Peguin Founders Lose $350,000,000 Bonus

Haha http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/business/media/13penguin.html?hpw

Kiddie Virtual World Kings Slowing Down

Yup, the big kiddie virtual worlds, Sulake, Penguin, Webkinz, Neopets are being hit hard. Some of the reasons;

1. The economic downturn has figured prominently;

2. The fickle nature of children’s entertainment;

3. An oversaturation of virtual worlds aimed at youths;

4. Competition from new smartphone games;

5. Competition from social networking sites.

Webkinz.com, where children care for stuffed animals that come to life, registered about 3.8 million unique visitors in April, a 50 percent drop from a year ago. Neopets.com, owned by Viacom, suffered a 39 percent decline, to about 1.5 million.

The writing is on the wall for kiddie virtual worlds. So what do you do? Consolidate with other worlds and form a portfolio. And of course, GMAIL Paymentguy@gmail.com.

Linden Lab's Original VP Marketing .....

David Fleck, the little recognized and successful driver of Second Life's early growth has a new gig as VP Marketing & Business Development at Wildpockets.com. Looks interesting. Good luck man ...

Bynamite!

Ginsu Yoon is back ...

Linden Lab's Former Mr. Everything (General Counsel, CFO, VP Business Development, VP New Market Development, etc... etc...) has a brand new Gig in stealth mode called Bynamite. Will Bynamite be Dynamite? Or crash and burn? Stay tuned... in the meantime email for a prelaunch invite to the venture here http://www.bynamite.com/

All Virtual World Consultants Are Created Equal ...

NOT!
Paul Thind and his Team at Triggerspot actually has an extensive track record in this space and really add value http://triggerspot.com. So look him up and drop him a line:

TRIGGERSPOT, INC.
Paul Thind, Leader
San Francisco, CA 94123
Tel: +1 (510) 589 6944
E-mail: paul@triggerspot.com
http://www.triggerspot.com

There Goes There

There.com is closing March 9th http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2010/03/04/makena-shutter-online-virtual-world-therecom

Expect a lot more of these announcements. Or rather, just virtual worlds quietly fading away as devs and managers and founders go off to play around with the Facebook platform. Way too many virtual worlds out there. And way too many payment companies targeted at this space.

PG's Blog Featured

Thanks, but I still do not know what the heck this site is all about;

Hello,
This is Shiela from homefurnituredepot.net.
We stumbled on your blog page and found it interesting! We operate the largest Home Furniture & Office Furniture website featuring more than 30,000 blogs. Our site averages 200,000 unique visitors per month. As a kind note We have featured your blog at http://homefurnituredepot.net/blog_awards/index.php?id=10658 We would be grateful if you could add the following details to your blogs main page.
Home Office Furniture
Looking forward for your confirmation.
Thanks
Shiela
homefurnituredepot.net.

Looking For A Payment Architect

Payment Architect Wanted (and you get to live in Austin!) http://jobview.monster.com/Lead-Mobile-Banking-Payment-Architect-Job-San-Antoino-TX-US-85819969.aspx

Share our pride. Join our mission.

As a Fortune 200 financial services company with more than $113.5 billion in owned and managed assets, USAA is on a mission — to facilitate the financial security of our members, the men and women of the U.S. military and their families worldwide. Headquartered on a showcase campus in San Antonio, TX, USAA attributes its long-standing success to its most valuable resource, our 22,000 employees. They are the heart and soul of our member-service culture.

Recently Ranked #1 by Business Week in Customer Service, we are recognized for the superior service we provide to our members, and the exemplary work environment we provide for our employees. Everything that happens at USAA is based on our core values: Service, Loyalty, Honesty, and Integrity. These are the foundations of how we do business with our members, as well as how we treat each other.

We are currently seeking a talented Lead Mobile Banking/Payment Architect for our San Antonio, TX facility.

PURPOSE OF JOB: Leads and motivates cross-functional team members in the development and implementation of key mobile initiatives. Independently performs complex and often unique work assignments and problem resolution. Serves as the company's mobile visionary and mobile capability expert.

JOB DUTIES:

* Sets the future state for all mobile efforts and collaborates with project teams to implement the vision. Focuses on strategic company-wide processes and serves as the company's mobile capability expert.
* Anticipates opportunities and potential solutions, and leads team through the problem resolution process. Directs analyses, root cause identification and development and recommendation of key work products.
* Partners with all levels of management to include executive management, operational areas, and other groups to develop solutions for communication and transactional needs for mobile capabilities. Advises senior management on issues.
* Serves as team lead. Sets direction for mobile capability standards. Communicates conceptual ideas and design rationale to other members of the design, development, and client/business teams.
* Serves as the primary resource for cross-functional team members on escalated issues of a unique nature. Acquires and applies expert knowledge of the business, its products, and processes. Translates ideas into clear, efficient scope statements and integrates with different business areas.
* Develop conceptual UI models and presentations to acquire buy-in and funding for mobile capabilities.

Minimum Requirements:

* Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
* 10 years of Information Technology or Financial Services Industry experience.
* Expert knowledge of "web 2.0" and client/server methodologies.
* Expert knowledge of industry data sources and tools.

Preferred:

* Bachelors or Masters degree.
* 2+ years of experience with mobile banking
* 10+ years of payment background - thorough knowledge of the payments industry, networks and payment instruments.
* 10+ years of professional work with e-commerce, mobile or payments industry.
* 8+ years of e-commerce experience.
* 10+ years of experience with Project and Program Management disciplines.
* Ability to develop multi-year strategies and communicate those strategies to executive management.
* Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
* 5+ years of management experience.
* Business Architecture experience.
* Technical Architecture experience.
* Strong analytical and product management skills including a thorough understanding of how to interpret customer business needs and translate them into business requirements specifications in both technical and user-friendly language.
* Analyze and verify requirements for completeness, consistency, comprehensibility, feasibility, and conformity to standards.
* Experience identifying and establishing scope and parameters of requirements analysis in order to define impact, outcome criteria, and measure-taking actions.
* Ability to create process models, specifications, diagrams, and charts to provide direction to developers and/or the project team.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of business and IT executives and subject matter experts.
* Ability to present complex ideas in a concise and objective manner.
* Effective organizational, prioritization, and time management skills and multi-tasking ability.
* Experience operating in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
* Attentive to detail, producing consistent, high quality, and reliable work with excellent planning, analytical, and time management skills.
* Ability to remain flexible, work independently and prioritize tasks.
* Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain good working relationships, and manage a variety of internal stakeholder needs.

The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.

At USAA our employees enjoy one of the best benefits packages in the business, including business casual dress environment, comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, along with wellness and wealth building programs. Additionally, our career path planning and continuing education will assist you with your professional goals.

USAA also offers a variety of on-site services and conveniences to help you manage your work and personal life, including seven cafeterias, two company stores and three fitness centers.

Relocation assistance is available for this position.

Qualified applicants must successfully complete a pre-employment background and drug screen.

USAA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Little Interest in P2P mobile payments

"Subscribers in seven developed countries spanning three continents express scant interest in person-to-person mobile payments according to a new survey issued by ABI Research. Consumer in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea all indicate little enthusiasm for the possibilities of making mobile-to-mobile payments--while ABI reports some differences between age groups and countries, it notes that just 16 percent of Western Europeans classify themselves as "extremely" or "very" interested in mobile P2P payments, while in the U.S., the percentage drops to 9 percent. Consumers in the three Asia Pacific markets indicate the strongest interest at 34 percent.

Read more: http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/survey-finds-scant-interest-p2p-mobile-payments/2010-02-22#ixzz0gLW3P3P8

Voic Commerce Hunts RBS WorldPay

LONDON (Reuters) - A UK payments firm is applying for a banking licence to provide a full range of bank services to businesses, joining a growing list of firms targeting the area as the industry reshapes after the financial crisis. Voice Commerce Group, an unlisted payments firm that is interested in buying bigger rival RBS WorldPay, said on Monday it had appointed law firm Mills & Reeve to get a licence from Britain's financial regulator to operate as a business bank. "There are some real opportunities. There's a sea change in the way that financial services are going to be provided to businesses and consumers over the next 12 to 18 months," Nick Ogden, chief executive officer of Voice Commerce, told Reuters. It is likely to take about six months to get the licence and offer a range of services first in Britain, he said in an interview. He is aiming for about 50,000 customers by the end of 2011 and also has sights on expanding in Europe and the United States, he said. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/02/22/business/business-uk-voicecommerce-banking.html

Olive Platform Gets Sold

Another 3rd rate technology - compared to SL Enterprise or Nortel's system (named Project Chainsaw - stupid!;) for example. But at least Forterra was early in the virtual worlds for enterprise game. "SAIC, government contractor to groups like the Department of Defense and Homeland Security, has just purchased Forterra System’s On-Live Interactive Virtual Environment product known as OLIVE. In the acquisition they got all names, trademarks, and licenses, indicating that they plan to get into the virtual world space in the near future.

“We look forward to working with current and future OLIVE license holders to support and extend the platform,” said Bev Seay, SAIC senior vice president and business unit general manager. “We see virtual worlds as the direction of the future in modeling and simulation – emphasis on interpersonal interaction and collaboration enables us to take our products in new directions, and to new markets.”
http://www.vizworld.com/2010/02/saic-purchases-olive-virtual-world-technology/

Sun Terminates DarkStar

This was going no where anyway - smart move Larry. "Oracle decided to pull the plug yesterday on Project Darkstar, a Sun Microsystems project aimed at creating the backend infrastructure for virtual worlds. It was the labor of love of Chris Melissinos, the chief gaming officer at Sun who announced on his Facebook page that he was leaving Sun after 16 years. http://venturebeat.com/2010/02/04/oracle-kills-project-darkstar-adios-to-virtual-worlds/

PayPal Scores FaceBok Deal

Facebook will now accept payments for goods and services via the Paypal online payment system, in a move aimed at making transactions easier for small business owners worldwide. Under the new partnership, Facebook will allow companies and individuals to buy advertising for the site via the Paypal transaction system. Unlike regular e-commerce sites, Ebay-owned Paypal allows users to fund a central account via bank debits or credit cards. Vendors such as Facebook then either receive a cheque from Paypal or a direct bank transfer. http://www.itp.net/579370-facebook-to-accept-payments-via-paypal

PayPal Aquires Verisign

Why are there no viable competitors to Paypal? Thanks to Andrej T for the tip "We’re pleased to announce that PayPal has completed the acquisition of VeriSign Payment Services*.
...

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/Marketing/general/VerisignAcquisition-outside

World's Most Expensive Virtual Island ...

Good look at virtual goods and virtual islands by Forbes;
BURLINGAME, Calif. -- What is the most you're willing to pay for a virtual item in a videogame or virtual world? Five, ten dollars? How about $26,500?

That's the amount David Storey, a 27-year-old graduate student living in Sydney, Australia, paid for a virtual island, the "Most valuable object that is virtual," according to Guinness World Records. http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/17/farmville-facebook-zynga-technology-business-intelligence-virtual-goods.html?boxes=Homepagetoprated

Finally - A Novel Payment Method By Kwedit

From NYT "Buy Now, Pay Later (Maybe With Your Allowance)"BUSINESSES don’t let 13-year-olds pay for purchases with a promise. At least they didn’t before last week.
Sites like FooPets let minors buy virtual merchandise like pet food if they agree to pay later. A new payment option for anyone without a credit card or a debit card, no matter how young, has just become available. It’s initially offered by FooPets and Puzzle Pirates, online game companies that are business partners of Kwedit.com, a start-up based in Mountain View, Calif. Minors as well as adults can buy items in the games with a “Kwedit Promise,” which can be paid off later in a number of ways — with a credit or debit card, for example, or with cash sent in a mailer that Kwedit supplies.

"But here’s an entirely new payment option: A user can print out a barcode and head to a 7-Eleven store, which will accept cash, scan the code and notify Kwedit that payment has been made. In the next three months, a Kwedit logo will join those for credit cards and other payment methods on the doors of all 7-Elevens, a company spokesman says." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/business/07digi.html?hpw

Great idea guys! Everyone should integrate Kwedit. Br, PG

Management Shuffle At Sulake

Juha Hynynen the former COO, CFO and Deputy CEO has left Sulake and the management team has 2 "new" additions being Phil Guest (new to the Management)

and Sampo Karjalainen (one of the Genius Co-Founders who used to sit on the Management) http://www.sulake.com/company/management?navi=1.3 .
This reshuffle comes at a time of bad news for Sulake and its portfolio of games, social networks and virtual worlds. Its new title Bobbo has not taken off, it's social networking site IRC Galleria is losing members and Sulake itself recently laid off staff. Notably absent in the new management composition is a North American. But Sulake did hire a Finnish guy who lived in the States and made millions so stay tuned and see what this year will bring for Sulake. Sadly, PG is not bullish on HABBO, Bobba or IRC http://paymentguy.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-sulake-loses-money.html
Sulake with HABBO has made astounding amounts of cash and thrilled 10's of millions of kids and teen all over the world. A truly inspiring and original creation but a golden goose doomed by (well everyone knows ... so why state the obvious?)

Preventing Chargebacks

One of the things most vexing and costly concepts for new businesses are “chargebacks”. Chargebacks are when a customer’s banks forcibly requests a return of funds. In a nutshell, its when bank is the one asking for a refund vs. a customer to business transaction. What’s the big deal about this? Well, it’s a bad thing for multiple reasons. Each Chargeback returns the amount that was transacted, plus a fee from your payment processor (which varies from provider to provider). It’s not uncommon for each chargeback cost to reach up to $30 each. These obviously directly impact your revenue and with their random nature, it inhibits your ability to accurately forecast revenue. Even worse, if you have lot of chargebacks, your merchant account provider can suspend, or even cancel your account. If this is the only way you get revenue, you could find yourself without a way to bill customers.

How can you best prevent chargebacks? The easiest way is to provide your customers an easy way to contact you regarding billing questions. Refunds are one of the most common types of chargebacks and by providing your customers with an easy way to contact you regarding a refund, you can avoid having to pay to avoid the chargeback fees. By quickly responding to refund requests, you save your company the cost and the risk of handling additional chargebacks that could be avoided. Another way to prevent fraud-based chargebacks is by requesting the “CVV2″ numbers, which provide another way to ensure the credit card number you’re transacting is correct. A clear terms of service on your site also helps as it makes it clear what services your offering, and when a customer is entitled to a refund. These are just a few ways to avoid chargebacks. For some other helpful tips, the 37 signals team has a great post on their approach to avoid chargebacks.
http://blog.recurly.com/2009/11/preventing-chargebacks/

Recurly Rocks

From TechCrunch http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/19/recurly-public-beta/; Back in mid-November, we wrote about a new startup called Recurly which aimed to help other startups alleviate the pain of implementing subscription-based payment systems for their products. Since that time, Recurly has accepted 172 companies into their private beta, and feel comfortable enough handling that load that they’re opening to a public beta today.

That will make the 450+ other companies on the wait list happy. And it should bring a rush of new interested customers as alongside the public beta launch, Recurly is announcing two new features. The first is that they’ve made the service international-friendly. “We learned from our beta that many international companies weren’t being served by the existing subscription providers, so we expanded our International Payment Gateway support. We have expanded gateway support from the US, UK, and Canada to also include companies in Europe, Asia and Australia,” co-founder Tim Van Loan tells us.

CauseWorld Will Be Huge

CauseWorld is a mobile application that lets you help the world while you shop!
This is the easiest way to give back to your community, and its entrance in the mobile app market is perfect timing for the holidays. Best of all, in these tough economic times, it costs you nothing – our generous sponsors pick up the donation bill. All you need to do is walk into one of the many stores you most likely frequent anyway, such as common groceries, hardware stores, department stores, and many others. Pull out your phone, open the app, and check in. No purchase is required. By checking in, you earn karmas from our sponsors. Donate those karmas for specific actions to improve the world. Some of the many actions in the CauseMall include donating to classrooms in need, planting a tree, providing a meal for the hungry, or helping an injured animal. CauseWorld is available on the iPhone and Android phones. Join the CauseWorld community today - and make a difference with the causes that you care about! http://www.causeworld.com/about-us.html

10 Fastest Growing FaceBook Euro Markets

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/131508 Interesting but back from 9.09

Linden Lab Gets New CFO

Wonder how long he will last? From VWN; http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2010/01/linden-lab-names-bob-komin-cfo.html Linden Lab announced today that it has appointed Bob Komin as its new Chief Financial Officer. Komin will be stepping into the shoes left empty when former CFO John Zdanowski announced that he would be leaving the developer of Second Life last March. At the time Zdanowski said the company had overcome the challenges of a start-up, so he was moving on. Komin will report directly to Linden CEO Mark Kingdon and take responsibility for Linden's finances and Second Life's economy, which the company says reached $567 million in user-to-user sales in 2009. Most recently, Komin served as CFO for Solexel, a solar energy start-up. Previously he was CFO for voice-technology provider Tellme Networks, helping it through an acquisition by Microsoft. While some shares of Linden have been changing hands recently, it sounds like Komin is dedicated to building out existing revenue.

"“The virtual goods industry is in its early stages and there is enormous potential for Second Life to redefine how people interact with technology and think about what is possible,” he said in a statement. “Linden Lab – a pioneer in this multi-billion dollar industry – is a market leader today, and I am delighted to join the company during this phase of growth.”

Why PayPal Guy Was Fired From Jagex

This is old news but interesting for those who missed it ... apparently the EBAY / PayPal CEO guy was forced out because "he was too focused on making money". http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Geoff_Iddison

"Iddison resigned from Jagex in January 2009[4], for unspecified reasons. Based on the ambiguity about exactly when he joined Jagex, he worked for the company for 15 to 17 months, though Andrew Gower is quoted as saying that it was 18 months.
“ On behalf of everyone at Jagex, I’d like to thank Geoff for everything he has brought to the business over the last 18 months, and wish him all the best with his future endeavours. ”

— Andrew Gower, [4]
“ I have enjoyed working for Jagex immensely. The business remains at the cutting edge of the video games industry and its continued growth reflects the strong business model and the high calibre of people within the company. It was great to be part of a business which is shaping the industry in such a way. ”

— Geoff Iddison, [4]

However, in an interview published in May 2009, his successor Mark Gerhard commented on what he perceived as the problem with Iddison's approach, which he thought was being too concerned with making money. This was both through constantly encouraging free players to pay the membership fee, and by employing the most lucrative forms of advertising (namely video advertisements). He described this as "simply wrong, not in the spirit of the free game, absolutely wrong".
“ The problem was, a year or so ago, there was -- let me say confusion, as a subtle word -- as to what part of the business was important. I expect the CEO’s focus was just sort of on the profit and loss column, and all of the attention was sort of on "members members members and members conversions" and getting free players to convert to Members by putting members hooks in the free game. Unfortunately that had a really negative effect on the community, as you've taken what was an epic entirely free game and turned it into a sort of demo for the members game which was never the idea.

So unfortunately we had a year where we did that. One of my first orders of business in February was ripping that part out. There are various things we did to “monetize” the free players. Such as serving long-standing free players video ads. Something like 10 or 15 seconds. Which whilst profitable was simply wrong, not in the spirit of the free game, absolutely wrong.
”

— Mark Gerhard, [17]

Gerhard had said when he took over as CEO in February that video ads "generate significantly more revenue than other adverts", but that they were "annoying to the point it was putting [free players] off playing", which is why he scrapped them immediately[18].

Jagex Starts Publishing 3rd Party Games

UK-based Jagex, developer of the popular free-to-play MMORPG RuneScape, is publishing a third-party developed title for the first time in its history, according to a report in the Cambridge News. "With the strongest pipeline of new games and updates in our history, we're on track to cement our position as one of the fastest growing games companies in the world," commented Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard, who promised "big plans" for 2010. "2010 is set to be our most successful year to date, with more world class browser games, the publishing of War of Legends, our first third-party developed title, and building on the success of our first iPhone game Bounce Down," he added. Jagex has an official website for War of Legends that describes the online multiplayer title as "free strategy game." The game's official Twitter account says the game is real-time and has "a mix of 3D isometric and 2D graphics." The game's developer is currently undisclosed. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26791/RuneScape_House_Jagex_Enters_ThirdParty_Publishing.php

'Microtransactions' for virtual goods add up for free online games

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY
A few virtual weapons here, a few avatar outfits there, and pretty soon you're talking about real — not virtual — money. Having first appeared in free-to-play online games in China and Southeast Asia, virtual goods and game enhancements paid for in small purchases called microtransactions have become a billion-dollar boon for U.S. online game publishers. The newest game with microtransactions is War of Legends, from the makers of online hit RuneScape. But unlike RuneScape, which is free but has subscriptions (starting at $5.95 a month) that give players access to premium areas, War of Legends is a free game that lets players buy virtual goods and upgrades to enhance their experiences.http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2010-01-19-games19_ST_N.htm

Here Come the Chinese - Part 2

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704081704574653430020773954.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalTechnology_LEFTTop
Shanda buys a game studio ...

What is a Chief Revenue Officer?

... this guy is one: http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2010/01/arkadium-hires-dan-hart.html
Vested in both casual gaming and advergaming, Arkadium today said it had hired Dan Hart to be its new Chief Revenue Officer. In his new role, Hart will build upon monetization strategies introduced by the company in 2009 designed to build the company's client base, game library, and development expertise. Hart will also be responsible for spearheading Arkadium's social gaming strategy. "2010 is a year of opportunities and significant growth for Arkadium...We're excited to bring Dan on board to further develop and push our social gaming and monetization strategies to the next level," Kenny Rosenblatt, CEO of Arkadium said.

Hart joins Arkadium's executive team with more than 12 years of experience in games and interactive media and entertainment, most recently as SVP and GM of MTV Digital where he oversaw all operational aspects of MTV.com. Hart also served as VP of Online Games Strategy and Operations for the Digital Music and Media group at MTV Networks. Prior to MTV Networks, Hart worked in Yahoo!'s Entertainment Group, heading up Yahoo! Games.

Welcome to the World's Most Massive Virtual World For Kids

So they have 50k registered users ... maybe this tag line a little misleading - no? http://www.wiglingtonandwenks.com/

Will Fruugo Last 2010?

Or will they die? A mill goes pretty damn quick these days ... check http://eu.techcrunch.com/2009/10/30/finnish-startup-fruugo-avoids-meltdown-with-approx-e1-million-in-bridge-funding/
Fruugo CEO Juha Usva recently told press that the company’s financial situation was ‘tight’ and that they were having more trouble finding capital because of the recession than anticipated.

This is what Usva just informed me by e-mail:

“Fruugo recently arranged a share issue, directed to existing shareholders. With this we raised sufficient funding to continue working on some other arrangements, but in practise the fund raising continues. From business perspective, we have now moved to an active business mode, and are building the scope gradually (from category and geographical perspective). Things are moving to a good direction, and we are looking forward to successful remaining of the year and 2010.”

Are TweeHouse & Eco Rangers Dead?

Paavo Perttula formerly of Valve was behind this new virtual world called Eco Rangers . Checking in it seems their last public communication was way back in May 2009 http://www.tweehouse.com/blog/ Does this mean the venture is kaput? Where did the 350,000 euro in Tekes (Finnish Tax Payer Money) go?

Philip Rosedale's 2 Taos's

.. compare:
Love Machine Inc. Tao http://www.lovemachineinc.com/jobs/
Our Tao
Transparency
. We will commit to systems and practice that give all team members a well-developed sense of what is going on, how everyone else is doing, and where we are going. This will include things like using messaging systems that show us all day-to-day what is getting done and who is doing it, as well as completely open compensation tables, financials, and company communication. Time is of the essence, and transparency is not achieved unless this information is being widely and frequently consumed.

Believe in the market
. Wherever possible, encourage a process in which internal markets allow multiple buyers and sellers to compete to create the best product or solution. Also, accept that in most cases, the wisdom of a large number of people is better than yours. Though markets and democracy have lots of problems, they are nowhere near as bad as the alternatives, and their advantages grow the more rapidly changing the external conditions become.

No Fear
. Take real chances, and fortune will favor you. Lose your fear and you will see things clearly. Confront, expose, experience, and transcend your own weaknesses. Fear is the mind-killer, and it enslaves us most of the time and influences most of our decisions. Rage not against the machines, rage against fear.

Do it with style
. This is a zen thing. If you are chasing only the results – money, fame, whatever, you cannot operate at the highest level of quality and output. If you already knew you had won, how would you do it? That’s the right way. Have fun.

Love is the answer.
Everything presented above will lead you astray unless your actions come from love. Love is the most subtle and complex emotion. It can be experienced at peak intensity only with the full power of the human intellect and in the calm of a fearless and lucid mind. The direction of evolution is toward love. Hence the company name.

To Linden Lab's Tao: http://lindenlab.com/about/tao'

Vision and Mission
It's our mission to connect us all to an online world that advances the human condition.Close Quote

Or in other words, we are working to create an online world having the exceptional property that it advances the capabilities of the many people that use it, and by doing so affects and transforms them in a positive way. Read "The Mission of Linden Lab" blog post for more info.

Company Principles

Work Together.

We are engaged in a wildly ambitious and complex endeavor. We need to take on risk and accept the occasional failure. But we dream, stumble and win only together. This requires a level of creative collaboration you won't find in many companies. You must not only respect but actively seek out differing views, and then find closure after dissent to move forward together. When you look back, do so to find ways to improve rather than to blame.

Walk in our Residents' shoes.

We are blessed by some of the most informed, passionate, committed customers imaginable. They are our reason for being, they are our world, and we call them Residents. They are an insuperable source of advantage and an awesome responsibility. In every choice you make, consider how your choice will impact their experience.

Good People Make Good Choices . . . and vice versa.

There's love in the spirit of our mission, the enjoyment we take in each others' company, the style and humor we have at our best. We're here because we're open to all the wonders of the world and the goodness in each other; even the cynics among us harbor the begrudging belief that all things are possible. This is a place where you can be you, and we ask you to make the choices that enable your colleagues to bring out the best in themselves.

Be thoughtful and transparent.

We build trust through transparent and open communication. Be prolific in your communication but thoughtful, and remember that context is key. Report on your progress regularly and in language that benefits the widest possible range of your colleagues. You are responsible for ensuring that your messages reach your intended audience - make sure your signal does not become noise.

No Politics.

Sharing our mission requires that you honor this rule at all times: Never act to advance your own interests or someone else's interests at the expense of the interests of the company.

PG LUV's ClustrMaps

Why don't they have a premium service they charge for? Or link people together ... great service!
---------------------------
Dear ClustrMaps user,

Many thanks for being a loyal ClustrMaps user for the past year. Now that a year has elapsed since your account xxxxxx was registered or archived, we are writing just to let you know that an annual automatic 'archive' of your red dots has taken place, meaning that all your 'other' (previous) red dots are safely stored in the Maps Archive, which you'll find by clicking on the Maps Archive link immediately above your large full-size world map.

Get a Look at LEGO Universe in Las Vegas - BOOOOOOOOOOOORING

Las Vegas, site of the annual Consumer Electronics Show will be the venue for the first public showing of LEGO Universe. The game, due this year, is being produced by dev studio Net Devil; it will have both a subscription and opt-in microtransaction revenue model. Better have interactive toys or DUUUUUUUUHHHH

YAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

How VISA Rips Us Off

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/05visa.html?em

Good luck in the New Year

... Dear Readers & Clients! If you want to make money in 2010, contact PaymentGuy@GMAIL.COM.

Or just go fishing ...

Sulake CTO Gets Testy

Check the exchange generated by http://www.arcticstartup.com/2009/12/17/sulake-fires-28-and-signals-plans-for-facebook/#more-12029;

Sulka
6 days 15 hours ago

“There are no plans on when they will be releasing the application to other countries.”

How about a day before this was published? :)
Reply
#
Osma Ahvenlampi
6 days ago

“environment isn’t all that lively inside the company”

Guys, you need to try and check your facts a bit better. How about ASK first? Sure, we’re a lot smaller now, and miss our colleagues, but… Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Twitter, MSN Live connectivity (some in UK-only testing), completely new virtual pets with gaming features (biggest feature launched since the whole Flash rewrite), a new virtual goods marketplace (UK testing), launching new stuff every two weeks (twice as frequently as before).. the list goes on. Sometimes it takes painful actions to make a transformation.
Reply

Antti Vilpponen
5 days 23 hours ago

Sulka and Osma, thanks for the comments. Osma, I did not get stuck in the negatives of the story as I undestand they are all natural parts of the process – just as I mentioned in the post. Congrats on the new things coming out, great to hear things are moving forward!

Sulake Shrinks By +28

Good coverage of Sulake's "transition" at Arctic Startup Blog:

Back in October we wrote about the negotiations Sulake was having with its employees about reducing the work force. The plan back then was to reduce the workforce by 20%, which would have meant something along the lines of 40 people. They ended up sacking 28 people, to cut costs, and thus stayed well below the initial plan of 20%. Juhani Lassila, their Communication Exec stated in the Finnish M&M article that the current restructuring and cuts have dramatically improved their profitability. While 28 people were fired, I’ve heard from close sources that others have left the company of their own will and the environment isn’t all that lively inside the company. This of course is completely natural when a startup that has grown to a multinational gaming house has its first real employee negotiations and ends up cutting its workforce by this much. Not all things are bad. The Finnish teen power house has revealed plans to integrate Habbo Hotel deeper into Facebook with their new FB application. The application is a simple port of the real Habbo Hotel. Sulake has also finally included the Facebook login on their Habbo Hotel sites globally, which means there’s a shot at better registration conversions as people have a quick way to sign-up. I have to say that it does amaze me how long it has taken Sulake to go forwards with this step. Sulake is currently piloting the Facebook application in the UK market, however not limiting it artificially to UK users only. You can find it in Facebook and test it out for yourself. The application has over 40 000 monthly users which is a clear sign that the plan to integrate into Facebook works. There are no plans on when they will be releasing the application to other countries. It might not matter in the end as most of the innovative users no doubt have already found it and have started building their presence there. http://www.arcticstartup.com/2009/12/17/sulake-fires-28-and-signals-plans-for-facebook/#more-12029

Women Tire of Credit Cards

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091222005113&newsLang=en

What is WePay?

So what exactly does WePay do that PayPal can’t? The difference stems from the way payment accounts are set up. With PayPal, your account is tied to your name, without any way to separate the payments associated with your soccer team from those of your fraternity or your own personal transactions. On WePay, you can create a unique, FDIC insured account for each of these. The account is still associated with your name, but you can keep each group account totally separate. This gives you much more freedom than you’d have otherwise. If you want to share your fraternity’s transaction history with the entire group, you can do that without having to worry about a personal transaction ever popping up. The site comes with controls for specifying who can have access to these histories. There’s much more to WePay, of course. The site can also fully manage the payments to and from each of these accounts. If you need to collect money from your soccer team, you can automatically shoot an Email to each player informing them how much they owe. They can pay immediately through the website using a credit card or direct account transfer, or they can submit a check. If they don’t pay soon, the site will automatically remind them a few days later. If you’re managing a WePay account, you can also sign up to receive a special WePay credit card that draws directly from the shared account. WePay makes money by charging a 3.5% transaction fee (there’s also a different plan that charges 50 cents per transaction and limits you on the methods of payment you can accept). WePay looks like it could be a winner. The company is solving a problem that nearly everyone has had to deal with, and they’ve got a proven way to make money doing it. Look for their launch early next year. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/23/wepay-group-payments/

Cash is King ...

"On PayPal, eBay's online payment unit, the number of cash gifts through PayPal Send Money grew 164% from June to December. Start-up Lottay.com, an online gift-giving service that is a partner of PayPal, says the number of cash gifts given through its site has increased eight times since November, to 1,043 in December. This month, Lottay users requested $11.2 million in cash.

In a consumer survey, money transfer giant Western Union concluded cash is the most desirable holiday gift this year. More than half the respondents, 53%, said they knew someone who preferred cash to pay for daily expenses, such as gas and groceries. "The best gifts are the ones most wanted and needed, and this year, that gift is cash," says Jorge Consuegra, senior vice president of U.S. product management at Western Union. That notion is borne out by the Consumer Reports holiday shopping poll. The most common gifts consumers plan on giving this season are gift cards (46%), money (44%) and toys (42%). The cash dash does not end there. Online payments provider eBillme says another major trend is paying for gifts with cash and debit cards.

"Consumers are going back to basics: They are using cash across the board," says eBillme CEO Marwan Forzley. Credit card spending on holiday presents is down $100 a person as consumers increasingly buy gifts with more cash and debit cards, says Ed Farrell, director of market research for Consumer Reports. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2009-12-23-cash-gifts_N.htm

Consumer Payment Method Survey - Very Good

"The average consumer has 5.1 of the nine instruments, and uses 4.2 in a typical month. Consumers make 53 percent of their monthly payments with a payment card (credit, debit, and prepaid). More consumers now have debit cards than credit cards, and consumers use debit cards more often than cash, credit cards, or checks individually. Cash, checks, and other paper instruments are still popular and account for 37 percent of consumer payments." http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/ppdp/2009/ppdp0910.htm

Merry Christmas!

Koreans Dump Second Life

Barunson Games, Linden Lab's business partner responsible for localizing the service for Korean market announced on November 13 that they are giving up Second Life Korea, citing that the service has failed to attract the interest of Korean users. Korea, along with Japan, has been notoriously difficult market to break into for many global online service companies, as their local markets remain heavily guarded by the home-grown online powerhouses. It is doubtful, however, if those western online brands did enough to understand and assimilate into the unique local cultures. In the case of Second Life, Koreans have already been enjoying their own virtual realities in the form of Lineage and other online games. The target market of Second Life Korea has largely overlapped with those online gamers--the male online users in their 20's to 30's.For those groups basking in their own brand of virtual space, Linden Lab might have had a better chance in Seoul if they redesigned Second Life as an interactive game space, where users are allowed to play with some elements more attuned to the real-life narratives. What about Monopoly reincarnated as an massively distributed online games?

Linden Lab has instead slapped in their face another brutal virtual reality, whereas Korean gamers were searching for an escape from the harsh reality of daily life, as J.C. Herz noted in her Wired article five years ago. Looking back, the default setting of Second Life's party style virtual stages, where users are roaming around looking for a potential date, friend or partner, looked and felt quite strange to many Koreans from the very start. If you really want to get connected with new friends here, you and other attendees would usually sit around the dinner table and drink soju together for hours. That is how you make new friends in Seoul. http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=437657&no=385825&rel_no=1

Metaplace Closes

Metaplace, the brainchild of former Sony Online Entertainment creative exec Raph Koster, will cease service effective January 1, 2010. In a message to users, Koster wrote, "Unfortunately, over the last few months it has become apparent that Metaplace as a consumer user-generated content service is not gaining enough traction to be a viable product, requiring a strategic shift for our company." Metaplace with throw itself one last party, in-world, on New Year's Day; the company will then transition to another format, something Koster has yet to detail. The company will cease billing of users immediately and refund fees paid for virtual items and subscriptions paid in December. Metaplace, an open platform for creating virtual worlds, spawned over 70,000 individual worlds. All that comes to an end in just over a week.

Zong Wins

Zong received Frost & Sullivan's 2009 Best Practices Award for New Product Innovation in the Mobile Payments category. "Zong was the clear winner in the mobile payments category, as they delivered a smooth and flexible payment mechanism -- evidence to Frost & Sullivan of their ability as a company to innovate and continue to penetrate their market." Frost & Sullivan is a research and consulting firm that covers 10 industries and 31 markets, and maintains 31 offices with more than 1,700 industry consultants, market research analysts, technology analysts, and economists globally.

NOKIA Money Is A Winner

Nokia Money, the new mobile financial service, was awarded as a world-changing idea for 2010 by Wallpaper* Magazine and Wolff-Olins on December 15, in London. The “Top 10 innovations from 2009 that will succeed in 2010- award” is granted to the key trends and changes for the year ahead, identified by a senior level of selected panel of judges. Out of 400 submissions 40 were selected for the final round and the winning 10 are being published in Wallpaper January, 2010 issue. Check the YouTube demo here;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huv689YaPCM

mPayy Launches Free Android Mobile Pay App

mPayy has announced the availability of its mobile payments application in the Android marketplace for all phones that run the Android operating system. mPayy says it "enables free person-to-person payments between members, and low cost merchant processing through its new Android application." There are no costs for opening an mPayy account or making payments. Personal account-holders can receive free mobile payments while small business account-holders pay merchant processing fees.

NOKIA Needs to Do This Too

http://www.kzero.co.uk/blog/?p=3602
UK-based Little World Gifts is developing a range of virtual goods available for gifting to others. The virtual goods are all 3D and allow the recipients to interact with them. The iPhone app is being released this month (ready for Xmas) and will also have Facebook integration, tapping into the $40m virtual gifting revenue stream.