E-Mail 'SpotON3D changes name, denies bankrupcy rumors' To A Friend

9 Comments

1. 

   I didn’t want to write something about this after I saw it first on the SO3D newsletter and blog, but I’m really glad someone else thinks about this similarly. After all, I haven’t heard about the alleged “rumour” of SO3D closing, but their denial, especially combined with the rebranding of the apparently toxic SO3D brand makes it a lot more plausible than anything that rumour could’ve said. 

   tl;dr: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiIP_KDQmXs

   1. 

      I hadn’t heard the rumor, either. And Googling doesn’t turn anything up. (For me, at least.) There’s no private SpotON3D forum that I know of, other than the Facebook group. 

      Maybe it was a … gasp! … old-timey word of mouth rumor. I have heard of such things, back when I was just a wee child, walking to school through the snow, uphill each way…

2. 

   I think SpotON3D has fumbled at every turn. Starting with their PR. I first heard about it in an sl interview video and was turned off right away by the snobbish attitude of the owner (a women who’s name I have now managed to forget). Since then they have filed for the patents which caused a minor uproar and now this. People normally don’t like change. And this name change is not a necessity then why do it? They really need a good PR person in my opinion. They seem to hide out and the only time I hear about them it’s something bad. (btw, I know I am notorious for changing but I am not trying to make money or run a business so people are kind enough to forgive me for all of my changes)
   Also in your “Take Precautions” section you managed to leave out the worst case of Legend City Online that just left people high and dry. Maybe because  Melanie Thielker (Avination owner) was such a big part of that grid that people don’t seem to want to talk about it and her part in it. So it just does not get mentioned at all .But Legend City Online screwed over so many people that had invested alot of time, effort and money and just left them hanging. 

   1. 

      Legend City was mostly before my time, as was Giant Grid and some of the other early experiments. I heard about them, but you know, the first time someone tries to do a commercial grid, they’re going to make a lot of mistakes — nobody has ever done it before. So there’s bound to be a learning curve at the start, and it may take a few tries to get it right.

      It doesn’t help that early OpenSim grids were often founded and run by technologists, not community organizers. The community is where the value-add comes in. The community is why people pay a premium over bare land from a hosting company. A premium grid requires a premium community — and premium content is just a very small part of it. You need events, you need celebrities, you need groups and games and activities and social hot spots and tons of other stuff to give people a reason to stay there. You come and ooh and aah at a build once. You stay for the people. 

      1. 

         GiantGrid was such pretty place. The builds in the public sims were wonderful. I didn’t like some of their policies so I didn’t stay there long but they had put a lot of work into it. And I don’t think many people (if any)had invested in it when they closed down. Legend City had made claims and promises and that is the reason that I am so upset about what they did. I never trust promises anymore and it pays to do background checks on the grids and their owners so you know what type of business they are likely to run. 
         I haven’t heard anything really tainted about SpotOn3D. I just, personally, was put off by the interview and snobbish attitude that I saw early on. First impressions are important and you just never know who might be seeing or hearing about your grid for the first time. It’s a very public business and they have to be on top of their PR all the time. They just aren’t (in my opinion).

         1. 

            There was a great Dilbert cartoon about marketing promises — what’s deceptive advertising to one person, to another person is optimism. 

            Here’s the strip: http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2001-11-19/

            (I love the web!)

            The thing is, the first person to start a grid doesn’t know what’s possible and what isn’t. They may be very optimistic about what they plan to deliver — then find out that they can’t. And so you end up with a lot of angry and disappointed people.

            Venture capitalists know this. They invest in a lot of different companies, and hope that one of them makes it.

            I’ve sat in on a bunch of investment pitch meetings in various industries, and the primary thing you look for is a strong team, with a balanced set of business skills. You pretty much ignore the promises — especially with a new and innovative product, they’re pulling all the numbers out of a hat, anyway. But with a strong team, when obstacles come up, they’re able to adjust and deal with them. 

            Right now, InWorldz has a strong team, with a mix of strengths.

            SpotON3D has an unbalanced team — stronger on legal and technical but very weak on marketing and business management. 

            Most other OpenSim startups, however, have no team at all — just one guy or gal with strong technical skills. 

            It’s always a good idea to have partners that complement your abilities. Too often, however, founders tend to look for partners who are as much like them as possible. And so when they disagree, they disagree on areas in which each one feels that they’re strongest. With complementary skills, you can defer to the partner with the expertise in that area without loss of face, and without the business exploding.

            1. 

                I loved that dilbert strip. Cracked me up. 

3. 

   “more professional looking” – in order to look more professional perhaps they should BE more professional . . .

4. 

   IT is sad to see  how a once great reporter has stooped so low into what we expect, the DLISTED category of reporting, It is sad to see a once known reporters now obviously grasping at name calling for attention to this state thanks for enlightening me, once a fellow watcher and reader. -shakes head and walks away-