This has been a long standing debate about the purpose of Second Life. I was told some TV show last night did a spoof on metaverses resulting in a kidnapping which was far fetched and few from my knowledge but, hey, I could be wrong. This is personal experience here and even opinion so walk with me for a moment.
So....when does this platform become real...the minute you log on. This is a mere platform of operation. NOT a game. A game is where you play a character and try to get to some common goal. Even through we do not have our real names in Second Life, our second lives are what we make of them and in MOST cases are a reflection of who we are.
For instance, I am Goth/Punk/Demon in SL. I could NEVER pull that off RL. I am always in two piece suits and pumps in RL while I may be in a mini skirt and hooker pumps in SL. It's my release I guess. Who I am in SL is pretty close to me in RL personality wise but I think I am much nicer in SL. And I will be the first to admit that if I get upset in SL, I am cussing and fussing RL or something worse depending on what it is. I have thrown a few items before. So...let's look at that.....games do spark emotion....but at that point, is it still a game?
Keep walking and let me know if I need to slow down. Money - I spent my rent money in SL to start L&L Rentals and Sales and with personal investments, I made that back and have a residual of a little more than $500 USD a month above and beyond business assets. That is pennies compared to the time I spend in SL on business. I would say I spend 70 hours a week either in world or doing SL related business so that means I make a wopping $1.78/hour. WOOT!! Retirement here I come. However, this extra income pays bills....is this still a game?
You're dragging behind me a little...grab my hand to keep up. Friendship - I was sick last week and the IMs and emails I got checking up on me were enormous and heartfelt. I swear I never knew that many people actually gave a hoot. I cried on a shoulder or two. I whined and sighed on voice. I have even taken a few of my SL friends into my RL via telephone, yahoo, MSN, Google Talk, or AOL. Just to name a few of my list that I may talk to more in RL than SL (not necessarily about RL):
Luke Birdbrain **
Severus Seversky **
Pieter Seelowe *
Janvier Redgrave *
Orillion Writer*
SelesteMxx Maxsted
Winter Mendes
Skitzo Rolls
LukeConnell Vandeverre
Bogart Beck
Rob Anatine
Two stars means I care about them tons, one star is really good friends, and no stars are aquaintances or business. I can honestly say that I would not still be in SL if it had not been for the other L in L&L, Luke Birdbrain. So we ended the marriage....I got a great friend and business partner out of the deal and I am sure he feels the same way. There are a few people in SL that have make me giddy and there are a few that have made me hurt and cry......is this still a game?
Last stop, I promise. I know your feet are tired. Education - I came into SL knowing a good bit about business and personal stocks but oh my what I have learned about running a public company. I am not quite the idiot but if you had asked me what GAAP compliant meant a few months ago, I would have just said "what?" over and over until you stopped asking me (and I still might do that now). I had to Google NAV and still have problems calculating it from time to time. I ask a ton of questions and listen to a lot of people talk to learn things. I have probably learned more mySQL from having to crash course to run the bank than I would in class......really, is this still a game?
There is a thin line between fantasy and reality and SL crosses it, spanks it, and buries it under ground. How you cross that line is your business but realize that this is NOT a game, not matter how you "play" it.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Next time I warn you, LISTEN....
Ok, people...SLMS should not be a surprise to CapEx nor even AVIX and let me tell you why.
About a month before JTF bought AVIX, I noticed a tremendous flux in SLMS and I believe that was the day AVIX halted them but I noticed this standing trend of high dollar activity but never saw the company do much. I IMed Maelstrom and expressed my concern and of course was brushed off as coincedence. I knew then...which I believe that was in July, that this was going to be an issue.
Soooo further more, as my FIRST order of business as President of CapEx, I scanned the transaction history of Fresh and noticed something that isn't illegal but ethically wrong, CEO daytrading of personal holdings. Buys and Sells all over the place. And of course I went to the management team and was again brushed off.
Now, here we are a month later, no Fresh....Hate to say I told you so but I did.
Every fraud from WSE, to AVIX, to ISE, Vstex, to CapEx that I have called has been true. I called XAN, WED, SEX, TSF, CGI, IBM, and a few others MONTHS ago. And beyond my "sight" (I will tell you guys about that another day), I notice and watch everything and the slightest change could mean the biggest scam.
Here are a few things to look for to spot these scam IPOs and when a company is going awry.
1. Company name - Is it too catchy? I mean for instance...SEX. Too eye catching. Most would think this is a dumb assumption but the average con artist is looking to grab your attention the fastest way possible.
2. Price flux - Did a large investor dump and why? Who is the investor? Do they have insider information that the rest of the market does not know about?
3. Communication - Well this is a gimme. Are they always free to answer questions or do you have to offline them a lot? Do they talk a lot in IMs but rarely post openly? Failure to communicate openly but with tremendous IM activity says fear.
4. Other SL activity - This one has a huge grey area but still has a lot of validity. What else does this person do in SL besides business? Their sim holdings are nothing but what about friends, family, personal interests? Believe it or not, personal interests in SL show a more valid CEO than one that is strictly business. Why? If the business fails, they can easily leave. It's just a game to them....
5. Tenure - So...you have been in SL for how long and you already know this? Smells like an alt to me. Nuff said there.
This is just some regular people stuff to look at for the moment.....this is above and beyond simple due diligence. This is recognizing the patterns. Classic psychology with an emphasis on con artists.
P.S. As far as SLMS, this one was not CapEx's fault. There is no way management could have known this was the issue as this started long before JTF was even slated to buy AVIX. Yet another failure of Investor Allen that someone else takes the fall for....
About a month before JTF bought AVIX, I noticed a tremendous flux in SLMS and I believe that was the day AVIX halted them but I noticed this standing trend of high dollar activity but never saw the company do much. I IMed Maelstrom and expressed my concern and of course was brushed off as coincedence. I knew then...which I believe that was in July, that this was going to be an issue.
Soooo further more, as my FIRST order of business as President of CapEx, I scanned the transaction history of Fresh and noticed something that isn't illegal but ethically wrong, CEO daytrading of personal holdings. Buys and Sells all over the place. And of course I went to the management team and was again brushed off.
Now, here we are a month later, no Fresh....Hate to say I told you so but I did.
Every fraud from WSE, to AVIX, to ISE, Vstex, to CapEx that I have called has been true. I called XAN, WED, SEX, TSF, CGI, IBM, and a few others MONTHS ago. And beyond my "sight" (I will tell you guys about that another day), I notice and watch everything and the slightest change could mean the biggest scam.
Here are a few things to look for to spot these scam IPOs and when a company is going awry.
1. Company name - Is it too catchy? I mean for instance...SEX. Too eye catching. Most would think this is a dumb assumption but the average con artist is looking to grab your attention the fastest way possible.
2. Price flux - Did a large investor dump and why? Who is the investor? Do they have insider information that the rest of the market does not know about?
3. Communication - Well this is a gimme. Are they always free to answer questions or do you have to offline them a lot? Do they talk a lot in IMs but rarely post openly? Failure to communicate openly but with tremendous IM activity says fear.
4. Other SL activity - This one has a huge grey area but still has a lot of validity. What else does this person do in SL besides business? Their sim holdings are nothing but what about friends, family, personal interests? Believe it or not, personal interests in SL show a more valid CEO than one that is strictly business. Why? If the business fails, they can easily leave. It's just a game to them....
5. Tenure - So...you have been in SL for how long and you already know this? Smells like an alt to me. Nuff said there.
This is just some regular people stuff to look at for the moment.....this is above and beyond simple due diligence. This is recognizing the patterns. Classic psychology with an emphasis on con artists.
P.S. As far as SLMS, this one was not CapEx's fault. There is no way management could have known this was the issue as this started long before JTF was even slated to buy AVIX. Yet another failure of Investor Allen that someone else takes the fall for....
World Stock Exchange - The Silent Killer
I called it and by golly I called it right. If WSE, was to survive the MDS scandal, it would outlast most in the financial sector. While the hooplah over WSE seems to have diminished and it seeming to be a ghost town, this is not the case. This silent killer is still going....not as strong as before but still going nonetheless. And don't misconstrue what I mean by killer. I mean that in a good way. Having my first SL company listed on WSE got me to thinking and I did a little research and came up with a few differences that sets WSE apart from every other exchange ever created in Second Life. First, let's talk platform, then we will talk managment.
Platform...
1. WSE operates like a RL stock exchange. No bells and whistles with extra promises. No fraud funds and investor whining (don't shoot me). It's just business. Straight forward business.
There is an extreme importance here. Some exchanges have focused so hard on playing the "honest" card (even when it's just a front), they have forgotten about the core business and have suffered for it. True enough, WSE may delist like mad eventually but, bottom line, THIS is how a real stock exchange runs. The NYSE doesn't compensate shareholders. It's an at risk business but most don't understand or want to understand that. Of course the NYSE works with the SEC to validate in an attempt to diminish risk but that is a subject for another blog.
2. Extremely user friendly and pretty web interface with just about everything automated.
I waited for the graphs and YAY I got it. I admit, for me its more aesthetics but for statiticians, it is awesome. The applications are streamlined with a built in portal for financial reporting that automatically calculates for you. SL Account integration is available as well to make reporting that much easier. I would say the communication avenues are a bit substandard but that is secondary stuff. And you can even have your coffee in a WSE branded mug. How cool!
3. Investor base.
First one in. Pretty much, it's like all the other auctions sites going up against eBay. eBay is crud in my opinion but they have the customer base that no one else does. WSE has not only the first large group of investors but the addition of Ginko customers in its base. Granted someone is so jaded by Ginko that they may not actually invest but at least the potential is there.
Okay so lets move along to management....
While there seems to be others, from my view, it's a one man show. LukeConnell Vandeverre. People say what they must and fall out with him, myself included, but I have to respect his position here. Yeah, he can be quite pompous but at the same time, he has every reason to be. He presented a successful business and started a trend that wasn't existant for the most part. Kudos for the introduction of the publicly owned corporate simulation in Second Life. And for obvious reasons it is called a simulation.
The man throws his weight around and keeps the most influential people in his grasps. Smart man. Don't make enemies with the choir when you need them to preach your sermon. And he gets rid of the opposers....not too sure I agree with that one but everyone has a right to their opinion and everyone also has a right not to listen to it. It's his company. Let him run it.
I have my issues and may do a few things differently but at the same time, don't stop something that is obviously working. Is WSE falling behind the scenes and we don't know about it? Quite possibly but I highly doubt it. I think this is solid. At least for the time being. All the BS is gone and WSE runs business as usual. Of course the market volume is low for VARIOUS reasons but we are all suffering from the market crunch. It's survival of the fittest right now and we will see who will be around come December.
Good luck WSE and LukeConnell.....
Platform...
1. WSE operates like a RL stock exchange. No bells and whistles with extra promises. No fraud funds and investor whining (don't shoot me). It's just business. Straight forward business.
There is an extreme importance here. Some exchanges have focused so hard on playing the "honest" card (even when it's just a front), they have forgotten about the core business and have suffered for it. True enough, WSE may delist like mad eventually but, bottom line, THIS is how a real stock exchange runs. The NYSE doesn't compensate shareholders. It's an at risk business but most don't understand or want to understand that. Of course the NYSE works with the SEC to validate in an attempt to diminish risk but that is a subject for another blog.
2. Extremely user friendly and pretty web interface with just about everything automated.
I waited for the graphs and YAY I got it. I admit, for me its more aesthetics but for statiticians, it is awesome. The applications are streamlined with a built in portal for financial reporting that automatically calculates for you. SL Account integration is available as well to make reporting that much easier. I would say the communication avenues are a bit substandard but that is secondary stuff. And you can even have your coffee in a WSE branded mug. How cool!
3. Investor base.
First one in. Pretty much, it's like all the other auctions sites going up against eBay. eBay is crud in my opinion but they have the customer base that no one else does. WSE has not only the first large group of investors but the addition of Ginko customers in its base. Granted someone is so jaded by Ginko that they may not actually invest but at least the potential is there.
Okay so lets move along to management....
While there seems to be others, from my view, it's a one man show. LukeConnell Vandeverre. People say what they must and fall out with him, myself included, but I have to respect his position here. Yeah, he can be quite pompous but at the same time, he has every reason to be. He presented a successful business and started a trend that wasn't existant for the most part. Kudos for the introduction of the publicly owned corporate simulation in Second Life. And for obvious reasons it is called a simulation.
The man throws his weight around and keeps the most influential people in his grasps. Smart man. Don't make enemies with the choir when you need them to preach your sermon. And he gets rid of the opposers....not too sure I agree with that one but everyone has a right to their opinion and everyone also has a right not to listen to it. It's his company. Let him run it.
I have my issues and may do a few things differently but at the same time, don't stop something that is obviously working. Is WSE falling behind the scenes and we don't know about it? Quite possibly but I highly doubt it. I think this is solid. At least for the time being. All the BS is gone and WSE runs business as usual. Of course the market volume is low for VARIOUS reasons but we are all suffering from the market crunch. It's survival of the fittest right now and we will see who will be around come December.
Good luck WSE and LukeConnell.....
Where did it all go wrong? The Investor Allen story...
As intriguing as this story is, I had not be able to make a comment on SL CapEx about this whole saga because I was officially silenced by the Chairman himself, Arbitrage Wise. Guess the heat got a little hot in the kitchen so he put me out. So now I breathe this new air of freedom with the lack of bondage since I no longer have to play the corporate puppet. I have severed all ties with SL CapEx outside of LLBT and I like things better this way. I don't get caught up in the bureaucratic BS on the back end but.....moving on here....said my peace on that and that is all I am saying. I look forward to the coming improvements for my shareholders and for myself.
Any who.....this Investor Allen thing is interesting and it goes back to what I had said in the forums. Fraud breeding more fraud. It seems to be an endless cycle with this kid Kyle. That's why I dropped him as a client. I advised him to sell off assets, pay everyone, and STOP DOING BUSINESS IN SL.
This kid won't listen and is about as forthright in his word as a Linden is timely in a support ticket. That's pretty doggone slow. But there is a clear pattern here. A pattern of "i will do what i can to save face no matter what the cost." While the words itself are noble, the methods used here are deplorable.
Allen,
You have lied to us going on a year now and you expect us to have faith in you. Not to mention, you have undisclosed alts that you operate under, you are trying to sell software on something that you sold someone else IP rights to under a FALSE name on the contract, you are selling assets that are not rightfully yours.....when does it end? When do you admit that you screwed up and leave? You won't! You have scammed once, twice, thrice, and are still scamming now. I went out of my way to help you and you still see the dollar. Screw that....next time you will see the bars and at that point I could care less about your age or your family because you aren't caring about anyone elses.
Signed,
The Portfolio of a Mad Black Woman
I wrote off my VCE losses because it was chump change compared to now. But what really amazed me about this kid.....I have never seen someone go from talking about shooting someone to pleading not to go to jail to trying to do another scam with BNT all in a matter of minutes. I muted the simpleton on mere principal of apparent idiocy. Something doesn't sit well with me here and I will be continuing my research to find out these undisclosed alts.
I know you have them Allen and when I finally out you THIS time....I won't be nice about it. You are messing with everyone's business here with your antics...I WANT DAMAGES!!! (laughing so hard on that one....). But seriously, you are disrupting the market here and as a CEO and an investor, explaining isn't going to work.
Plain and simple, I am asking that you not do business in Second Life at all. Pick a new metaverse to scam camp on and leave us be. We got a good thing here and you are pouring salt in the kool-aid. Just pay and go away. PLEASE!
Any who.....this Investor Allen thing is interesting and it goes back to what I had said in the forums. Fraud breeding more fraud. It seems to be an endless cycle with this kid Kyle. That's why I dropped him as a client. I advised him to sell off assets, pay everyone, and STOP DOING BUSINESS IN SL.
This kid won't listen and is about as forthright in his word as a Linden is timely in a support ticket. That's pretty doggone slow. But there is a clear pattern here. A pattern of "i will do what i can to save face no matter what the cost." While the words itself are noble, the methods used here are deplorable.
Allen,
You have lied to us going on a year now and you expect us to have faith in you. Not to mention, you have undisclosed alts that you operate under, you are trying to sell software on something that you sold someone else IP rights to under a FALSE name on the contract, you are selling assets that are not rightfully yours.....when does it end? When do you admit that you screwed up and leave? You won't! You have scammed once, twice, thrice, and are still scamming now. I went out of my way to help you and you still see the dollar. Screw that....next time you will see the bars and at that point I could care less about your age or your family because you aren't caring about anyone elses.
Signed,
The Portfolio of a Mad Black Woman
I wrote off my VCE losses because it was chump change compared to now. But what really amazed me about this kid.....I have never seen someone go from talking about shooting someone to pleading not to go to jail to trying to do another scam with BNT all in a matter of minutes. I muted the simpleton on mere principal of apparent idiocy. Something doesn't sit well with me here and I will be continuing my research to find out these undisclosed alts.
I know you have them Allen and when I finally out you THIS time....I won't be nice about it. You are messing with everyone's business here with your antics...I WANT DAMAGES!!! (laughing so hard on that one....). But seriously, you are disrupting the market here and as a CEO and an investor, explaining isn't going to work.
Plain and simple, I am asking that you not do business in Second Life at all. Pick a new metaverse to scam camp on and leave us be. We got a good thing here and you are pouring salt in the kool-aid. Just pay and go away. PLEASE!
Monday, October 1, 2007
*Cracks knuckles and begins to type* The Financial Sector and the Talons of Plight
Ok....I have been barking about this thing for a few days now and here it is.....the vultures are on the prowl BUT the amount of dead bodies for them to feed on is diminishing. This is for one of two reasons....enhanced due diligence and loss of faith in the virtual market.
Which one of those factors is reigning true? And the winner is...... DUE DILIGENCE....
While a faithful few are saying "to hell" with the virtual exchange many people are starting to do more research. Just like Linden Labs abandonment of its residents, the stock exchanges are abandoning its investors. Is it because they don't care? Doubtful. It is a numbers game with money being the vice grip but in plain and simple terms, exchanges can't afford to bail out investors and that is not the purpose of the platform.
So then, what is the virtual stock exchange? A middle man to trade on and nothing more. The exchanges only responsibility to the market is to make sure that the platform is operational and that they have done the due diligence to allow a company to list. Outside of that, it's not their problem, BUT, we as investors are trying to make it such.
It's the beginning of a bankruptcy waiting to happen if this is the case.....Now I know there are a few in the crowd with a noose ready to string me up so let me step on the other side of this soap box for a moment.
Exchanges usually have a good idea of patterns that don't make sense such as unusual trading days and tremendous price fluxes and day trading from the CEO. Ding Ding Ding! Red flag! Something is wrong here! But, going back to the soap box, what can the exchange do AFTER the IPO has been completed and the money is spent? Is there anything that can be done.....at this point....no....and as much as we as investors want them to do something, they can't.
So....here we are...out of our investment and wanting our money back. Considering RL legal action can open the doors for ALL of us to be fined for trading securities illegally, that is not the way to go.....freezing someone bank account at another institution opens up a whole other door of fraud and privacy issues with the bank to their client...so what the hell do we do?
Here is my suggestion....Linden Labs will only do something when they are bombarded to do it. That is evident from my past experiences. Blanket the support tickets with abuse reports over and over and over again and EVERYONE do it on the same person. Linden Labs has to open their eyes one day and realize their little BETA TEST has become a platform to swindle people from hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Will they say shut down exchanges? Heck no...it's a viable marketing tool for them if they play right in the sandbox. Just like the petition on the Land Bots, maybe we can do something here that will at least ask for some help.
I personally went to LL to start a mentoring group sponsored by LL for the financial sector alone and have been put on the back burner. My voice is loud but I am getting hoarse. Can we all agree to force the hand here?
Which one of those factors is reigning true? And the winner is...... DUE DILIGENCE....
While a faithful few are saying "to hell" with the virtual exchange many people are starting to do more research. Just like Linden Labs abandonment of its residents, the stock exchanges are abandoning its investors. Is it because they don't care? Doubtful. It is a numbers game with money being the vice grip but in plain and simple terms, exchanges can't afford to bail out investors and that is not the purpose of the platform.
So then, what is the virtual stock exchange? A middle man to trade on and nothing more. The exchanges only responsibility to the market is to make sure that the platform is operational and that they have done the due diligence to allow a company to list. Outside of that, it's not their problem, BUT, we as investors are trying to make it such.
It's the beginning of a bankruptcy waiting to happen if this is the case.....Now I know there are a few in the crowd with a noose ready to string me up so let me step on the other side of this soap box for a moment.
Exchanges usually have a good idea of patterns that don't make sense such as unusual trading days and tremendous price fluxes and day trading from the CEO. Ding Ding Ding! Red flag! Something is wrong here! But, going back to the soap box, what can the exchange do AFTER the IPO has been completed and the money is spent? Is there anything that can be done.....at this point....no....and as much as we as investors want them to do something, they can't.
So....here we are...out of our investment and wanting our money back. Considering RL legal action can open the doors for ALL of us to be fined for trading securities illegally, that is not the way to go.....freezing someone bank account at another institution opens up a whole other door of fraud and privacy issues with the bank to their client...so what the hell do we do?
Here is my suggestion....Linden Labs will only do something when they are bombarded to do it. That is evident from my past experiences. Blanket the support tickets with abuse reports over and over and over again and EVERYONE do it on the same person. Linden Labs has to open their eyes one day and realize their little BETA TEST has become a platform to swindle people from hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Will they say shut down exchanges? Heck no...it's a viable marketing tool for them if they play right in the sandbox. Just like the petition on the Land Bots, maybe we can do something here that will at least ask for some help.
I personally went to LL to start a mentoring group sponsored by LL for the financial sector alone and have been put on the back burner. My voice is loud but I am getting hoarse. Can we all agree to force the hand here?
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