Respecting Land Owners in Second Life…

Have you spoken to a few owners of virtual land in Second Life (R) the past month or two? In developing a new media strategy and virtual world presence, we follow the trends as closely as possible, and it is with some distress and a pinch of interest that we listen to the discontent of land owners. Prices of private islands (sims) have been slashed by Linden Lab.

After all, we also used some donated funds to purchase two islands, Virtual Africa and Robben Island, to drive our project in-world - at the original prices. Landowners in Second Life (R) have been the backbone of the the virtual economy, and their investment of (very real) money ensured that the platform grew rapidly since 2003/4. However, it does seem like the devaluation of land by dropping prices of private land will take its toll on the enthusiasm and free enterprise spirit of many of those that have developed the vivid spaces for others to use. I can just imagine what it must feel like to see your investment of time, energy and money disappearing with every new announcement from Linden Lab. Second Life resident Erbo Evans is quite outspoken about the recent developments in his blog: “LL to Island Owners: Drop Dead“.

This is as good opportunity as any to thank one such landowner and pioneer associated with Second Life News Network, Doeko Cassidy (SL): Uthango established its offices at one of Doeko’s beautiful islands, Sunset Commerce after a visit to Ina Centaur (SL) - at the time busy with a building for SLiterary - and we got our first little office in this events centre, next to Jilly Kidd (SL) - who has since moved to Cookie and now drives the popular Meet the Author chat show on the in-world television channel SLCN (Second Life Cable Network). But let me not start with another topic; our own vision related to African literature was shared with these two professionals early in 2007, and we still need to execute it…

So, Uthango wanted a way to establish a visual in-world presence, and we approached the land owner who had the plot next to the first sLiterary building based at Sunset Commerce. I (Alanagh) sold my little privately-owned CapeCod beach house, and bought the prefab office with some Lindens I made from the deal. We still use a year later. Its developer has since founded another virtual world platform! More about that later…

By the end of 2007, Doeko Cassidy agreed to graciously sponsor Uthango by waving our weekly rental and he has been doing that ever since.

Even though we now also have two private islands, we would love to retain the office at Suncet Commerce - it is a lovely environment and we have been visited by many newcomers to Second Life. Sharing the beautiful sim with SL companies such as GRACILE (whose owner made her piece of land available after some negotiation) has only been a pleasure - and not only because the clothes are stunning! Sunset Commerce is not managed heavy-handedly and we get on with the business of being creative.

We hope that the landowners of Second Life (R) will get the respect they deserve for contributing to the growth of the SL platform, and to the overall community, but also for the goodwill that they so often show their tenants and the way they manage to create spaces that have meaning… like Doeko Cassidy, in our own Second Life journey. If you have the broadband connection, and you have the graphic card you need, we invite you to register for Second Life, and to visit our offices at Sunset Commerce:

If you struggle to access Second Life, or do not have the right computer equipment, we invite you to stay in touch with this project here. We continue to pursue ways to address digital divide in realistic ways. There are individuals and companies worldwide that assist us in doing so… we respect their efforts and hope that their role will be recognized and a win-win-win will be crafted as we move forward - between the platform-creator (Linden Lab), the landowners and average Second Life users wishing to have a meaningful experience. Is it too much to ask?

Ps: After all the lessons learned, one of our sims, Robben Island, is set up to host pro-Africa companies, individuals and organisations wishing to have a presence in Second Life. Contact us (preferably via email) for more information.

Cory’s Challenge to Second Life - Public Gain or Organisational Loss??

It was with a sense of usual Second Life excitement - that some great new thing is happening! - that Uthango’s representatives attended the recent introduction of the “Second Life and Public Good” Community Challenge” sponsored by the USC Network Culture Project. On 6 May 2008 Cory Ondrejka, a fellow at USC introduced the challenge and we had all our ears open to hear some groundbreaking news on how the McArthur Foundation plans to facilitate the public good application of virtual worlds.

However, the bigger issue here relates to accountability and the credible use of time and resources of an NGO that operates primarily (as it should!) in the real world. Unless we include the pseudo-charities that have sprung up unregulated in Second Life, but seem to have shrunk in numbers over the past year as more legitimate NGOs made their appearances, the organizations spending public funds need to make a serious cost-benefit analysis to make sense of this challenge. It does ’seem’ like an obvious step for us to participate (at least advocacy-wise), but Uthango is debating this extensively in-house at the moment. Given limited resources (with one executive in-world volunteering 6 hours more a work day and another two staff members in and out on ad hoc basis) and the costs of connectivity, this is not a decision to make quickly - but rather, thoughtfully and in consultation with the community that supports us.

We are glad that there is such initiative and it was certainly embraced by the SL community at the event, and later at the NonProfit Commons meeting, by the organisations represented.

We invite our Second Life Africa members and friends and partners to get in touch and share your thoughts. We have already had some interesting ‘proposals for collaboration’ - some echoing creative earlier ideas that we had, but abandoned due to experience or call it, a ‘reality check’ about the potential of the platform! We will certainly attend the planned information session - which was delightfully enough also quoted in ‘African’ time!

A bit more About the Community Challenge:

We are currently accepting proposals from groups, organizations, or individuals for projects that show how Second Life can enhance, develop, or sustain the public good. The best submissions will be selected based on how well they demonstrate the significance of virtual worlds for making an impact on society or culture.

Up to three finalists will be selected by community vote. The finalists will be provided with a $100,000L per month building stipend (and land, if required) for three months to execute their proposal. The projects will be showcased in Second Life at the State of Play conference to be held in Chicago, October 2008.

Projects may address any social need and could include conservation, human rights and international justice, global peace and security, reproductive health, digital media and learning, or juvenile justice. Proposals should provide a clear description of how the project uses the abilities of Second Life to advance the project goals and should provide clear metrics for assessing the success of the project.

We are not entirely sure if existing projects should be submitted or brand new ideas - maybe those ones that still require funds to see realization? This will be one of the questions that we pose to the organizers.

Your thoughts, welcomed! Watch this space…

‘08 Africa Day in Second Life (R) - Discussion Log

An initiative of Uthango Social Investments - Supported by Orange in Second Life

DISCLAIMER: If ANY of the attendees of this event would like to be removed from the logged conversation, kindly inform us immediately. It is posted here in the interest of sharing the conversation about two important issues with a wider community that do not have access to Second Life (R) or could not attend the event as such. Posting the log of the event (in some places shortened) is not intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable! With the exception of panelists, individuals do not represent the position of their employer, but their personal opinions. Please be in touch…

Due to popular demand from so many people present, we post the discussion log of the (hopefully) annual event AFRICA DAY in SECOND LIFE, serving as a platform to launch ‘Virtual Africa’ and the approach of UTHANGO to virtual worlds…After a year of being in-world, this is just the beginning!

ARRIVING AT ORANGE

CHAT SHORTENED

[10:39] You: please get yourselves some free clothes

[10:40] Herald Jonson: Where can we find the clothes?

[10:40] You: walk with me?

[10:41] Herald Jonson: I’m getting tired of wearing these renaissance duds

[10:41] You shout: Forgive the shouting! The wonderful free clothes are over here on the sides of the stage…

[10:42] Caramba Vella shouts: And all the mean should wear a bubu!

[10:43] Caramba Vella: men! not mean!

[10:43] Herald Jonson: A bubu?

[10:43] Caramba Vella: yes a bubu

[10:43] Caramba Vella: come and get one

[10:43] Alanagh Recreant smiles at Caramba

[10:43] Herald Jonson: I’m game. But what is a bubu?

[10:44] Caramba Vella: see?

[10:44] Caramba Vella: that white outfit would suiy you

[10:44] Herald Jonson: Oh, is that a bubu?

[10:44] Caramba Vella: strictly speaking, no

[10:45] Caramba Vella: but put it on anyway

[10:45] Caramba Vella: the improvement will be ….

[10:45] Caramba Vella: significant

[10:45] Herald Jonson: I feel different

[10:45] Herald Jonson: already

[10:45] Caramba Vella: You ARE differnet

[10:46] Natty Foggarty: very nice moves Ricken!

[10:46] Caramba Vella: OMG

[10:46] Herald Jonson: Oops

[10:47] Herald Jonson: Sorry

[10:47] Herald Jonson: At least I was facing the billboard

[10:47] Ricken Flow: Thank you Natty

[10:47] Caramba Vella: Seen it all before Herald

[10:47] Natty Foggarty: yw!

[10:47] Caramba Vella: those prims round your legs

[10:47] Caramba Vella: have to go too

[10:48] Yesterday Demain: At 11:00 am SLT Discussion “Access to Virtual Worlds in Africa: challenges and opportunities”. Speakers: Herby Olschewski (CEO of AmbiTech Solutions, South Africa), Jason Modlinne (Programme Manager: Internet Solutions)

[10:48] Herald Jonson: Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me

[10:48] Ricken Flow: can’t help but to dance to the great afro-rhythmns!!

[10:50] Fab Outlander: Hi jade

[10:50] Fab Outlander: take a free dress

[10:50] Natty Foggarty: Hi Soly , you look great in boubou!

[10:50] Solylence Houston: hi thank you very much :))

[10:51] You: Herald, I am careful to advice you

[10:51] Natty Foggarty: yw ^^

[10:51] Solylence Houston:

[10:51] Herald Jonson: tHANK YOU!

[10:52] Caramba Vella shouts: Free margaritas here!

PANEL DISCUSSION 1:

“Access to Virtual Worlds: challenges and opportunities.”

[10:57] You: ok, all… thank you so much for coming…

[10:57] Thursday Xu: ty alanagh!

[10:57] You: Sage :)) welcome!

[10:57] Sage Duncan: Hello!

[10:57] Sage Duncan: This is great!

[10:57] Sage Duncan: great

[10:58] You shout: we will start in a few minutes!

[11:01] Herald Jonson: Alanagh, is there to be a discussion now?

[11:01] You: yes, indeed

[11:07] You: many friends and many new faces

[11:07] You: if you click on the box, you will get a notecard with speakers

[11:07] You: for the two discussions

[11:07] Enakai Ultsch: yes stay…..we are to good to miss

[11:08] You: the first talk, will be about Access to Virtual Worlds from/for Africa

[11:08] You: and the challenges and opportunities

[11:08] You: this is an informal dicussion… so we invite questions and comments at the end

[11:10] You: I would like to start with one of our guests here tonight… Affluent Destiny (David Venter) in real world - and the manager of a company dealing with ICT service provision in South Africa

[11:10] You: please join me

[11:10] Affluent Destiny: thank you

[11:11] You: Affluent has been inworld for some time, and has set up a presence for his real world company here in SL

[11:11] You: we will be joined a bit later by ZaGenie Voom (SL) from Ambitech Solutions

[11:12] You: Affluent, can we kick off by sharing with the audience WHY you think it important for an African company to be in virtual worlds?

[11:12] Affluent Destiny: Thank for for the introduction Alanagh, from my part I would just like to welcome everyong to Africa Day here on Orange Island, thank you all for being here!

[11:13] Affluent Destiny: Yes, of course Alanagh…

[11:13] Affluent Destiny: Many companies do not realize this, but having an ‘in-world’ presence opens a lot of doors…

[11:14] Affluent Destiny: Here in the virtual world, companies do not have any restricted area or market… it is easy for them to communicate internationaly, share ideas, and meet in a virtual environment with clients from all over the world

[11:14] Alanagh Recreant nods

[11:15] You: …but yet, I have not seen many African companies here at all…

[11:15] Affluent Destiny: Yes, this is where we face some problems

[11:15] You: We all know there is a series of challenges, but maybe you can point them out a bit…

[11:15] Affluent Destiny: Most African companies cannot afford, or do not have the resources to be able to set up a virtual presence

[11:17] You: can you be a bit more specific… resources?

[11:17] Affluent Destiny: In Africa our main challenge would be connectivity, and of course then we also have the problem of slow connection speeds and limited data usage

[11:17] Alanagh Recreant smiles… sorry

[11:17] Affluent Destiny: There are various ISP’s in Africa; South Africa specifically that are trying to offer these services at much cheaper rates

[11:17] You: Affluent I am aware that you are also the regional reseller for one of the biggest internet providers in South Africa…

[11:18] Enakai Ultsch: the program for the day can be viewed at http://slafrica.wordpress.com/ and the soap boxes the speakers are on has info on them

[11:18] Affluent Destiny: That is correct Alanagh, our aim is to help fellow African Companies set up an ‘in-world’ presence by helping them ‘connect’ at rates which they can afford

[11:19] You: Can you give our audience an idea what is ‘affordable’ ?

[11:19] Eshi Otawara: /hello Enakai

[11:20] Affluent Destiny: Alright, I will give some examples in the ZAR currency here, with some comparisons of what Service Providers in other countries charge

[11:20] Alanagh Recreant listens

[11:21] Affluent Destiny: Over the past few years Broadband services in Africa has become a lot cheaper then it used to be, companies can now spend as little as R1400 per month to be able to connect to SecondLife with an un-capped broadband connection

[11:21] Affluent Destiny: however..

[11:21] Affluent Destiny: This is still quite expensive compared to what Europe and America has to offer

[11:21] Sminters Meriman: bless you, whomever sneezed there

[11:22] You: and this is related to the lack of fibre optic cabling, yes?

[11:22] You: infrastructure?

[11:22] Affluent Destiny: But with African companies expanding services and employing new technologies; there are various ways for businesses from Africa to be able to afford broadband connectivity

[11:22] Affluent Destiny: That is correct yes

[11:22] NelsonW Botha: greetings to all

[11:22] Enakai Ultsch: to put into perspective…R1400 that is a monthly slasry for some people insalary for some people

[11:23] NelsonW Botha: a real pity to have to leave already…

[11:23] You: There is also the fact that mobile phones has taken the world (and Africa) by storm and now outnumner fixed-lined by 5 to 1 with 132.2million subscribers in 2005 alone…

[11:23] Affluent Destiny: That is true, there are more affordable ways to connect, but then you will face problems such as limited data and slow browsing speeds

[11:24] You: what is the future for the african internet user? I mean, we are really ‘the priviledged’ in a way… to be here!

[11:24] Affluent Destiny: Unfortunately mobile broadband services are quite expensive in Africa, even though they are easily available

[11:25] Affluent Destiny: Indeed we are…

[11:25] You: in the end, limited fixed lines are a barrier to extensive broadband access - according to Hamadoun Toure

[11:25] Affluent Destiny: The future for African Internet Users…

[11:25] You: so, why wireless?

[11:25] Alanagh Recreant tries not to get carried away with the questions in her head….

[11:25] Alanagh Recreant listens

[11:26] Affluent Destiny: With companies like NeoTel soon opening their doors and providing more affordable services, and also improving the infrastructure (installing more Fibre lines, etc)..

[11:27] Affluent Destiny: I believe that will definitely cause other service providers to re-view their services, fees, and data limitations

[11:27] Alanagh Recreant nods

[11:27] Affluent Destiny: so in the near future we are definitely looking at more affordable internet connectivity across Africa

[11:27] You: / as an aside, Orange has about 19 million subscribers in Africa

[11:28] You: source: JA, Companies

[11:29] You: Are you positioning yourself in virtual worlds to play a role here - to orientate companies? Or do you see that more and more companies are leaving for other virtual worlds platforms?

[11:30] Affluent Destiny: I wouldn’t really say that companies are leaving as such. However.. Due to the data limitations and expensive connectivity issues that we face, many companies choose to leave because they end up spending more then they earn, which is a big problem for african businesses wanting to build a virtual presence

[11:31] You: this seem to be a global issue, rather than an African one?

[11:31] Affluent Destiny: We at Vervean Media are here in SecondLife, to not only expand our own business on a global scale, but to also help other businesses by providing the tools they need to set up a prefessionsl corporate presence

[11:32] Affluent Destiny: I would not really say that it is a global issue.. considering that connectivity in places like Eurpope could cost on average ZAR 400 for uncapped broadband

[11:32] You: Do you have any thoughts about HOW we can do that strategically, and still address digital divide at a grassroots level?

[11:33] Alanagh Recreant invites the audience to jump in if there are comments at this stage….

[11:33] Affluent Destiny: however, there are many companies that come into SecondLife, and without previous knowledge or any help, try to set up business here, but then they fail due to using the wrong advertising methods, and generally over spending..

[11:34] Herald Jonson: Is it government corruption that makes it difficult to get the infrastructure in place?

[11:34] You: / we are awaiting one of our speakers that seem to have challenges

[11:34] Alanagh Recreant considers that an excellent question…

[11:35] You: any thoughts on that account from Affluent? or from the floor, even….

[11:35] Affluent Destiny: Herald, as much as I hate to admit it, yes, the government plays a large role in this

[11:35] NelsonW Botha: Governments always oplay a role…usually a bad role

[11:36] NelsonW Botha: when not ALWAYS a bad role

[11:36] Tabata Jewell: regarding this question, if i may say so, i know in India for example the governement is the one that makes difficult to other contries to make and place their business thee

[11:36] You: Would you call it corruption of telecommuncation companies having a monopoly in countries, with government links and shareholding?

[11:36] You: of = or

[11:37] Herald Jonson: Are you asking me?

[11:37] Enakai Ultsch: since telkom was the only telekoms provider for South Africa….they had a monopoly…..and the government had a huge stake in te company……so there is no need to allow for competition or look at enhancing the infrastructure if it means less profit

[11:37] You: no, sorry… I was hoping Affluent may have some ideas…but you are welcome Herald!

[11:38] Herald Jonson: Any sign of hope in Africa for that situation, then?

[11:38] Affluent Destiny: I am going off topic here for a bit just to explain to you about governmental problems… We have been trying to get another service into South Africa.. PayPal, and after in depth discussions with both PayPal, SARS and the South African Reserve bank, what is comes down to is that they are simply afraid by allowing users to make money online and earning money via paypal without them being able to track it, it would cause many people to simply get rich, pack up, and leave..

[11:38] Enakai Ultsch: but now we have neotel coming in and they are also investing in infrastructure - optivibre-

[11:39] You: I would like to echo Herlad’s question? Is Africa doing something right in terms of access?

[11:39] Affluent Destiny: Yes indeed

[11:40] Affluent Destiny: You must remember that we do have very limited access due to not having enough Fibre Optics linking us to the rest of the world, but..

[11:40] Affluent Destiny: Many companies like iBurst, NeoTel, etc.. are working on fixing this problem, to offer Africans affordable broadband services

[11:41] You: …at this stage, I would like to welcome zaGenie Voom , or Herby Olschewski

[11:41] You: please join us on the box Herby

[11:42] Affluent Destiny: I am not saying that you will soon be paying as little as people from Europe or America, but you can definitely expect a price drop in broadband connectivity in the year to come

[11:42] Enakai Ultsch: yes goverment are putting in alot of effort and resources now to provide for better access……due to pressure from civil society…..2010 and the fact that the goverment realised that in order to be competitive in the global market they will have to make access more affordable in order to achieve the 6% groth

[11:42] Affluent Destiny: Hello Herby

[11:42] You: Affluent, many people would say… why is ICT even a discussion, when Africa has so much poverty….

[11:43] Affluent Destiny: Yes, Enekai, exactly!

[11:43] Scofield Metty: European country steal our row material , and make some trubble inside of africa that why we are poo

[11:43] You: welcome back zaGenie

[11:44] Enakai Ultsch:

[11:44] You: zaGenie, we have had an interesting discussion about resources and lack of infrastructure….

[11:45] ZaGenie Voom: yes, Africa has it’s challenges

[11:45] You: I know that your company AmbiTech Solutions deals extensively with government and the private sector to create access…

[11:45] ZaGenie Voom: mostly with private

[11:45] ZaGenie Voom: gov still too difficult to deal with

[11:45] ZaGenie Voom: red tape galore

[11:45] You: will you give us a bit of background on some of the solutions you have

[11:46] ZaGenie Voom: we specialiaze in remote IT support

[11:46] ZaGenie Voom: distances are huge in africa

[11:46] ZaGenie Voom: skill are few and far between

[11:46] ZaGenie Voom: we do autonomic computer repair

[11:46] Scofield Metty: …

[11:46] ZaGenie Voom: basicall taking the pain out of IT

[11:46] ZaGenie Voom: we need broadband to reach our clients

[11:47] ZaGenie Voom: not many have it

[11:47] Alanagh Recreant nods

[11:47] ZaGenie Voom: those who do tend to lose it….. copper theft

[11:47] ZaGenie Voom: wimax or HSDPA is the answer for africa

[11:47] ZaGenie Voom: EDGE to a degree, but HSDPA is spreading fast

[11:47] Aayia Jun: What about Satellite services, wouldn’t that be, in the long run, more affordable and easier/faster to install?

[11:48] ZaGenie Voom: Yes, we do BGAN as well.

[11:48] You: Herby, that is where I was heading… what is the future? we heard Herald earlier asking if there is hope…

[11:48] ZaGenie Voom: Broadband Global Access Network

[11:48] ZaGenie Voom: but it’s expensive

[11:48] ZaGenie Voom: very convenient and easy to deploy

[11:48] ZaGenie Voom: data bandwidth is prohibitively expensive at this time

[11:48] ZaGenie Voom: yes there is LOTS of hope

[11:49] ZaGenie Voom: Africa has lots of talent

[11:49] Scofield Metty: yeah

[11:49] ZaGenie Voom: it just needs the space and money to fly

[11:49] You: you confirm what Affluent said earlier… about cost of bandwith

[11:49] ZaGenie Voom: cost of bandwidth is REDICULOUS

[11:49] Scofield Metty: and less european gouvernement

[11:49] You: but, now… here is the subjective question…

[11:49] Affluent Destiny: HSDPA is perhaps the answer yes Herby, but when connecting to a virtual world such as SecondLife, one has to keep in mind stability of the connection, as well as cost mer MB, at this point in time HSDPA is too expensive for most businesses (or individuals) to use it as their default internet connection for all online activity and communication

[11:49] You: what about virtual worlds?

[11:50] You: if wifi is the future, does that mean that I need to pack up my SL??

[11:50] ZaGenie Voom: virtual worlds in africa have good potential

[11:50] ZaGenie Voom: more than what people think

[11:50] You: phew

[11:50] ZaGenie Voom: SL should work OK if the infrastructure is right

[11:50] Enakai Ultsch: agreee

[11:50] You: and you are not even getting paid to say that

[11:51] ZaGenie Voom: SL is an oppotunity BIG TIME for Africa

[11:51] Scofield Metty: why?

[11:51] You: why?

[11:51] ZaGenie Voom: Uthango are doing a FANTASTIC job

[11:51] Affluent Destiny agrees

[11:51] You: thank you Scofield

[11:51] ZaGenie Voom: raising funds, spreading the word

[11:51] Scofield Metty: you welcome

[11:52] You: yes, but beyond Uthango…. why would it have potential if so few Africans are here!

[11:52] ZaGenie Voom: reaching people and making contact with business contacts OUTSIDE of government influence

[11:52] You: sorry

[11:52] ZaGenie Voom: Africas will be here in droves if they can and they will

[11:52] You: Is it an APPROPRIATE platform…

[11:52] ZaGenie Voom: given education and “broadband cells”

[11:53] ZaGenie Voom: Not only appropriate but essential

[11:53] You: explain broadband cells?

[11:53] ZaGenie Voom: Africa should not be left behind in this new frontier

[11:53] Scofield Metty: African people care about get a job, make money and living in a safe country, i dont realy understand you

[11:53] Alf Niven: /hug tura

[11:53] ZaGenie Voom: in many respects Africa has an advantage here

[11:53] Alf gives Tura a big hug.

[11:54] Alf Niven: smiles

[11:54] ZaGenie Voom: Yes, but SL is the means to CREATE the jobs, find the funds etc

[11:54] You: good point and the way many feel Scofield

[11:54] Tura Sirbu:

[11:54] ZaGenie Voom: Advertising, business cross-polination etc

[11:54] Affluent Destiny: Why.. What it comes down to is, Africans have the same right as everybody else to be able to utilize all the information technology services that the internet has to offer (Second Life being one of them) and by building an in-world presence, African countries can use this as a tool to expand globally, meet with international clients in a virtual boardroom, and creative individuals and ’show off’ their work to millions of people across the globe…

[11:54] Alanagh Recreant reminds the panel we have about 5-7 minutes left of dicussing…

[11:54] Affluent Destiny: I am terribly lagged here with chat, excuse me if I am behind in conversation

[11:55] ZaGenie Voom: I recall the early days of Internet in Africa, many said it would NEVER catch on ….. wrong!

[11:55] You: no, no you are good Affluent

[11:55] ZaGenie Voom: We do extensive work in Africa setting up companies with ADSL, VOIP etc

[11:55] ZaGenie Voom: they are using a LOT to do business.

[11:56] ZaGenie Voom: Some have become very reliant doing international trade via the Net. SL is a natural step up from that

[11:56] Affluent Destiny agrees

[11:56] You: / due to requests in IM, we will continue the talk for 30 more minutes… and then have a concert with percussionist Sage Duncan

[11:57] Scofield Metty: and you talk about job, but you cant get a job for a regula pay check, i mean in sl you can eanr around SL$1000 per months, how an African can make money whit that. And anothere point they dont have Credit cards, and lots of them dont put money in the bank. How will you solve that?

[11:57] ZaGenie Voom: In short, Africa does not need talent, all it needs is less gov inteference in badwidth issues

[11:57] You: ZaGenie, you have ben invoved years ago with virtual world concepts, what is different now?

[11:57] ZaGenie Voom: Paypal for one

[11:57] Enakai Ultsch: agree with zagenie…and that is where lies a lot of the value….creating the business linkages….not creating the jobs in SL but make the linkages to grow business in Real world that will create more jobs

[11:57] Alanagh Recreant remembers Affluent saying the same about PayPal

[11:57] ZaGenie Voom: We use Paypal as a means to send funds to bypass the banks and exchange control

[11:58] Scofield Metty: …. its not a real solution

[11:58] ZaGenie Voom: Very much better now. Workable and practical

[11:58] You: ohhh my… lets not even go to Exchange Control

[11:58] ZaGenie Voom: I don’t see why the continent of Africa cannot do well here.

[11:58] Lukas Mensing: hej kwame, nice to see you

[11:58] Affluent Destiny: Yes, we need PayPal, I have talked about paypal a few minutes back… Government is the main reason why we do not have PayPal. It has very little to do with SARS, the Reserve Bank, or Paypal themselves

[11:59] ZaGenie Voom: I travelled the work for 18 years and have chosen to come back to Africa. There is a GREAT future here.

[11:59] Alanagh Recreant would like to give Uthango as an example in a case study - dealing with the Reserve bank in South Africa

[11:59] ZaGenie Voom: people find solutions. where there is commerce there is a way

[11:59] Affluent Destiny agrees

[11:59] You: ok, can we return to WiFi for a moment?

[11:59] You: what is happening on the continent?

[11:59] Scofield Metty: ok

[12:00] ZaGenie Voom: Wimax is being “squashed” in South Africa. Not good.

[12:00] ZaGenie Voom: Edge is a good, low cost alternative. Most of Southern Africa is covered.

[12:01] Multi Gadget v1.52.0 by Timeless Prototype

[12:01] Affluent Destiny: Vodacom has recently launched a WiFi service in South Africa, but unfortunately this is not easily available, it is not an option for home users (YET)

[12:01] ZaGenie Voom: Copper is definitely goind to reach a cul de sac. Too much theft.

[12:01] Scofield Metty: EDGE its more for cellular phone internet connection….

[12:01] Zaime OrangeTeam: what is this place

[12:01] ZaGenie Voom: Not true. We have fleets of Flybooks out there with embedded edge.

[12:02] ZaGenie Voom: Works like a dream.

[12:02] You: what do you mean WiMax is being ’squashed’ zaGenie?

[12:02] Kanna Zenovka: hello

[12:02] ZaGenie Voom: 384kbs connections ok for here.

[12:02] Scofield Metty: ….

[12:02] ZaGenie Voom: Mweb’s trial license was not renewed.

[12:02] ZaGenie Voom: iBurst is making good headway into the townships

[12:03] ZaGenie Voom: good service and easy to setup

[12:03] Affluent Destiny:

[12:03] jack0000 Heron: ciao

[12:03] jack0000 Heron: a tutti

[12:03] ZaGenie Voom: Any questions?

[12:04] Scofield Metty: will u sale lab top for african?

[12:04] jack0000 Heron: nn parla nessuno

[12:04] Scofield Metty: i mean good price

[12:04] You: Affluent and ZaGenie, I would like to ask you both… what can the average SL’er do to make it happen for Africa?

[12:04] You: Or is it a question fo Africa making it happen by itself?

[12:05] You: just an opnion….

[12:05] Natacha Salomon: bonsoir

[12:05] ZaGenie Voom: By spreading the word and being postive

[12:05] ZaGenie Voom: there is so much negativity in Africa. Let’s not even talk about Zim

[12:05] Affluent Destiny: Spread the word… SL is not just a computer game, it is a virtual 3D world with great benefit, and businesses in Africa need to realize this., once they do realize this, I believe that many more africans will push to obtain an in-world presence and thereby also pushing for more affordable internet services

[12:06] Alanagh Recreant is tempted to ask the audience if they are positive…

[12:06] ZaGenie Voom: however, we cannot throw the baba out with the dishwater

[12:06] Alanagh Recreant smiles

[12:06] ZaGenie Voom: Africa has many faults, but lots of positives

[12:07] Enakai Ultsch: if you areiinterested in uthango’s work then you are welcome to join the SL Africa group

[12:07] ZaGenie Voom: I for one am happy to build a company here. We intend to make Cape Town a visible entity when it come to remote IT

[12:07] Scofield Metty: yeah but we know that , faults are bcz of European in 1960

[12:07] ZaGenie Voom: We are already working on several project as far as Lybia and elsewhere

[12:07] Affluent Destiny: Africa is a great country, people just tend to focus on the ‘bad’, the media especially, but look around, you will see many good things taking place Africa is on its way up!

[12:07] Scofield Metty: know we have to solv that

[12:08] Enakai Ultsch: the time is now to look at the future…and create in a way that will contribute to growth of nations

[12:08] ZaGenie Voom: I’ll tell you how people can help. Send all your older pcs for refurbishment here.

[12:08] You: I am interested to know how many people living currently in Africa are here in the audience… please say AYE

[12:08] ZaGenie Voom: There is a deluge of stuff going to the dumps in other countries. You will be amazed how well it will be used here.

[12:09] ZaGenie Voom: Aye

[12:09] You: Aye

[12:09] Affluent Destiny: Aye

[12:09] Sminters Meriman: Aye

[12:09] ZaGenie Voom: Other countries, continents?

[12:09] You: … anyone else connecting from Africa?

[12:09] Licenciada Saunders: California USA

[12:09] Azra Sands: Canada

[12:09] Tabata Jewell: Spain

[12:09] Yesterday Demain: France

[12:09] Sage Duncan: Kansas…really.

[12:09] Ciera Bergman: Georgia USA

[12:10] Ricken Flow: San Antonio USA

[12:10] Flikiti Uriza: Germany

[12:10] Solylence Houston: senegal

[12:10] ZaGenie Voom: Welcome welcome! Come and see us in Africa!

[12:10] Yesterday Demain: I love this…

[12:10] Zaime OrangeTeam: canada

[12:10] You: yes!!

[12:10] ZaGenie Voom: See, SL is already working for Africa!

[12:10] Enakai Ultsch: yes…africa

[12:10] Herald Jonson: Los Angeles, CA USA

[12:10] Yesterday Demain: “Reachng out to the world”

[12:10] Affluent Destiny: Africa awaits.. a continent of endless possibility

[12:10] You: we are hoping that Virtual Africa (here) will play a role to promote the positive about Africa

[12:11] ZaGenie Voom: It’s a great tool to foster inter-continental commerce, mutal growth and above all understanding

[12:11] You: but with an honesty about the challenges

[12:11] You: voiced! by Africans

[12:11] ZaGenie Voom: There are challenges for sure, but nothing that cannot be overcome

[12:11] Enakai Ultsch: agreee!!!!!!!

[12:11] Affluent Destiny: indeed

[12:11] You: ok, now… before we go into party mood…

[12:11] ZaGenie Voom: I worked in Europe when 64kbs was a luxury for an Internet cafe, but it worked

[12:12] Alanagh Recreant smiles… I have questions

[12:12] ZaGenie Voom: Here in Africa I’m a 4meg line and it works.

[12:12] You: How do we make it easier for africans to get into Second Life?? I mean, not Linden Lab, or anyone else… us - the community?

[12:12] ZaGenie Voom: Next year June africa will have an abundance of international connectivity.

[12:12] Kwame Oh: did someone say party RSVP “Rice and Stew Very Plenty”

[12:13] ZaGenie Voom: Those who are smart will be at the right place at the right time

[12:13] Alanagh Recreant stays composed and politely waves at Kwame

[12:13] Herald Jonson: ZaGenie 4MBPS down?

[12:13] Enakai Ultsch: Kwame: hahahahah:))

[12:13] ZaGenie Voom: 4meg down an 384 up

[12:13] Herald Jonson: ZaGenie Nice

[12:13] You: Question: talk to us about innovation that you have seen….

[12:14] ZaGenie Voom: We can set up SL workshops

[12:14] Affluent Destiny: I am on 512k Down, 384 up

[12:14] You: thank you zaGenie, we will be talking here in Cape Town

[12:14] ZaGenie Voom: We one are setting up a lab here for 30+ users to use the Net and SL

[12:14] Sminters Meriman: ditto Affluent

[12:15] Enakai Ultsch: your not the only ones……:))))

[12:15] Herald Jonson: ZaGenie Nice. Will that be in South Africa? Cape Town?

[12:15] Affluent Destiny: In order for us to make it easier for other africans to come ‘in-world’ is basically sharing our knwolage of SL, and helping them to find affordable means of connectivity

[12:15] You: innovation?

[12:15] Alanagh Recreant agrees with Affluent….

[12:15] Affluent Destiny: ZaGenie is doing the perfect job there then

[12:15] ZaGenie Voom: I had an intereyes, in Cape Town

[12:16] Alanagh Recreant plans to share Uthango’s story inworld as a case study with others - we have learned hard lessons, I have!

[12:16] ZaGenie Voom: Come and see Cape Town. Great place to be!

[12:16] Kwame Oh: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6525537.stm

[12:16] Alanagh Recreant ponders ZaGenie working for government

[12:16] You: j/k

[12:16] ZaGenie Voom: Yes, good move, but there are even better initiatives coming into play

[12:16] You: any more questions or comments from the floor?

[12:17] ZaGenie Voom: the 2010 football tourney is a big blessing for afroca

[12:17] Affluent Destiny: It all comes down to word of mouth at the end of the day, and how we portray our own virtual experience… I will say this again.. African companies need to realize what a great tool SL is for business, it is NOT a computer Game, it is a tool, something which makes any normal web site appear static and ‘old’.. SL might become the new norm of online communication in the futre, who knows…

[12:17] Azra Sands: how about a welcome center in SL for newcomer Africans and/or help connnecting to inworld mentors

[12:17] ZaGenie Voom: they need big bandwidth from africa and it will have a very good effect on commerce as well

[12:17] Kwame Oh: Orientation for Africans ?

[12:18] ZaGenie Voom: Uthango are already doing that. True pioneers. I take my hat off to them

[12:18] Affluent Destiny: Azra, good point you have there… I believe that Robben Island will be a sort of ‘orientation’ island for Africans joining SL, is that correct Alanagh?

[12:18] Enakai Ultsch: Azra: yes! that is waht we will be doing at Virtual Afrcia….

[12:18] You: great minds Azra, talk to us…

[12:19] Enakai Ultsch: yes…we will also try and have mentors and also that africans can be orientated in their native language

[12:19] You: that is 100% correct Affluent, Robben Island is located next to Virtual Africa… and we already have several ‘Embassies’ there of the larger african groups and islands

[12:19] ZaGenie Voom: Remember, Africa is not only for Africans. About 60% of our own client base are ex-pats.

[12:19] You: some have been in and out here today

[12:19] Herald Jonson: I’ve been Twittering about this event like crazy.

[12:19] Licenciada Saunders: Question: If I want to direct other USA SL users to get a taste of what you offer here, what is the landmark to send them to please?

[12:20] ZaGenie Voom: Smart people who see the potential in Africa. They also will find a great need for SL

[12:20] You: thank you Herald, I am too busy!

[12:20] You: follow us though….

[12:20] You: http://twitter.com/virtualafrica

[12:20] Enakai Ultsch: Herald: thank you

[12:20] NelsonW: All Go

[12:20] Herald Jonson: You’re welcome

[12:21] Enakai Ultsch: the best landmark to use is Uthango office at Sunsetcommerce

[12:21] You: I think… we are coming to a closure….

[12:21] Licenciada Saunders: ty

[12:21] NelsonW Botha: :

[12:21] NelsonW Botha: : )

[12:21] You: I would like to invite you to stay for the wonderful percussionist Sage Duncan

[12:22] NelsonW Botha: gosh…I lost the end…

[12:22] Tura Sirbu: lol

[12:22] Licenciada Saunders: luv 2 but I am at work n have to make it look like I am working *

[12:22] You: thank you VERY MUCH to our great panelists ZaGenie and Affluent, business people in Africa

[12:22] You: the day is only starting!

[12:22] You: some closing comments ?

[12:22] ZaGenie Voom: No problem. Keep up the good work!

[12:22] You: zaGenie?

[12:22] You: Affluent?

[12:23] ZaGenie Voom: Yes, just one.

[12:23] Affluent Destiny: Thank you for having us here