Weblin, a 3D chat overlay on your browser (IE or FF)

If I remember correctly, weblin used to advertise with ‘bringing the virtual world to the web’ … or something like that. Weblin - by Zeitgeist - ’s far from a virtual world (yet), but the concept of layering the avatar on top of normal websites is surely fascinating and well executed:

You have a cute little avie that is customisable using the ‘avatar creation kit’.(takes 100×100px animated gif up to 50kb).
It has a ‘monetary value’, named ‘Kala’ that is described as ‘the virtual weblin currency’. (Purchasing those is not yet possible. You receive 150 Kala (Kalas?) on start.) But, from the Weblin’s ToS (see below): The user accepts that kala is not paid out in real money and that kala may not be transferred between user accounts.
Weblin points. You get those as a reward for activity. Use them to unlock features & avatars.
Contact list. See which of your befriended weblins are currently online.
Mute button. Always handy! ;)
Private chat. Duh!
Integration with del.icou.us, twitter, stumble upon and even a self hosted WP install.
Dating. As you’re on the same wegpage, you’ll surely have the same interests? What I love about this one is that weblin Flirt is standard disabled. So they don’t bother you with it unless you do state you’re looking for a relationship.
Basic animations: jump, dance, wave and even better… decline/refuse.
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Weblin SiteKit

Using the Weblin SiteKit designers may now use JavaScript to add custom functionality to their website’s for the - over 1 million Weblins to enjoy. They can make custom locations, enable world filtering, supply custom animations and much more. Interested? Best start with their Code Documentation or take a look at an example custom site.

My Weblin Goals

Up to now I did not succeed at:

Acquiring some virtual item to put in my backpack and/or inventory.
Bump into other weblings on secondlife.com or vintfalken.com. (There was a large troop over at The Guild on YouTube, though.)
Having a decent conversation on weblin. Convo’s have always ranged from ‘how old are you’, over ‘bonsoir’ to ‘hi!?’.
Making time to make a custom .gif ‘vint’ avatar.
Collecting much Weblin points.
Acquiring any kala. (The basic questions, how does one make money in this virtual world!?* ;))
Find out how to give a virtual object and/or avatar out and if this is possible. Would be quite kewl to give something to each Weblin avatar that visits vintfalken.com.

Test it out - currently on Internet Explorer & Firefox, for using Weblin with FF you will need to install a plugin - and share your opinion, what do you think of Weblin. Is it worth to be called a part of the ‘metaverse’ or is it still 3D chat in stead of a virtual world? Does it have a future? What’s most promising, Google Lively or Weblin?

Your Market Research Here

* Creating Content

Besides using the Weblin Sitekit to create specific websites aimed at Weblins, you can also create and sell your own animated avatars. I quickly created two weblin avatars and put them up in my Weblin Shop. (.gif is far fro my expertise, if you want to purchase one for 10 Kala, I suggest you take the ’sticky cute avatar’, it has more animations and the one with the heart is actually really cute. try ‘kiss’ under actions) So we have the theory on ‘how to make kala / money on Weblin’ more or less down. But errr… how are people supposed to get to my shop?

Weblin’s TOS

And then there is of course the ‘General Terms and Conditions of Business for Zweitgeist GmbH’ that you need to agree upon. Some excerpts:

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§ 3 Performance description

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(d) Additional services exist within the context of use of weblin, which are offered at a cost (hereinafter “additional services”). Services provided at a cost include e.g. the use of virtual objects, participation in games and events.

(e) The services provided at a cost can be obtained using the virtual weblin currency (”Kala”). Kala is placed at the user’s disposal at a cost via a number of different payment procedures.

(f) A more detailed description of the possible methods of payment and details of the additional services currently being offered and their equivalent value in kala can be found in the current price list. The price list can vary for individual users, depending on a user’s “reputation” in the weblin world. The user can always view his current reputation in his weblin character profile.

(g) The additional services and articles purchased using the virtual weblin currency kala are stored as data sets on zweitgeist GmbH’s servers and are made accessible to users complying with these Terms and Conditions of Use. When additional services and articles are being used, the corresponding amount in kala will be withdrawn from the user’s virtual account.

(h) The user accepts that kala is not paid out in real money and that kala may not be transferred between user accounts.

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§ 7 Use of weblin characters

(a) The user declares himself to be in agreement to use weblin characters and all of the functions contained in the user portal exclusively for the purposes provided for by zweitgeist.

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(c) The user may not contravene legal regulations, offend common decency or infringe third-party rights (rights to the use of a name, intellectual property rights and data protection rights, etc.) by means of the form, content or use of his weblin characters. The user is in particular obliged in his capacity as a member not to show any pornographic content or content glorifying violence or inciting peoples, not to call on other members to commit criminal offences nor provide details of how to do this, and not to offer nor allow to be offered services containing pornographic or erotic content (e.g. nude photographs, peepshows, etc.).

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(e) The user declares himself to be in agreement not to offer or advertise products or services for commercial purposes.

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(h) Zweitgeist reserves the right to bar access on the part of the user to specific or all weblin characters at any time without providing reasons. The Kala credit balances on the user’s barred weblin account may not be used.

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(j) The user recognises that weblin characters created by or for him, e.g. drawings, photographs and profiles are accessible by the public. Entries marked as “private” and file uploads (in particular, images) may be publicly accessible due to operational errors on the part of the user or due to illegal access by a third party or due to errors in the computer software that cannot be ruled out due to the current state-of-the-art.

(k) Zweitgeist’s liability for the unwanted publication of content (articles, photographs, etc.) is excluded, insofar as zweitgeist cannot be accused of intention or gross negligence.

§ 8 Copyright material

(a) Users may not download or use copyright-protected material (e.g. graphics, in particular animated avatars, sounds, etc.) provided by zweitgeist or a third party. Users may not duplicate, reproduce, transfer, sell, publish or use this material for commercial or any other purposes.

(b) The materials referred to under Paragraph (a) remain the property of zweitgeist or the third party, who place them at the disposal of the users.

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General Terms and Conditions of Business of Zweitgeist GmbH, Hamburg, Germany.
Status: 07/2008

Tags: metaverse, virtual worlds, weblin