That sounds great Sue. Who else are you working with in SL? What's the process for installing the kiosks - can residents take copies to place on their property and select which group they want to donate to? Has anyone talked about creating a 3-D environment to go along with a project - like a replica of the girls school? Congratulations on this.

This is great! I bought a share in a microuplift for Kamae Children thru Second Life.

Sue, we will have more locations for your Ubuntu kiosk soon. Congrats on the new launch!

Sue: 1) how do I get kiosks for my office (Peace & Justice Center on Better World Island? , and 2) how can I get my project (121Contact - email of Iraqi/NYC students/teachers) into a kiosk that can be distributed?

PT Witte Bruce Wallace www.121Contact.typepad.com September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

Sue Braiden said:

Ubuntu Better World Investment Portal

I wanted to let people know about a new project that I'm working on with a group of colleagues in Second Life. It's intended to create a new source of revenue for the kinds of better world projects that so many people are cultivating here at omidyar.net.

I've managed to cobble together the first kiosks to pilot in Second Life, with the Kamae Children's Group project and the school project in Ha Makhata, Lesotho, Africa listed and already gathering funds.

Hoping to include Lar's Peace Tiles and Christina's Tea On Me and Breakfast Club projects in the kiosks if all goes well.

These interactive kiosks will going up all over the grid shortly. Lots of people are asking to put them in their own shops and event venues, and we have quite a few mainstream media folks wanting to cover this. These are little beasts that people can walk up to in any shop or event venue, find cool better world projects to invest in, and do it on the spot. People have really taken to the initial kiosks and projects that are out, and with Meron's and Jackie's help, I've slowly started to identify other projects that might offer simple entry points into funding through the kiosks.

The nice thing about the kiosks is that they allow us to include not only write-ups on the projects, with links back to their genesis on omidyar.net, but also pictures, audio and video so that people are able to have a very personal sense of what they are investing in.

At the moment there is about $1 million USD passing through Second Life every single day. Our goal is to capture 1% of that through people investing into these little projects. Not an unreasonable goal based on the enthusiastic response we've received before even announcing the program in Second Life yet.

I'm looking forward to being able to share our progress with you as this rolls out live. I have 12 project partners, many of them successful business people in Second Life, who have come together to make this happen. They've not only helped open up the "Ubuntu" island SIM to give people a dedicated "alternative gifts" destination, but also to invite people to learn more about microfinance and other ways of learning about and investing in the kind of better world projects that so many people continue to cultivate here at omidyar.net.

If you are a member of the Second Life community, search for the Ubuntu group and sign up so that you can come out and tour the island while it's under construction. Send me a note if you're having trouble signing up or finding the new island, and I'll invite you to the group and send you a landmark to visit to see the new kiosk in action.

Looking forward to making my first Paypal transfer to Stephanie to cover the cost of at least one girl's education very soon :^)

Blessings,

Sue.

Brainstorming with Meron and Jackie

Hello, Haney :^) Let me offer a bit more information in response to each of these questions.

Haney Armstrong said:

Who else are you working with in SL?

This project came out when my partner, Baron Grayson, and I started brainstorming about a year ago. We both have successful businesses in Second Life, and were looking for ways of giving back to our first life communities. I originally went to Second Life because of omidyar.net. I saw it as an opportunity to forge some new trails on two fronts:

1. creating a "shared space" that felt like a real office/kitchen table/adventurous terrain to strengthen the relationships I had been building with people here; and,
2. to see if the virtual Second Life economy translated well enough into real U.S. dollars so that I could cultivate new opportunities for financing the role many of us serve as better world scouts.

I accidentally created a full time business along the way, and in doing so, realized that there were a number of other people who had been successful at doing the same thing. Baron and I have a number of trusted colleagues that we interact with in various ways, so when we spoke ernestly about cultivating a program that would allow us to give something back, we thought it made sense to extend this more broadly across Second Life.

At Christmas we reached out to some of our closest allies and invited them to become members of our "Founders Circle". These are people that each invested the equivalent of USD$100 to get the project island off the ground. They include (these are their SL avatar names):

• Callie Cline
• Hosequeen McLean
• Jade Lily (founder of the wildly successful "SL Relay for Life" program)
• The Sojourner
• Kage Seraph
• Baccara Rhodes
• Mash Mandala
• Kiana Dulce
• Nonna Hedges
• Pablo Neruda

and the support of an additional silent partner. While Pablo has since left Second Life, the rest of the team remains.

Some of these people will move forward beyond their initial investment to help create an advisory team, working on strategies to allow us to evaluate opportunities to invest in both our local communities and in developing countries. They will help determine which programs are suitable for the kiosk program, and help find safe, transparent and accountable ways of rolling the kiosk program out across the grid.

Some of us are also part of the new "1% Club", investing at least 1% of our monthly profits into a funding pool that will be allocated on a quarterly basis. This Club will be rolled out across SL later this year.

Haney Armstrong said:

What's the process for installing the kiosks - can residents take copies to place on their property and select which group they want to donate to?

During this pilot phase the kiosks are available only in a few locations while we test the functionality. People can visit the new "Ubuntu" SIM to try one out.

During March the kiosks will also be made available on site at the shops and event venues of Founders Circle members.

In April we hope to be able to place kiosks more broadly throughout the grid. One of our challenges is to find a way to not only scale the model efficiently, but to do so safely so that the kiosks are protected as best as we can from fraudulent use.

And, yes, we do plan on giving people the ability to choose the projects they want to see rotating in their kiosks when they set them out.

Haney Armstrong said:

Has anyone talked about creating a 3-D environment to go along with a project - like a replica of the girls school?

Yes. At the moment, Baron and I have been cultivating the base SIM. He's created a wonderful red clay texture for the ground, and the Acacia trees to make it look more like an African landscape, honouring the roots of the project's namesake "Ubuntu". I've created a welcome center and tools that allow people to see pictures from some of the first kiosk projects, and to pick up information cards. Audio and video will be going in later this week. I've created huts to prepare for the launch of the marketplace where products will be created and sold as an additional means of generating revenue for the project investment pool. I've also created a pot of "Stone Soup" and a "well" to allow people to toss in spare change when they may not have the time or funds to invest in a particular project.

We will begin to host a set of weekend work parties, inviting people to create jewellery, clothing, sculptures and other fun products to sell in the marketplace as part of this venture. I'll post more details on how this particular component will work in a separate thread.

I do -not- want to overlap the efforts of Better World Island. SL Ubuntu is meant to serve as a funding mechanism in support of the types of projects that BWI and omidyar.net spawn/host. Jackie has been doing an amazing job of attracting some wonderful natural allies, including a fellow named Xin who is an executive with Care.org. Xin has actually been working with Jackie to create the kind of school that you mentioned, Haney, is it's one of the most innovative things I've seen in long time! You'll be able to "buy a brick" and actually help build this structure in SL. It's a very clever model, and it will be fun to watch how this might inspire similar innovation in funding projects.

One of the things we want to work hard to cultivate on the Ubuntu sim is a very visual way of not only exploring better world investment opportunities, but in seeing how your Linden dollars translate into real ones at work. Placing boats in The Bay of Hope will allow us to connect to things like the Tsunami reconstruction project, and give people a tangible way to relate to how they are engaging with real world people and efforts. Being able to buy "Peace Tiles" kits in the kiosks, then constructing virtual tiles on Better World Island will give people another way of bridging our digital efforts to the real world.

There are lots of ways that we can leverage the power of visual cues and real life style "props" in Second Life to give people a fun and meaningful way of exploring not only alternative gifts, but opportunities for further connecting.

The projects in the kiosks not only show pictures, but give information cards that link back to the related project threads here on omidyar.net. We're hoping that people will be compelled to join in on the discourses, therefore attracting new allies, energy and resources as well as the funding that comes from people investing through kiosks.

I'll take the time to post a more organized note about the SL Ubuntu program in a separate thread. For now, I hope that this little bit of information will help make it easier to understand where we're starting, and why we're excited about finally being able to get this off the ground.

In spite of the fact that we have not officially announced this program in anyway, people are finding the kiosks and using them :^) Money is now coming in for the Kamae Children's Group, and for building the school in Ha Makhata. This week we'll be installing shares for the purchase of Peace Tiles kits, and for funding the Breakfast Club. We're also looking for ways of funding TEN (John Berger's "The Emancipation Network"), Rev. Gloria White-Hammond's "My Sister's Keeper" progrm in Southern Sudan, and three other projects that omidyar.net scouts have brought to our attention.

Small seeds being planted. Big hopes for the future.

Blessings,

Sue.

[Edited by author: Sue Braiden on 11 Mar 2007 22:53 PST: typo]

Evonne, thanks a bunch for the offer of places to make kiosks available! Hope to be able to have a version you can test shortly.

Bruce, is there a link to your project here on omidyar.net? That would be a great help :^) I rely on a handful of fellow omidyar.net scouts to help me with due diligence on projects that get forwarded to the kiosk team for vetting. If you've got a project thread and details here that gives me a good place to start.

Namaste,

Sue.

A few more pics to share as the Ubuntu sim begins to come to life ...

Working with Baron on the Gardens

The Welcome Center

Showing Pam the Kiosk

Doves taking flight as I show Pam the Prayer Wheel

A Pot of "Stone Soup" as a donor tool in the Market Place

beautiful work sue and ubuntu!

Sue this is all so very exciting. I wish I could get SL to load so I could see it but your description above is fascinating.

I am noodling over some additional thoughts about the breakfast club sponsorships that I will try to send you in a PM later today.

Congrats on what you've put into motion so far!

Sue Braiden said:

Haney Armstrong said:

Has anyone talked about creating a 3-D environment to go along with a project - like a replica of the girls school?

Yes.

Hi Sue, all of this programming stuff is way over my head. A couple years ago (when I noticed the 3D space heating up), I went out and (you guessed it -- it must be in those bunny slippers! ;) registered n3d.org (mind you, this was before Mark had even mentioned ned.com)! Well, I think Mark and I see potential here for "virtual" stuff (isn't that what we're talking about here?).

Any ideas? [1]

Glad to see you posting!

:D nmw

Sue, all this is great info. I will post a link to this thread in the Kamae Children's Group, so others can see how this is working.

All your efforts are very much appreciated!

way to go sue! can you guys n gals produce a youtube tour of what's happening - something that introduced the idea, the creation, the application and the action? i bet it would be pretty mind-blowing for young internet cafe types in kampala or lesotho or wherever to see this in action...?

...I am new to o/net (1 month appx) and a complete newbie to SL. Have heard about it, never visited yet. Saw the CBS Sunday morning piece about SL before even joining o/net and serendipitously have caught wind of the SL development going on by o/net members. Just came across this thread and find the Kiosk really really interesting.

I would love to explore ways to contribute/synergies with the tzedaka village charity box product i've developed...

I think it could be an interesting virtual tool/product - along the lines of the "Well" and the "Stone Soup Pot" but with a personal and artistic flair ...and charity boxes popping up everywhere for people to donate to their passionate causes...

Neat - virtual tzedakah boxes that SL users can customize! THe direct return to your effort might be in the purchase of the sim, Michele?

uh, yup, what Lars said. :-)

I'd like to read more about SL and how it actually works so I can answer more intelligently...what's the best place to start?

thanks!

Hm... I'd say, maybe the best way to learn is to ask Meron, Sue or any other active SL user to give you a tour. Go to SL and download the software and "port in" ;)

Second Life v. First Life...so interesting!

Thinking about so many aspects of SL - too much to put down right now and much more to see and learn.. Thanks Lars, I will pursue.

Initial impressions (reserving judgment & respectfully open to learning)...

• not enthused by escapist-type VR
• yet very intrigued by replication of social enterprise efforts in SL
• very curious about the choices made WRT devoting "save-the-world" energies to a make-believe world v. real world
• understand and appreciate the tremendous alternative/tech/educational value and applications of SL
• understand and respect that each person chooses the best way s/he can work to help make our world better
• still wondering ultimately about humanity and what is lost/gained via technology and supertechnology
• what would Darfurbys do in SL? [smile :-) ]
• what would the Acholi and other refugees say re: SL?

Would love to hear the thoughts/opinions of others, esp. SL residents on some of these questions and musings...thanks!

-m

It's a fascinating and frustrating place, full of possibilities. Definitely growing fast.

Check out this old, long dicussion over at the Second Life group for thoughts about non-profits in Second Life.

You might want to just scan for the comments that got positive feedback/stars.

Great tensions identified, Michele. Its easy to equate making money with solving problems - there's alot of shaking that has to go on to figure this new dynamic out. Right now, I just can't shake the images of warehoused Thai boys chain smoking and playing games for their wealthy patrons - simply to boost their level. Or building "sims" for their high class gamespaces. Its very, very Philip Dick! And there is lots of good baked in too I suppose ;) I look forward to learning from what you encounter in your peregrinations.

There are Darfurbys in Second Life, at the end of Camp Darfur, sitting there holding up their protest signs in silent recognition.

I enjoy helping communities grow in Second Life because there are so many ways to manifest a vision there. We work with nonprofits, educational institutions, businesses and consultants to navigate the virtual world and look at different ways to develop these tools to enhance existing communities. This can be as simple as maintaining a 24/7 meeting space for groups or creating an awareness experience like Camp Darfur.

Michele, if you choose to pursue SL I would defintely connect with the Better World Island team (Riversong Garden inworld is a great place to start) and also look into the TechSoup group with free nonprofit spaces in the commons.

I will continue to explore and will share thoughts...on my way to a wkend in Atlanta for a HS friend's wedding. Also looking forward to an o/net meet up with Cynthia Gentry.

Stay tuned re: SL...and er, Lars, had to look that one up in the dictionary ;-)

peregrination: per·e·gri·na·tion n. a journey or voyage (literary)

Michele said: * still wondering ultimately about humanity and what is lost/gained via technology and supertechnology....

I can give you one fair representation of what is found and lost in the virtual world

Excellent Evonne - I was certain (!) you'd bring some thoughtful aspects to SL that I hadn't even considered, particularly:

>> A world where people with various barriers, handicaps and preferences can come together and build unique communities that are not based on physical appearance and communication (especially valuable for misaligned or underappreciated communities such as autistic programmers) <<

Very powerful - what a terrific application.

Thank you and I look forward to much more conversation - it's so nice to officially "meet" you; Meanwhile... I've got a real-world plane to catch tomorrow and an empty suitcase that needs packin'...

Thxs Lars and Haney, too!

I will share more here as I explore.

I subscribed to https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi -bin/mailman/listinfo/educators

Interesting discussions and synergies. Barry Joseph, who is on o/net and the director of the Global Kids Online Leadership Program is active in the thread. Http://www.globalkids.org. maybe he will post more here, too!