Toyshoppe’s Neighborhood

Happy Holidays!

Team Vox
Yesterday
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Happy Holidays to you, your family, friends and neighbors from all of us at Vox.
See you in 2010!

Currency has flow, like a river sending water droplets down in a mass stream of rippling consciousness, capital has a way of moving between the obstructions to follow its destiny downstream. Some same it trickles up or down depending on your geography and magnetism -- I say any multitude of flows are possible when we take time to move with the forces at work.

Unicorns understood this before humans did. While we long for some singularity with the digital consciousness the unicorns became part of the etheric mass long ago, captured in the dreams of millions. Their stories are legion and they are like the gems of the gods, pawns in various cosmic games of intrigue given as tokens after an adventure. They are creatures of strength and beauty, seen more in natural history than in mythology as their images find their way into paintings of our heritage. Their origins are unknown: in China the unicorn is related to dragon and chimera while they may be cousins to the oryx or eland in the southern hemisphere.

The stories around the unicorns began as they were given to others in exchange for extraordinary adventures. A unicorn could only be awarded if the pursuit was true and the gift was needed. In some lore the unicorn would only come to virginal maidens but they seem to be quite friendly when appreciated, much like any precious gift. They have a special sparkle that has captivated artists and kings alike.

Unicorntapestry

Unicorns as currency may seem to flow upstream, capturing the light in the river and magnifying it. Perhaps they are like a spotlight to goodness, a mirror reflecting the sun to its brethren on earth. Unicorns do not blend in and receiving such a rare thing is always a memorable experience. I give them to honor those who have done something wonderful and extraordinary in their own journey and in the process of giving I ask that unicorn to remember the nature of the gift to hold in its heart as it passes through the ages. The unicorns we give will outlive us and because they are rare and ephemeral they capture value unlike the gifts we typically give -- plastic cards with magnetic strips on them carrying information to a plastic store with magnetic strips in the objects. This is not the kind of giving exchange I want to share with others: I want to share something strong and beautiful. I want to give you a unicorn.

Here are the people who have earned unicorns from me this year, and why:

Jean Russell: for extraordinary listening and care in network culture as @nurturegirl
Stacey Monk: for initiating the Tweetsgiving movement to help a school she cares about
Bill May: for being a rockstar in government virtual engagement through social media
David Hodgson: for assistance with the Thrivable network of leaders
Lightning Temple: for extraordinary feats of artistic achievement

I have received unicorns from:

The pink fairy Amber: delivered to a Lightning Temple meeting, named Megajoule Lunacorn
Jean and Jo: The green unicorn shirt with the corn as a horn from Threadless (thanks!)
Captain Cassie: For lending me her stuffed unicorn pillow at Burning Man, and for general awesomeness, thank you.

Exciting News from Six Apart (and the YouTube Conduit is Fixed)

Team Vox
Nov 17, 2009
49 comments

First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!

The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.

TypePad Micro

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A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.

Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.

On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.

And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!

~ daisy

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED. If you have a suggestion, please send it directly to me. Thanks!

YouTube Conduit

Team Vox
Nov 16, 2009
20 comments

As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.

The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.

When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.

It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.

Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.

As always, thanks for your patience.

~daisy

The Amazon Conduit is Fixed

Team Vox
Nov 2, 2009
25 comments

Go forth and fill your libraries with media.

Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.

~daisy

Amazon Conduit Update

Team Vox
Oct 29, 2009
21 comments

I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.

I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.

Cheers,

daisy

TSDIGS Drive In Sign

inkenzo
Oct 20, 2009
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TSDIGS Drive In Sign

Originally uploaded by .inKenzo. evonne@amoration

Tomorrow night at the Health Commons in Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Health%20Commons/133/39/20/

Digital Storytelling Drive-In will include one minute videos and photo stories created by nonprofit organizations around the world. Help us award the winners in a special mixed reality party with dozens of organizational leaders learning to tell their stories together through new media tools. Special thanks to TechSoupGlobal for hosting and we'll announce the winners Wednesday night live in San Francisco and inworld.

Amazon Conduit: Update

Team Vox
Oct 20, 2009
23 comments

Bad news. As many of you have probably noticed, the Amazon Conduit was not fixed in the last week's release. Unfortunately, there was an undetected bug that is preventing the conduit from working.

We are working on this bug fix and hope to have the Conduit back up and running this week.

I will keep you posted.

Thank you for being so patient.

~daisy

International Architecture is Here

inkenzo
Oct 18, 2009
1 comment

Is it possible to be efficient as both a local and global creator? Virtual vocations create an opportunity for international collaboration that is unparalleled -- have we learned to work efficiently together across boundaries?

International Architecture

The architects of today's International Architecture in Virtual Worlds panel hosted by the US Department of State in Second Life explored both the global and local implications of their shift to Second Life as a tool for professional design and education. Judy Cockeram, Amr Attia, David Denton and Jon Brouchoud (also known as JudyArx Scribe, Archi Vita, DB Bailey and Keystone Bouchard) took an hour to join participants inSL for a streamed discussion followed by a tour of their key architectural builds. Students and designers were given time to explore open source 3D design solutions like the Wiki Tree and Studio Wikitecture along with the gorgeous landscape of reimagined Cairo being built with the collaborative design team led by Amr and David.

International Architecture

After years of producing mixed reality events it still astonishes me when we can beam multiple speakers from around the world through space and time to join us in one place. Synchronous collaboration still has its challenges (try finding one time zone that works for Egypt, New Zealand and the US) but we were able to gather 70 people from over a dozen countries in one place to share a conversation about architecture and international partnerships that may prove fruitful for a burgeoning new industry. Producing these events is exhilirating!

International Architecture

As the 3D web and our collective design desk radically evolves we are wise to make the best use of the tools in front of us, not only the Wiki Tree and www.archvirtual.com for Architectural design community but also the rich global community we share inworld at these panels, conversations and events. Together we are asking questions, exploring potential, offering perspectives and hopefully opening a few eyes and ears along the way.

International Architecture

I am grateful for the presenters and professionals working virtually to share their work with a larger global audience and learn something new from people half a world away. Their willingness to explore new methods is what gives us a rich landscape to explore and build on together, scripting new doors where none existed before. Whether we work in architecture or public diplomacy, we have this amazing time and space to share together and explore what our world could be like if we could take the best of our cultures and bring them together. The virtual landscape is a dreamlike media where worlds can mingle and merge, much like our real world malls and living spaces where cultures collide, and I am grateful for the builders, creators and trailblazers who are making these worlds worth living in.

Thank you to Any1 Gynoid for this CNN iReport; take a few minutes to see more of the photos and videos shared at this event tagged #intlarchitecture.

Today is Blog Action Day! Blog for Climate Change.

Team Vox
Oct 15, 2009
82 comments

Blog Action Day

12 comments

Blog Action Day is every October 15th, when blogger are asked to post something about a single issue to show our strength and conviction as an online community. It's a great way to feel connected to the greater good, and the participation of so many bloggers to support the world's leading non-profit organizations is something you can do to help, right now. By blogging today, you're supporting some of the world's leading non-profits and sharing your voice for change.

This year's topic is climate change, and we'd love to read your thoughts on the topic. If you participate, leave us a link to your post in the comments, so we know to check out your post!

Go to www.blogactionday.org to learn more, get a badge for your blog showing your participation, and see some ideas for your post on climate change.

Can't wait to read your posts!

~ daisy