| ign="center"> | | | | Gingras of Toronto, a network marketing |
| With 60,000 square feet of retail and warehouse | | | | entrepreneur who runs ActiveTeam.com, a |
| space, Sierra Snowboard is as real a | | | | Web-based business that sells food supplements. |
| bricks-and-mortar business as you can get. And like | | | | Mr. Gingras paid $16,500 (U.S.) in November to |
| many businesses, the sports equipment store in | | | | become "Governor of Ontario," and has since |
| Sacramento, Calif., also has a website | | | | collected more than $700 in virtual taxes from |
| (sierrasnowboard.com) to augment sales. | | | | registered users who live in Ontario. He has a long |
| Nothing special there. | | | | way to go to recoup his initial investment, but the |
| But as co-owner and vice-president of marketing Erik | | | | prospects for greater revenue are tied to the |
| Christiansen explains, Sierra is pursuing a third business | | | | number of real-life Ontarians who sign up. |
| strategy that's pure fantasy -- buying up virtual | | | | "It's growing well and I'm still positive about it," Mr. |
| property in a make-believe world that he says is | | | | Gingras says. "It is going to take a while and that's |
| paying real-world dividends. | | | | okay." |
| does not exist on any National Geographic map but | | | | Providing the social network continues to grow in |
| its inhabitants nonetheless can own or manage | | | | popularity, Mr. Gingras could also sell his title for a |
| everything from hot real estate and popular Web | | | | higher price. |
| domains to consumer brands and celebrities. | | | | Mr. Christiansen of Sierra Snowboard hopes to parlay |
| Weblonians, as participants are called, pay real cash | | | | his Weblo audience into sales. He has bought the |
| to buy a virtual property such as the Air Canada | | | | rights to sierrasnowboard.com, along with Austrian ski |
| Centre or the Banff Springs Hotel, and then make | | | | maker Atomic, the mountain town of Truckee, Nev. |
| money through advertising, membership fees and | | | | -- a location famous for its extreme sports -- and is |
| reselling the property. | | | | the mayor of Sausalito, Calif. He also manages the |
| Virtual worlds have drawn a lot of interest from big | | | | domain of celebrity snowboarder Shaun White. |
| corporations. Sites such as Second Life and have | | | | "There are two reasons we're on Weblo.com: One is |
| attracted multinationals such as Wendy's International | | | | to talk to consumers and the other is to drag traffic |
| Inc., Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and IBM Corp., which have | | | | to sierrasnowboard.com," he said, noting the |
| created profiles, built animated characters called | | | | company's Web strategy also includes having a |
| avatars and have launched or promoted events in | | | | MySpace profile. And so far, he's thrilled. "Truckee |
| cyberspace. | | | | has pretty well paid for itself," he says. |
| Weblo is still small time compared with Second Life | | | | Success, however, may be elusive. Some critics |
| and MySpace.com, but it is generating interest. When | | | | contend Weblo's future may not be all that bright, |
| Montreal-based founder Rocky Mirza launched the | | | | suggesting the site and its users may one day be |
| site in September, he did so with $2.5-million (U.S.) in | | | | targeted by copyright and trademark infringement |
| startup capital from several investors, including | | | | lawsuits. As Weblo.com's profile grows in the real |
| Richard Rosenblatt, former chairman of | | | | world, they say, companies and celebrities whose |
| MySpace.com, Matt Hill, founder of eForce Media, and | | | | brands and names are being bartered in Weblo's |
| William Woodward, founder and managing director of | | | | virtual environs may take umbrage. |
| Anthem Venture Partners. | | | | "There are some danger zones," says John Kettle, a |
| "There's revenue being generated and it's really going | | | | copyright and trademark professor at Rutgers Law |
| excellently," Mr. Mirza says. "We're getting ready to | | | | School. "I see the potential for claims when someone |
| host a presidential election to parallel the U.S. election, | | | | without authorization is trading on the likeness of a |
| and we'rein talks with some advertisers to monetize | | | | person or property." |
| the site in other ways and evaluating other proposals. | | | | And, if the social network begins to retract and lose |
| So things are moving quickly." | | | | clients, those who have spent real money on a |
| Unlike the 3D world of Second Life, is a low-tech | | | | make-believe property may lose out. "There is that |
| network of Web pages that profile people or places | | | | potential," Prof. Kettle says. |
| or things. There are no vast virtual cities to explore | | | | In the interim, Weblo continues to attract clients who |
| or other digital characters to bump into. | | | | don't want to miss out on potentially the next big |
| But, says Mr. Mirza, "in Second Life, it's just fantasy. | | | | thing in social networking. That's what drove Corey |
| In Weblo, you can drive around [in the real world] | | | | Pomkoski, a Montreal man who sells outdoors |
| and point to the CN Tower and say, 'Hey, I own that | | | | equipment through his website nesswilder.com, to |
| on Weblo.' " | | | | Weblo. |
| In the six months since its launch, has generated | | | | "As far as Weblo goes, I don't really see any risk," |
| about 10,000 registered users and has recorded more | | | | Mr. Pomkoski says. "The only problem is finding time |
| than two million page views. One of those is Christian | | | | to be prepared when it really takes off. |