JustLeapIn.com

I first tried social networking in a 3-D environment with Second Life. My first couple of weeks there were filled with exploration, and the other people I met there (via 3-D avatars) were also early explorers. The features were rich, but the Second Life universe was pretty empty – not really lived in yet.

I returned many months later to find Second Life virtually crowded. Stores and nightclubs and casinos were set up everywhere, and the avatars were punkier and less friendly. There goes the neighborhood.

So now I found Just Leap In. It’s reminiscent of an early Second Life, so I might give virtual reality a second chance. Especially because Just Leap In offers something different: customize your own personal world.

Imagine if your Facebook page was a three dimensional world of your own design, inside and out. The architecture and surroundings are your own choices. The pictures on the wall and videos on the screens are your own. You pick out the furniture and decor. You pick the music that plays. Invite your friends over and play. Comfy, cozy, friendly.

JustLeapIn.com just went beta in January of 2009. The developers promise to keep developing the concept in order to grow with its users. I’m figuring if I stick around Just Leap In more than I did with Second Life, I may even have some small say in how things develop, as the developers hold live online get-togethers with its beta testers (you, if you just sign up).

The next “live gathering” happens to be TODAY (16 June 2009) at 2pm Pacific time (5pm East Coast). Be at or be flat.

To get started, a relatively small program is downloaded to your hard drive, but the 3-D world you create is online. This saves the memory and resources of your own computer as you use their web servers to do the hard stuff.

Controls are clearly explained graphically when you begin, with PC and Mac designations when there’s a difference. You can “walk” about, look in any direction, even look to your side as you walk in another direction. You can move and pick up and even throw objects. You can zoom in with a mere double click.

Turn the sound on and off, change the size of the screen display … well, go find out for yourself! WinXP or “better,” OSX, Firefox 2 and 3, and even Internet Explorer 7.

Just Leap In looks like a 3-D world for non-techies, and I hope this catches on. I’ll report back as I get a better lay of the virtual land. In the mean time, check out this “unofficial” demo vid and go visit JustLeapIn.com.

Six-Eye Jackson

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