3D Social Networking Destination RipLounge Moves Into Beta
by Duncan Riley on March 17, 2008

3D social networking destination RipLounge from OTC listed Wyndstorm Corporation is now available for beta testing.

RipLounge targets the 25-40 year old market with a browser based 3D social networking platform that promises an “interactive online experience of free virtual worlds, such as swanky nightclubs, beaches and yachts, where users can meet, dance, flirt, kiss, hold-hands and audio-visual chat.”

Users get a personalized 3-D animated avatars and can invite friends to join them. The service promises to showcase independent music artists and offers advertisers “in-scene” advertising.

The site will fully open to the public April 1 and formally debut at Ad:Tech later that month.

Having not yet tested the service it would be perhaps unfair to make an assessment based on the demo video, however why avatars waddle around like penguins in each scene was not made clear. Maybe it’s a special feature…or maybe not.

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  • And how is this different from second life?

  • Useless! Are we running out of human being who can think of more useful things, like s/w to help new drug discovery. Waste of space.

  • The video is dead (”no longer available”).

  • flipped it to Metacafe, trying to find out why YouTube pulled it.

  • yes, This video is unavailable. ..

  • you need to get your programmers to work on those walks… too funny.

    Nobody’s gonna get laid with struts like that

  • Jackie Nickolson…Suckoya…Sucoya

  • Another press release about a company nobody’s going to remember six months hence? Yawn.

  • Wait, wait, this is hilarious: “…that everyone’s talking about!” … “be the first!”

    How is this possible?

  • Good luck to you, send me an e-mail and i’ll give you some ideas that deserve money. I can just see these people getting all excited about their “3d myspace.” Not saying it will never happen, but it’s a little before its time. Oh yeah and go check out vSide or Secondlife while you’re at it. How do you plan to stand out from that crowd?

  • Are these guys serious…did you see some of the pics from the video. This has got be an early April fools joke

  • I’ll believe this site is b-r-o-w-s-e-r-b-a-s-e-d, and doesnt require separate download. I know 2ndlife does, not sure about any others.

    Still, I hate social networks.

  • Actually, they should merge with the 3D Mailbox guys.

    If history has shown us anything, it’s that everything is better in 3D and that at some point we’ll merge all computer programs into some huge, shiny 3D metaverse.

  • it’s like second life only…anything new in it???

    Raj–

    http://www.mnem...cdictionary.com

  • Can’t wait for social-network-mania to be over.

    Bring us the next wave of internet madness please, this time one that actually brings a real value to users, not just time wasting. Something for everyone to make some real money.

  • I watched the video twice because I was laughing too hard, almost damaging my valve. “Nightclub Energy” on the internet in a ‘virtual world’ where you can chat (wow!) and join social groups! Isn’t that what a real nightclub/bar is for? You know to um…form..uh..real social groups.
    As a business it may work with teens if it offers something compelling or something to play with for a moment or two as a goof, but I can’t imagine this being a popular site with the ‘25-40′ demographic.

  • Friendly reminder: There are no womenz on the internetz.

    Harry “tellin’ the truf” Wang

  • Duncan, I work with the Public Relations firm representing Wyndstorm Corporation, who built out RipLounge.com for LA-based StableMedia, LLC, the social media armof Seed Corn Advertising. Just wanted to let you know that YouTube hasn’t pulled the RipLounge video. You can find it online at http://www.yout...h?v=EdioCp_g1jU

    For those who are interested, the RipLounge.com site currently in beta was built using Flash with a MySQL and php backend. Wyndstorm is working out the usual pre-launch bugs during the present beta. But all is on course for a live virtual 3-D experience at the beginning of April and then rolling an official launch to the digital world at Ad:Tech San Francisco in mid-April.

  • OMG! Hilarious. Just go to Second Life.

    this video is soooooo stooopid.

  • to those who said this is like secondlife… well it’s just NOT. I wish!! lol
    This is not even 3D, it’s just a bunch of pictures and some pre-rendered characters that look like they were made in Poser in the 90s. Jeez, what’s wrong with the industry nowadays? are these startups so cheap that thay can’t afford decent 3D people anymore? I actually feel embarrassed for these guys. Truly. I feel sorry for these people. Whoever they are. It’s like… i can already see the entire staff wearing nothign but cowboy hats dancing on a poker table in Las Vegas, without a dollar to their names. Such a shame.

  • David Southgate: it’s September… and still no 3D.

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