| Rick Schwartz seems bullish on Florida's economy. | | | | Still, there's a NASDAQ-esque feeling to Weblo. |
| After all, he's the virtual governor. | | | | The latest buys and the sales data can be setto |
| Schwartz, a Boca Raton resident, recently | | | | scroll across the top of your computer screen. |
| dropped $18,047 to buy the state - and | | | | Jameson, who is 40, says he watches |
| theaccompanying gubernatorial title - on the | | | | itconstantly, as if it were the stock market. |
| nascent Weblo.com, a parallel e-world where | | | | Schwartz - or should we call him Florida's |
| virtualownership of every real city, state and | | | | governor? - logs on to Weblo far less often. If |
| property is up for sale. So far, there are | | | | youvisit his sites expecting photos of the beach |
| 21,500registered users, and almost 7,000 cities | | | | and the state flag, you'll be disappointed. He |
| have been sold. | | | | sayshe's waiting for Weblo to catch on before he |
| "Monopoly on steroids," says the Montreal | | | | develops his profiles. |
| company. | | | | Schwartz estimates that he has spent $50,000 to |
| Except this game is played with real money. | | | | $70,000 on Weblo. But his friends don'tquestion it, |
| Here's how it works: The first person to register | | | | he said, given his success buying domain names. |
| a property, city or state can pay to be its rightful | | | | "When you look at the ways you can throw your |
| Weblo owner. If you buy a city or state, you're | | | | money away, if it's going to the stock marketor |
| named the virtual mayor or governor. Any place | | | | going to the casino, you don't have any control |
| with an address is up for grabs: the Eiffel Tower, | | | | over it," he said. "It's strictly a gamble. If it |
| your old high school, your neighbor's house. | | | | (Weblo) catches on, stranger things have |
| A property's initial price is determined by an index | | | | happened." |
| that considers its real-life population andeconomy, | | | | Weblo's Morrow wouldn't say what percentage of |
| as well as its potential appeal as a Weblo profile. | | | | the Web site's profiles are profitable, orwhether |
| It's a game for the rich and thepoor: Cities sell for | | | | the company has turned a profit. But Jameson |
| as little as $5, but buying a state will cost | | | | says he thinks he'll make a 36 percentreturn on |
| thousands. "You're thinking, '18,000 U.S. dollars, for | | | | his investments ($5,000 or $6,000 so far) by the |
| real? It's a profile!' " said Sean Morrow, Weblo's | | | | end of the year. |
| director of marketing, referring to the sale of | | | | Even without the financial element, Weblo allures. |
| Florida. "But it's a significant return oninvestment." | | | | Like a massive game of Risk, it plays on people's |
| Schwartz, who's in his 50s, is also the virtual | | | | desire for power. "I love to be known as |
| mayor of St. Petersburg, for which he shelled out | | | | thevirtual mayor of Lake Buena Vista," said |
| $11.72. If property owners adhere to Weblo's | | | | Jameson, "because, as you know, Disney owns |
| game plan, they'll "develop" their sites with | | | | thattown." |
| relevant information. Mike Jameson, a Connecticut | | | | (Want to buy the main offices of the St. |
| resident who has bought properties throughout | | | | Petersburg Times? Too late. This reporter |
| Florida, posted maps and photos of Disney World | | | | snappedthem up for $2.38, though she'll entertain |
| to his profiles for Lake Buena Vista and | | | | offers.) |
| Celebration. He bought Treasure Island, as well, | | | | Like a memory book, Weblo plays on |
| but hasn't done much for its profile. | | | | sentimentality. Suzanne Calpas, a stay-at-home |
| There's a commercial incentive to create a good | | | | mom in |
| site: Weblo shares its ad revenue with siteowners. | | | | Prince George, British Columbia, bought some |
| The more visitors your site attracts, the more | | | | cities in Turkey that she visited on |
| money you'll earn. You can also make money by | | | | herhoneymoon. |
| reselling your site. The Weblo member who | | | | And like any other networking site, it plays on the |
| bought Seattle for $40 resold it for $2,000, | | | | need for social interaction. "Mostly it's forfun," said |
| proving that flipping isn't limited to real property. | | | | Calpas, 39, who bought Pittsburgh for $300 and |
| "Global domination has never been more fun," the | | | | Lake City for $5. "People send youmessages, you |
| company enthuses on its Web site. | | | | start to develop friendships." |
| Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan | | | | Jameson, a real estate agent in real life as well as |
| Securities who tracks the video gameindustry, | | | | in Weblo Land, thinks he has found onemore use |
| expressed reservations about the odds of making | | | | for the site: He has registered dozens of cities in |
| money off Weblo. | | | | his home state of Connecticut, andplans to use |
| "You can't sell ads without traffic, and if they | | | | those profiles to provide house hunters with |
| make some schmo responsible for creating | | | | information about different areas. |
| thecontent of Florida, he may do a terrible job, | | | | "When I do listings for houses, I will say, 'I am the |
| lowering overall traffic," Pachter wrote in an | | | | virtual mayor of this town,' " he said. |
| emailto the St. Petersburg Times. | | | | Weblo, like Jameson, has big Web-based plans for |
| "Unless there is some quality control, consumers | | | | the future. Morrow, the marketing director,said |
| will tire quickly of visiting the site, andadvertisers | | | | the company is formulating plans for a Weblo |
| will lose interest. Sounds like a pyramid scheme to | | | | presidential election, probably to be heldjust |
| me." | | | | before the real election next year. |