Right hand returns mean business.

The view that launched a thousand ticket solutions.

Here’s David’s desk. The head honcho, the big man on campus, he requires a certain level of utilitarianism in order to keep his resolve. A bastion of service and support, David’s desk means business. Serious business.  He has no real decorations to speak of, only a fan to cool his fingers, lest they catch fire from typing too many epic answers or case studies. This is dangerous stuff, folks, make no mistake. David’s desk is centrally located and is widely regarded as the best seat in the house. Lest the job, or desk placement go to his head David also has the office phone on his desk and we make him buzz people in the building.

This is what God-tier moderation looks like.

This is what Terri looks like when she bans cheaters.

Next up is Terri. Terri’s desk is a reflection of her fun, outgoing personality. Unlike David, Terri has complex decorative requirements in order to be able to moderate, support and engage our communities: among those include at least one form of Nerf weaponry, an adorable animal and some kind of bad-ass action figure.You can also see a growing collection of stickers, a side effect of Terri’s insatiable desire for online shopping. She also has one of our custom made Serious Business blankets to protect her from the bracing San Francisco cold.

Plants thrive when surrounded by this level of productivity.

It looks clean, but you don't want to see inside the file cabinet.

Tom’s desk, while slightly less visually interesting than Terri’s has its own minimalist charm. He generally varies between two extremes, aseptically clean or completely buried in paperwork, notebooks, post-its and pens that don’t work. Tom’s time spent as an elite hacker in the jungles of Panama has conditioned him to a certain level of greenery, so Terri was kind enough to get him this lovely lucky bamboo which he has reportedly given a secret codename he refuses to reveal.

I hope this journey through Community Land has been both informative and exciting for you guys, but remember, it takes a lot of technology, plenty of paperclips and great communication skills to do what we do over here, but most important are the people. We wouldn’t be here without you guys, so keep playing and we’ll keep helping out!

Don’t forget, to stay connected with us, check out our Twitter feed:

The new Friend Feed has been designed to help you stay active and abreast of what your friends are doing, similar to the way your Facebook feed works, only customized to the unique actions available in Friends For Sale.

We wanted to shed some light on the Friend Feed so you guys can see the ideas that brought the new Friend Feed to life and gain a little insight on how the feature works.

To do this, I decided to interview some of our engineers assigned to the Friends For Sale team.

1. What inspired the new Friend News Feed?

“The new Friend News Feed was inspired a lot by Facebook. When you look at your Facebook feeds, you see lots of information about what your friends are up to and not just things they’ve posted, but you get to see them talk to each other and interact with people you may not know. We wanted to surface this information better so that Friends For Sale becomes an even more powerful tool for making new friendships.”

2. How does the Friend News Feed get its information?

The Friend News Feed pulls information from the Friends For Sale database of events and happenings. This information is so fresh that as soon as something happens in Friends For Sale it’s published to the feed.

3. What’s next for Friend News Feed? What stories would you like to add to the feed?

“We can’t reveal what’s next (and why would we want to? The mystery is half the fun!) but we think it would be cool if you could send information like how much money you made today into the feed, or publish stats about your assets or your favorite pets. We’d love to hear your ideas too!”

So there you have it: Friend News Feed, the most exciting new thing to happen in Friends For Sale since the Purple Rose (and that was last week!) We’d also love to hear any suggestions you have for the feed. Is there something you’d like to publish that you can’t? Something you see you wish you didn’t? Please leave us a comment, and as always, thanks for playing! We wouldn’t be here without you guys!

Siqi and his team are very busy back in their office in San Francisco, California. However, Siqi took time from his schedule to answer a few questions for the FFS crew.

The first thing we asked Siqi is, how did he first come up the idea of Friends for Sale. He answered:

“Alex and I designed Friends for Sale because we noticed that Facebook makes it intentionally difficult for you to meet new people. What we wanted to do is build a market economy around friendships – people place different values on different relationships, so we built a fun game around that idea.”

The next thing we asked Siqi was, what does he think is the unique appeal of Friends For Sale. He told us:

“It’s a really low friction way of interacting with your existing friends and meeting new people around the world. People have to cooperate and be social in order to be successful in our game – it’s a nice feedback loop.”

We were interested in finding out if Siqi still finds the time to play Friends For Sale. He said:

“I do! I still spend a lot of time browsing for people I like, and buy them.”

Lastly, we asked Siqi if he had anything to share with our Friends For Sale players. And, of course he did:

“Thanks so much for your support! We have lots of interesting features coming up this up month, a lot of them have been asked for by you guys for some time. Keep your eyes open and keep buying those friends!”

I thank Siqi for making time for our blog and I thank our players for keeping it real.

Nadav lives near the Mediterranean Sea in the city of Tel Aviv in Israel.

We asked Nadav how FFS changed his life and he kindly said:

“Well, I basically stopped having life after I installed it , I LOVE this game and I live it…yes yes….a real addict. Now, seriously – I got to meet many friends from all around the world – many of them became my best friends – people that I respect, love and trust. The game also made me a very tolerant and open minded person and I learned to accept the different, to take fast decisions when needed and to make a deep research when dealing with a situation that requires much attention.”

We wanted to know what Nadav what he would do if he had three billion dollars and he responded:

“I would give about third of it to my family, with the rest I would fly all over the world, I am a very international person so would have probably spent most of the money on flying and living in a different country every few months. I would invest some in the Nasdaq (and hopefully wont lose this time), would donate money to children that have no place to spend the night at and help people with no means to gain education. My motto in life is “knowledge is power”, learning new things is something that I ALWAYS strive/adore. Probably I would also start my own business which would be computer related of course, who knows – maybe I would also buy Serious Business )).”

Since Nadav has been playing FFS for so long, we wanted to be sure to get his advice to help others be successful. Here’s what he had to say:

“I always say that FFS is a microcosm of real life. Whatever you find in real life – expect to find in FFS as well. If you want to become a good player: be friendly, treat the other same as you would like to be treated, buy active pets – pets who buy pets, pets and write on walls, pets who have some content in their about me. Remember to claim the daily bonus cash (250k each 6 hours) and publish the 5m link, don’t forget to send your pets to do chores. Always do some research before you buy a pet to avoid any future disappointments. Bouncing friends’ pets is the easiest way to make quick cash. Be friendly, flirt, smile, start a partnership with someone you get along with really well and most important – enjoy, relax and have fun

Also, even though it looks boring and long – read the TOS (Terms of Service) at least once – that would give you a good idea what is within the game limits and what is not.

If you have any questions – dont hesitate to contact one of the moderators/helpers or use the CP. All the moderators are experienced players – so we understand you guys from the player perspective as well and would always try to help/assist with any question/doubt.

ALWAYS REMEMBER – behind any picture (any pet) there is a real person.”

Thanks Nadav!

You can access our community portal by scrolling to the bottom of any page in FFS (or any of our games) and select the word “Contact”. Once you are there, simply search for answers to your issue or leave a brief message and another player, moderator or helper will reply to you. Please feel free to check our community page whenever you need help or to check on the latest news from Serious Business. We even have a link in the portal to our Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/seriousbusiness. We’d love to see you following us!

We asked Mohammad when he started playing FFS and he answered with:

“I could not pinpoint the exact date when I started playing Friends For Sale but that was around late June 2009. It was my younger sister, Reham Magalin, who introduced Friends For Sale to me. For many days, she invited me to play the game but I responded late. At first, I did not get the spirit of the game but as I play through I started to get into the FFS world slowly. During my first days of playing the game, I try to buy my HS Chemistry teacher many times and vice versa.”

Mohammad is rich with friendships as you can see by this image of him surrounded by his buddies. That is Mohammad in the bottom foreground, kneeling with a big smile.

When Mohammad was asked how FFS has changed his life, he answered:

“FFS has done a lot of changes in my life. One very interesting part that I could share is that in this game you can find an unexplainable not-met-friends yet they are kind and very true to you – “thanks for their presence”.

Here’s a composition that I made, titled as “What can I say about Friends For Sale”…
__________________>>>
“In Friends for sale, you experience VIRTUAL BUSINESS. You get to know how to manage your CASH or MONEY. You realize what to take and what to reject. You learn how to make some INVESTMENTS.

BUT!

Friends For Sale is not just a game of EARNING some CASH.
Friends For Sale is not just a game of RAISING your VALUE.

To raise your value as well as your cash is just a plain conception of entertaining YOURSELF.

That could be its COVER PAGE but the game has its TRUE SPIRIT to encourage you develop GOOD MORAL VALUES that will HELP you lead a DECENT LIFE.

There are a bunch of LESSONS that we could LEARN from this GAME. But the fascinating part is that it is ONLY YOU who can tell what it is. NOBODY ELSE.! And if you wish to share it with others that will be a momentous ONE.

In friends for sale, you LEARN the TRUE meaning of FRIENDSHIP with the presence of VIRTUAL MONEY.! Friends For Sale situation can be applied to REAL LIFE SITUATION. If you are clever enough, YOU know what I mean.!

I hope through my words I was able to enlighten you with my certain view in Friends For Sale.”

As for hobbies, Mohammad shared his passion with this reply:

“Sounds weird but I love to solve Math Problems. I find it interesting and I enjoy them every time I find a solution to different problems.”

We asked Mohammad if he had any tips for FFS enthusiasts and he suggested:

“Practically saying, your value does not matter but your cash does matter. Once you’ve a big cash, people will come and max your value – that is if you want to have an achievement. I encourage you players to buy pets which you think is a good investment. Spend your cash wisely!

I would also advise you to view FFS spiritedly and find words which would engrave a good mark in you hearts. This will also give more life to you while playing the game. I find many new friends in FFS and it feels good when you share your thoughts and differences with them.

You can also visit my FFS page for my FFS Guide. That will surely help you somehow.”

Mohammad’s FFS link: http://apps.facebook.com/friendsforsale/users/show/138614359

He said the last song played on his Sony MP4 was “Naked by Avril Lavigne… It’s a good song and I love its meaningful message.”

Please stop by and give Mohammad a pleasant greeting on his FFS page.

Salamat

Monica lives in the “Sunshine State “ of Florida and appropriately speaks English and Spanish.

When asked how she first started playing FFS Monica answered:

“Actually, someone had me date Prince Charles and I wanted to find out what FFS was all about and glad I did =)”

We asked Monica to share her hobbies with us and she said:

“Now I’m an FFS addict but still I have many hobbies out side FFS, one of the most important to me is giving back to society, especially to children in the community. I was former chairman of a kids club which activities included to help encourage and motivate 9-to-12 year-old girls to make the most of their lives by seeking to reinforce and sustain positive values among them by targeting healthy messages to the unique needs, interests, and challenges of girls. My Kids Club was also a member of The Giving Tree, the tree has hundreds of leaves on it. Each leaf has the name of a young child, teen or a senior citizen in need.

In addition I enjoy all kinds of music, multitasking sports events, volunteering in my community to help children, as well as help painting an adults community center for example. I also enjoy all water-related activities, especially boating, water skiing and swimming with dolphins; as well as studying about them, you could say I am a dolphin aficionado.”

One piece of information we were keen to have Monica share was her tips for other FFS players. Here’s her game advice:

“Please see my about me for general tips http://apps.facebook.com/friendsforsale/users/show/47937687 In addition, do your best in adding some nice about you and post a hello or nice day instead of asking people to buy you. Friends usually buy friends in addition to bids or trading. Also be active in the FFS forums, For more experienced players, if you take the time to help few new players they might wish list you too.
FFS Discussion Board http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=7019261521 is great because you can post your link to get bought or buy pets that want to get bought. You can make money going to pp forum and helping other players raise their pets. It’s also a good way to get to know others players in the game if you want to find reset partners,etc.
The Serious Business community forums are a great place to post questions and get answers from FFS Helpers.http://community.seriousbusiness.com/seriousbusiness/products/seriousbusiness_friends_for_sale_facebook”

Monica said the last song played on her iPod was:

“Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You (Johnny Depp)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsHDdawSjLU&feature=related”

Isn’t that a great song for the holidays?

Peace out

From: Codename Foxhound

Subject: We might have a solution to our problem

Security: High

Mr. Kammerling,

You were right about that potential recruit we’ve been keeping tabs on. The first op in Berlin went very well. Now I’m directing our new resource towards Keller. The combination of a fresh face and lack of previous ties to us makes this strategically wise.

Marc Keller has gone to ground and for quite sometime now. This new agent’s skills are remarkable and I think Keller can be shaken out with a little help from us.

My goal is to capture Keller alive and see what information we can get out of him. If you have different plans for him, you know how to reach me.

I’ll report back once we have Keller in hand, or if this new asset should fail us.

-Foxhound

Tack began playing FFS on May 19, 2008 after strong urging from his real life friends. When asked how FFS has changed his life, Tack replied:

“FFS has surely changed my life, I’ve met many “friends” on the web since 98 and never have I ever interacted with web friends like how I did on FFS. It surely has created a deep impact in my life and I am thankful for what it has brought me – some of my really close friends were met on FFS. Furthermore, I cannot deny the fact that there is still a lot to learn and experience about people and life even via an online gaming community as such.”

Tack has a life filled with varied interests and when we asked him to list his hobbies, he replied:

“Too many hobbies, top ranked ones: car racing (literally racing where my hands are on the wheels and feet on the throttle, clutch and brake), snooker, pool, stock market, forex, particle physics, cosmology, math, films, documentary films, learning (by myself and not forced by others), fine wine (although I don’t drink anymore), drinking games (mainly Chinese ones), dancing/clubbing (when I was younger), reading (only when it’s something I really wanna know about), music (listen, play, compose, etc), gaming (PC, consoles, online, etc)…”

Tack’s tips for FFS players are:

“Be honest, amicable, proactive, treat others honorable, earn others’ trusts, treat others like how you wish to be treated, keep the faith, be fair or at least try hard enough.”

Tack also shared that the last song he played in his iPod was:

X Japan – kurenai

Foxhound is a shadow that haunts my nightmares. I know she has plans in Berlin, but what escapes me. I’ve got one good crack at figuring out more about the Hierarchy.

My bosses in the BND don’t believe me when I try to tell them about The Hierarchy. But it’s considered a myth. A crazy conspiracy theory. A ghost to scare new operatives. I know they’re out there and Foxhound is my best bet on finding them.

The only lead I have right now is some new face on the streets. Someone’s paying me a lot of money to take this person down. I’m getting close I can feel it. If I can make this kill, I’ll be that much closer to finding Foxhound. That much closer to The Hierarchy.

If the BND found out about my side project they’d have my hide.

How did I end up here? I don’t even know who’s paying me. I don’t have much more than an envelope of euros and a photograph of the target. But I’ve been playing this game long enough to know a high priority target when I see one. It’s not about how skillful they are or who they work for. It’s about how much you are being paid.

And I’m being paid quite a lot.

-Julian Rothberg.

Heidi has been playing FFS since November of 2007 and helps our players in four languages – Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and English.

When asked how she first started playing FFS Heidi answered:

“I was invited to Facebook by a friend. and one day i got a notification about someone had bought me.. i wonder what the heck this was.. someone BOUGHT me????.. and a few min later.. i got a new notification that that someone had put a nickname on me too???  .. OMG..I just had to check that out.. so i added FFS.. and saw that many of my friends had bought me, so i started to be curious..Then i start to chat around on the walls.. and.. 2 years later.. i still havent manage to leave.. looool”

Heidi offered the following tips for FFS enthusiasts:

“The game is created for the purpose to make us bond with new friends.. manage to play together.. communicate and discuss what is worth gamble on.. and build up trust.. and after hard work.. we proudly raise each other up as a reward for all the work we put in it.  And.. this is the point with the game.. and i tell you.. it is nothing else that makes you feel better when you and your partner can do this.. becuz we do it TOGETHER.. and this is the point.. bonding with your friends.. give it a try, you will love it..:-)”

Please visit Heidi’s FFS page and leave a happy message or consider buying her or one her terrific pets.

Heidi’s FFS link is:

http://apps.facebook.com/friendsforsale/users/show/6059442