Visit With Friends

A safe, credentialed way to step into 360° spaces together, tour verified properties, and share real-world moments—inside the Virtual Mall of America.

Feature overview

• 360° friend spheres: Invite friends into a live or saved 360° camera sphere to hang out, react, and co-explore real places together.
• Take the tour (real estate): Join guided, 360° virtual tours hosted by verified real estate agents for residential or commercial listings.
• Social sharing: Send “Visit With Friends” invites, save highlight reels, and post moments to My Hub without exposing private data.
• Ava‑Store tie‑ins: Equip “tour mode” outfits, laser pointers, measuring tools, floor plan overlays, and décor bundles for avatars.
• Replay integration: Record consented tour segments to REPLAY Video Hub for later review (with agent authorization).

Safety and security architecture

• Verified identities:
  • Agents: License verification through national/state registries, brokerage affiliation, and ongoing re-checks.
  • Users: Tiered identity (basic, enhanced, enterprise) to unlock hosting and recording features.
• Credential gating:
  • Only certified agents can list properties and host “Take the tour.”
  • No investment hubs or speculative listings; strict commercial use policy to deter fraud.
• Consent-first controls:
  • Host consent: Recording, screenshots, or REPLAY clips require explicit host toggles.
  • Participant consent: Visible indicators confirm who is recording; one-tap opt-out removes participant visuals from saved content.
• Privacy by design:
  • Geofencing: Blur or restrict sensitive areas (private photos, addresses beyond listing, minors).
  • Redaction tools: Auto-blur faces, license plates, family photos; watermark saved tours.
  • Location scopes: Show approximate areas until the agent unlocks verified tour coordinates.
• Access control & auditability:
  • Invite-only rooms: PIN or whitelist invites; session codes expire.
  • Audit logs: Immutable logs of joins, actions (recording, snapshots), and host settings for dispute resolution.
  • Rate limits: Throttle invite spam and suspicious behavior.
• Content moderation:
  • Proactive scanning: Detect prohibited content (nudity, hate symbols) in 360° feeds; quarantine and review.
  • Real-time host tools: Mute, remove, lock room, or end session; one-tap agent escalation.
• Fraud prevention:
  • Listing authenticity: Broker-of-record attestation, MLS sync, randomized verification checks.
  • Financial safety: No on-platform escrow or investment solicitation; redirect to approved brokerage systems.
  • Scam detection: Pattern analysis on repeat offenders; swift suspension and appeal flow.

Real estate verification and compliance

• Agent onboarding:
  • Submission: License number, state, brokerage, government-issued ID.
  • Verification: Automated registry checks + human review; annual re-verification.
  • Badge: “VMOA Verified Agent” badge with state seal; visible on profile and tours.
• Listing standards:
  • Required assets: MLS link, floor plans, disclosures, agent-of-record contact.
  • Accuracy rules: No exaggerated claims; truth-in-advertising compliance; immediate correction workflow.
  • Tour safety: No minors on camera; restricted areas (bedrooms with personal effects) flagged and blurred.
• Legal safeguards:
  • Terms & disclosures: Clear consent, recording notices, and data processing statements.
  • Regional compliance: State-specific real estate advertising rules applied via policy templates.
  • Record retention: Minimal and purpose-limited; agent-controlled deletion windows with legal hold exceptions.

User experience flows

• Create a friend sphere:
  • Host setup: Choose live or saved 360°, set privacy (invite-only, friends-of-friends), enable/disable recording.
  • Invite: Generate secure link + session PIN; optional time window and participation cap.
  • In-session: Spatial audio, avatar pointers, note pins, screenshot-safe zones, and consent indicators.
• Join a property tour:
  • Discovery: Browse verified listings by area, price, type, and agent badge.
  • Group visit: Join friends in the same 360° space; talk with the agent; drop questions as pins.
  • Follow-up: Export agent-approved clips, floor plans, and notes to My Hub; request private showing.
• Post‑tour actions:
  • Share safely: Watermarked highlights with blurred sensitive data; agent control over shareability.
  • Ava‑Store upsell: Offer décor packs, measuring tools, and “move-in” bundles tied to the listing category.

Revenue streams

• Agent subscriptions:
  • Basic/Pro tiers: Host count, recording privileges, analytics dashboards, branding overlays.
• Per‑tour fees:
  • Session-based pricing: Agents pay per guided tour; volume discounts available.
• Transaction commissions:
  • Closed deals: Small percentage on sales/rentals attributed to VMOA tours (managed via broker reporting).
• Ava‑Store sales:
  • Tour mode kits: Measuring tools, laser pointers, branded hard hats, décor bundles, staging packs.
• Sponsored destinations:
  • City/Neighborhood showcases: Tourism boards and developers sponsor verified area tours (non-investment marketing only).
• Premium features:
  • Larger groups & pro tools: Expanded participant caps, translation captions, dual-language tour overlays, ADA-friendly guides.

Technical and operational standards

• 360° capture:
  • Supported formats: Common 360° video/photo standards with adaptive streaming; hardware partner SDKs.
  • Stability layer: Auto-leveling, stitching correction, noise suppression.
• Performance & scale:
  • Adaptive bitrate: Smooth experiences on variable connections; edge caching for popular tours.
  • Session integrity: Heartbeat monitoring, reconnection grace, host-first continuity.
• Accessibility:
  • Captions & transcripts: Real-time captions, multi-language subtitles, screen-reader-friendly UI.
  • Visual comfort: Comfort mode (reduced motion), guided teleport points, brightness/contrast controls.
• Analytics (privacy-safe):
  • Engagement metrics: Join count, dwell time, replay rate; aggregated, de-identified for dashboards.
  • Agent insights: Heatmaps of attention, FAQ clusters; opt-in and consent-based.

Abuse prevention and incident response

• Live safeguards:
  • Host panic control: Instantly freeze stream and blur scene; remove all guests; auto-notify moderators.
  • Guest limits: Kick/ban, mute-all, lock new joins; anti-raid cooldowns.
• Reporting:
  • One-tap reports: Clear categories (fraud, privacy violation, harassment), evidence attachments.
  • Triage SLAs: Priority queues for agent issues; escalation to trust & safety team.
• Enforcement:
  • Graduated actions: Warning, temporary suspension, permanent ban; verified agents can trigger priority review.
  • Appeals: Transparent timelines and outcomes; audit trail preserved.
• Education:
  • Onboarding guides: Best practices for safe tours, consent signage, what-not-to-record.
  • In-product nudges: Pre-tour checklists and privacy reminders.

Privacy and consent essentials

• Clear UI signals:
  • Recording lamps: Persistent live indicator; participant list shows who can capture.
  • Sensitive zones: Markers and overlays indicating blur-on-capture areas.
• Data minimization:
  • Scoped storage: Store only what’s necessary; default short retention; agent-managed archive.
  • Export control: Agents approve any outgoing highlights; users can request redaction of their avatar or voice.
• User rights:
  • Access & deletion: Easy ways to view, export, or delete personal participation data; redaction tools for shared content.

Launch plan and KPIs

• Phase 1 (private beta):
  • Targets: 100 verified agents, 1,000 test friend spheres, 10 high-profile city showcases.
  • KPIs: Session completion rate, consent adherence (100%), report resolution time (<24h).
• Phase 2 (public rollout):
  • Growth: Regional agent expansion, curated landmark tours, Ava‑Store “tour mode” packs.
  • KPIs: Monthly active tours, average dwell time, Ava‑Store attach rate (>15%), abuse rate (<0.1% of sessions).
• Phase 3 (scale & partnerships):
  • Enterprise: Brokerage partnerships, ADA-certified tour flows, multi-language agent tools.
  • KPIs: Verified agent NPS (>60), closed-deal attribution, compliance audit pass rate (100%).

🏡 Visit With Friends

Coming Soon to the Virtual Mall of America  Step inside a 360° world with the people who matter most. With Visit With Friends, you can invite friends into a shared panoramic sphere—whether it’s a street café in Paris, a concert in Tokyo, or a verified real estate tour of your next home. Explore together, talk in real time, and make decisions side by side, no matter where you are in the world.

✨ Core Experiences

• Friend Spheres: Create private, invite‑only 360° rooms where avatars can gather, chat, and explore real‑world views together.
• Take the Tour: Verified real estate agents host immersive property tours, allowing families and friends to walk through listings together.
• Social Sharing: Send a “Visit With Friends” invite or highlight reel to your My Hub feed.
• Ava‑Store Tie‑Ins: Unlock tour‑mode outfits, décor packs, and interactive tools like laser pointers and measuring overlays.

🔐 Verified. Safe. Trusted.

• Verified Agents Only: Every property tour is hosted by a licensed, credentialed real estate agent. No investment hubs, no speculative schemes.
• Consent‑First Sharing: Recording and highlights require clear host and participant approval, with visible indicators at all times.
• Privacy by Design: Sensitive areas blurred automatically, watermarks on shared clips, and strict data minimization.
• Fraud Prevention: MLS sync, broker‑of‑record verification, and ongoing compliance checks ensure only legitimate listings appear.
• Security Center Oversight: Backed by VMOA’s enterprise‑grade monitoring, moderation, and enforcement standards.

💰 Revenue Streams

• Agent Subscriptions: Verified agents pay to host listings and tours.
• Transaction Commissions: Small percentage on closed sales or rentals attributed to VMOA tours.
• Premium Friend Spheres: Paid upgrades for larger groups, branded environments, or pro tools.
• Ava‑Store Sales: Tour kits, décor bundles, and cultural outfits tied to destinations.
• Enterprise Licensing: Partnerships with brokerages, relocation services, and tourism boards.

🚀 Why It Matters

• For Users: Explore the world and make big decisions together, safely.
• For Agents: A cutting‑edge, fraud‑proof way to showcase properties.
• For Microsoft: A new vertical—real estate + social travel—that no competitor owns.
• For VMOA: Adds trust, professionalism, and a new B2B revenue stream while reinforcing the Mall’s reputation as the safest immersive platform.