Spotlight on IrishGent Resident, Owner of Irish Island Estates Lanai Jarrico Reporting... ~ The SL Enquirer

What do you look for in the people you surround yourself with?

Whether in business or leisure, who you associate with can be a factor in your reputation and how far you will
go in life. This concept can apply to our Second Life existence as well.

I like to think that we grow and mold into who we are by who we associate with. We connect and network with others because of common interests and goals. I am all about
networking and creating relationships with likeminded individuals. Because I want to involve the community and provide a variety of news through the eyes of residents.

Through the years, I have met and worked with countless people that have come to the virtual world pursuing their dreams.

Often times the outcome is favorable and they become my friends and other times I felt like my sandcastle was constantly being kicked over by people with hidden agenda and motives. That type of negative energy can be detrimental to trying to accomplish goal.Ridding yourself of that type of energy and taking the time to understanding the virtual world culture is the best thing to do. That is why I choose to surrounding myself with positive and creative people

Please meet IrishGent Resident, Owner of Irish Island Estates a real world professional with a concept to apply what he knows to the Second Life community. In his short time in Second Life he has accomplished a lot and has formed relationships with many of the elite here
in Second Life.

Interview with IrishGent Resident

Lanai: Hi IrishGent, I wanted to start this interview off by saying thank you for such a warm welcome to Irish Estates. I have never in all my years here, experienced such a
community where literally everyone gets involved in events and work peacefully
together. The most important part of all is that you roll up your sleeves and
really get involved in the mechanics of such a successful structure. Can you
tell me what brought you into Second Life and what you do here?

IrishGent: Certainly. I was introduced to SL through a lady that I happened to meet on a dating site. She described SL as virtual environment where people have fun, never get cold, wet or die. I thought to myself Wow! Sounds like nirvana in a computer. After a couple of weeks and interactions with Vampires, other noobs and walking through life music events with a box attached to my head, I found my place amongst a few good friends in a tropical setting similar to my estates.

What I do here, pretty much everything. I build, texture, script, landscape, manage the finances, plan events, incorporate and engage those residents that have the interest,
time and passion into the fabric of the estates. Just like RL, for someone to feel as they belong or have a true sense of home, they need to feel some level of ownership through their actions but deeply through their emotions.

Lanai: The fascination of being able to communicate and work together with people from around the globe will never get old to me. What have you found to be your fascination with this type of communication platform?

IrishGent: Exactly what you have found. I can wake during the night to grab a glass of water and quickly jump on to read my messages to be greeted by a good friend in Belgium asking why I am up.

This platform has knock down barriers and created bridges to people and parts of the world I would never venture in RL. Now through SL I have been there with my friend with hopes of meeting them in person someday.

Lanai:When you aren’t working, what do you like to do for fun?

IrishGent: Great question. I am an avid sailor in RL. Just like RL I have my boat/s he he, I can many more here in SL than in RL. I grab one and head off for about 30 min sail. That is where I find my peace and center.

Lanai:You are a true professional and bring some order to the way some people conduct themselves in Second Life business. In the time we have settled into our new location here at Artisan Irish Island, I have gotten to meet new people and delighted to pleasantly be surprised to see people I know and already work with, support what you do too. That reassures me that I am where I need to be. Can you share with me from your perspective, what you see for the future of virtual worlds and business integration?

IrishGent: Business integration great topic. I know we are beyond the early adopter’s phase of where virtual worlds meet real world business. Some have had moderate success; others have “died on the vine” either from the economy forcing innovative business to
retrench or lack of ROI (return on investment). I see clearly the benefit of SL as a training tool for colleges, corporations and entrepreneurs to model businesses in an international setting. We have all the key elements that are the building blocks for successful businesses. We have a Stock Exchange to facilitate currency exchanges; we have a land Barron nary that is unlike anything I have witnessed in RL. We have the social, economic, political, cultural climates that reflect RL.

Modeling with RL/SL benefits and liabilities. The Integration is happening now with Colleges and other teaching institutions. Some businesses have moved from SL to RL to find success. So think of SL as the huge international social and business
experiment (incubator) that continues too many options to all and the ongoing
results are we continue to evolve.

Lanai:Second Life is an interesting combination of business and leisure and at times the lines can become blurred. What are the similarities that you see between real world business and the way it is conducted in Second Life?

IrishGent: Ahhh! The proverbial “Blurred lines”. I sincerely believe that is distinction between Rl/SL is very thin at best. The only huge difference is that we are able to move
projects along at a faster rate here as opposed to RL. But in some cases
it may take longer in Sl than in RL depending on the participants. I also
find that the level of passion to succeed can be magnified here. It is amazing
how people respond to success and most cases it is like a SL endorphin.
The way business is conducted is adapted to the “home country” where the
resident resides. We have residents that live in South Africa, Belgium,
Germany, France, UK, and the US. The common threads among these residents
in these countries is life’s experience (age), Business acumen (RL Work
Experience), mutual curiosity and interest in SL (Student), and the funds to
have fun.

Some would call this an International MBA program on business and Psychology.

Lanai:What would you say the advantages are for being involved virtual world for business . So many people depend on a team to become successful here. If the leader falls, the business usually follows like a house of cards. What would you like to see happen with Irish Estates?

IrishGent: Bingo! Now that statement is real. You remember the phrase, “you are strongest as your weakest link” Ha-ha; we are proving that to be wrong here in SL. How so you ask?
SL is defined as Second Life thus implying a Second Chance to do it right or really mess it up. I chose to do it right. Now the right way denotes ethics, forethought, mutual respect and compassion with a fiscal eye. That only works in RL and SL if everyone’s motives are similar or at least not conflicting. So how do I align everyone on the same page? That is where I am the student and the residents are the teachers. I do mess up and in enthusiasm run to give the answer only to find that my logic is flawed. Where I differ from most, I adjust and like a student that is prone to giving the wrong answers and most of the resident teachers are compassionate enough to allow me to do a makeup exam. He he This “give and take” is what makes it successful. The weakest and the strongest are you and I in any given relationship whether it is RL or here at Irish Estates. We have lost a few and will lose and gain more along the way but what will remain consistent in SL time frame, is the fluidity and excitement that we can feel with the
right team.

Lanai:I know it takes a skilled team of key players to accomplish success and I already see that happening. Please feel free to name drop the staff. And tell me a little bit about what they do. They truly are a fine group of individuals that help make Irish
Island the cool environment it is.

IrishGent: First I have to say that I am honored to have my team that believes in me. Despite the fluxuations and
uncertainties of SL I have the best friends in the world. The list in not
in any specific order but...

First and foremost my dear amazing twin sister. I say that tongue and cheek knowing she would gladly kick me out of bed if I snored which never happen seeing we are all business. The reason for my staying in SL is Ericaanne Hastings. She is one of the
most amazing ppl I have met ever. Gracious, loving, caring and creative. The attributes of artistic expressionism that come to life at Irish Estates are in Erica. In all honesty, the Estates should be named Erica Estates.

Second are two amazing women that possess the passion, intelligence, social skills and business savvy to make the community and social events work. Baila Palmira is the
Operations Gura and Marriellaanna is our Social Genius.

Our outreach to SL is Lacy Muircastle who’s experience and wisdom has kept us on a defined course. I love working with Lacy in that she delicately tells me I am a student and that the teacher is giving a makeup exam. Love her to pieces.

We have two new members on the staff that bring land and sea management to the table. They are currently putting together the program that works in their world and have yet to be reviewed by the existing staff.

Our Board of Directors are the same mentioned above along with other Icons on SL.

Lanai: I know you don’t just have anybody living and working on Irish Estates. Can you share with me what you look for in the people you invite to the community?

IrishGent: SL maturity with discriminating tastes. I spend about an hour with each applicant to live at the estates vetting out and seeing if they, we are a good fit. Once i have my time
with them i have them meet the staff and then we decide next steps. It is not a perfect system and it seems like it is complicated but it really isn’t. We go with our feelings and gut on most of this and it works great.

Lanai:There is a lot of activity on Irish Islands that I may not need to go too far for news!
anymore. From a beautiful Catina Surf beach resort and Newport Yacht Club for
avid sailors, to community living and luxury shops, you truly have created a
presence here in Second Life. I have to say, the themed events are so much fun. Everyone is so involved and the conversation is always welcoming to all. What do you think the key to this this typeof organization.

IrishGent: People people and people... Our residents fuel this and at the helm is Marcella. She comes with a colorful experience of entertaining a large estate prior to joining our team.

Marcella has a way of gleaning from the residents seeds of ideas and making them grow over night. She is resourceful, creative, engaging, and budget minded.

Lanai:I know you have some special events and projects brewing on the burner and I’m happy to get a little sneak peek on what’s to come, but can you share a little about what you have been up to and what Second Life residents should expect to see in the future?

IrishGent: Well, may I say this? The future is bright for all those that reside at the Estates. We just
purchased two of BOSL’s holdings for the residents to develop business though.

We are growing but the fun stuff comes out by the day. Contact IrishGent Resident for event information.