What are 5 keys components in a Successful SL Business- Katrina Karsin Reporting...

 

Operating a business in life is hard especially trying to find a backer who will believe in your ideas and give you enough money to get off the ground.  We all know big banks usually shy away from small business loans even if you have thoroughly researched and have put together a well-thought-out business plan.  So just how do Second Life businesses succeed, do you have to have started when Second Life originally began, or can you start a business today?   I have interviewed three successful businesses who are willing to share their 5 keys components in a Successful SL Business.

To give you an idea of different types of business I have interviewed Chop Zuey jewelry store designer/owner Belle Roussel, a land rental company called Corel Estates by Kristaki Hudson CEO, and a car dealership called TX by Tech Robonaught designer/owner. All of these businesses have been in Second Life for more than five years.

Chop Zuey is a well-recognized couture jewelry brand that opened October 2, 2009 Belle Roussel ‘s story is interesting.

Katrina Karsin:  Welcome Belle it is so very nice to meet you, we know you are busy, and we appreciate you taking the time to sit with us.  Let’s begin with how did Chop Zuey come to floriation? 

Belle Roussel:  Back in 2009, I used to own clubs in SL, big clubs that were very successful.  When we had to close my last club down suddenly due to real life problems that my business partner was having at the time, I was left with many unemployed dancers.  These were people that had been with me for years -- loyal, hardworking, people, many good friends -- and I felt terrible about it.  They had no warning that we were closing; none of us did.   So, I decided I was going to open some kind of business that I could share with them to help them make money.  At the time I had no experience with building, I mean seriously, I could just about rez a prim.  And I don't know how I got Jewellery into my head, but I got to work immediately, and in two weeks, I had about 5 or 6 collections of jewelry done.  Thus, the birth of Chop Zuey Couture Jewellery.  I made it a franchise and gave it out to all my loyal and wonderful dancers who wanted to be part of it.  Some of them are still with me today working and making money with Chop Zuey.  I have since opened the Affiliate Program up to anyone in SL, and today Chop Zuey has almost 200 Franchisers.  It’s been a great experience all around and Chop Zuey is truly a family.

Katrina Karsin:  What do you believe are the five key components in a successful SL business?

Belle Roussel:  1. Relationships 2. Relationships 3. Relationships 4. Relationships 5. Relationships.

Did I say relationships?  Yes, this is the single most important element in any successful business.

The relations you make with others not only build the success of your business but defines the quality and purpose of that success.  I am proud of the fact that I have clients, co-workers, and associates that have been with me since Day 1!  That’s over 11 years in SL!

Of course, a little skill, hard work, passion, persistence, and vision go a long way as well!

Katrina Karsin:  If your customers need help, how do they contact you and/or your staff for advice?

Belle Roussel:  I try to remain as accessible to my Clients as possible.  Notecards are always best.

My Wonderful Chop Zuey Manager is Ludmilla Umarov and she is always available to help in any way she is able.

Katrina Karsin: What kind of marketing do you use to gain traffic?  For example:  Do you pay for space in a magazine or newspaper?  Are you in any discount groups like Saturday Sale?

Belle Roussel:  I do some events.  They change monthly. 

Katrina Karsin: Where or who do you draw your inspiration from for your designs and are some pieces personal to you?  Can you share the story behind it with us? 

Belle Roussel:  Ooh, everything you see in the showroom is personal to me!  All of it.  For example, 'Unrequited', 'Swimming with the Fishes', 'White Lies' & 'Black Lies' are all from The Love & Other Drugs Collection.  As you can see, I like to create thematic collections and when it comes to love you're never going to get it straight from me - there will always be a twist, a little bitter twist to make it more real.  My inspiration for this collection was to explore the other aspects of love.  The parts that are not always so pretty.  Also, to have some fun with that while still reminding us of the pain that is hiding not-to-far-below the surface of that initial infatuation, which blinds us at the beginning of most love stories.   

To always be aware of the mixed and sometimes conflicting emotions involved when it comes to love, and to put those elements into a design is a challenge, to say the least.  "Unrequited" for example, to me it looks almost like an Exaltation of the Spirit in a Body - like rays of light bursting thru the head reaching toward the heavens...The Kundalini surging thru the body desperately trying to return to its Source.  But then, on the other hand, you can also see the loneliness of the piece. How you can be separated or cut off or caged from the object of your love - or as the title of the piece suggests - to not have your love returned at all. 

Katrina Karsin:  What's the most challenging aspect of making superior jewelry pieces?

Belle Roussel:  I'd have to say getting out of your head and trying to connect to something greater than we are as individuals. Call it Cosmic Consciousness, call it your Muse, call it God.  Whatever it is, you must understand that we don't do anything alone and we are all connected to some greater power.   And the secret is, this Great Power loves to create things!  So, if you figure out how to tap into that, then your inner resources become endless and magnified greatly!

Katrina Karsin:  What, in your opinion, makes your jewelry stand out? 

Belle Roussel:  Really though, I don't think anyone would deny that Chop Zuey is a Fun, Sexy, and Sophisticated label.  I mean Chop Zuey is just Cool.  There's no denying it but that's on the surface. I think there is something unique about the Chop Zuey Brand and it does stand out.  Maybe it's about the relate-ability of the product. People have said to me they experience an emotional connection to something when they see Chop Zuey Jewellery. 

What I think makes it stand out... or what I would wish for is, that when people wear Chop Zuey, it somehow makes them feel that they belong to a family that supports and helps each other in every way possible.  It's truly been the relationships I've made along the way that have made Chop Zuey the success it is today.

Katrina Karsin:  What are your plans for the future?

Belle Roussel:  I think the question is, what are SL's plans for the future.  It has changed so much over recent years.  The mesh revolution has brought in a new level of designer with different priorities, and this has totally changed the dynamic of how we interact in SL.  Meaning, SL used to be about building up your group, your family, your relationships.  Now, it seems to be very much about the 'self'.  I see a lot of people much more isolated in SL and not focusing on others and the people in their SL life or how they might be able to serve others.  This is sad to me and I hope it will change for the better. But for me, I will continue to do what I love, whether in First Life, Second Life, Third Life... wherever.  I just feel Blessed for today. 

CHOP ZUEY MARKETPLACE STORE:

 https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/49263

CHOP ZUEY FLICKR: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chopzuey

CHOP ZUEY ON FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/chopzueycouturejewellery/

Next, we sit down with Kristaki Hudson CEO of Coral Estates who has been serving the SL community for 14 years!

Katrina Karsin:  What are 5 keys components in a Successful SL Business?

Kristaki Hudson:  Being fair to the customers which are choosing Coral Estates for their Second Life. 

Good pricing to make the land affordable and reachable to all. I have my own tier payment atm database and website with a virtual private server which is a good secure part for customers and serious. Having dedicated and talented Second Life Staff who can speak multiple languages.

Being in Second Life all these years has its advantages and listening to my residents who trusted in Coral Estates is very important to me. I also love to take pictures of the islands that I visit to put back land on sale or to visit see if all is fine so we post their creations on Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr, and let’s not forget our great website called http://www.coralestates.net/gallery

Katrina Karsin:  If your customers need help how do they contact you and/or your staff for advice?

Kristaki Hudson:  We have staff that has been with us for a long time who reply to our customers the same day they request anything.  Like Leah Chardin who has been with us for years.

Katrina Karsin:  What do you do with your store to keep people coming back?

Kristaki Hudson:  I keep it clean, no dust...:) a good design and we have a great marina with boat slips around in our sailing islands and the landlords’ tricks to have good traffic always and to be well listed on Second Life.

Katrina Karsin:  What kind of marketing do you use to gain traffic? 

Kristaki Hudson:  I do pay classifieds its a good Second Life Tool to use or also Contacts clients and more options that give the viewer from Linden lab.

For example:  Do you pay for space in a magazine or newspaper?  Are you in any discount groups like Saturday Sale?  Are you in any special shopping events like Uber? Do you collaborate with other designers in SL? 

I do sponsor events sometimes and in some places in Second Life or magazine yes always happy to share lindens in other places to promote and exchange marketing with others!

Katrina Karsin:  Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Kristaki Hudson:  Yes, for sure, I invite everyone who seeks great private residential islands with waterways to visit us and to popup in our office and visit the marina. And of course, if you are looking for great talented staff with the best prices in lands in Second Life from coral estates you found the right place for your Second Life. We also won an award which is shown in office for the best estate in Second Life. So, let’s maybe find you in Coral Estates!

Kind Regards, Kristaki Hudson CEO CORAL ESTATES PRIVATE ISLANDS

Additional Information:

Group: Real Estates Rentals KH

Website: http://www.coralestates.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristaki.hudson/

Twitter: @KristakiH

Other: Flickr; https://www.flickr.com/photos/187569102@N07/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristakih/?hl=fr

Preferred Contact: Whatever way is best for our potential client!

SLURL:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Coral%20Estates%20Islands/138/144/23

Online: Coral Estates <https://coralestates.net/welcome>

Coral Estates sailing islands: https://kristakihudson.wixsite.com/coralestatesislands

The next business owner we sat down with is ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught) of TX a car dealership that will help you build your own car and customize it to your specifications from the shell to driving it off the lot!

Katrina Karsin:  Hi Tech it is good to see you again today we are talking about what you believe to be the 5 key components of a successful SL business? 

ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught): Second Life is a long game, not a short one I work at it 7 days a week - 6 to 16 hrs a day depending.  You have to invest the time to get the return, people want to talk to a live person, not a message board.

Katrina Karsin: I imagine just like in rl, we all hate auto messages when we need something.

ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught): Exactly, I have had my builders build really nice cars but then they never stay online to demo them or answer questions, and ultimately, they end up going under because they don’t want to invest the time to network.

Katrina Karsin: Oh, so networking is key in SL?

ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught): Yes, build a quality product and take time to network and talk to real people.  

Katrina Karsin: How long on average does it take from making a shell to scripting to helping someone build?

ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught): A shell can take anywhere from 6 hours to 40 depends on the complexity of it - I can script one up fully in a few hours, teaching someone else we cover with notecards and instructional videos on all the primary parts and functions so, really all depends on the builder’s knowledge of basic building skills.

Katrina Karsin: I see so do you regularly send a person to places like Caledon to learn the basics of building in SL?

ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught): I would love to do that, unfortunately, no, we end up teaching the basics as we go a lot of times.

Katrina Karsin: Do you find most of your customers come from referrals?

ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught): Many do yes, unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of ad agencies in SL or promoters so, many customers come just saying they seen one of my cars somewhere or heard about the scripts and want to try them - we have Demos for all of that. So Pretty much anything you want to buy here your able to see and touch.

Katrina Karsin: Do you know of places in SL where people congregate and race each other?

ＴＥＣＨ (tech robonaught): Yes, the sim butted up to ours is the Gearhead Car Club sim, they congregate there almost daily to race or just drive the various tracks they have constructed. I guess I would just like to stress to new builders to just have patience and realize it’s going to take time, I want to see each and every one of them are successful and will do all I can to help them do so and I'll continue to improve and offer new products so they can keep making great stuff to sell.

Website:  TX Gear Site and Support

LM:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aleah/47/128/22

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/txgear/

There you have it five key components of running a successful Second Life business are very similar to real life!  You need to work and network, plot out your business goals and think outside the box at times.  Mainly realize it is a business and you need to be ready to invest your most precious commodity time.  Investing time, working long hours, and be willing to learn are all components of running a successful business!

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A dark peek into the once mighty SL Blarney Stone Irish Pub.- Mony Markova Reporting..

Last night I uttered a “BRB mosquito”. The conversation we were having in-world had me so plugged to the keyboard that I thought that the insect trying to land on my knee had to be only one, so I allowed it briefly.

I had sandals and shorts even as it was a cold night and it had been raining, my door had been open earlier because Max the dog is so indecisive.

Couldn’t resist and scratched, but instead of scaring the flying annoyance it got smashed as it was drinking me. I saw ball like remains in my hand and turned to look around, but there wasn’t one mosquito, there was a band of sister’s mosquitoes, maybe eight at quick count.

“BRB mosquitoes” would have sounded strange and “BRB mosquito attack” exaggerated.  

For some minutes I went off, using the technique my Mom taught me many years ago, you see she is a total sweet, but one scary woman hitting you with a rolled cloth, I don’t want to go into how I earned that lesson, but I will tell you the basics, you roll a cloth -a towel works fine- and use it in a way that ricochets to your target.  With a tight rolled cloth and a swooshing sound I turned mosquito serial.

By then my BRB polite allowance had for sure ran over, there must be a maximum time for BRB’s don’t you agree? So I went back into the conversation, it was a call, a call to action, one of those calls that life throws at you and if you answer you turn into a hero, and since nothing like had happened to me and it was Second Life… sounded like an adventure, but...

Actually I did not answer many it many times before, since this situation has been happening for months. But why would I do anything? It is not my problem, it is not my pub, and I just left there, now visiting rarely. But more than that, I was worried because there can be consequences, will be plenty of bad blood, with people hurt and angry and frankly SL is for fun, no?  

I didn’t answer that before –But it’s getting worse and worse- a friend said.

The Dying Green Giant.

Maybe the questions should be about something big, maybe about how power is shifting in our world, from top to bottom, to everywhere from anywhere and especially about how virtual communities will evolve? But if you ever felt abused at a chat place, don’t you want to do something? That someone should tell the owners, the managers and to those pesky door bouncers, that some things are just not okay and that you will not be bullied anywhere.

Imagine if one of the most famous SL places, was in reality and behind curtains an abusive bully pool, which has actually become an unwelcoming place?  This is the story of how The Blarney Stone Irish Pub, one of the Second Life’s darling icons has been taken hostage by a few bully staffers, with lots of people abused, and no one caring to do anything. Managers allowing it, or turning their eyes away, meanwhile scores of long standing regulars have left either voluntarily or ejected.

Yes Ham Rambler as many real life successful sim owners, is very busy and he must have too much trouble already. Most of us can only imagine the frequent drama that rains over owners. Like another club owner named Coco, told me –I was constantly being contacted for stuff that I had no clue about, now I keep my club for the staff only.

But what when bullets come from the staff against the public? An overzealous staff that thinks their duty besides house rules includes, proper grammar, not doing wise-comments, of course no religion or politics. With poor manners and in a bossy way. Staff that thinks they have a sacred duty to protect a TOS which frankly they don’t understand to start with.

One person said “This police attitude we could fix quick and easy… Residents are not LL employees, there is a system in place to send reports, so they should better stop pretending to give themselves that importance… And this is actually in TOS, not pretending to act like a LL employee”.

The Blarney Stone Irish Pub at (SL) Dublin, has been running steady over nine years. “We were here before you were born” a sign reads inside.  While an ex-regular says: “Now I get angry every time I go there, they seem to have more staff members than clients”- She also told me that- “The Blarney Stone self implodes every now and then and it’s due by now.

Drama can kills sims and empties even the most patient owners.  And everyone hopes that SL Dublin is sturdier than say Mill Pond, yes the same Mill Pond that was owned by Micala Lumiere. You see, Micala was a professor interested in virtual communities and she formed one of the most vibrant, fun and fascinating communities in world, The Open Latte at Mill Pond.  But with SL success, drama arrives.

Like other owners, Micala resembled the Giant of that old story, the one when the giant had a precious garden. Close to that garden lived many children, who wanted to come to play. Of course those kids would ruin the grass and they would spoil the fountains, steal the flowers and do the mess that kids do. So the Giant built a wall around his garden. Eventually the kids found a way to sneak in, when the Giant slept.

Micala had envisioned a utopic place open for thoughts and a free community but one April Fool’s morning, she decided to raise rules over the bratty “pondies”, because she was fed up sick with complaints and stuff.

In the storybook the Giant becomes the Gentle Giant as he takes down the walls, he learns to live and play with kids, with their laughter and energy.  But Second Life is strange, it’s all twisted. There the Micala’s start with open gardens and they invite all to come. And many happy people arrive, but also the not so funny elements arrive, the trolls walk in and the griefers grief, and by the time when the drama queens cry, a wall of rules looks very appealing to desperate owners who gladly pass the pub keys to those “volunteers that devote their personal time to run the place”. Convenient answer by Ham Rambler, SL Dublin’s sim owner, and smarter than Micala’s wall or rules, me thinks.

But Micala had no tip jars, no music shows or staff, so she understandably and rightfully, took down her Mill Pond and the Open Latte coffee place down. The avatars acted like the place belonged to them, an angry mob rejected the rules and that was that. By that April fool’s afternoon Micala was one angry giant, she groaned and with a single slap of her bony fingers she pressed the buttons! Sending avatars flying, ejected and banned, the land was closed.

Today you can find 12 different groups of “ex-pondies” with names that can only tell you how hurt folks were. But SL should be fun, right? Are these communities open public places? While that’s should be easy to answer, the matter if the visitors have rights, should also be easy to answer, another easy mosquito to kill.

-If you really want to nail it, you also have to address the fact that most patrons are freeloaders and if they really want some respect they should cooperate with the costs or just go along- a pub manager told me. She, a redheaded avatar added- the freeloaders are the worst complainers.

-At least the Staffers give their time and commitment to the places, you know. – A not so good looking owner said, and I thought he had said it all, when he added – The real deep thing is that land is too expensive in Second Life -he continued- I have no clue how well is LL doing, but keeping a sim alive in Second Life just for pleasure it’s extremely expensive, we are forced into a tip-jar economy to support it.  

-If the staff keeps the tips to buy hairs and clothes, I don’t care –he seemed to shrug when he said - I just wanted to have a sim that reflects my city and country. They are happy, they keep shows running and for tips really.

Another person replied that –Rightfully it has to be said that Premium Account holders, pay their share to keep SL running, and shopping indirectly chips in as well, so if the Staff thinks they need to be tipped for their bully hosting, they have to think again.

So the situation includes that these places lack sustainable revenues or funding. Owners are often happy to let the staff keep most of tips, since good Staff brings life to the place. Owners, being busy people, trust their place in their hands. Sadly this situation allows power hungry and control freaks to creep into authority positions.

I have been told that the former Dublin Manager reined over a book of rules the size of yellow pages. But apparently at today’s Dublin, staff is in, and patrons are tolerated.

Just look what happened to landmarks like the Junkyard Blues, where in order to enter the club, you have to go to an improvised looking area and there you need to request a staff member to invite you into the group. “Our response to rampant venue griefing” a sign explains.  

Around the metaverse owners are under siege.

But in contrast, at Frank’s surely the most popular elegant venue, they answer with flowers. A properly trained staff treats visitors extremely formally, with salute formats for things from welcoming to addressing situations. At Franks when it is needed, they first say hello and then they go to the matter. At Dublin, bossy staffers are extremely rude and pretend to force behavior over you.

Many of us who have worked at the services industry, know that for example in restaurants the waiter needs to perform a number of actions, from the moment a patron walks-in to the first coffee offering.  

So, how far do we go in trying to control virtual communities? How do we create real value trade-offs between patrons and clubs, so clubs become sustainable? Where are we heading into the future? How do we grow into these questions? Do we need to be treated like children? A client I had in real life, a renowned maker of one Internet success story, once told me, “Virtual communities tend to balance their own” –he said. To what my little voice replied, “Yes, but we need to provide them with the means to do so”.

In Second Life this happens in places where there are no forms to balance the power between staff and patrons, which creates pressure and anger.  Especially when the staff is not service staff, but the VIPs of the place. One answer may be to provide a simple Comments and Suggestion page or object, and to hire people who understand the meaning of “Service” in “Service Industry”. Understanding that true leaders are servants more than police, would be nice too.

At the moment in Blarney Stone it’s normal to see people being advised, “Do this”, “don’t do that”, “we don’t do this here”, “we have rules”, “respect them.” Of course in SL there is no physical violence.  There are only ejections. So I saw many people getting them, most under house-rules, but some not really, they were borderline, subject to unprepared intolerant staffers using the house rules at their own bending interest. It is incredible that you have to defend your self from Staff by explaining them the rules or if TOS is not their place to enforce.

But one things that honestly baffles me is how normally smart people allows these wannabees to hold any power over them, questioning this is not disrespect, it is resistance.

This goes further at Blarney Stone, they do bully-like tactics like this: a manager will instruct regulars and their more moldable staffers not to talk to a trouble-maker, not to encourage him to stay, to ignore her. They can also ask a friend of theirs to run you over and push you, “sorry if I am pushing, I haven’t rezzed” and they also allow their friends to break the rules in front of you, only to show-off their muscle. Blarney Stone is not an enjoyable place to go right now, no wonder it is struggling financially.

This is the same Staff that does not allow a Mafia Night Event, or decides what a proper event is and what is not. It goes on and on, the stories of people banned and ejected are incredible, it’s like the current top dog -a particularly bitter person- is bully attacking regulars systematically, allowing only those that bend into her ways. Educated, polite, professional teachers, educators, house moms, lots of people has been ejected and banned out of pure abuse and reaching to simple mood. Why I am not saying any names, well actually I am its, Harm Rambler and Jane1 Bookmite who are responsible for allowing this situation to creep. The sim owner and a long standing manager they are smart, they know this and still allow it to continue.

At Dublin in SL, you may witness how the bouncer game plays out, just as an example and not to be biased, let’s call this person… say:  “UglyWitch”, this once security staffer or bouncer, actually has bullied herself into becoming a “manager”, UglyWitch loves good behavior and safe keeping of peace by rules.

When she is around, this could happen to you at the Blarney Stone Irish Pub.

Another avatar lets call her Super Girl, using a Glamshack joke pastes a chat that resembles a real IM conversation:

[19:45] SuperGirl:  [27:78] Cap Carver: “so this morning I woke wearing pink undies...”

This is followed by a club warning by UglyWitch.

[19:45] UglyWitch: “That is not allowed, you are breaching TOS”

[19:45] SuperGirl: “No UglyWitch... because there is not such a time as [27:78] it is also called parody, and it is okay…”

[19:46] UglyWitch: “Ah.”

What is painful to see, is that during the following weeks, that joke becomes UglyWitch’s favorite and she wears it down until it’s a dead horse, and not even using fake time stamps to be proper.  So blatant, but who will tell them anything? They make the rules. They bend them as they wish.

So one night, yours truly, earned an ejection. See? I said it -I earned it- I was self-centered and not careful of others feelings while pretty slammed with some Mezcal (…it was tequila, but mezcal was just a literally license for appearing more dangerous…) I discovered you cannot mention “Oh Sherry” during a Ramstein dark-metal-trash DJ event, because apparently Steve Perry hurts the DJ’s feelings at the pub...  Okay, I did more than that... but I spare you of the details of that incident, because this should not be about a single incident happening to a given person, but we could use it to think about other bigger issues of course.

One person puts it like this -“Imagine it’s a sport, say boxing, and the referee interrupts the fight after each blow, how fun would that be? Or like it was USA Football or NFL thing and they throw yellows flags after each play, or Soccer and the referee becomes the center of the action“. That breaks the experience of anyone –he said- But if you complaint, you are a trouble maker and you are out.

This past week-end, I was appalled to discover that things got worse. I learned that there had been repercussions after some –otherwise- tiny incidents, and I cannot even mention the avatar names because they fear actions against them, how sick is that? I will just say that my IMs got capped with nonsense that may make you vomit a little. So sick that I really had to write this and find a brave publisher that is not afraid of becoming permanent banned from that place, like most likely I will.

For some of the commenters on this article, wiser people, it’s better just to leave.  One person simply said

–Kill the dog, the rabies is gone – Get rid of trouble staff, problem solved, is not that hard.

Doing my research, I was desperately looking for help, and I luckily found it. I found an answer and a guide that even made me lower the tone of this report. I went to TED.com, that many of you know, and right there on the front page I learned from, Scilla Elworthy, how to confront a bully without becoming a thug yourself. A must see if you like social changes, Mrs. Scilla helps advice countries in conflict, on topics such as nuclear weapons policy. I think we can import some of her knowledge into our Second Life petite dramas.

You have to see the video. I find amazing the way she approaches the subject of peace, basically she says that in order to confront conflicts, first you have to start by thinking deeply on self-knowledge, your strengths, your weaknesses, in order to raise your inner power. She sounds like a sage, more than a peace advisor.

Mrs. Scilla tells that true change has to come from inside, from your heart, and you have to be open to listen to the others.  Second you have to recognize what scares you, because fears –on both sides of a conflict or argument- feed off the attention that we give them, then she says its okay to be angry –she adds- “Use your anger to fuel your progress” - very Yoda like indeed.

After that, she advises to cooperate with the other side of the conflict and and most important is to make a commitment with non-violence. In Second Life we would say a commitment not to drama.

A few years back I asked Ham Rambler, why people could not dance on top of the table bar? His answer was remarkable, he just said -“I just want it to be as close to a real pub as possible”.  Something in his answer was heartfelt, a little sad, after that I shut up for years, and even played for the home team many times, especially when Jane –Dublin’s manager- asked me to. I know she tries hard and she is honest, even as she has gone overboard and she does not know it. Her “Hi kids” can only be relied with “Hi mom” and I know she just don’t roll clothes like mine does.

I can’t answer those questions I think my calling to kill mosquitoes is only to let people know, how far this has gone and how many “regulars” have left the Blarney Stone after these thugs have become VIPS. In recent Dubln’s management has cleared their “banned” list, maybe in a desperate effort to recover some of it’s lost revenue.

Ham Rambler, lose the UglyWitch-like staffers and get real service culture into the place and it will be great again, not that hard!

If now, I don’t acknowledge the good persons that devote their personal time to the Blarney Stone, this article would be incomplete. I know for a fact that the three sims that make  up Dublin, also employ hard working devoted people and they are trying their best.

It is not causality that it was one of the top places. It´s a great place when Colly is rocking her folk Irish tunes, when K LongLegs is hosting (Sadly “LongLegs” is one person that seems to obey the “don’t talk to her” tactics). Blarney is okay when Gwen mentions the detailed action in SL Radio or Sunday nights at Clarissa’s famous themed events and even when Lucy explains in her sweet and well educated manner that you are doing something wrong, during those moments you know, you are in a special place, those old and ugly textures almost make you feel you are in a casual Franks or say a real Irish pub.

If you are a visitor, a club owner, manager or staff. In order to know what people has to say. Maybe, like many of us and especially the Micalas of the world, you also believe that virtual communities can evolve and we do it by facing the challenges, not by shying away from them or pretending they are not here.

Remember, “Questioning the rules is not disrespect, its resistance”.

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Spotlight on Carrie Rainforest and the RUSH Management Talent Company -Mikile Vinciolo Reporting…

The prospect of real talent comes a dime a dozen, and when that talent emerges, there are auditions to be had, deals to be made, contracts to be signed and the rise of star to inevitably happen. However, all of these steps within this process must be executed in a timely fashion and by the right people with the know-how and the heart of gold. 

RUSH management is just the talent management agency to provide the aiding hand in crafting not just any star, but a bright star that will continue to burn brilliantly when other acts have taken a bow. Carrie, the endearing CEO and helping hand at RUSH will make sure that the path to stardom is one lest veered from. She has a heart of pure intention, a laugh that is warming, and knowledge of the SL entertainment industry that will leave our head swimming for air. And, so now, I present to you the wonderful and fiercely passionate entertainment management organization, RUSH Management.

Interview with Carrie Rainforest

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