Paine Shamrock Hello and Welcome to Ms. Shamrock's Column. Recently on Sept. 30, 2012 Paine Shamrock who is the Island Oasis Media Focus Team Manager of the Marketing Dept., had the pleasure of sitting down with one of the residents of Island Oasis and was able to get to know a little more aboutJstChrmn Twischer, and her JC X-Clusives & Aragon Casuals Here, at Ms. Sharock's Corner, she shares that interview. Paine Shamrock: Good evening JstChrmin! I'm Paine Shamrock and I'm here to interview your business, JC X-Clusives & Aragon Casuals for the Island Oasis feature blog JstChrmn Twischer: Very good. My pleasure to visit with you Paine. Paine Shamrock: Thank you! for allowing me to come on by today! JstChrmn Twischer: Oh well Im glad we could finally connect. You have been trooper Paine Shamrock: Yes, I'm glad we connected too! Thank you for being patient with the delays Paine Shamrock: Why did you decide to bring JC X-Clusives over to Island Oasis? JstChrmn Twischer: Well someone told me about IO and mentioned that the founders were a strong team with a clear vision about what they wanted to achieve with this grid. I decided to set up an account and just come in unannounced and look around. LOL However, no one comes here without being noticed and I had a mentor right away that started showing me around. JstChrmn Twischer: I was so impressed on my entrance alone that I made the decision to come. Once I met Sugar and Demean I was convinced that they were as committed to my success here as I was so I decided to stay. Paine Shamrock: What is the genre of business and products of JC X-Clusives? JstChrmn Twischer: The majority of what I carry is generally called casual but I like to call it lifewear and it really just depends on what kind of mood Im in what I end up creating. Paine Shamrock: So is JC X-Clusives for men? For women? or both? JstChrmn Twischer: what I do like to do is share. I don't make jewelry or shoes or accessories so I find people that I like who make amazing things of high quality and I incorporate them with my items JstChrmn Twischer: For me its about everyone being successful and Im not afraid of my fellow creators being a success. JstChrmn Twischer: The JCX line is for women and the AC line is mens JstChrmn Twischer: Unfortunately my poor men don't have as many options however our fellas I have found do not have the same needs as us gals Paine Shamrock: Jst, How long have you been in Island Oasis? JstChrmn Twischer: aww Im 43 days old! Paine Shamrock: How long have you had the business? Where did you learn how to create lifewear? JstChrmn Twischer: I started in SL about 6 or 7 years ago. One thing about me is I have no frame for time LOL Tuesday Saturday last week last month 2AM 3PM its all the same to me LOL JstChrmn Twischer: And I learned Ill assume like pretty much anyone else who didn't know what they were doing when they got here. LOL I found tutorials and people and jumped in with both feet Paine Shamrock: Do you do any custom work for your customers? JstChrmn Twischer: I do customs occasionally. I don't openly offer that as a service because it can get very time consuming if you get a client that you cant connect with. So I will always discuss your needs but if I cant do it Ill tell you right off. JstChrmn Twischer: Hopefully I can refer you to someone who will be able to assist :D Paine Shamrock: Can you tell me about any new products in development or new releases you will have? JstChrmn Twischer: of course! Im about to release my Fall line in IW of about 25 outfits including the custom shoes and jewelry for them that will be showcased on my sim there using Instylez Modeling Agency * who I also work for* lol JstChrmn Twischer: once that show is complete I'll be bringing those items here to IO for release as well JstChrmn Twischer: We don't have an agency here yet so Im not certain about how the marketing will go for the items but they will be here rest assured! Paine Shamrock: Oh I'm sure that we all can't wait to see your fall collection! JstChrmn Twischer: Aww well thank you! It's a different mix than what you have seen from me in the past. So I'm very excited about it as well! Paine Shamrock: How do you stay motivated in the world of fashion? JstChrmn Twischer: Oooh thats a great question. I am not a typical "fashionista" I have no history in fashion in my RL other than getting dressed each day and sometimes I just stay in my jammies LOL but I know what I like and i seem to have a knack for this so because I like what I do and use it as a relaxation tool Im probably always going to do this regardless. Relax = Create thats what motivates me! lol! Theres no pressure for me to do this. I do it because I want to and as long as thats how I feel about it , it will never be work and I'll never HAVE to do it or keep up. Paine Shamrock: Out of all the years that you have done this what is the greatest benefit? JstChrmn Twischer: Greatest benefit? The people I meet. If I never made another pair of pannies in my VW life - Id still have made the most incredible relationships with the people I hold near and dear to me. My friends are priceless. I literally miss them when they don't come online and I worry about them as if they lived right next door. Paine Shamrock: Do you do any kind of hunts, promotions, or seasonal promotions? JstChrmn Twischer: again all of the above. lol but its just a matter of getting my store up and running here still yet so bare with me :D Paine Shamrock: Do you have a date for the grand opening of JC X-Clusives ? JstChrmn Twischer: No honey I do not. Ive had a number of issues getting off the ground here but we are ironing those problems out, I didn't want to set a date until I know Ill be able to keep that commitment. Paine Shamrock: So JC X-clusives is coming soon :-) JstChrmn Twischer: LOL well Im here but the rest of my stuff is taking its sweet time so yes LOL the opening will be soon - ish! Paine Shamrock: Do you have a way to for customers to give feedback ie. website? JstChrmn Twischer: I like to speak to my people directly so I encourage anyone to please IM or NC me with any feedback good bad or indifferent! Im open to all. I am a stickler for platinum customer service so I like to deal direct. I've been in CS for 30 years in RL and know what it takes to make and keep customers pleased, being available is the #1 thing for me Paine Shamrock: Having awesome customer service does keep the customers coming back and happy :-)!! JstChrmn Twischer: I believe so. I honestly believe that when you are reachable that is a critical factor to anyone you work with. There is always a solution to any given problem if you are available and can get on the same page with your customer. I too am a customer I know what I expect when it comes to service so I wont give anything less. Paine Shamrock: Do you do offer apprenticeship or classes for JC X-Clusives and clothing design? JstChrmn Twischer: you know I can honestly say thats isn't something Ive ever even thought about. I don't think Im that special. LOL isn't that kind of thing for the big dogs of design? LOL Im probably not there yet although I would definitely consider it if I ever get to that level. That would be fun! Paine Shamrock: What do you like about Island Oasis and is there any differences here that you would like to mention? JstChrmn Twischer: I will tell you the same thing we started this interview with that sold my right away. I was not unnoticed when I came here. I immediately felt like I COUNTED. Thats huge for me. AND its very different. Id like to see the mentorship program get stronger so no one ever comes here and feels alone. People get online and come to places like this because they have a need to be part of something. We should always strive to be a part of someone else's world. I want to make a difference in every person I meets life. When you think Charm I want you to smile and say " yea that chic is cool, I feel good when Im around her." No one should ever come to a place like this and feel lonely. In the life of every person I meet is how I meant to say that LOL! JstChrmn Twischer: The first time I joined an online world I remember I was sad and lonely in my RL life. When I got in I met someone pretty fantastic. I distinctly remember thinking that for every pixelated image I saw there was a very real person behind that computer who has a real life and real needs and a real story. I live my Virtual Reality as I do my RL . I am the same everywhere and all the time. Thats important to keep in mind as you move through the grids[ Paine Shamrock: Based on your experience and time on IO, who would you recommend as a vendor or owner to come to IO? JstChrmn Twischer: Well I think Ive pretty much drug everyone I know over here so far! LOL So look around and see who is here already. Thats who I recommend. There will be more and growth will come undoubtedly but there is a strong team of people here already and we will all work to continue sharing this world in the other areas we operate in. I believe that IO will be a strong hold in the grid world and in shocking time. With the founders being who they are and operating how they do they just cant go wrong. This is a great grid even with the growing pains :D. But what makes it amazing are the people. I'm really excited to be in on the ground floor. Paine Shamrock: Oh yes! It is the people that makes IO was it is! An awesome place to call home and set up your business and flourish! JstChrmn Twischer: I could not agree more Paine. I'm anxious to get myself settled in where I can start being more involved. Paine Shamrock: Oh yes indeed!:-) Paine Shamrock: Why do you love to create your products? JstChrmn Twischer: Because its a great escape and an excellent way to relax. I am constantly learning new things which is something else I love about being here. Education is key no matter what or how you learn. Just learn! Education opens so many doors of opportunity JstChrmn Twischer: Very very true Paine Shamrock: Is there any statements you would like to leave us with, JstChrmn? JstChrmn Twischer: Thats quite the open ended question that leaves me to my own devices. LOL Its best if I bow out now while I still have some dignity. HAHA Paine Shamrock: lol!!! Haha!!! JstChrmn Twischer: How is that for a grand finish LOLOL! Anyone who knows me will understand that this is a good time to stop talking rofl! Paine Shamrock: JstChrmn thank you for taking time to sit down with me to do the interview for the Island Oasis Blog! JC X-Clusives coming soon to Island Oasis! JstChrmn Twischer: Well Paine thank YOU for your patience and persistence in working with me. I had a great time and you are an awesome interviewer! :D Great job! * * * * * * * Since the the two ladies sat down for the interview JstChrmn has opened her store and is ready to welcome clients. Her store can be found in the region Monentes Island. We Thank you ladies for sharing. Don't forget to checkback from more from Ms. Shamrock's Column
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Esme Darkstone Hello and Welcome to Esme's Corner. Recently on Sept. 26, 2012 Esme Darkstone, IO PR Team Manager of the Marketing Dept., sat down with one of the residents of Island Oasis and was able to get to know a little more about Isis Ophelia and her store IDdesigns. Here at Esme's Corner she shares that interview. Esme Darkstone: Hello Isis. So lets start with what brought you to IO? Isis Ophelia: I came to IO to check it out. Isis: as a designer its important for me to see how reliable other simulators are. From the beginning I got the impression that the IO management team is running the grid seriously, do you know what I mean? Esme: Oh absolutely I sure do. Isis: I had a store in a new grid and after three months after a bunch of work I put into it the owners simply disappeared. With IO Sugar and Damean I have the impression that they really care about the grid and the people who inhabit it. They work really hard everyday to keep the grid up and running and it really shows. Esme: Yes, its wonderful when you have owners that you can trust but also respect and admire. And your business name it's ID Designs correct? Isis: Yes it is. Esme: And what is it you produce? Isis: I do a bit of everything really, shoes, clothing garden and outdoor products.. but I offer mainly footwear for men and women. I waiting for the scripter to finish my skin hud then I will offer heels with sculpted feet. Esme: Oh that will be fantastic I was just about to ask if there is anything currently your working on. How long have you been here with us? Isis: Sense January, I came with a friend to IO and we shared a homestead sim first. Later I bought a premium sim for IDdesigns. Esme: Oh wonderful, on your land do you offer hunts from time to time or considered doing them? Isis: In the future I would like to have hunts, contest and special offers for members as soon as I bring more products in for the grid. Esme: I'm sure that would be a blast! If at anytime you do you can go on our site http://islandoasisinformationportal.weebly.com/forums.html#/ and when have an event section where we can post events once you get started. What do you feel is the greatest benefit of being a creator after doing this for a while now? Isis: I love learning and the challenges creating new things presents. I really enjoy learning new things or tricks and customer satisfaction. I really love and get enjoyment out of what I do. I love the challenge of trying to make something that someone doesn't have. Esme: Yes trying to stay a head of the game bring the newest content to the people...is that how you keep yourself motivated? Isis: Yes creating is a big part in my motivation. I make sure to take breaks in between to keep myself from being completely submerged in the virtuality. I used to work anywhere between 10 to 12 hours daily and as fun as it was the bigger I became the harder I would push myself. In the end I was exhausted and almost burnt out. So now I try to do my best in preventing that. Esme: Oh I'm so sorry to hear that. That must have been a very difficult time for you. I really glad to see you survive from that period in your life and move forward and still creating new things. Is it hard for you now to take break sense you've been so focused? Isis: Hard? Not anymore. In the beginning it was difficult I was so hooked and had a routine and a strong drive but now I just turn the pc off. *Laughs* And now with me doing so I always have a fresh mind when working. Esme: Is there any creators here that you yourself would recommend or mention that your like or enjoy? Isis: I really like Ryders Rylryde's products, he helped me build a vintage microphone. He has a store at the welcome village he makes neat music appliances. Esme: Oh that was thoughtful of him. Speaking of building how did you learn to develop your products? Did someone mentor you and teach you? Or classes you participated in? Isis: I actually taught myself through trial and error plus watching tutorials on youtube and online. Esme: On that must have been interesting they have everything on youtube now. I learned how to make homemade pizza sauce last week. Do you have any statements you'd like to make? Isis: Well maybe you can convince Eragon, Subzero's brother, to teach me how to make meshes and sculpts... Esme: *Laughs* Well we can certainly try! Thank you so much for your time Isis its been a real pleasure. Isis: Oh no thank you for the interview I had a nice time. Isis was kind enough to also share an image of some of her pre-fab buildings. Thank you Isis for your time and candid interview. Be sure to check back for more interviews from Esme's Corner.
Not often will I put myself out there with an editorial piece, since I much prefer the facts and letting them speak for themselves. In light of being asked this very question many times I decided to write this and let it stand for itself. Let's face it, the number of grids out there available to the public is overwhelming. I can't count the number of people I have dialogued with on one of the most well known and famous virtual worlds out there, namely Second Life. Seems the majority of residents on Second Life are unaware of the existence of any virtual world beyond Second Life. Of those who have ventured out and looked for additional alternatives to Second Life most do not stop at one alternative grid. They are among the bold and adventurous who will try a mulititude of grids all slightly differing from one another but with enough similarities to make it easy enough to acclimate to the new grid.
Which grid and why? I am sure we have all met our the fanboi type who go a little over the top as a fan of one particular grid over another. With each grid differning slightly from every other grid its no wonder why some features appeal to the masses while losing an audience to its less popular features. Having been, lived and worked on a variety of grids for nearly 8 years now, like anyone who has been grid hopping, I have my favorites and my less favorites. When asked "Why Island Oasis?" I have more than enough reasons to give. Lets start of with my personal sentiment of "I AM NOT A NUMBER!" Many grids out there have, over time, gained a reputation of treating its residents as a number, merely one of the masses, while catering to special clients. After spending time here on Island Oasis I am more than pleased to not just hear it quoted but see it in action that IO Staff truely cares about its residents as individuals. (Now with that said, I will be featuring a series of articles that are interviews with the residents here on IO. If you would like to participate in an interview to let us know about your time here in Island Oasis. Please let us know and we will schedule a time to meet with you for a live interview.) Let's get back to the topic at hand: Why IO? The ease of use of Island Oasis. To qualify that statement, lets begin with the experience of as starting over in a new grid. I have had that experience numerous times over. Some grids are ready at a moments notice to greet incoming new residents. Some offer perks such as free items or a place to stay, still others focus on lower pricing and higher prim. Island Oasis seems to have it all. Mentors are on hand to assist residents. At the landing spot where you first log into Island Oasis for the first time you can quiclky see who of the official Staff of Island Oasis is online. There are mailboxes for anyone to leave a message with staff. Nearby is the Freebie Mall one can quickly stock their inventory with the avatar appearance basics: clothes, shoes, hair, and more. Need sculpts or textures to help get your started? What about buildings or furniture? Landscaping or animations? Its all available at the Freebie Mall. There is even room for content creators to donate a free item(s) to share with the other residents here. As far as the experience of being a content creator coming to a new grid Island Oasis lowers the overhead cost to starting your business here in that upload and imports are free, listing on their marketplace is free, creating a group is free and making use of listing classified ads for your wares are free. All this collectively lowers not only the overhead start -up cost of beginning in a new grid but the continual cost of maintaining a business. Every resident qualifies for their own free island parcel but beyond that their regions available to purchase sport low cost and high prim. A value I have not seen matched in any other grid. The extra options when purchasing the Premium region for only $15 USD/mo of their pre-fab sims are something exclusive to Island Oasis. There are 4 available pre-fabs that come complete with furnished buildings, landscaping & more. So you could order a premium region and have it move in ready and useable from the moment you first teleport to your newly rezzed region. Something money can't buy is the sense of fellowship and community here on Island Oasis that is extended to new residents. We can all relate to how helpful family and friends can be and how it may feel to look around at cliquish groups that are difficult to break into and feel welcome. Yet for a new resident there are many existing residents here to welcome you make you feel at home. It is with open arms that we welcome all new landowners to Island Oasis. Purchasing your own region(s) is never something we take lightly, nor should you. While Island Oasis uses the OS open source code for a base as many other grids do, please note that not all grids are the same. The look and initial feel of it may be similar but the functions and feature can be unique to a grid. Let's discuss one very important difference for sim owners in Island Oasis vs. other grids. Some of you have some from other grids and have previously been landowners there. Its not uncommon for several grids to have have the same method of restarting a sim and yet that method not be the same across all grids. Island Oasis does not use the feature that allows a resident to restart their sim using the viewer. Although the viewer functions are in place they will not work correctly for restarting your sim in Island Oasis. In IO each resident who purchases a region received a notecard regarding their sim ownership. It is specifically outlined in that notecard to restart your sim from the website. Unfortunately many do not read the information provided and instead assume that IO sim restart is the exact same as other grids. Attempting to restart your sim through the viewer can cause more problems than it solves. Listed #1 on the current notecard landowners recieve (prevously listed as #3 of the notecard) states: "Use the land manager on the web site (Log in to the web site, click the Regions / Marketplace tab in the left hand side menu / Land Manager) to restart your region on occasion. Particularly before and after a big event on your sim. This will help ensure peak performance and also help prevent crashes. DO NOT use the viewer estate tools to restart your sim; this never works correctly and can cause more problems that it fixes." If you are someone who has previously been attempting to restart your sim with the estate manager tools through the viewer and wondering why you still were having issues, this very well may be the reason why, So in the future we ask all landowners, current and future to remember to go the website to restart your sim. We do want you to have the best experience possible here and will always do our best to provide you with the accurate information to ensure the best overall user experience her at Island Oasis. Now lets talk about the benefits of restarting your sim through the website. First of all its one website to do it all, marketplace, buying or selling $Ps, ordering land AND restarting your sim. You do not have to be logged into the grid to restart. As long as you have Internet acccess you can restart it. FROM ANYWHERE. Your cell phone, your ipad, work (if you have interent there) on the road from cafes and hotels, motels with internet, PS3, Xbox 360 etc. Have a problem with logging into your region just restart your sim from the website FIRST. Are you a land baron? Have many regions? Manage them all all day long from anywhere with out ever logging directly into the grid. Do you work rl all day only to have a few hours online at night but want to restart your sim(s) mid day? YOU CAN! Currency Exchange in Second Life, region Villeneuve. Search on "Island Oasis Information Portal" When coming from any existing grid to begin at a new one, there is never a shortage of the number of residents asking if there is a way to transfer their currency from grid to another. There is no one universal answer for that question. There is, however now a way to exchange your $Ls for $Ps. At the Island Oasis Information Portal in the region Villeneuve in Second Life there is now an exchange terminal. Exchange rates are for the most part 88% conversion rate. Thus, 100L=88P. If you are exchanging amounts 7500L or 10000L the exchange rate is increased by 4% to a 92% conversion rate. There are currently two ways to exchange your currency. The first uses a 6 panel vendor where you can purchase an exchange package in the following increments: $500L, $1000L, $2500L, $5000L, $7500L and $10000L. The second is using the "odd Amount" exchange vendor. Any increment may be exchanged over a $10L minimum. This option allows someone who has for example $367L to exchange and they don't have enough to purchase through the 6 panel vendor. Some of the benefits include being able to exchange any amount, including amounts too small for LL to process to a paypal account. Saving time of cashing out from LL first to get your real life currency. One interesting perk for some users may be the ability to exchange $Ls and transfer the $Ps to multiple avatars all within a single transaction. Transaction Histories are available to residents via the resepctive websites for the indivudual grids of Second Life and Island Oasis. So that anyone making an exchange will have records for both worlds. The CUrrency Exchange is located in Second Life in the region Villeneuve. Search on "Island Oasis Informations Portal". Click the Currency Board for information/instuctions. Direct any Questions to Alysin Paolino. |
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