SLENTRE.COM

Compiled by Avarie Parker

This month we have a new #1 – AGAIN. The sandy shores of Wilder Islands are drawing record crowds as the real world is still shaking off the cold of the winter holidays. Residents are choosing to bypass crowded dance clubs for the instant gratification of a romp in the sand. Wilder Islands beats out Frank’s Place and The 6th Element and other losers this week include Remembrance and Midnight Reflections – all moving down a few spots from last month. Redgrave Fashion fell off the chart entirely after a strong debut last month. The other shopping destination, Bare Rose, actually climbed up the chart this month proving that they are more than just a fad. Their vast variety of styles at bargain basement prices keeps SL residents coming back for more.

This month’s ‘Best of the Worst’ destination goes to the Isle of Lesbos. The Island contains beautiful trees, fountains and communal areas. The only thing missing: men. The island is for women only and provides a safe haven for the lesbian community in Second Life. The owner janeforyou Barbara owns several other islands that are open to all sexes. She answered a few of our questions below.

Per usual, you won’t find camping chairs, free lindens, automated avatars, or “bots” listed in any of the SLENTRE.COM’s top 10 sites. The weekly population data was compiled by a 3rd party source and then reviewed to exclude any sites that engage in tactics designed to boost traffic rankings. What remains is an accurate listing of where real Second Life residents are dancing, chatting, spending Lindens, and enjoying their second lives.

		Wilder Islands, Owner – Gunter Vandyke
		Frank’s Place, Owner – Gymmy Sinatra
		The 6th Element , Owner – Dakota Neumann
		Laguna Bay, Owner -Martin Mounier
		SLeek, Owner – Hummer Corleone
		Badlands, Owner – Jesse Murdock
		Purgatorio, Owner – Kora Zenovka
		Remembrance, Owner – Luxa Budan
		Bare Rose, Owner – June Dion
		Midnight Reflections, Owner – Missbehavin Neva
		Isle of Lesbos, Owner – janeforyou Barbara

Stayed the same

Moved up

Moved down

New entry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) Wilder Islands, Owner – Gunter Vandyke
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wilder%20Islands/244/219/21

Self-described as ‘one of the best nude beaches in Second Life’, Wilder Islands is sure to deliver. The wildly popular sim offers ‘free sex of all kinds,’ dancing, windsurfing and MANY ‘areas for intimate moments.’ Wilder Islands has rocketed up the charts, making it’s debut as the #3 most popular sim in Second Life. The sim consists of a lovely landscaped beach, palm trees and sexy pose balls.

(Sign posted to all Wilder Island’s visitors requests no clothes or swimwear only.)

There are signs posted on the beach imploring visitors to wear swim suits or nothing at all as street clothes are not permitted. Just the thing if you are looking for a quickie on the sand with a stranger. And apparently Second Life is still filled with many residents who are fixated on sex. No surprise as the platform offers complete anonymity along with free voice chat and incredible graphics and animation.

(Mactabilis Gravois discusses why Second Life residents visit the islands.)

But despite the obvious sexual lure, SL resident Mactabilis Gravois claims that visitors to the islands are more interested in making friends than hooking up. “Most people come here to find friends,” he argues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Franks Place, Owner – Gymmy Sinatra
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Franks%20Place/53/162/24

Frank’s Place is a 30’s/40’s style jazz club paying homage to Frank Sinatra. According to Ray Trafalgar, one of the managers, the place is packed nightly with 80+ residents. The sim also houses a mall where one can find the formal wear required to gain entrance into the club.

(Formal attire is requested at the Second Life Jazz Club, Frank’s Place)

“We try hard to keep the formal attire enforced and have a security of some 25 to keep it that way,” says Trafalgar. “If you enjoy the music of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and the Rat Pack, then this is your place.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) The 6th Element , Owner – Dakota Neumann
http://slurl.com/secondlife/GOL 8/128/128/20

The 6th Element, owned by Dakota Neumann, is a large dance club where one can find music, modern design, parties, and live DJ’s.

(5th Element Club in Second Life offers dancing and intimate areas to chat.) The newly designed club, created by Dakota Neumann himself, evokes a sense of modern sophistication. The only complaint: lag. It is often so busy with Second Life scenesters that just getting to the dance floor can be problematic. SLENTRE.COM recently profiled The 6th Element, outlining the new design elements and getting up close and personal with the owner.

(The 6th Element’s new dance floor sprawls beneath the open sky peaking through the modern rooftop)

Mr. Neumann was nice enough to sit down with SLENTRE.COM to discuss the club’s continuing success:

Avarie Parker: Your club grows more popular month after month and when I first did an article on it, it was a topless club. Were you the owner then and if so, why did you change the format??

Dakota Neumann: I have always been the owner, yes. This club is the 6th in a row – first one was built in spring 2006. It was originally a dance-topless club. I did change it for strategic reasons and it’s been a great decision. GOL is a large company; 18 sims, residential islands and design sales. I wanted to cut any connection with sex.

AP: Do you own all 18 sims?

DN: Yes.

AP: So as you cut back on the sexual element, the success of the club increased?

DN: I have to say the club has always been successful, but now it’s consistently popular. It’s a pure dance club now with nothing – no shops or anything else – to increase traffic. We don’t have events and we don’t give out money.

AP: I love the design. Who designed and built it?

DN: I do the design and build all the projects on my sims. All of GOL was born because of my passion for the design and architecture. I build a new club every 6 months, changing styles along the way. That way we are always offering something new. So we can evolve.

AP: So why do people keep returning to the club?

DN: It’s a mixture – djs, great manager, cool environment. Many managers and staff have been with the club since the very beginning in 2006. It’s like a family.

4) Laguna Bay Nude Beach, Owner – Martin Mounier
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Laguna%20Bay/128/128/0

Laguna Bay Nude Beach is an adult sim that is heavily populated with unclothed and clothed avatars alike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many ocean side areas to chat, cuddle, sun bath, etc.

5) SLeek, Owner – Hummer Corleone
http://slurl.com/secondlife/SLeek/128/128/0

SLeek is the newest club to hit the SLENTRE.COM Traffic Report. The vibe is fresh and international and there seemed to be many chats going on in languages other than English.

(DJ Janine Cummings spins funky house electronica at SLeek, Second Life dance club)

Club manager and SLeek DJ, Janine Cummings, was happy to answer a few questions about the club and why it’s so popular among residents:

Avarie Parker: Why do residents come to the club?

Janine Cummings: Residents come here to dance, talk and meet other people from over the world. A lot of people simply hangout at the beach area, which is packed with people windsurfing, parasailing, kite boarding, swimming and a wide range of activities to discover.

AP: What is the music like?

JC: We’re focused on House music and have a wide range of DJs playing here from all over the world.

AP: How long have you been DJing at SLeek?

JC: I DJ very rarely, because I am too busy with other projects in SL. I do the DJ bookings for the Club. I work in the music business in RL, so it’s interesting for me to spot new talent in SL.

AP: How long has the club been around?

JC: SLeek has existed for two years now. The actual location (Region) has been around since February 2007.

AP: Do you make good money?

JC: I guess the fact that that the club has continued running for two years speaks for itself.

AP: Why did the owner open the club?

JC: SLeek is not only a dance Club. Hummer Corleone (Owner) runs his Furniture and Gym Equipment business on the Sim and some selected shops featuring the best designers in SL (including Sartoria Traveller Bade [Men’s Clothing], Wrong [Women’s Clothing], Kalnins [Eyewear], SOREAL, Akeyo, Hyperion Studio [Shapes], Concrete [Urban Wear] and RE.ACT).

AP:What are the best nights to come out?

JC: We run events with changing life-DJ’s every Day in European peak time (12-04 PM SLT).

6) Badlands, Owner – Jesse Murdock
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Badlands/128/128/0

Badlands hosts Bad Girls club, one of SL’s most popular nightclubs.

Floating above the packed dance floor is an intimate private area to chat and escape the crowd.

7) Purgatorio, Owner – Kora Kenovka
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Purgatorio/128/128/42

Purgatorio is home to the very popular Kingdom of Sand action role-play game. As with most Second Life role play adventures, Kingdom of Sand has an extensive set of rules and a complex storyline. You can read more about both on their website.

(Map of Ireem, home to Kingdom of Sand’s fictional storyline on Purgatorio in Second Life)

The game is based around the Arabian fantasy city of Ireem, lending an exotic and breathtaking backdrop for the virtual role play. One of the participants, Keil Ansar, was nice enough to take a few minutes to chat with me out of character.(Kingdoms of Sand Action Role Player, keil Ansar )

Avarie Parker: So how long have you been a member of this role play?

Keil Ansar: I have been enjoying this game for about 5 months now. I am a gardener and a citizen and so I don’t participate in battles.

AP: What’s the goal of the game?

KA: The goal is to have fun! Men and women joke around all day like kids and become very good friends. I very much enjoy the community and the sim itself is SO beautiful. I love to just wander around looking at the beautiful scenery.

8 ) Remembrance, Owner – Luxa Budan
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Remembrance/128/128/0

Remembrance, or NOR sim, is one of 12 islands housing a dark roleplay and combat sim. According to Savina Decosta, who has been playing for over a year, the primary goal is to defeat other players and gain power.

( Savina Decosta, group leader)

She is a Lycan and “fights with her claws.”

(The city and combat area on the Nor sim)

When asked if there are there public battles, Savina replied; “Yes, HUGE public battles”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9) Bare Rose, Owner – June Dion
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bare%20Rose/208/60/30

The newest force in Second Life fashion is Bare Rose Tokyo. They house thousands of finely detailed items for very reasonable prices. Most of their outfits come with multiple colors and pieces so residents can mix and match. Don’t let the low prices fool you; the clothes are well-made and come in a wide variety of styles.

(Bare Rose’s wall of fashion towers over SL residents with literally thousands of available outfits.)

10 ) Midnight Reflection, Owner – Missbehavin Neva
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Midnight%20Reflections/128/128/0

Midnight Reflection is a sim that boasts “love and romance”. It is decorated with lush foliage and beautiful waterfalls. The center of activity is the large dance floor nestled among the high clifftops. A pathway runs along the upper ledge of the rocks making for beautiful views and a nice romantic getaway from the action on the dance floor. The owner, Missbehavin, is very friendly, accessible and willing to answer questions.

(Monet Bury sports her new frock on the dance floor at the Midnight Reflection sim)

One resident, Money Bury, makes Midnight Reflections a major part of her regular stomping grounds.”I love it here! They have many dances and events. Most everyone is rather friendly and there is always someone here. Evenings they have events, contests, a live DJ and theme nights.”

500) Isle of Lesbos, Owner – janeforyou Barbara

Best of the worst goes to the Isle of Lesbos owned by janeforyou Barbara. The owner joined SL in 2006 and quickly realized that the only places to have ‘fun’ back then were sex clubs. She wanted to offer women an alternative and so created the Isle of Lesbos. The island is cluttered with lush vegetation, private areas to quietly chat and, of course, a dance club.

(Isle of Lesbos Regular, Guadelupe Vaher, enjoying a chat with friends at an all-women event.)

Island Regular Guadelupe Vaher says she initially visited the Isle of Lesbos to “meet new and interesting people.” When asked what keeps her coming back, she explains, “beautiful scenery and great people. There’s always someone to talk to and something to do.”

(Isle of Lesbos owner, janeforyou Barbara, takes time to answer SLENTRE.COM’s questions.)

Island owner janeforyou Barbara was nice enough to answer a few of SLENTRE.COM’s questions:

Avarie Parker: How many events do you have here? Why do SL residents visit?
janeforyou Barbara: We do about 2 to 3 events a day. We have fun and always offer live female DJs and musicans. We also have events with prizes of up to 5000$L or more. We are currently working on a new club concept.
Avarie Parker: What motivates you to keep investing in Second Life?
janeforyou Barbara: It’s a hobby for me. I have a lot of good friends here. I wanted to create a world of fantasy and have fun! That’s what motivates me.

*This report was compiled using the powerful mapping tools provided by Mappa Novus,http://www.mappanovus.com/. Their in-house data collection technology regularly collects population data for each region of the Second Life metaverse. The data is stored over time so various statistical analyses can be made. Any sim that offers camping, free-lindens, or bots is disqualified.