SLENTRE.COM

By Compe Lockwood

“Welcome to the club,” Zani Fiertze greeted me as we walk through the dance floor. It is typical of Second life social spots:  a dance floor, stage, various amenities, and a spot where D.J.’s spin tunes. There are parties here, meetings, anniversary and birthday celebrations. But two things you don’t expect to see: 1. this club is part of a land store. 2: This club is helping Haiti.

In addition to being an excellent tour guide, Zani is the sales manager for Dream Seeker Estates, a company that sells SL land and is concerned about earthquakes. They are doing something about it. Today she is showing me the club where it happened.

Customers, guests, and company officials united for Haiti – while busting a few moves on the dance floor. This is a real estate company?

Yes it is. But it’s not just any pixeled property proprietor. Dream Seeker stresses service, all the way to Haiti. Cyber world or real one, we united in horror over the recent Haitian disaster. For natural disasters only happen in real life; Second Life is immune. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help. Dream Seeker Estates did just that.

Perhaps it is fitting a leaser of some of the finest virtual earth, raised money for some of the poorest. “We held several events dedicated to Haitian victims,” Zani said. She is referring to Dream Seeker’s club house where events dances and other programs were held for Haiti. Dream Seekers donated $1350 U.S. dollars based on linden love.

The company’s Haitian Relief Effort is but one example of SL companies caring for RL issues. As Meta world commerce matures so do their values. Today’s best businesses are more than just ‘Right Click, Pay’ – Add to that ‘Right Click, Help.’

And help takes many meanings. Help for a customer or help for a charity. “Most vendors that joined us in our events, donated their time and talents,” Zani explained. D.Js and bands performed for free. Staffers volunteered their time.” Club members and residents danced the night away but also made donations while cutting the rug. It’s all a part of doing business.

“I like to think it is part of our core values,” said company C.E.O./and owner Zeebster Colasanti. “Some realty companies have one motto: ‘Sales calls take priority.’ Not us. Our staff is split between sales and service. Dream Seekers has a full time dedicated support staff and support ticketing system that allows them to track requests and ensures that issues are not dropped and are resolved in a timely manner. “Usually problems are resolved within hours.” added Zeebster. The key is their support staffers are not involved in sales but rather problem solving. Sales are why they’re here and service gets them there.

“We have a sense of community here,” added Zani. Our Club House is available for members, socializing and just getting to know each other.” It gives a sense of belonging, just like a fine RL community.

Belonging to their community or any avatar city for that matter, can be a daunting task. Before breaking ground in cyber-earth, do your homework. “I’d advise people to look for the reputation of the estate. How solid is the support? Is the staff available to answer questions?” advised Zeebster.

“Basically a sim is a sim. There is really no difference in the technical capabilities of the product, especially when looking for stand-alone sims. It is entirely irrelevant what that sim looks like, since the resident can make it look like anything he wants”

Dream Seeker uses a support ticketing system. Any client with an issue submits a ‘ticket.’ Usually the ticket problem is resolved within hours, working up the ladder – all the way to Zeebster if necessary – until it’s fixed.

Dream Seeker has residents from all walks of life. Some are searching for a quiet place to relax at home. Others want land for their business or club. At press time they had approximately 400 individual parcels rented to at least 400 individual residents.

For information about the site, visit their website: www.dreamseekerestates.com.

Walking through their SL location at Dream Seeker Land Store is like a day in the park more than a real estate office. Birds are singing, the sun is shining, and it’s a good day in Second Life. Perhaps with businesses like this one, it will be a better day for Haiti too.