A Sad Week....The Closure of Kaia Estates

I really never thought it would happen....for over 2 years I have poured all my creativity into designing the most beautiful residential Sims in Second Life and we have been very successful.

But since Linden Labs price increases I have been funding the Estate each month even though we ran at an average of 95% occupancy. I did not want to turn Kaia into one of those estates with regulated box-shaped parcels and squashed-together homes, even though it certainly would have meant we broke even.

The uniqueness of Kaia was its free-flowing, gentle landscaping.....I wanted residents to wander the Sims and marvel at the secret places hidden for them to find. They made friends with their neighbours and we became a true community, relying on others for help and a kind word, not just for Second Life but for Real Life too. We met often in the coffee shop on the marina, or in the beach club and laughed so much together :-) I made real friends and I know they will remain so.

Whilst this is not a 'knock Lindens' post I would just like to say that to ensure the longevity of Second Life and to retain clients within its virtual world Linden Labs will have to rethink their pricing policies. They want to build communities - well, they had a great one at Kaia, now sadly lost, because Lindens moved the goal posts when I, and others like me were trying to build a successful business and try as I might I couldn't and wouldn't downgrade my friends' virtual living spaces.

So now I will pour more creativity into the interiors business and help my friends to find new places to live, a tough job as nothing will ever match up to the surroundings they had on Sandalwood, Ravensara, Cabrueva, Amyris and Elemi.

The sims are gone but our memories remain....

Sad Meggie