Brave New Worlds

Well it's finally here! After months and months of wanting to open the official main store of Brave New Wolds I finally did it.

Brave New Worlds started out as "SHAYNA'S" over a year ago because I simply couldn't think of a better name. I started selling clothing but realized quickly that I was not that good. So I started making more prim base creations and in time the mojority of everything I sold was prim based. With that I needed a new name.... that's where Frey came in with the brilliant name of Brave New Worlds. THANKS FREY! YOU ROCK!!!

In this picture you see Stacia's store Gatherings and Freys clinic behind me. I'm surround by the two best friends I could ask for... YAY ME!!!

Here's me looking up at the BNW main entrance. Sign logo compliments of Cathiee who is a gifted graphic designer and SL-Photographer.

So it is in victory that I raise my arms in celebration of making my dreams come true. And a big warm THANK YOU to my friends and customers without whom none of this would be possible.

Farewell to Okeanides

Well Linden Labs has slain yet another contributor to the SecondLife experience with their price hike on Open Sims. On January 1, 2009 Okeanides will close its portal for good.


Okeanides was the birth child of three very close friends. Freyakc, Stacia and Shayna often sat on the beach (usually topless) and dreamed of opening their own sim where people could shop, sail, fly, fish, swim, lounge and do just about anything their hearts desired. That dream was made a reality in August of 2008 when Okeanides was rezzed.

Okeanides ran successfully until one day a full sim owner acquaintance stopped by the sim to give the bad news that LL's was making major changes in order to get rid of the "abusers" of open sims. Not believing the news this person just delivered I ran to the thread she mentioned and read in utter disbelief.

Although open sims are slower and don't run as well as full sims they made it possible for people to create environments that were affordable. This lower price made it easier on merchants looking to get shop space at malls for low prices. This of course pissed off many many many full sim owners who frankly.... charge way too much for shop space.

Many open and even full sim owners are closing down and even leaving SL to join the othrsim based games. LL's has made a grave error but to be hones I don't think they care. Okeanides will be missed..... but life goes on. Be on the look out for the next project by this dynamic trio of sexy ladies.

Another Linden Labs Victim: Fairwell Sea and Sky

Last night was a sad night indeed. A sim that many people adored had its last party. I'm talkin' about Sea an Sky owned by three incredibly nice people... Leandrah "Andi" Whiteberry, Vicky Vielle and Lucy Bronet.

Sea and Sky (SNS) was a Sim that many of us called home. It was the neighboring Sim to Okeanides and the people who inhabited SNS were all very nice. They had a runway that I often used when flying and a super fun bar that I enjoyed nuking. I looked forward to the "waves fist in air" gestures of Andi as well as the pranks I would play like planting invisible bombs on her front door. *sigh*

So today I sailed my boat around the now empty islands of SNS. Another victim of the Linden Labs price gouging and unfair treatment. SNS is not the only sim to have been sunk by LL. Many Sim owner friends of mine have told me how they have been losing money on their investments and how they are closing Sim after Sim in SL. Is SL trying to "cash out"? Who knows.

So here I am floating in my boat over what use to be the very fun Boobie Bar. SNS..... you'll be missed.

Samurai Shayna

Ever since I was a little girl I always loved old samurai movies. My favorite of course being the classic Seven Samurai. We Recently I started making swords and as usual I do a lot of research. In my search I have stumbled upon 2 very good sims in SL that I have been visiting often.

Yukigakure - Hidden Snow Village, Shatoo (60, 33, 45) is a sim dedicated to Naruto and is beautifully done. The buildings, ground layout, glowing crystals and falling snow make you feel like you've entered the world of the very popular series. The poeple are fun to be around and there are constant battles going on. They have great shops so bring your pocket book.

Combat Samurai Island - C:SI Bat, Samurai Edo (12, 118, 31) is my new favorite sim... next to my own. This place is so authentically designed it's freaky. There are 2 seperate sims.... 1 which has the main shops and gorgious streams and water falls and the other with dueling arena, temples,waters falls, restuarants and dojo's. Words can not express how awesome this sim looks and feels.

I also started dueling and I must say... the regulars there have no problem "cutting" you down. They are excellant duelists and I look forward to getting good enough to actually win one...LOL

So as I stated before I'm working on my own swords. But in the mean time my two main Katana are made by Hanzo Blades Armory - Samurai Ka, Bytegang (49, 186, 24) and the Ronin Katana sold at Samurai Island. These two swords are a reminder of what I need to live up to in craftmenship. When ever I think mine are good enough I just strap on one of these to be sure. The makers of these swords show true Zen like skill in their attention to detail. The animations and sounds are nothing short of spectacular. I highly recommend them.

So be on the look out for my swords coming soon. Until then..... Sainara!

Marketing 101.1

Well if you read my last blog on marketing and applied the tips I really hope they worked for you. The key word here is “consistency”.

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do”
Lee Jun Fan (Bruce Lee)

“Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.”

Yoda

I want to add a few bits to help inspire and motivate you along your journey. Marketing is hard work and without “consistency” it will never pay off. We must keep moving…. Never stopping…. Always pressing forward to keep the money train rollin’.

“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
Dory

So the question is: Are you putting in the work? If you are then keep it up and you will see an increase in sales. But what if you are working hard and getting no sales? Well one ignorant person once said to me “If you’re not getting any sales then your product must not be any good.” What an idiotic thing to say! A good sales person can sell rainbow sprinkled dog poop, a bad salesman can’t sell Ferrari for $100. Food for thought…..


Tip #1 Change your approach

Einstein's definition of madness: “continuing to do the same thing, hoping for a different outcome” comes to mind when we speak of changing ones approach. It is hard to change sometimes and with this we have to think more scientifically then emotionally. Pride is our biggest enemy. What I personally like to do is what Anthony Robins refers to as “modeled excellence”. This means that we find someone who has achieved the results we desire and model their behavior and methods. For example: If I gave you the recipe for the world’s greatest chocolate cake you’d follow it step by step right? Therefore a good way to change what we’re doing is to model someone else.

Tip #2 Pricing

Are you charging too much or too little? This is a daunting question that confuses almost everyone and there is much debate about it. If you charge too much most people won’t afford it but if you charge too little people may think it must not be any good right? Finding the “sweet spot” in pricing takes time and research. I personally don’t like to charge too much as I live by the motto of “The more people that can afford what I make, the more people who will buy it which means more people will see it leading to even more sales.” But I could be wrong….. or am I?

It is also good to understand that real life economy plays a part in peoples spending habits. Remember: Most people in Second Life put real money into their accounts to go shopping. If real life money is tight so will there Second Life lindens.

Tip #3 Market Research and Competition

Have you looked at what the others are doing? If not…. WHY NOT? Start looking at what successful people in your field are doing and learn from them. And please don’t think you or your product is better therefore need not learn from them. You are not better until you are DOING better then they are. Get it? How are they marketing? What are their prices? Do they have sales? How often? What does their store look like? What do their ads and posters look like or say? What is their customer service like? Get out there and find this out. It could mean the difference between zero or one thousands sales!

Tip #4 Live your success!

By “living” your success I mean experience it with all your senses. See, hear, smell, feel and taste it. Imagine your future successful self. Envision your store…. What will it look like? See your bank account grow…… what number do you see? Your world is created first by your mind then molded by your actions. Start NOW!

A Love Of FairLight

Very rarely an SL builder captures my attention with everything they make. Fairlight by Julia Faulkland is one of them. Julia is not only an incredible SL designer but also sexy as hell and super nice to her customers. Maybe she'll send me her body dimensions some day *wink wink*..lol

As a collector of all sorts of gadgets, particularly weapons, I have had my share of purchasing good, not so good and down right waste of lindens weapons. When I purchased my first Fairlight weapon... the XLB88 Flash Rifle.... I got it because it just looked cool. I saw someone wearing it on the Doomed Ship and thought it would make a great addition to an outfit I put together. I tested the gun at the Fairlight gun range and it out performed some of my top weapons. Needless to say I was impressed. Good looks and great performance in one package? SCORE!

Soon after I picked up the Fairlight Sentinel Constructor and built a gun range on my sim similar to the one at the Fairlight main headquarters. The drones are so much fun they have become one of my main sources of stress relief. When ever I need to do battle I just rez some drones and let the carnage begin. These drones shoot back so wearing a health meter adds to the excitement. They just may KILL YOU!

While fighting drones one day my good friend Kazime pulls out the Fairlight MP-5's. These little guns look so realistic and WOW do they pack punch! She was mowing through the drones like they were made of paper. So I TP'ed to Fairlight and purchased the MP-5's and since then they have become my #1 guns of choice for everyday use. Without the silencer these little guns are loud with a very realistic sound effect. But if the noise is too much for you the silencers do a fantastic job of keeping it quiet. But they have friends........

I saw the XGU2E "Viper" Gauntlet and immediately knew I needed them. These guns are forearm mounted so they can be paired with other hand held weapons for twice the fire power. The combination of the Viper and MP-5's is simply unfair to the drones or other combatants. The shear output of this combination is just too much to handle by anyone or anything that you point them at.

My next toy is the STG-14. "The Fairlight STG-14 is a semi-automatic assault shotgun which loads standard 12-gauge shells from a 7 round magazine." It needs to reload often but is only a slight delay. The wide spread and strength of the shells means it's hard to miss your target and you are guaranteed to do some serious damage. It also comes with a front mounted light for all you SWAT role players.

The Fairlight Grenade Belt is a fun addition to anyone's arsenal. In between firing I often toss out a grenade to get some nice splash damage or if against another player a few smoke grenades or flash bombs render them blind long enough to mow'em down. A small price to pay for the extra advantage in my opinion.

My most recent purchase are the PLD-08 Pistols. I have been eyeing these pistols for a while because they simply look AMAZING! I finally broke down and picked them up and oh my god I am glad I did. Someone mentioned the aim was off.... in my opinion that person must have bad aim because these guns are dead accurate. They reload fast and pack a punch. With laser sites, extra ammo and silencers to complete the package these guns get 2 thumbs up!

I don't own all of the Fairlight products........ yet..... but I know that when my bank is full I'll be stopping by again and again to get more from this wonderful weapons designer. All I can say is... if you want top quality in both looks and performance then look no further than Fairlight Products.

Cylon Centurion Model 0005

As you can tell I love Battlestar Galactica. I'm especially fond of "Cylon Culture" and endeavor to recreate various Cylon icons in my SecondLife builds. My latest release being the Re-Imagined Classic Cylon Centurion Model 0005!

I got the idea for this avatar about 2 days after I released the Cylon Raider MK-VII and I immediately started researching. But I knew I did not want the "man in a suit" complete with hocky gloves and plastic sword Centurion that we see in the 70's series. I wanted to go "modern" and for that I need to go to the source. During some research for schematics I was lucky enough to find a blog written by Darth Mojo. "The Mojo" is a Visual Effect Supervisor and Artist for the Re-imagined series as well as an avid blogger. On his blog I found very detailed pictures and behind the scenes information on the modern Centurion concept.

I soon started building and in about 2 and 1/2 weeks had the first un-scripted BETA model ready for fitting. Once I had all the parts fitted to a custom shape I tinkered and tweaked until it looked right..... to me. The unarmed Centurion totaled in at a whopping 557 prims!!!

As I build I get inspired and soon realized that this model should have features that bring more realism such as guns, heavy guns, blade, classic "eye" sound, phrases and animations. This was to be the hardest part for me. I again turned to the help of my dear friend and mentor Dollwife Pink for help with the gun. I sent sent her a copy of the Cylon model TEC-9 gun for a good holstering script job. The gun you see in the Razor episode was actually based on a real life gun called the TEC-9. I added the trademark Cylon symbol on the handle for the hardcore fans. Once Doll sent me a working model I added my gun scripts to it and started testing. Oh my gosh I love this gun! But wait..... there's more......


The forearm dagger you see in the skydiving scene with young Adama was my next project. It actually wasn't hard to make and again..... I have to thank Dollwife for pointing me in the right direction. The dagger is HUD controlled for quick release and fully animated. The best thing about the blade is how bad ass it looks and sounds when you draw it.

Looking at Mojo's "extras" blog I got the idea to make the Cylon version of the M60 light machine gun. This was a lot of fun because I always wanted to make a big "butch" looking gun. This gun puts out an impressive 300 rounds before reloading an after some intense testing against battle drones (at Fairlight)..... the Cylon M60 came out the winner!

The HUD controls the blade and vocal sounds. The vocal sounds are "By your command", "It is done imperious leader", " The information is not complete" and " EXTERMINATION!" The eye sound is toggled by clicking the black part of the cylon head.

So with all that what else s there? How about.... ummm.... maybe.... hmmmm...... THE GOLD COMMANDER! That's right..... I had to do it. I included a Gold Commander with every purchase! That is 2 avatars for the price of one with 2 hand guns (gold and chrome) an M60 and daggers.



After all this hard work I just like sittin' back and looking at the Centurion brought to (Second) Life. What will I make next? Wait and see. Until then...... If you see this pointing at you........ don't bother running.... you're already DEAD!!!

Marketing 101

"Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does." ~Steuart Henderson Britt

Some of you mite see this as information you already know...... for others it is the missing link that will bridge them to the road of success. So if you know this already CONGRATS!!!!!! If not.... then take a moment to read this short "Marketing Tip".

I once read that "the success of any product is 80% advertising and hype and only 20% actual product or service". How crazy is that! But it's true.

It is important that what you make or sell is good.... please don't misunderstand...... but if all you do is subscribe to the "If you build it they will come" theory, then your sales will be weak at best. So the question is..... How do we increase sales?

ADVERTISING! Now advertising comes in all shapes and sizes and I will touch on just a few to wet your palette.

Tip #1: Onrez and Xstreet
If you don't already have accounts with these two online sellers then I suggest you sign up right away. They are very popular and offer many benefits to their clients.

Tip #2: Press releases.

If you haven't already done press releases then I suggest you get started TODAY!!! They are simple to write and are great ways of letting people know you exist. I send a press release every time I release a new item and also when I put items on sale (more about sales later on.) Press releases can be posted on the XStreet forum (formerly SLX) and also on the main secondlife website forums "New Products" section. Make sure the press release includes the most important information.... what it is you're selling and WHERE TO GET IT!!!!

Tip #2.5: Offer something FREE in your store.

That's right.... I said it... it had to be said. Offering FREE merchandise is great for creating "word of mouth" buzz about your shop. People will tell others where they can get free stuff. Look at Freedove as a perfect example of how free stuff can drive thousands of customers to your door.

Tip #3: Create a group.

Creating a group for your store is a MUST in my opinion. You can use the group as a way to keep customers informed of new product releases and sales. BUT DON'T SPAM THEM!!! Nothing drives people away faster then constant messages. I suggest you create a group with a rule like -UK- Couture’s group, "Please DO NOT chat/spam the update group channel as this will result in your ejection from the group. Thank you!" 1 to 2 messages per day tops is best. To get customers to join your group I would include it in a notecard that comes with your products. I would also have a sign at your store location about the group and how it will benefit the customer. There are also group inviting devices that you can buy that make the job easy. Look into it ASAP!

Tip #4: Sales events.

Now I say sales events because if you have something on sale all the time there is no sense of urgency. What you want to create is a wave of people rushing to get your item at a wonderful.... but temporary.... sale price. What I like to do is offer a special 1 week low price on new products. It accomplishes 2 things. 1) Brings people out to see it and possibly buy and 2) Creates word of mouth. They WILL tell their friends! *winks*

Tip #5: Picks contest.

If you haven't heard of these a picks contest is simply paying people prize money to have your store in their profile picks. I personally give away $300L every two weeks to random winners and ALWAYS check their profile before handing out the cash. You'd be surprised how many people will ask to enter the contest and NOT put you in their picks. Their names are instantly removed from the picks contest list.... a list you should keep up to date.

Tip #6 Touch everybody!

Whoa! hey hold on a sec.... before you think I'm telling you to go out and grope people STOP! LOL....... "Touching" people is simply making contact. Having a notecard or landmark ready to pass out to PEOPLE WHO WANT IT is a form of a touch. I stress only giving it to people who want it because if you show up on noob island and start handing out unwanted notecards you are most likely going to get reported for spam.... and we don't want that. Casually bringing up a new item you just released in a conversation is also a "touch".

Tip #7: Make a good impression with customer service.

There really is nothing more to be said about this one. If people appreciate you taking time to help them when they have questions or problems they are more likely buy from you again and tell their friends.

This is just a very small list of marketing tips. It is important to know that Real Life and Second Life are not too different and that proven marketing techniques have value in the virtual world of Second Life.

Wishing you great success,

Shayna Korobase

CEO Brave New Worlds

Okeanides Vacation Spot and Mall

Cylon Raider MK-VII

My love for the Battlestar Galactica series goes back to when I was a little girl in the 1970's. I remember falling in love with the Chrome Toasters and having dreams of being a viper pilot and zipping around the stars in epic battles to save the human race. 20+ years later here I am even more in love with the modern version of BSG.

As a SecondLife "builder" (artist) I dive into projects that peak my interest or challenge me to improve upon what I see. This was the case when I created my Cylon Centurion Elite Edition. About 2 months ago I got the idea of making a Raider that was as close to the original MK-II as possible. To do this I knew I would need the help of other much more talented SL-Builders.

Dollwife Pink has always been sort of a mentor to me. She has a very giving soul and has no problem teaching and sharing what she knows. It is her original Cylon Raider that I based my design on. I also closely examined the work of Ta Moxie and Damian McBride who both had different takes on the Raider. Once I had in my head all the things I wanted and didn't want I went to work on the plywood build. I'm an obsessive builder and once my plans are laid out I tend to keep going until I'm done.

I knew that my version of the Raider could not have "ripped" textures. It needed professional made to order textures. I started looking for someone to fill that position. One day I got lucky and met MimiSoleil Dagger. Mimi is a very busy girl and had many real life projects going on but still found time to work on my raider. The textures took a few weeks but were worth the wait. I could never texture something this good on my own. Thanks Mimi!

The flight and combat scripts were going to be tricky. I am a fan of Ta Moxie's vipers and like how they have different flight modes and realistic features. I originally tried to get my hands on Ta's scriptor but apparently she HATES being contacted by people she doesn't know. I find this odd as her name is mentioned as the scriptor in Ta's vipers........ Tip: If you don't want to be bothered..... be anonymous! Moving on....... I then tried to enlist my good friend Paxan's BF who is a very talented scriptor but again I was turned down. I was starting to lose faith. I knew that the scripts I had at my disposal were great but not great enough. I knew what I wanted and wouldn't stop until I got it! That is when a long time friend Orval (the cute kitty) told me that our mutual friend Rez Grey is a talented scriptor. Slaps forehead, "Why didn't I think of that earlier?" I contacted Rez and told him my ideas and a few weeks later our collaboration turned out the Multimode flight scripts that the Raider now possesses.

Flight Script: The Raider has 5 flight modes and they are Hover, Advanced Hover, Acrobat, Mouselook and Advanced. These 5 modes fit all levels of flying skill from beginner to the most advanced pilots. As I stated to a friend.... it is very noob friendly. The script is the combination of the hard work of Rez Grey and Dollwife Pink with my own tweaks.

Weapons: The Raider is equipped with custom twin machine guns that fire physical bullets at an extreme rate. It also has Missiles that can shoot straight or once locked become guided missiles that explode in a brilliant display. Main weapons scripts written by Rez Grey with the bullets being my own modified physical rounds.

Engines: The engines were tricky. The series Raiders have a constant flame shooting out the twin engines and have a distinct sound. I searched high and low for the right sound and particles. I went through hours of searching google for sounds and then finally found the answer in my own inventory when I decided to fly my Ananke Nightshade Spacecraft by Carrah Rossini. When I sat in and started the engines it hit me like a ton of bricks.... "THIS IS IT!!!" I thought excitedly to myself. I contacted Carrah and humbly requested her assistance. She IM'ed me the next day and sent me scripts. This further demonstrates why her ships are in such demand and why she has such a following. I can't say enough about her..... Thanks Carrah!

Voice Commands (gestures): The raider is not menu or hud controled as I feel that is too slow and cumbersome in battle. I opted for gesture commands instead. To give the commands a cylon feel my next door neighbor recorded his own voice into a Vocoder for a 1970's style Centurion voice. All command gestures are set to F keys and can be triggered quickly without ever having to leave mouselook.

Other influences helped to motivate me to get it right. Stacia, Freyakc, Cathiee and Kazime all contributed great ideas. Stacia and Freyakc are always there with encouragement and to be honest.... most of what I do I couldn't do without them......... (faklempt moment) ;-P

Once complete I renamed it the Raider MK-VII. It took approximately two months from start to finish but was worth all the hard work. It is an example of what unselfish and generous builders, scriptors and friends can accomplish and is a fitting tribute to the show I love.... Battlestar Galactica!

S.I.C.(K)!!!!

The S.I.C. L2968-2 is my newest toy and it certainly is SICK! For starters the size of the gun is intimidating to just about anyone who sees it. The craftmenship is second to none and simply looks AWESOME!

The gun comes with a HUD that gives you a choice of Full auto and Burst mode as well as 5 bullet types. They are: Damage, Push, Napalm, Atomic and SP Shot.

This gun has a wicked kick back that often sends you 5 to 10 meters back so make sure you have room behind you. The sounds and gun flash are very impressive but the true shining star of this gun is the SP Shot. This shot is initiated by clicking a giant red button on the HUD. Once started the gun barrel opens up and it builds up energy for the final release. The blast is 3 shots and you will be sent flying back from the kick back about 20 meters. The bullets rez into a giant glowing ball of energy upon impact and everyone near them will be pushed and orbited.

All in all I love this gun for pure destructive fun. I wouldn't use it for battles as it's not very practical...... but.... this is a fun gun that is worth the price for what it does.

FLAME ON!!!!

My personality has been described as fiery and in your face... and I LOVE IT! Many months ago I heard about a group in SecondLife called the Green Lanterns. They "Serve and Protect" the citizens of SL. I don't mind helping people in a jam but if a griefer comes-a-knockin' I'm usually more apt to thoroughly obliterating them instead of holding them off and sending abuse reports. So because of that nature I lean towards being a Red Lantern.

Sitting high atop a building in the awesome looking sim The Abyss (95, 187, 236) Red Lantern Shayna looks at the citizens below. Looking for a griefer to even think about starting trouble.

Shayna sees a griefer..... cocky.... arrogant.... the griefer starts talking nasty to local women and beating up men trying to protect them. The anger gradually builds.... rises....... burns.... until it reaches critical mass and with a banshee scream she yells "RAGE!!!!!!" and her entire body bursts into a red plasma flame. She swoops down like a falcon and snatches the griefer right out of his ghetto sneakers. No one ever sees the griefer in these parts again.


The flames you see were created by a wonderfully talented individual named Jeadeen Niles. After seeing him in his Green flames I asked if he'd make red ones for me and that it would complete my costume. Being the generous heart he is Jea started work immediately. Within days I had my very own red flame suit.

This suit is fantastic and EVERYONE stops to take a second look when I fly by. When I land it says "Calm" and when I launch it yells "RAGE!". It can even be controlled by chat commands spoken on a private channel. This is hands down one of the coolest things I have in my arsenal and I cant thank Jea enough. These suits are custom fit to your avatar but maybe some day he'll market them along with a body shape. Cross your fingers!

Until then.... all you griefers out there.... look out for me. And if you hear an ear splitting "RAGE!!!" you're probably already dead.