The Outerland Estate is comprised of 130 carefully landscaped and designed islands across 90 regions on 111 sims. The Estate was founded in April 2006 by Dana Bergson, who remained the owner until June of 2009.
Originally called the "Otherland," Dana had to sell it in June 2009 due to personal reasons. The Estate was purchased by the ACS group owned by Anshe Chung.
Although the name was changed, and a few internal changes came with the sale, the "base and philosophy of the Estate remains unchanged." The motto for the estate, coined by Dana Bergson, was "Make Otherland a different kind of land." The idea was to create something special, beautiful and an estate viewed as a whole and not by the individual components/sims which it encompasses. Rivers run through almost the entire estate and there are oceans to sail on. This provides the residents the opportunity to explore the estate beginning at their own doorstep.
What a wonderful thought: to walk out of your front door, hop into a boat and sail around the Estate...although I imagine in a place that massive, it would be quite easy to become lost.
An important project for the Outerland staff has been the Outerland Archipelago, a unique concept. Consisting of a group of private sims, it is a beautifully landscaped area, free of griefers and excessive lag. You will not see large, flat areas without structure there, no typical "tropical islands in the sun. The result is certainly some of the most beautiful land in SL. Think of islands large and small. Think of lakes, rivers, waterfalls. Think of softly rounded hills and some steep cliffs. "
I had a chat with Julienne Caudron recently, one of the Estate Managers for Outerland, who was able to provide me with a wealth of information. Julienne joined the Estate Team in March of 2008.
Julienne, together with Natasha ACS, are the main players in keeping the residents happy, resolving any issues and answering questions.
Their different times zones allow them to be available during most of the time zones around the globe.
Combined with customer support, bookkeeping, and language skills, the two managers have enough skills to keep residents informed, as well as satisfied, and tend to the various administrative tasks associated with the Estate.
The staff at Outerland place emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Hiring staff consisting of "poorly paid real estate agents whose main aim is a sale" is just not an option. Ban lines are not allowed so residents will not be booted during their exploration around the estate. The residents contribute to the Estate's outstanding status. Friendships have grown between neighbors who share a common love of regions such as New England.
Mother Nature recently showed up at Outerland in the form of snow and an "All-Around-Christmas-Party" is being planned by the residents. There is a great sense of community. "When the lake in Xabbu Park froze over, Sylvia Sonoda opened her famous ice skating course for everybody. She put some awesome ramps with some special surprises for the real skating pros. Hot Chocolate, basic skates, and snowball fighting fun are on the house until January, when the snow is going to melt."
The Outerland Estate has recently welcomed Wandering Star to the Estate. This group is in the Verdant Homewood, a long established community of music lovers, holding regular music events in a pub on the Khao sim.
A visit to one of the New England themed parcels revealed what one might expect to see in New England in the winter...landscape and trees all covered with snow. There are some tropical themed parcels as well, including Ellaidhu and Antibes. The two boardwalks at Dulcie and Anwin are charming indeed, with a rustic seaside appeal. Eschach Castle is a part of Outerland, a small, cozy looking castle nestled up against a snow covered peak. There are just so many beautiful sims and islands to see.
The entire Estate is beautifully and carefully landscaped and it is obvious that great care went into every design. This Estate sounds to me like an awesome home for those who want a sense of community spirit in a place that has a covenent for ensuring beauty and not commerciality.
By Shellie Sands
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