SkyBeam Community - A new place to chat...

Greetings!

Over the last week or two, I've started to use SkyBeam Estates group channel to reach out and just talk to those of you who happen to be online and feel so inclined to chatter about news about the estate and just to chat and be friendly. I've really enjoyed this and I hope those of you who have been around have too!

I know, however, that chatter on group channels is not universally adored and many of you have businesses to run and really don't want to hear it. Coupled with that I need all of you to be in the Estate group for covenant update information and other important news, I can't afford to chatter away in the main group and risk anyone leaving the group to avoid the 'noise'.

So... I've gone against my own inclinations for multiple groups and created 'SkyBeam Community' as a new group for us to use to simply chat with each other, ask questions about land, life, the universe and anything, and otherwise simply be friendly!

The group is currently open enrollment and as I process each tier board update, I will endeavor to send out invites to every paying resident, however I will miss all the significant others, guardians and so on using this method, so please take time to look up the group and join if you wish to take part and encourage all your significant others who might be interested in being part of active friendly community conversations to do so, as well.

This group is open to prospective residents, folks who simply hang out with us a lot, and so on. Eventually, I will probably make it invite only, but for now it will be easiest for open enrollment until we've all gotten our feet in the door :)

*hugs*

Char

Tier boards, reminders, updates & moving forward...

Greetings!

Just a not so quick note to let you all know that I am aware that the tier board payment reminder messages are not getting through to many if not all of you. Additionally, at least three payments in the last 24 hours have failed to update on the boards, though it has accepted the money. Behind the scenes, the daily backups that I should be getting are not coming through. I presume the latest server and client upgrades have interfered at some rather significant level.

Owing to all of the above, I will be investigating Hippo and other alternatives promptly. I expect my decision as to which system to be used to be made swiftly, but the actual changeover to a new system will take longer depending on the configuration times. Likely I will switch one region at a time beginning with SkyBeam (fewest tenants) and make certain the system is the right one before proceeding with subsequent regions. I surely do not want to have to do this twice.

If you have any concern that a very recent payment has not registered correctly, please notify me. I will have to rely on your best judgment of the situation and will give everyone the benefit of the doubt as long as I see the transaction in my transaction history, and will credit accordingly.

I am most sorry there is an issue, but I will work as quickly as possible to provide a solution that will take us forward from here professionally and with as few hiccups as the SL environment permits us.

Thank you always,

Char

Another great offer!

Current residents of SkyBeam Everglades, SkyBeam Wood, Apparition Wood and SkyBeam Stillwater may add to their current holdings within the same region (prim land anyone?) for tier only! No purchase price! This offer is good through Cinco de Mayo (May 5) only or while land supplies last, whichever comes first!

I can't guarantee you can add contiguous land to your existing parcel, but any land anywhere in the same region will add to your prim counts... *or* if the appropriate sized land exists, you can trade into a new larger parcel for no additional purchase price, as applicable!

If I'm not online, please drop me a notecard and they will be handled on a first come, first served basis.

Char

Tradewaters grand opening - Cinco de Mayo style!

We're having a party to celebrate the grand opening (and prompt sell out) of SkyBeam Tradewaters on Saturday, May 3. We're theming it to tie in with the nearby holiday of Cinco de Mayo, so get ready for some Mexican fiesta fun!

When: Saturday May 3
Time: 1-4pm

Dress code: Traditional mexican wear if you can find it! Otherwise, come as you are!

Best Mexican outfit for male and female will be awarded! Prizes to be determined!

Char

Community Yard Sale!

We're having another community yard sale this Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27!

Set up of items can begin any time between now and friday at midnight (ok, you can set up all throughout saturday and sunday too!

There should be plenty of prims for folks to set out things, the sandbox hasn't run into any out of prim errors in some time. It will be on the same parcel as the last one. Anyone who doesn't know where, IM me or Nevar for the information notecard and a landmark and for answers to any other questions.

Biggest rule is no reselling of freebies.

Hope you all are able to clear big swaths of stuff out of your inventory... at least if its as cluttered as mine!

Char

Finders Fees!

SkyBeam Estates is pleased to announce a 10% of purchase price finders fee to any resident that brings a friend or acquaintance to the estates who then purchases a parcel! Our smallest parcels (SkyBeam FirstLand not included) are set at a purchase price of 4096, so this means the least you could possibly earn from a referral is $L 409 and goes up from there! If you've referred anyone in the last 30 days who has purchased in, please contact me ASAP!

Sorry, this doesn't apply to extending your own holdings or subsequent purchases by the referred friend. :)

Hugs!
Char

Blue Sky!

Its come to my attention that with the introduction of Havok 4 and the latest Release Candidate (RC) client, we can now build up to 4096 meters instead of the prior restriction to 768 meters! This means we can spread out our skyboxes and platforms a bit!

For anyone already using the new RC client, this is available to you right now. For everyone using the standard viewer, this is a coming soon to an update near you!

However, please realize that some teleporters may not work to those heights. This may mean that you will have to fly up and set and use landmarks to get up to where you want to go. The freebie I hand out from Cubey works, but takes forever to go a thousand or two meters.

You can also map your current ground location and change the z coordinates on the map to the height you want to be at… just be sure to be flying with an assist when you do so if your skybox or platform are not already up there.

Effective immediately, I’m placing a covenant restriction of placing skyboxes above 3000 meters. This still gives everyone over 2000 additional meters to find a spot with plenty of elbow room. Given the much broader area to work with, I hope everyone can find a good spot to hang their hat without visually crowding anyone else!

Hope this is good news for everyone!

Char

New Land Pricing

I hope everyone will forgive my rather lengthy silence here, but I'm back and with some rather important news.

Yesterday Linden Lab® announced on their blog that they are lowering both mainland auction starting prices and estate region purchase prices. Long term, I believe they hope this will help lower land prices across the grid and make land more affordable for a new crop of incoming residents.

Being the very proactive sort of region owner that I am, I am lowering my pricing accordingly, immediately. Parcels for sale across the regions are being repriced to $L 8 per m2 for double prim land and $L 4 per m2 for single prim land.

Anyone who currently has land for sale should probably keep these rates in mind as you consider how you wish to proceed with your sales. I feel your pain, having purchased several regions at USD 1675 and now watching prices plummet to USD 1000.

At this time, there is no adjustment by Linden Lab® to the purchase price of Open Space regions, nor is there any change in tier costs at this time.

More news as I have it.

char