Sunbelt Software is not your usual information technology region. Outside of a discounted in-world price for their CounterSpy software and a daily drawing for a free copy, there isn’t much here that screams “computers!” Oh, sure, there is a replica of their corporate headquarters there, often staffed with helpful people, but mainly the region seems to be built for fun.
The centerpiece of the region is the SeaDream Culture Club. Yes, they have a blog and there’s an actual calendar of events. The club is split into two nicely designed areas — a performance space and a dance area / art gallery. Par for the course, nothing was scheduled at a time that worked for me. To be honest, the schedule is a little thin.
Walk around the perimeter of the lagoon to see more art. It’s nice to see Sunbelt providing gallery space. The whole island seems to be built to reflect their corporate values. To some extent you can say this is marketing. On the other hand it says in so many words, “we’re going establish a presence in Second Life that reflects who we are… and one thing we’re about is supporting the arts.” I don’t know if that is what they were shooting for, but that is the impression the region makes. It’s the same vibe you get when you see a company underwriting a show on PBS. You don’t know if anything they make is good, but you’re inclined to have better feelings about them.
Just outside the lagoon you can pick up a surfboard and ride the waves. This is actually very cool. Jump on your surfboard and the waves push you toward shore. Further out there is a sandbox for anyone to use. During my visits that was the busiest area of the island, though not well policed. Someone decided it would be fun to orbit me. Bleah.
Inside corporate headquarters you’ll find some freebie security doors hidden around a corner. Nice if you don’t mind having the Sunbelt logo on your door, and it goes well with Sunbelt’s security software focus. Elsewhere you’ll find some apartment rentals (maybe this helps to defray the costs of the island). After that… well, you’ve pretty much seen everything.
In SeaDream (and the sandbox, if you’re brave) Sunbelt gives you a reason to come back to their island. The marketing push is very soft; the island is more of an image maker. That’s an honest approach — if they fill in that event calendar I can see it becoming a regular destination for people. Let’s hear it for the little guy. On one island Sunbelt might have accomplished more than Dell could with four.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/sunbelt%20software/193/80/24
