Unfortunately ...Real Life has had me busy lately and I haven't had time to attend to this space. Much has been happening at the Cage...BUSY BUSY BUSY !
Lots of new faces....lots of new Members..and we are enjoying it very much. Our fabulous Hosts...are running the Cage to it's Max potential and we appreciate their efforts very much.
Many people come to me in SL ( especially when I am at the Cage wearing my Owner tag )and begin sprouting about their intentions ...to create the newest ...hippest...greatest club in SL. " Its costing lost of Lindens" they say ...and flash their gold tooth ! I always encourage people to 'have a crack' and love the idea of new clubs, different ideas in SL. What drives me to distraction ..is when they begin to tell me how easy it is going to be ! Then after TELLING me they know EVERYTHING already about running a club in SL they say to me - " I could really use someone like you to work for me ! ". LOL....Duh....wouldnt that be great !
The reality of the success of our Club....and it IS a success...is not ME. The success of The Cage comes from genuinely invested personalities. A reliable business partner helps ! Shado and Mad ...have been the ultimate partnership to work with in this project. Shado has provided endless hours of his time and Lindens, originally as a Manager here, and now as an owner /dj. His support for me and the hosts during this time has been absolutely invaluable and continues to be so. Mad who has been the Club Manager for the last year or longer... Has given the same ...Many hours of her time contributing to the running of the club, Djing and generally being a great friend!
Dont think for a moment - this club runs off fresh air though ! We rely heavily on donations to pay the monthly tiers and still provide cash for the sploder, prize money, advertising, payment for our hosts and the purchase of new dances etc.
ADVERTISING
You may notice we are advertising in the ICON magazine in Second LIfe. We also are still featuring an ad on SLTV...which there is a link to opposite. Other than that we currently are hovering just over 1000 members and maintaining. We are on the first page of Dance clubs if you search that way, and our standing in SL is quite stable. Not many clubs make it 2 years. In October we will be celebrating that birthday !! Keep your ears to the ground ..It is going to be a BIG event !
DJ PANG has been gracing us with his dulcet tunes from every era you can possibly imagine ! His Avatars and constant random streamiing is always a high point in our week and we welcome his incarnations with open arms !
THE BEST HOSTS IN SL !
Our hosts are not just 'hosts'. Most of them have been regulars who attended the Cage over time and have an invested joy and love for the people and being there.
The hosts are the backbone of a great club. Without good staff - clubs in sl will always struggle. Our hosts give $$ to our donation bin ...Our hosts help newbies...Our hosts help each other and our vips ! Its all about GIVING time and energy and enhancing the whole Cage experience with their own individual personalities.
RATBAG REGULARS !!
Then there is our regulars ! Regulars who are our best tippers....and financially support the club no matter what. The regulars who provide endless hours of entertainment to us all ! Stalwarts who keep coming back to the club ...and we always love to see. YOU ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE !
Personalities and characters who have become part of the fabric of The Cage - and contribute to the joyous laughter, the classic entertainment that only we seem to generate at the Cage !
WHAT PEOPLE DONT REALISE is that we really do care about our VIPs....I mean we really feel that we have a friendship with all those who come to visit us. The Cage is our home, and we welcome everyone into it with open arms. We dont judge...we dont make rules...and we encourage freedom of speech - as long as RESPECT is given to each other. Its a simple policy...
I often get people making suggestions....for example..." Put up a no biting sign ...coz we get lots of vampires here " My answer is NO. We are all ADULTS and if we can't look after ourselves in SL...then we have some big problems. If I put a sign up saying No Vampires...then we are immediately discriminating. What other signs should we put up? NO Nekos ? NO furries ? No gays ? My point is ....The club encourages each of us to be accepting of each others opinions and choices - especially in world. We may not agree with them ...but we need to respect that not everyone is the same or of the same mindset. I personally am able to accept everyone who comes to the cage - unless they offend me or the guests.
Another interesting one is ...when people advertise in the group ! I say GOOD ON THEM ! I do not have the negative energy to give to such people... and when you respond this way ...they generally dont get a response anyway...and off they go ! You WILL notice....we dont have that problem in our group :)) There are no RULES in SL ....there are 'perceptions' that people decide are rules..!! If we want to ramble in our group chat for hours - WE SHALL! That's WHAT A GROUP CHAT IS FOR !
Too many of us turn into sheep in world ( as we do in RL )...and because 'one' person says something is 'annoying' or 'inappropriate' we all join in ..and say yeaah ! One person does not have the right to tell others ( especially in here ) what to do. If we pay for a group, and that group is for group chatting....we SHALL CHAT! If one person doesn't like it - they can hit the X !
Sometimes - I worry that our VIPs dont understand the stances I take - when dealing with visitors who can appear to be obstenant and rude. But ultimately my tactic is to give this person the respect I would give anybody else...and offer them at least one chance to re-establish themselves and reposition if they have got off to a bad start - once they see that we are friendly foe... and not interested in drama. Sometimes this works other times it doesnt. You will notice however, not many people respond negatively to positive, loving energy.
CHATTING AT THE CAGE
If you have been around for one of our long winded discussions...you will be familiar with the Cage chat. Sometimes its utterly ridiculous ( eg Onyx wearing cantelope on her head ) and other times its just plain crazy fun !
However, we often have the contraversial discussions that tend to make some people feel a little uncomfortable. Often Politics ....or religion ...or Sex. ( sex comes up a lot ! ) Many people immediately hold up their hands and say ...NO POLITICAL TALK ! No contraversial conversations plz !!!
Personally ...I find it quite educational, stimulating and very enjoyable ....hearing all the different opinions about the world. What I have noticed, is many people see 'a different opinon' as an argument ? This is not the case....and different opinions are what makes the world go around. I encourage you all to be more open about listening to such discussions and to simply 'Agree to disagree!' should it all get too much !! Freedom of speech is also something we value greatly at the Cage...once again - as long as Respect is honoured.
WHEN is RESPECT disrespected ?
The biggest problem in SL ...is that everyone in here has certain RL standards. Standards that simply dont fit neatly next to SL ones. So ....to create rules in the club is near impossible. For example, a certain club in world...a great club - has a myriad of rules! One is you cant swear. Well that depends on who is hosting , and what they consider a swear word. To me, that is erratic and downright judgemental and involves all kinds of levels of personal standards and ethics. But THAT is my opinion. :)))
You will notice we dont have such rules...and yet ...hardly anybody swears at the Cage. I probably swear the most !!! We dont feel the need to inflict our personal ethics and standards onto others just because we own the club.
We are not here to create contraversy or drama. We expect our guests to RESPECT others choices...Respect others opinions...and respect others personal differences. The club is here FOR YOU TO HAVE FUN ...Escape from RL and simply be happy ! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY !!
If you have standards and ethics you want upheld in your SL ..I suggest you post them in your profile and be adult enough about it to inform others of those standards either in chat or voice.
THE CAGE is an ADULT club....Shado and I will only ever become involved in an incident if people are being disrespected in public chat. If it is happening in IM ...I encourage you to either cut and paste to us ..and we will always try to assist.
EITHER WAY - Our specialty at the club is always going to be FUN - Love and laughter!! We THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT and look forward to our 2nd Birthday in October !
Hope to see you all there ! :)))
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