I shared some of my new posts from there the other day but I don't think I've done a formal post about the site, so I wanted to that real quick!
Images above are header images from the Kinzart Kreetures Leopard, Roarbeast Kobold, Total Shift Productions Droggon, and Magican Productions Pug entries
The Second Life Avatar Index is a site made to catalog and share anthro / furry avatars. I started it up in 2018 and hope to keep it going for as long as I can!
I started the Index in response to the loss of SLARF - the Second Life Avatar Review Files. SLARF was a resource I used even before I made it to Main Grid, and I wrote there for a while, but when I was hired to Kinzart, I had to leave my writing job - potential for bias, completely understandable. But, SLARF has since gone down, and now the only way to access it is through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine (you can check out one of the snapshots here).
It bothered me that there wasn't really a resource like it anymore. And I figured - I have the tools and experience from writing for SLARF, I could make something new. So I did!
To mind the potential for bias, as I do still work for Kinzart, I took a different direction: Entries are not full written reviews like SLARF did, but rather concise data-sheet style entries, with the avatar's core information. I put out a survey before I started the site to gauge opinions about this, and folks agreed with that method. It's worked out pretty well, imo, I think having the bare-bones information & turnaround images is good for what I'm trying to do.
Currently, on the Index, I cover primarily anthro / furry full avatars - I've covered things outside of the anthro / furry spectrum before, but my primary focus is on full / complete avatars, or demi-avatars whose only requirement is a third-party body (most folks have shifted away from the default LL body, which is understandable).
I try not to cover things that were already covered on SLARF, but as time goes on, that may change - not to take away from SLARF, but there are more and more folks nowadays that don't even know it existed, and the Wayback Machine is great, but it is missing some things, and some images are broken. That's just how it goes, unfortunately. But, we'll see.
I don't cover modkits or spare parts - that's just outside of the scope I've set for the Index. Though, I want to emphasize from the general update post: I think that is a thing the community needs, and I would love to see someone set up something like the Index but for modkits / spare parts!
I'm hoping to start getting entries posted more often, but as I mentioned in the general update post, I burned myself out last time trying to keep up with a self-imposed posting schedule, and I don't want to do that again, so posts may be a bit more spread out than in the past, but I think that's alright, if it means I get them out at all.
Also, there are a few entries that need updated - like the snokra - but if you notice anything else that needs updated (prices, locations, etc) please let me know, either on here, or on a comment on the entry! I try to keep things updated as I find out about changes, but more eyes and ears are always appreciated.
Anyway, that's the Index! I hope you dig it, and I hope it's helpful for y'all! Looking forward to getting back in the vibe of posting!