If you were Philip

Imagine, if you will, multiple virtual dimensions, each with a different resident playing the part of Philip. How would you run the show? OK for simplicity, let's forget about the software company part of things and just focus in on YOUR GRID in complete isolation from all the other grids! What kinds of policies would you have regarding:

Stipends?
Censorship/decency/pornography?
Griefing/discipline?
Dwell?
Selling Freebies?
Currency/exchanges?
Favoritism? (remember YOU are Philip)
Harassment?
RL Corporations/Events entering your grid?
Maximum prim/texture limitations? (for lag control)
Object privileges?
Other?

Bonus question: When you finish visualizing your ideal grid, how do you think it would compete against neighboring grids? How would your socialist heaven fare against corporate-land? Would your libertarian free-for-all grid be the birth of unrestricted intellectual ideas, or would the meek intellectuals be bullied into silence (or into migrating to other grids)? If you allowed dwell and stipends, where would that money come from? How do you think your grid would rate in these areas:

Creative content
Resident profits
Platform progress
Population
Happy residents

Extra Credit: What would you call your grid?

If I were Phill I could only hope i could do as well as he has done with second life.

not kissing ass here i truly believe that what they are doing is the right thing.

Phill had a dream and he is bring that dream to second life.

i applaud him and every other linden for the hard work and dedication they have for second life.

I would sell the whole thing to the highest bidder and take a vacation away from all the drama...

I would ban the lot of you and start accepting written essays why I should let any of you back in to my grid.

If I were Philip I'd go to bed with myself.

coco

x2

I'd end all forms of socialism and communism in SL and let the free market reign.

Woo.. This is a biggie. FOr the record, I'm not an experienced economist or manager, so some of this may be just impossible/impractical. But I think I'll do this just for the mental exercise.

Stipends/Dwell?
I think Stipends and Dwell are a good ideas. At the current costs of items, I think L$50/wk is appropriate for stipends. But I wouldn't have Premium and Basic. Everyone would be an account without a monthly fee. I think if I want my grid to be a "Platform," having two classes of citizens is counter-productive.

Currency/exchanges?
This would be very controlled. The exchange rate would be set by the administration, with an eye to supply and demand. Tier would be much the same, but it could be paid in "L$" at a rate slightly below the market rate, which would then be sold by the administration at the market rate. This would allow the admin to 'destroy' L$ if neccesary to keep the In-World economy stable. Unfortuantely, this would be the main source of income, at least in the beginning.

Censorship/decency/pornography?
I think SL as it stands handles this well enough.

Griefing/discipline?
Empowered and *paid* helpstaffers, with severe penalties for abuse of power.

Selling Freebies?
IMO it's just not worth the cost and time involved to implement mechanics to monitor this.

Favoritism? (remember YOU are Philip)
Rules are Rules. It'd be a failing on the administration's fault if the rules had to be bent for someone to keep the business afloat.

Harassment?
See Griefing

RL Corporations/Events entering your grid?
Great idea, and they would get administrative support. Part of an Event-Liason's job would be to seek out corporate events. Player-run events would get support as well, though I'd shoot for a quality over quantity vein of thought regarding this.

Maximum prim/texture limitations? (for lag control)
Unfortunate but neccesary. Though I would *not* let my dev staff concentrate ONLY on what they find fun. So optimizations and bug-fixes would have a priority. Maybe a 75/25 system of backend/funstuff.

Object privileges?
A lightly more robust permissions system, including individual rights. I'd also like to implement Development Inventories where groups of players could work on projects together.

Other
Marketing is huge. Success would mean wide adoption. So getting the word out would be important, so would getting RL corporations to set up a presence within my grid.

Additionally, the software itself would have to become an actual platform, not just in the desription. The software would have to run easily and basically overlay the computer's desktop. Outside communication and resource management would be mandatory. Part of the corporate support would, ideally include cell-phone companies. The trick would be to make the software part of the person's perception of how their time at the computer is spent. I want the user to fire up my software as if opening an Instant Messenger program; a statement of "I'm online."

"Platform" in the computer industry isn't just a word you can staple onto something, it's a concept that has to not only infuse every aspect of the software, but it must integrate itself into the user's daily life.



I have no idea how this would fare. I don't have much faith in myself to run soemthing like SL, but I'd like to think this would be mildly successful.

Creative content
With a controlled exchange, those content creators who are in it for the US$ would be happier. And I don't think I have any great barriers to the creator that does it for fun. If anything, a wider adoption would be increased incentive to create.

Resident profits
Reasonably good, I think. Unauthorized currency exchanges would be discouraged by an easy to use in-world interface to purchase 'L$' Some will still use them, but the majority will use the more convieninet exchange.

Platform progress
I think this would do well.

Population
Hopefully pretty good

Happy residents
Paramount to success. But a few dissonnant voices on a forum wouldn't be a good judge of this, so other methods would have to be implemented. Log-in surveys would be one method.

Second Life isn't bad.. But two-syllable names are more marketable. So possibilities would include:

iLife
MyWorld
Vista (if it wasn't taken)

But I think "The Grid" would work. It's 'tech', it's easy to remember, can be shortened to a single syllable, and can even be used as a prefix: "What's your Grid-Name?"

Overall however, if it was really this easy, I think SL would have done some of this already. Which is why Phillip runs SL, and I just play it.

...and just focus in on YOUR GRID in complete isolation from all the other grids! What kinds of policies would you have regarding:

Stipends?
- None.

Censorship/decency/pornography?
- "consenting" and "adults" are deciding factors. No kiddie porn or misogyny.

Griefing/discipline?
- Piss me off, or piss off a good customer/prospect, you are gone.

Dwell?
- None.

Selling Freebies?
- I wouldn't get terribly involved unless it was major precedent.

Currency/exchanges?
- Absolutely!

Favoritism? (remember YOU are Philip)
- What is favouritism without secrecy, love? *smiles at brazen question*

Harassment?
- Tolerating harassment is bad business.

RL Corporations/Events entering your grid?
- Sure. No Ponzi's, Carnegies, Mulhollands or Bugsy's though.

Maximum prim/texture limitations? (for lag control)
- Much as SL now does.

Object privileges?
- If I could afford, I'd have an enhanced permissions set.

Other?
- 19th century theme. Civility, Empire, and really spiffy hats for everyone.



Bonus question: When you finish visualizing your ideal grid, how do you think it would compete against neighboring grids?

- Rather well, I'd think, based upon comparisons using SL as a microcosm.

How would your socialist heaven fare against corporate-land?

- I am the corporate land. Perhaps like comparing Neualtenburg to Caledon?

Would your libertarian free-for-all grid be the birth of unrestricted intellectual ideas, or would the meek intellectuals be bullied into silence (or into migrating to other grids)?

- Libertarian? Free-for-all? Dahlink, please! *passes tray of petits-fours*

If you allowed dwell and stipends, where would that money come from?

- The same place the bicycles for the fish would come from? You are teasing me.

How do you think your grid would rate in these areas:

Creative content - Very, very high.
Resident profits - Very, very high, for those that sought to do business.
Platform progress - Proportional to investment capital.
Population - Small but significant marketshare percentage.
Happy residents - Lots.

Extra Credit: What would you call your grid? - Independent Grid of Caledon.

I'd rename the grid to "sweat shop" and start my own line of footwear.

Mules! Don't forget the mules!*


*this post is dedicated to Oz Spade

Where were the mules when I was getting attacked without a shield on? HUH? HUH?!

I'd want to end the connection between processors and specific areas of simulated space. Processing power should be assigned as needed, not on the basis of so many processors per virtual geographic space.

Abolish the notion of one connected grid for all.

Not try to simulate a virtual two and a half dimensional earthish flatland. At least three dimensions. The fabric of virtual space should be made of strands that allow it to be woven into solar systems, galaxies, and universes.

Paying for a simulated volume wouldn't include any expectation that the effects of your actions in your volume would of necessity leave the volume you paid for. What effects your actions have outside of the volume you paid for would be determined by agreements between people who have chosen to make their volumes adjacent.

Volumes would be able to move in the simulated multidimensional space. You would be able to park your volume next to that of someone who agreed to have you as a neighbor.

If the demand for the service is low enough to require some enticement to get folks to give it a fair try, I might try a bigger initial bonus for free users, so they can get a taste of the joy of buying things, but no continuing stipend. The 50 linden a week amount is not enough to fund much fun of the money requiring sort anyway, hardly worth the bother.

I'd try to figure out what I'm up to and do it well, as opposed to doing multiple things that might well be at odds with each other. If Linden Research is indeed a research firm, working on establishing a protocol and techniques for exchange and display of 3D data, moving toward being an invisible, behind the scenes organization, with the current grid being mostly an attention getting device intended to attract attention from investors by showing that there is some demand for the service even in its present form, then say that, and let the correct users know that they shouldn't expect to have bugs fixed or not suffer content loss or otherwise expect to have a really well working system. On the other hand, if the grid as we know it and can hope for it to be in the short term is really what the company is trying to produce and market, if the customer base that currently exists and other similar potential customers are who they are really trying to please, then work to fix bugs, stop content loss, and do a good job of making short term improvements. Resources are scarce, scattering them about on multiple goals may simply insure that none of the goals gets done well.

Implement policies similar to the land owner's power proposition that Travis Lambert supports and privacy controls like what Flip Peregrine supports.

Discipline is best accomplished by increasing the ability of volume owners to deal with it themselves.

I would direct the technical support staff to solve SuezanneC Baskerville's gray loading texture problem RIGHT NOW! even if it means they have to lay fiber optic cable from 357 Main direct to Sue's home. This wouldn't make good economic sense but I'd do it just so she would shut up about it, I'm sick of hearing the bug department complain about her incessant repetitive bug reports on this topic.

I'd tell the programmers to make group chat mutable , and able to be made to not show in the scrolling proximity chat by the end of the week or find another place to work at.

Stipends? As is
Censorship/decency/pornography? as is, but allow 'nazi' paraphenalia, looking to context of any productions - the swastika is not only nazi, and WW2 recreations could easily use certain uniforms
Griefing/discipline? more focus on discrimination and assaults, stiffer penalties after first effort (3 strikes, you're out)
Dwell? keep it
Selling Freebies? BANNABLE OFFENSE on second strike
Currency/exchanges? as is, but with a cap on howmuch basics could cash out per MONTH at around 20USD
Favoritism? (remember YOU are Philip) Well duh, it happens, even if we try to prevent it
Harassment? see greifing
RL Corporations/Events entering your grid? same as everyone else doing so, with the execption of leniency to allow one 'spokesperson' account usable by many people
Maximum prim/texture limitations? (for lag control) as is
Object privileges? as is
Other? 5 business groups (cost of 250 to create, 25 per week to maintain) with better group tools and money division, etc; for the 'serious' business and ban limit up to max build height (perhaps even a built in security script with eject function)

Creative content - 8.0
Resident profits - 2.0 (its NOT about the money to me)
Game progress - 9.0
Population - 6.0 (but happy!)
Happy residents - 9.0

Wow, great topic. Let's see... if I were God... I mean, Phillip... what would I do?

Stipends
Basics would only get them for 4 weeks. After that, nada. Premiums would still get them. Basic accounts, while not inferior per se, should be only a stepping stone to a paid account. After all, one pays for other online games.

Censorship/decency/pornography
I doubt I'd change much. In SL, much of the adult content happens behind closed doors. If it doesn't, and is visible in a PG area, then maybe some discipline or a warning is warranted.
What I WOULD change, is the current PR SL is getting with adult content. I do NOT think our grid needs any more people joining JUST to cyber. We're more than a virtual brothel! Do adult stuff if you want to. But stop promoting SL as a virtual Amsterdam! We need more attractive content, not more hideous box club brothels!

Griefing/discipline
I think LL is doing an okay job with this. *shrug* I support them in giving user's info to the FBI in extreme cases.

Dwell
Gone. Just like it is now. I'd encourage clubs/events to solicit for donations or charge a small fee for events... AND provide events more interesting than "~-*Best in Black/naked avs!*-~" I usually tip event hosts/DJs up to L$250 each, and donate to educational events. Others should do the same.

Selling Freebies
Meh. I'd just have an announcement of the "caveat emptor" variety in game and on the announcements/policy forums. It's harder to sell free crap to n00bs if they KNOW it's likely free crap with a high price tag. Also see Object Privileges.

Currency/exchanges
More L$ sinks. See Other.

Favoritism (remember YOU are Philip)
Hahahaha. I'd favour myself. "Alaska, we'll put giant SKIN and OPIUM banner ads ALL over secondlife.com for you!"

Harassment
Having never been harassed in SL, I can't really say. I'm not personally invested in this. Obviously some sort of punishment is warranted.

RL Corporations/Events entering your grid
That's a good idea in theory. However, the game isn't really stable enough for it yet. I mean, we STILL have texture loading issues for a lot of users, and some features just don't work for people. I'm assuming a big company (let's say Coke, for example) would get pretty turned off of SL the first time their logo won't rez on a box.

Maximum prim/texture limitations? (for lag control)
Charge for a money sink for images over 512 X 512. Make the upload fee L$25. The prim limits as-is seem fine to me, and I'm on an old pooter. It's not prims that slow my card down, it's the 1024 X 1024 images people keep using for their hideous box clubs.

Object privileges
Okay, in terms of the permissions system, I would split the "transfer" option to have a resell/give only toggle. This would prevent yard sales and keep freebies free!

Other
Here's the biggest change I'd make to SL. I'd take back the Mainland grid. I know LL depends on private island owners for some of its income, but the Mainland would have a community feel if it were managed correctly. Fix the vehicle physics (I guess that means Havok 2 or whatever.) Build more roads. Make that train thing work. Build monorails. ZONE THE MAINLAND SO THE HIDEOUS BOX CLUBS STAY OUT OF MY BACKYARD. Encourage city-like shopping/event spaces with better servers, and suburb-like residential areas that can have older servers.
The zoning system doesn't have to be JUST commercial/residential. You could also offer mixed. Just give residents a choice.
Offer free writeups, ad space on the website, or other bonuses to attractive, cohesive builds. Encourage builders to stick with the landscape, ie. not throw grass prims on a snow sim. Also, another money sink: charge for direct teleporting. If you fixed the physics people would actually USE some of the awesome cars I've seen creators make.
Zoning, infrastructure, some way to build density in some areas, a sense of community... These are things I believe would help SL feel like a whole again. I'd still allow island sims, of course, as they're a money maker, but I'd give a discount to places like Azure or Dreamland that buy large amounts and create attractive sub-continents.
I'm sure that my version of SL would be unpopular with some. But I'd like it. And that's what matters if I'm God... I mean, Phillip. Heh.

Another edit: I'd offer a cheaper land tier to avatars with property zoned "Public Usage". This includes space where anyone may host an event, newbie non-profit places (like NCI or the Shelter) public parks and gardens, educational spaces, and other things that beautify the landscape of the Mainland, or help it out in some way, without making any money.

EDITED TO ADD: The name of my grid would be Metropolis.

Why not tell us your vision of Aimee Land!

Take your money and run with it to the mountains. Seems just like what he's doing.

Stipends? Increase the basic Stipend to 250 a week, the Preminum to 1500, Lifetime to 2000 And Island owner to 5000 per week.


Censorship/decency/pornography? no Censorship,


Griefing/discipline? lifetime bans

Dwell? Restore it

Selling Freebies? Banned

Currency/exchanges?Banned

Favoritism? (remember YOU are Philip) None

Harassment?Banning

RL Corporations/Events entering your grid? None

Maximum prim/texture limitations? (for lag control) increase by 50%

Object privileges?

Other? Restore the Bonus, restore negative rateings and have Negative Ratings have negative results Restore DI as well

Bonus question: When you finish visualizing your ideal grid, how do you think it would compete against neighboring grids? How would your socialist heaven fare against corporate-land? Would your libertarian free-for-all grid be the birth of unrestricted intellectual ideas, or would the meek intellectuals be bullied into silence (or into migrating to other grids)? If you allowed dwell and stipends, where would that money come from? How do you think your grid would rate in these areas:

Creative content local residents only

Resident profits from in-world sales only

Platform progress
No more new updates, concentrate on repairing the bugs

Population
Return Lifetime US 225 accounts

Happy residents
No change

Aimeeland would be an inescapable pit of unfathomable despair, where bound victims have eyelids removed to ensure they witness loved ones hung by their own entrails while their sorrowful wails play chorus to mariachi music.

Actually I will write about my ideas later. I don't want to skew anybody's opinion here.

That would rock... if I had earplugs.

You would be given earplugs. But it's a trick. They will actually be knitting needles.

I'd put Siggy in charge of abuse reports, appoint Magnum as chief forum moderator, make Enabran the minister of propaganda, any hire Prokofy to head up the marketing team.

Aimeeland is the Welcome Area?

Allright, here we go, welcome to Rodentia!

Stipends?
As they are currently

Censorship/decency/pornography?
Complete freedom to show whatever you want, but the user has the complete freedom to block textures and builds from their client

Griefing/discipline?
It'd probally be a case by case basis. While it would take longer and has the potential for corruption, it has the most flexibilities.

Dwell?
Not as it used to run, but perhaps more of a traffic/activity metered bonus, which would register a Camping Chair's idleness, yet register avis that move abouts.

Selling Freebies?
Not sure it is enforcible, but I would like a checkbox for [Transfer, no resell]

Currency/exchanges?
Basics would be able to cash in, but not cash out, but otherwise it is unchanged.

Favoritism? (remember YOU are Philip) Well, I probally would have a soft spot for nature or city themed builds, and a distaste for suburbia, as well as a love for Rodents.

Harassment?
Ties in with my punishment plan. Best gather your logs/screenshots, though.

RL Corporations/Events entering your grid?
Sure, why not? I don't see it as a bad thing as long as they obey the same rules as citizens and don't get any special favors.

Maximum prim/texture limitations? (for lag control)
1024X1024 is the max one can upload, but I'd might up the prim count a bit, be more experimentive with it.

Object privileges?
Just the [Transfer w/o resell] function as well as a [Transfer all instances] function.

Other?
Pantless tuesdays!

Bonus question: When you finish visualizing your ideal grid, how do you think it would compete against neighboring grids? How would your socialist heaven fare against corporate-land? Would your libertarian free-for-all grid be the birth of unrestricted intellectual ideas, or would the meek intellectuals be bullied into silence (or into migrating to other grids)? If you allowed dwell and stipends, where would that money come from? How do you think your grid would rate in these areas:

Creative content: Above Average
Resident profits: More people earning spending money, but less big profits
Platform progress: Slghtly above average
Population: High fluctuation, but above average
Happy residents: Average due to slight tech problems and slow disipline

YES! The TOS says that the L$ is worthless, so the stipend plus bonuses for time spent logged into the world and finding new members. Let the people who want to sell L$ market them. If 1000L$/1usd is all the market will bear, then that's the way the ball bounces.




The current PG and Mature sims seem to be working ok right now. Whoever is paying for server space has the right set set their own rules within mature settings. For example, somebody who wants to display Nazi memorabilia has to be in a mature sim, however they can forbid nudity. Someone who wants a free sex sim can forbid Nazi memorabilia. The only rule is to keep things tame enough so the casual passerby doesn't have to look at them.



Punishment swift and sure! And since I will have credit card et once banned I will run credit check and find out what other cards the griefer holds and ban any accounts from them too.



Yes! If you can market your sim to get people to come to you and spend time logged in I have no problem giving out L$




Anybody caught ripping off new accounts will be banned and lose everything that they've put into SL.


Let the market pick the price of L$. The TOS explains that LL doesn't redeem L$. The L$ only has the value that the buyer gives it. If your business plan depends on the price of something that has no intrinsic value, then you've dug your own grave and you can lie in it.



I will only favor those who bring paying accounts to SL. My favoritism will be expressed in L$.


Banishment for stalking et. Also banishment for false accusations.



Depends on the corporation. Frankly anything under a million potential customers is nothing to any coporation of the size to appeal to people world wide. So I'm not worried.



Unfortunately the grid can only hold so much. If people log into SL and can't move or if they crash too many times, they will uninstall SL.


If you mean copy mod trans, I would allow someone to click all three on the condition that if you do, you must provide a full refund with the return of said object within 3 days.


I would create a special class of groups. Only people who were eligible to buy land (premium account holders) would be able to join. Instead of buying land, the group would own an island and the premium account holder would add his land to the group's. I would charge tier to those who want to be in more than one group and those who want to own separate land. I would not change the other options, just add this one. This would encourage groups of people (mininum 10) to join their lands and create sims. The more in the group, the bigger the island. They could shut the island off to visitors, like a large family who liked to keep touch via SL. Or they allow people to explore and get them to join their group. One of the biggest problems with islands is that only one person can own them. If groups of people could own an island as let's say, a corporation can own land, then we will see massive builds by hobbyists. Plus, having a bunch of premium accounts own an island would be more profitable that just one person.



It would be the bomb, baby!



But I'm marketing my platform, not other people's L$. I want premium accounts that pay usd and I will print as many L$ as I want to get them.




The L$ is not real money. Never has been, never will be. So I will pull the L$ out of thin air.


Excellent. The hobbyist islands would be stunning!


That depends on the residents. If you can't sell your L$, don't come whining to me. I never promised a profit. If you couldn't understand the TOS, I recommend a remedial reading course.




Excellent!



booming!



Frankly you are not going to everybody happy. But I want to make people happy to buy premium accounts and to log into SL. I want them to go out and tell their friends what a great place SL is and if they create a free account, they can join them in SL.



Second Life