Why should I become a paying member?

Don't they collect a fee on each sale?

If they don't want basic members, many of whom are long-term residents who are content creators driving the economy, paying tier and buying lindens, then they shouldn't have basic membership. Obviously, as evidenced by the new registration, quite the opposite is true. If their priority is getting premium sign-ups, then they should close their doors to basics, not throw them wide open.

I pay tier second hand through my landlord. I buy and spend lindens, which helps the economy. When I learn enough to make content, I am adding to the game and to the economy.

The fact is, SL isn't at the point where they can demand monthly payments for a "game" in which they do not provide any content, the players have to create it themselves. It's a big sandbox with little regulation and no direction, other than "make your own game" or "welcome to the virtual chatroom". Which is fine for me and others who like that sort of thing, but it isn't something most people will fall over themselves to pay for, not with the learning curve to create or the lack of any programmed "game" to play. The amount of people willing to pay for premium is only 20% at this point, which makes them a small niche "game" without basics and doesn't get them any press. LL isn't WoW no matter what they say. And if you don't create, and most don't according to their own statistics, everything costs real money.

LL will get it either way, through the Lindex, the landowner's tiers and the tiers the content creators pay for their stores. If everyone was a creator there would be no economy. I'm just buying lindens from them directly, rather than pay for them monthly. From what I hear, many don't even use the land they get with the premium, they just want the regular "paycheck". If LL doesn't want me buying Lindens, then they shouldn't make that an option.

You know what? Never mind. Don't become a paying member.

And by the way, I don't feel "entitled" to anything, since I get nothing from SL other than access (and the $250 I got when I first logged on). I don't get any weekly money from them, but I do buy from the content creators here and help landlords pay their tier out of my own pocket.

you have the same risk with linden labs says so right in the terms of service

In that case you at least double your risk by renting from a resident who is in turn renting from LL.

very true but its always fun QUOTEING Lewis

I actually think he has preprogrammed responses for a great many of his replies

I dunno, a little Lewis goes a long way, I find.

547,500 a year on the Lindex! Peanuts!

No, each reply is individually typed, what you are getting confused with is the fact that I am consistent in my opinions and will not be swayed despite intense opposition against something that I strongly believe in.

At least you know where you stand with me on issues, which is a lot more than can be said for many.

Lewis

And that, young apprentice, is where you fail. You shouldn't allow them to stand... make them grovel, or at least kneel.

Sl needs to offer more to the paying customers.

I feel that because they really keep the game running, but don't produce any content like the new MMORPGs and old alike. Given, we are suppost to control the world and make it grand, but I also think I have a point here.

SL has no point beyond self expression, there is no goal, no reason to stick around... the only draw is that any time you feel like it, you can learn, then you can create, then you can make a real profit, and you can have your friends.

I feel that because the game lacks a goal, the lindens need to offer us access to some special tools, what about the ability to "temp upload" a texture in a special sandbox, doing so would allow people to check their work without a program like poser.

The ability to try out that animation in a poseball without paying for 3 poses per a duel dance set?

I'm saying there needs to be a premium test area, nothing comes out (as in, your two inventories are seperate in a way... you still have to pay upload costs to get it in the real grid but at least you can test work here)

These sandboxes could maybe have another way of working, where as you just pay what you check "keep" next too, including items...I say this because I would much rather build in a low lag sandbox devoid of scripts than in furnation, which has all that listener furniture flanking the sand box, all those timers, all that laggy JUNK that makes my link sets blow up...

Yes, I'd pay to use the heaven of sandboxes.

Thats just one example... LL needs to get creative about insentives programs.

Infact I might make another post about this if someone else doesnt take it and run (I'd actually appricate it, I'm not articulate to give the idea flight)