"Those who use SL for income deserve what they get"-Do you share this attitude?

Out of all of these posts of opinions and advice should be a document that is handed to "new business owners" within SL. I'm pretty sure the advice of the SL elders who have had businesses for any amount of time would be appreciated, the scripting advice, the disaster recovery advice, and the customer service advice would benefit many.

LL may advertise Second Life as "Create Your Own Business!" and "Exchange Linden's For USD!" But for many entering SL, it's a "learn it the hard-way proposition" that sometimes fails if they really don't understand what they are undertaking and at what risk -- risk involving investing their RL dollars and putting in hours of hard work and sweat as any start-up company would require but doing it on a platform that is known for it's quirks and limitations.

Someone should make a document of all of this advice and make it readily available to all new business owners.

How many people had just given up, though? It's not like the auctions were a bargin even before hand, since the barons bought up the little ones too.

How many people had just given up, though? It's not like the auctions were a bargin even before hand, since the barons bought up the little ones too.

Sorry to push this, because it's the wrong thread, but your statement is incorrect. I bought several parcels by auction, paying just $1 more than a baron had bid. The loss of this option is bad. I appeal to people to object, get the right back, and then use it by bidding when they want land.
Actually there are still plenty of small parcels there at the moment. `Don't know for how long.

It wasn't a right.

You are perfectly correct, of course. Bad choice of word. What do you think, M ? Facility? Option ?
Yes, the problem seems to be not enough people actually want to bid in auctions. Oh well, kinda means we can't moan if we have to buy new land from barons.

I don't generally post much in the forums but I read them every day. I've been in SL now for over two years and over time I've built a business. I began that business to create clothing for fun and to pay taxes (yes I'm old). It wasn't until much later that I decided to dip my hand in trading for real cash. I had been layed off from my job and was very frustrated trying to find work with decent hours and pay (less than a 12 hour shift and more than minimum wage). I don't have a degree and ever since the first day I quit college because I had to work two jobs to survive, I've regretted it. I began to see that perhaps Second Life could be a part time income and help with money for school.

Not once have I ever thought this would be permanent, nor do I hold Second Life responsible for making sure I pay my rent every month. For many of us that create and work in SL, making an income from it is a dream come true. How many people can honestly say they're getting paid to do what they love? I believe I can safely say that most of us using SL for income know well that it could stop at any time and have a plan if that happens. I would be thankful for the time I was able to do this and move on.

Now that being said, I want to address the many comments I see every day on the forums about using SL for income. I have seen people say things like "using SL for income is stupid and irresponsible", "those who use SL for income deserve what they get" (pertaining to exploits or theft of intellectual property), "come on it's play money people, I'll be glad when we go back to the worthless L$! ", etc.

While I agree that not keeping a reality check handy when turning virtual money into real money isn't smart, I do NOT agree that the act itself is stupid or irresponsible. I think the fact that I'm not stuck in morning traffic or listening to my supervisor scream until the vein in their head pops out because I'm using my talents to earn money is pretty damn smart. I understand that since trading began we've had a growth of cutthroats, thugs, and immoral idiots invade our community. *Maybe* if trading was no longer an option you'd see a big change in behavior but people like that will always find something to do to get under your skin. As for those with the attitude that people who earn real money from their work in Second Life "deserve what they get" or "it's just a game so who cares if I steal your work!", you're shouting to everyone how ignorant and jealous you are.

I don't care if it's "a game", if someone sits at their computer for hours a day working hard to create something for YOU to make YOUR game more enjoyable, you're damned right they should be upset if that work is stolen. Just because the work produces something virtual doesn't make it have "less value" to the creator or those who's gameplay is enriched because of it. I put just as much time and effort into taking the idea for an outfit and creating it in photoshop as I would if I sat down at the sewing machine and created one from a pattern.

I bet when you're playing World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, Everquest 2, etc, you're not sitting there thinking, "The person who created this virtual armor I played 2 weeks straight to get my hands on is an idiot!". That *idiot* is skipping off to the bank to check on all that nice money they earned from their job creating virtual items for a virtual world while you sweat the hours away getting to that next level. Of course when I say "you're" I'm not meaning this as a personal attack but an example of my point. The difference with SL is that we haven't been hired by LL to create content for players. We took it upon ourselves to create and add to this world and in the process found a way to be financially compensated, even if for a short while.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and again I'm not trying to attack anyone with this post. I just feel that lumping creators who use SL as a form of income into one big group of "irresponsible idiots who deserve to be flamed" is wrong.

So yeah, I'll step off the soap box now

Actually, I am one of those "it's only a game" type people, though I probably wouldn't go as far as to call anyone silly for thinking otherwise. As someone who makes a living doing design and production work for the Web, the idea of making money from activities in a virtual game isn't that strange to me. And I do buy plenty of stuff in SL, so I have no problem with compensating creators, event holders, etc. for their work.

The Land and Economy forum is testament to the fact that LL considers the commercial aspects of SL integral to the game.

However, as I play SL for fun, I do have issues with the financial aspects of SL culture. For instance, I think land barony has made (for the average user) the acquisition of land significantly less enjoyable. I also think that there are many businesspeople who complain, loudly and venomously, every time LL makes even a minor change to SL, because inevitably it will have an impact on somebody's bottom line. There's an attitude that if it fucks with the economy, it shouldn't be done, even if it may well be for the betterment of SL as a whole.

I don't want to tar every SL businessperson with the same brush. Many of you go about your business in an efficient and friendly manner. But gosh, a lot of you with money on the line are really whiny, when the reality is that LL never promised us 99% uptime or an enterprise-level e-commerce system. Everything about this experience is experimental. I certainly don't wish for anything bad to happen to anyone in SL, but when adversity does strike, why is it such a surprise? Why haven't you made contingency plans for something that is going to predictably happen to you over and over again? And why must we consider your needs above all others?

I'm pretty sure when I hit 6k it will tear a hole in the fabric of space/time

Did I miss it, or did the space/time continuum hold when Chip's post count hit 6000? Inquiring minds must know!