Stipend Clarification!

Okay, Catherine - a couple of responses I made last night, but they apparently bear repeating:


1) Lots of people are saying the ratings system is broke right now anyways. This really looks to me like a temporary patch on the system to discourage its use until a better way is found. I for one find it goofy to walk into a room and be rated by a ton of people I don't know - and have them all demanding me to rate them back. Its too obviously a ploy for money by the players, instead of the social tool it was designed to be. This puts an immediate halt to that! Simply cutting the bonuses themselves would only encourage users to do MORE rating, to keep their stipend up. This "cuts the head off the snake" straight away.

2) We pay in-game for clothes. We pay in-game for land. We pay in-game for Avatars. We pay in-game for textures. We pay in-game for jewelry. We pay in-game for Scripts. Why the Hell do people think they shouldn't have to pay for events??? I'll tell you why: Because people have been lulled into a false psychology by all the money being given away. It takes time and effort to put on an event - the HOST should be the one rewarded for it; not the attendees! This change makes event QUALITY more important than event QUANTITY. If people don't want to go to events because they don't give out money, then they're the ones missing out on all of the social experiences that SL provides. It may be a bit of a transition-period - but I believe the "cream will rise to the top" - and the truly entertaining events will stick around, because people WANT to go to them for the EVENT, not the cash. The cash is not SUPPOSED to be the focus of an event!

If you believe you should make money for simply ATTENDING an event - then by the same rationale everyone's Vendors should spit out free cash to random passers-by! The idea that your mere presence entitles you to money is wrong; and has been cultivated by the way the system works. This is why they are changing the system.

Take care,

--Noel "HB" Wade
(Tread Whiplash)

I'm not making excuses for bugs. I for one haven't run into this, though. This thread has nothing to do with bugs that LL hasn't taken care of. There are exploits and bugs in EverQuest even today - and its been around for, what, 5+ years now? Its the nature of the beast. And Bottom-Line: NOT RELEVANT. If illegal copying was so rampant, why are so many stores still in business; and making enough L$ to support a vigorous GOM market?

Edit: That was a rhetorical question - and this thread is not about it, so don't bother making arguments about it, please.

Take care,

--Noel "HB" Wade
(Tread Whiplash)

Tread, I can't wait to meet you in world. I've really enjoyed your posts today!

Yeah me too

Interesting way to word it, and I am sure it sounds good to you, but....

I am a new player and I am a monthly paying customer who depends on every little bit of stipend no matter where it comes from. I have some basic knowledge on how to build, but I am totally lost on how to create textures or objects and upload them. Nor do I have the RL money to dump into a VIRTUAL world by buying the software needed to make them. Correct me if I am wrong, but what you are basically saying is that because I don't build anything or make anything, I am useless to SL and it serves me right for losing what little income I can get my hands on. (rating bonuses) But yet according to you, I am needed to help support LL.

LMAO!! Ok, so this has become a game for the rich, np. Guess it's off to EB to find a new game.

Toodles

Welfare.. Income comes from work and being paid by somebody other than LL. Any money you get from LL is Welfare.

Yeah sadly, I don't think you're the only one with this perception.

I am certified in photoshop, illustrator, in-design, i spend alot of time making things in SL. But I'm not immune to how a stipend decrease is going to affect those who don't create.

Naeya -

No, I'm not saying you're useless. If you're paying a monthly fee, then you are THE MOST USEFUL kind of customer SL can have! And you are being rewarded - with land and 10 times MORE stipend money than those of us on Basic Accounts!

I'm saying that the people who are "useless" are the ones NOT paying a montly fee, NOT creating anything, and are simply making a lot of their money from ratings bonuses.

SL needs creators; but it also needs consumers. AND, it needs people to help LL pay their bills, to keep the system alive.

I contend that these changes put more emphasis on those that create, and those that pay for their accounts - because these will become the two primary sources of income now. Ratings should NOT be a primary source of income.

I've only been in-game for 3 weeks. And I'm on a Basic Account (between jobs in RL at the moment). TECHNICALLY, I'm only guaranteed L$50 per week. I haven't been extremely social in the game - and yet I'm making an extra L$150 to L$250 per WEEK in Ratings Bonuses! This is WRONG. It may be good for me personally - but its BAD for the SL economy and for LL's real-world bills.

Take care,

--Noel "HB" Wade
(Tread Whiplash)

You play in a world where you can do anything and I mean ANYTHING...you choose to do nothing and think you should be compensated for it?

Thats right... Rich People Own Joo....

Well, if you have over $140,000 US; then yes you Ownz me too.

First off Tread I want you to know Im not against you but I want you to take a look at some alternative points to yours...

#1 this does not stop or cut the snakes head off it merely tranqalizes it till the economy can catch up. In 6 months to a year we will be right back here arguing this again as in the 1.2 update people adapted and adjusted to it. Sure prices will go down and such but this fix is not enough its a butterfly bandaid on a sunken chest wound.

#2 I totaly agree on the charging for events...IRL do we not pay for movies be it block buster or theater...do we not pay for Dinners...do we not pay for Chucky Cheezes games? As a Population we have to pay to enter a lot of these places such as concerts and clubs and RL in a big city the premier clubs have a cover charge to provide you with an environment conducive to your club enjoyment. I think the removing the support for events was a good one however, it again still was not enough as now it biases things towards Mentors and Instructors soooo what does this point to...everyone will want to become one of the two...then we will have to many chiefs and not enough indians scenerio.

My Point ...I am protesting because yes there was changes but it was short sighted changes which will lead to ambiguity and in essence as though they made no changes at all.

If they are going to do reform do some reform and stop playing patty cake with it and "Git er done".

hope you understand and yes your post was well thought out but it still lacked the part about it not stopping but continuing slowly.

Shadow.

These posts are all fine but I for one at the moment depend on my stipend bonus. I think it unfiar of LL to reduce it I'd like to live and continue gaming the way I have been but with this new reduced bonus ..... I won't spend near as much as I have been and Will not make as much w/o bingo and tringo being funded .... and Yes there will be less much less of those around if any at all. Here will be the new question around clubs ...... can I see the prize thats being given out ? then a choice as to whether stay at that club or go.

Do you not read before you type? I said I was NEW and that I didn't have the RL $$ to pay for the software needed. I do build some, but I am still learning how to do that. Do you remember what the word learning means? Go rip someone else apart. My question was answered.

Tread-
I understand what you are saying and I thank you for taking the time to explain it further. I am even more grateful that you explained it without making me feel like I was a moron which people on these forums have a habit of doing.

You politely corrected me because I did take what you said wrong. Thank you, I agree.

i don't car about all this freaking whoha you type... this SUCKS, I was just getting into events and openign my eyes to csomething new and now it's being taken away because the prize mone y igive out wont be brought back to me. This really sucks. also I have rating goals in my mind and now i'm not going to get to that because it's so much money to rate and it will be cut 50%... this is madness

Naeya, there are very good freeware apps out there to do pretty much anything you might need to do for SL. For texture creation try GIMP. For animation try Blender. For audio editing try Audacity. For painting on the avatar models in 3d try Tattoo. They all still have learning curves to contend with, but you can't beat the price

My real question I guess is how is this going to hurt new players so much? The Ratings Bonus is already nothing much in addition to the regular stipened received. And if you are really new, even with rate mining I can't see you getting all that much in a ratings bonus. I mean, now the max rating bonus will be about $250 instead of $500. That's a max of $250 you won't get *only*. I've been here over a year and have pretty high ratings, and even I don't max out yet on the ratings bonus. So what.. the majority of people are about to maybe get $100 lindens a week less than they do now. How is that going to devistate people? I just don't understand?

Those people are all crying that the sky is falling and the world is coming to an end. But smart people like you Pendari realize this is all for the better and the sooner it happens the better. Thanks for being better than your average loony toons out there talking about how doom and gloom.

Thank you Chip!

Yep, exactly.

If you can do anything, then you can choose to do nothing. It's not our right to choose for other people what they can and can't do.

Unfortunately Tread this is a minority of the populace.



Its always good to see a fresh new mind that sees things right off the bat without any coertion. This was mentioned when the ratings first came out but was blown off at the time funny how things come back full circle.



Unfortunately Tread in todays society of Me Me Me and More Me people dont realise this thus they balk at paying not only for content but for the service itself. Sad indeed.



Agreed and a promising evolution if they ever decide to swallow the pill and remove the ratings from any ties to the income in the first place. Why do I take that stance on this. Primarly because of those that have been rated 3x that have NO Skills and when someone compairs them to a Real Creator then the Real Creator will always loose out to the socialite.



Tread once again a refreshing outlook of intelegence. Which reminds me of the days of past when SL was new and fresh minds had wonderous Ideas for Secondlife but were not clouded by the precept of money and greed. Welcome to Second Life Tread I hope you do not tire of it soon considering all the negativity as of the past 48hrs.

Sincerely, Shadow Weaver
(ANCIENT)

Alby Im not saying the sky is falling...

Im saying don't choke the chicken cut its damn head off...

Shadow

Wrong, this forum is a minority of the populace. Go in world.

Don't make me kiss you infront of your friends.

Catherine maybe you misread my intent as I was saying that those that actually pay for Land and incur a monthly bill through Linden Labs is a Minority. The Majority are those that Pay 1 time have no land and partner up with those that pay for land or they just come in and club around for rate mining. Percentage wise it would astound you.

We are reading the same sheet music you just dont hear the same as I do but its the same music.

Shadow