Neualtenburg's First Birthday

Neualtenburg is one today.

One year ago today, the proposal for Neualtenburg was selected in Haney Linden's contest to beautify and preserve the snow sims. Since then, Neualtenburg has established itself as a nonprofit cooperative and self-governed community, whose purpose is to: enable group ownership of high-quality public, private, and open-space land; create a themed yet expressive community of public and private builds; and implement novel democratic forms of self government within Second Life. Think of it as last year's SLTV proposal.

Here's a list of notable firsts from Neualtenburg (along with a few of my flame-worthy controversial observations tossed in for fun):

1. Neualtenburg is Second Life's first democratic republic. Last month the city's third Representative Assembly (RA) was chosen in elections. Our RA is an alternative to the undemocratic Linden oligarchy, where one must lobby (i.e., MJW and RAC) to affect change.
   
2. Neualtenburg is Second Life's first nonprofit land cooperative. By forming a real-world cooperative, several small buyers have been able to band together, purchase, and share a dedicated simulator. Because Neualtenburg is nonprofit, small land owners don't have to support the six-figure incomes of SL's notorious land barons (land vampires).
   
3. Neualtenburg has offered the first well-defined investment bonds (true debentures) to raise enough money to purchase the sim. These bonds provide well defined nominals, par values, and coupons, in order to provide a safe and secure investment for both the investor and the city. This is in contrast to groups such as Ginko which seem to be more of a pyramid scheme than a true investment vehicle. (They provide high rates of return through compounded interest (exponential) on investments which provide only logistic return.)
   
4. Neualtenburg has Second Life's first and only constitution. We have multiple branches of government allowing individuals with different skills to approach problems from different directions. It avoids the problems inherent in pure democracies such as SL's default group voting scheme (takeovers, recalls, and gridlock).
   
5. Neualtenburg has SL's first well-defined and binding land deed and covenant system. By defining what can and can't be built, citizens are freed from living next door to the sprawl that fills the rest of SL.
   
6. Neualtenburg also has the first true laws with "teeth", meaning that they are enforced by using the potential of land confiscation (forfeiture of cooperative investment) on violations.
   

Additionally, the project seems to have passed a threshold where it has become self sustaining. Meaning, it has the ability to live beyond any single member of the group.

~Ulrika~

I have always admired Neualtenburg. Of course the builds and design are all quite lovely, but I'm mostly impressed by added political and social dimensions that make the project much more than a "nice German Sim." While it may be controversial, N-burg has a well defined soul that would likely live on even if the sim were deleted.

Congrats on your first year and may there be many more.

Congrats to you Ulrika and the rest of the gang! I'll be checking out the Expo.

Yay Neualt!!! Happy Anniversary!! So happy to be a part of this community!

Oh. And another neat thing.. err, maybe? hehe.. We have the most used Group Forum on the Official SL forums!

** first person that says we just talk too much gets a wet noodle on their face!!

Although, of course, we're hoping to expand to the point that we have multiple sims. Right now Neualtenburg is just a virtual city, a village really in RL numerical terms.

As it is, and as anyone can see in our own forums, we're close to the break-even point, and edging closer every month.

actually the lusk land estates trust was the first not for profit, user held land co-op, it was chartered and notarized by the lindens about a month and a half earlier

it was originally linden managed but basically they realized it wouldn't scale, so a group of residents/neighbors organized and we created our own charter, giving the group the power to manage voluntarily deeded or bought land within the actual estates location. Its been growing ever since as an effectively free place for new residents, or older residents who are sick of the mall milleau to come and settle, (all that is asked of residents is to adhere to the basic build guidelines, and to share the tier for the land you use)

its by no means an organized government or full ruling body, but it is the first resident chartered area SL had, and first land co-op...

but then its not very large scale, and not meant to be

party pooper

Neualtenburg Projekt has two sides, a real-world side and a virtual-world side. The real-world side is the Neualtenburg Cooperative, a group of people who share the cost of dedicated SL hardware. The virtual-world side is Neualtenburg, a city of avatars that have a governmental system to handle in-world affairs. Depending on the situation, we either interact in the real world or the virtual world. (This is discussed on our website here.)

So, Neualtenburg is the first and only nonprofit land cooperative, as it exists as a real-world group of individuals who each own a piece of a real server.


On the subject of Lusk, I have been following your difficulties in enforcing the covenant and limits on land ownership with interest. Naturally, it stems from originally relying on the Lindens for enforcement and more recently on the limitations of group land and voting tools. In my opinion, the tools provided by private sims have solved these problems, giving the sim owner Linden-like land-management tools. Would there be a chance that Lusk would someday migrate to a private server? If so, would you be interested in joining your sim with ours?

~Ulrika~

well we're a co-op in that legally (by permission of the lindens) the officers of the group are just janitors, and the residents are to be considered land owners, for sharing their tier..

the distinction might be more we are a free community, aka you just share the tier, there is no RL cost involved, and no SL cost either so long as you are premium.

and we really haven't had any issues

the only real limitation is that co-op members can't plant trees, but then, thats *WHY* the officers are 'janitors'.. we are bound to be at the beck and call of those who are in the co-op proper..

as to moving, no, its part of the whole residential theme, and the original linden tenancy, that that part of the sim *is* the lusk estates, neither the estates group, nor luskwood (our own land) would move to islands, we enjoy being on the mainland, and right next to welcome... we like to joke that we (luskwood, not the estates) is the only one of the big 4 original theme group builds, that is self made (nexcorp, dark wood, venice, being the originally linden supported, others)

I think you're describing a land trust to me, where the land remains in control of the federal government (Linden oligarchy) and is managed by a small group. I believe you might in fact be SL's first nonprofit land trust and we're SL's first nonprofit land cooperative.

~Ulrika~

No. We manage the land. Not LL. The only difference is in code, in that island sims have controls that mainland sims do not. That isn't a matter of policy. It's a matter of feature, and one that could change.

Our entire project has been sustenance, and not profit based. The Estates are watched over by Luskwood and more, we are 'janitors' in that we take more of a passive enforcement role - this doesn't mean that we rely on the Lindens. We rarely have to. We have the power to eject anyone who doesn't abide by the covenants without Linden assistance, but this also has almost never been a problem.

We started the formation of community in Lusk in 2003, quietly, and have continued it, quietly, and successfully ever since.

Oh, and thanks for following Lusk's activities. It's nice to know that the real movers and shakers are looking out for us little people. Under your watchful eye, I'm sure that someday after we bumble around for another two years or so, we may be able to figure this whole "For the good of SL" thing out. Meanwhile, pretty much everyone will have to settle with either being a greedy profiteer or a mere shadow of your shimmering spire of brilliance.

I'm also honored by the offer of you considering us to join your project. After all, every sheep needs a good shepherd.

Someday, they'll sing songs about you. And build statues, too.

Is your feigned expression of appreciative surprise well-practiced?

Do you piss in party hats as well? Your post was insulting and uncalled for. Remind me not to invite you to my birthday party.

actually its quite the other way around, at least from a technical perspective, the land is actually owned, by the members in the group since they donate tier, whereas an island, no matter how you paint it, has its bills paid by a single person

we were however hoping for better group tools in 1.7 unforuntately it looks like they may still be some time coming

True nonetheless. Motivations count. But no, they don't always win you popularity contests. Something that Ulrika excels in much more than she does her attempts at false altruism.

I know Ulrika. Ulrika is a friend of mine. I don't know you.

What I do know is that your post is decidedly hostile and for my money completely unprovoked. While I certainly won't be so wasteful of my energys as to request an apology from you for bursting into a celebratory thread just to take a large dump, I will certainly note your behaviour and steer well clear of any dealings with someone of your obviously well bred character.

Then your bias and motivation is clear. Yes, this was a celebratory thread; self-celebratory. I've never seen anything posted or spoken by Ulrika that wasn't.

and your point is??

That Neualtenberg was never meant to serve or better SL. That its purpose was, as conceived by Ulrika, to make Ulrika a star, under the false guise of being an altruistic endeavor. The latter protects her from criticism.

Ulrika could give a damn about the people of SL. Ulrika wants to be a big deal.

wow.

Careful. Michi is absolutely Prokofy-esque when riled. Her rapid-fire and angry posts have taken down many a thread in the past.

I say that with all reverence, Michi. I have nothing but respect for you, eltee, and Lusk. I see us as sister projects, part of the same family which strives to find an alternative to the SL status quo.

Peace.

~Ulrika~

Out of respect for you, Zug -- I'll lay off.

I get it. It's a standard SL group, where individuals donate tier and share land collectively like Darkwood. Has this changed? I seem to recall reading something different in the forums oh so long ago.

In that case you're a collective not a cooperative. Collectives differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an economic benefit or saving (but can be that as well). Usually they're organized around holding together like minded individuals and common building themes. The real-world cooperative of Neualtenburg is solely focused on economic benefit, whereas the virtual-world society is very similar to Lusk.

~Ulrika~

actually, no, they never have, michi has retracted some but never that i know of have any ever been 'removed'

and thats pretty much our point right there

we're not after any economic gain, just there to let people move in if they want it

Never a topic without discussion in Neualt

Happy Birthday Neualtenburg and congrats to all involved*. Citizenship is open to all, and everyone is invited to get involved. We have fun projects like the Expo and Oktoberfest coming up and there will be plenty of snowball fights come winter.


* (including the haters, because without you we'd be short on PR)