Totally Free Land For New Business

Haha........I see you've been reading another thread.

Good idea..........very good idea.

Then there's also the issue of him having to provide support for buggy scripted objects *shakes head*.

Bleah, it could turn into a support nightmare. Here's my counter: become a business incubator instead, with an initial offer of free mall space. If they're any good, upgrade the offer, and add in value-added services like photoshop work, marketing assistance, and event hosting to promote products as a paid upgrade, contracting that out as needed.

^ This ^

It doesn't sound like a very good deal to me at all. I'll pay rent and retain rights to my own creations, thanks

Agreed.

Original idea though! I give the OP a 10 for that. Its an original idea.

Now, if it were Copy/Mod only, and I was a new biz owner.... then we might have something.

I say no harm in trying, but don't expect many folks from the forums to use it hehe (or at least not the ones who speak up)

I would probably do something like that, if I were releasing many items per week, but as it is, sometimes it is a struggle to get out a new item each week (this week so far nothing new)

as I would hate to have to give away an item a week, full perm, on the trust they would not be used for nerfarious deeds (remember full perm means that if it is a prim it can be used as something else, with the creator's name staying the same even when the "design" is changed.)

That is what happens with a lot of those spammy objects, the creator did not create them, someone else did using a piece of something from something the creator made.

(I am not saying the OP would do this, however he did mention that there is a chance that the full perm item could be handed on as full perm.)

the only thing I can see getting around that would be clothing that the OP would have to repackage (send the clothing item full perm, but in a transfer only box)

or just simply drop the folder on him with the clothing in it. (no prim items, no scripts)

cuz scripts can be misused that way too, full perm script for say, floating text, can be cleared out, remade into a massive spamming object and guess what, the creator's name stays the same as it was on the floating text

So, I say to the OP, sure give it a try, but don't be surprised or disappointed if no one takes you up on it, or if they do, they hand you junk in trade for the space.

you would prolly be better off "renting" on commission sales.

I think there are some peculiarities in the way permissions are handled that might allow people to give the resseller to both copy and transfer stuff that the third person to get it (the first being the creator, and the second being the resseler) will get it with the right restrictions

I know there is a way to make a "gift box", that as long as it isn't rezzed, it remains no-copy but transferable, and once rezzed the iten isnide of it is detected as being no-trans +copy, this way the boxed iten can be sent to people forever till it is rezzed (this condition will persist even if the box is placed inside of another object inventory, the flipping only happens when the box is rezzed. There might be ways to use similar tricks to achieve other combinations of permissions, but I've only tested this specific one

I like it. It's different, its helpful to broke new content creators wanting to set up a store, and it costs you little more than a resource you have on hand and your time.

Question: I probably have enough random stuff I've thrown together (the cool skyhome I built, a barstool I made at a torus torturing workshop, my sky platform, my (static, unanimated) bed...) that I could pay rent at the rate of one "thing" a week (and hopefully keep thinking of new ones) for a long time. The only thing is, I never planned on going commercial, so in effect wouldn't I be scamming your system - or at least the aspect of it intended to help business startups? You'd still have your weekly item, though, so maybe you wouldn't be fussed one way or the other if I never set up a store. If you are, though, factor in the time spent policing your "renters".

The downside from the renter's point of view is that it's arbitrary. You could decide to yank the rug out from under at any time. You could also undercut them on their own items, or potentially run them out of business by releasing free-perms freebies. Or make a lot more money than the worth of the free lot - but that's the gamble, eh?

The downside from your POV is time. You could stockpile stuff in your inventory indefinitely, but as Des pointed out, if you plan to set up a store or market on SLX or OnRez, even cherry-picking the best items will soak up hours you may not have available. (If this takes off, maybe you could offer free rent on a 1024 to a "store manager" and offset the cost that way.)

This is a fascinating idea, and discussion, by the way.

so lets see...I make t shirts and I sell them at L$25 so each week you get a L$25 t shirt with full rights sounds like a bargain to me

This wouldn't be a problem at all since I have more than enough land to meet the demand so you won't be taking anything from people who are trying to start new businesses. To be honest, I'm guessing the demand will be quite low anyway. Hopefully not of course.



Well this sort of thing is always a risk with renting. I like to think I have a pretty decent reputation for fair dealings but even if I didn't worst case you're risking one week's worth of rent with a value of about L$500

Your L$25 t shirt would be perfectly acceptable weekly payment.

i'd agree to one item of transfer only. no copy, no mod.

Would you agree to 100 copies of a single resellable item?

*edit: Of course I'm not really interested in what *you* would agree to 3Ring. I'm interested in if you think new builders /might/ agree to this offer.

no. just one. in essence, i'd be creating a specialty item just for YOU to sell if i did what you are suggesting. that does not seem like a fair trade.

regarding making profit and becoming successful, i would much rather rent mall space or buy land and sell my own stuff.

because the only thing that would stop a newbie from 'getting started' would be to NOT put themselves in the search and make the most of the possibilities to get their business high on the list.

i am debating on the side of the newbie vendor, with experience under my belt as the evidence.

The problem is, of course, if you are already capable of building an item that is worth L$500 (the normal rent for 1024sqm) then you're already too skilled for my tiny little freebie parcels to be of any value to you. I appreciate your input of course 3Ring but I think you are looking at this from the perspective of someone with "Join Date: Mar 2007" in their profile who doesn't need any help getting started at all.

no, i realize that.

what i am saying is.... in retrospect... as a newb, all i ever needed to do to get started was open a shop, get the forced landing point in search, utilize the tools available to get my listing up high, and wait for customers. it only takes a few days to become found.

however, after you are found, you MUST do things to keep them coming back. THAT is the real work involved.

so, regardless of my longeivity, if you offer a landing spot with your free space, then it IS a good deal because then i will be found with or without you.... even if i have to make one quality specialty for you to cover my rent, it will be worth it. i won't be found otherwise, and then i don't see the point of it.

i'm trying to help YOU help the newb. i do not think you are trying to take advantage of anyone.

I don't know I am not very good with business end, I rarely make money off creations even when I did use advertising. If I wanted to go business route I might be willing to do something like that on the condition they don't just resell one of my best items without sending traffic my way.
I am constantly making things, I am often giving away items to friends but no one is reselling item but personally losing one item a week isn't really a issue for me but it that one item took all week to make or months yes I would have issue with it.
I might be willing to make things for business promotional assistance and share the profits but maybe not.
Not everyone is able to sale their things, even if product is pretty good. I have friends who make really wonderful things and they are rarely able make consistent sales.
I got only one friend who seems to be doing well, but he not really helpful in sharing how he does it because he is too busy making money and products.

It's a great idea, one i considered. I give out many things for free now.. seems like for people with my nature, its free land indeed.

Key word "new," as in not involved in a prior business venture?

Seems like a decent idea it's just really risky. One people won't give you there best work. They will give you the stuff that they don't mind losing or don't care much about. Two, you have to have a lot of trust in the person. If you do happen to get quality items, there is nothing stopping that person from giving it to others full perm and then the item becomes diluted so much that it becomes a freebie. If that happens than anyone who buys from you then finds it in a freebie box elsewhere will be angry with you. Would just take a lot of trust. Might be smarter and safer to just hire an established known and trusted content creator to work for you on a project to project basis, but then again anyone who creates real quality won't do so for 200L a project.

Actually, I hope there is a demand for it. This offer strikes me as the kind of thing that could result in both parties taking away more than they are putting in. If I'd come across an offer like this before I bought my own plot, I'd have been tempted to try it as a way to make my SL self-supporting. I like to make stuff now and again, but I'm neither prolific enough nor ambitious enough to turn it into a business.

But I gave myself a yearly membership earlier this year, and my stipend lets me rent enough tier so that I can own a 1024 with a little bit of spending money left over. (In fact, I rent that tier from you and Skye, and I've always felt myself very well treated.)



True, completely. I was thinking of the inconvenience of coalesced auto-returned objects (or auto-disappeared, if group-deeded and no trans) and having to start over. I was also thinking in abstract terms of what could possibly go wrong, and not in terms of the fact that you personally were the one making the offer. Somehow I can't see you booting someone without warning. Total lapse on my part, and I apologize.

Elanthius, this is really a generous offer, and a very creative way to give a new creators a hand up. Kudos to you for making the offer, and I hope it works out well for everyone involved. If I run across anyone who might benefit from it, I'll be sure to refer them to this thread.

QFT! Some people are excellent builders ~and~ marketers but often people fall more on one side than the other. I'm horrible at self-promotion. (Trying to learn though.)

And then there's the second point you mention: people who are successful entrepreneurs in SL many times spend most of their time in that endeavor. I'm the type who likes to experience a little of everything.

btw, can it realy be called totally free if people have to pay for it with products?

and wish to thank you for the help. I think its a great offer, and I appreciate it. Thank you!!!!!!!!

So many people want something for nothing.

That is part of why SL is in the state it is in.

Sure, we all enjoy a good freebie but when it gets down to it, the game costs money to play if you want to go beyond just being an explorer.

I think that one free product that may or may not (ever) sell is a fair price to pay for not having to shell out money to LL on your own for tier. And if you "don't have time" to make one item a week, then you need to find a mall and pay out weekly!

Kudos, Elan, for a great idea.

I like the one free item per week since I'm a pretty prolific builder. I'd gladly give my items away but having to pay for space to even do that is a major barrier and leaving items free to copy on my property has so far been my only alternative.

I might consider giving this idea a small twist though. Especially in the startup phase, I might ask all builders to contribute to the area's infrastructrure. The free land is in eastern Gaeta which is fairly undeveloped, green desert. Making free builders responsible for creating amenities such as a walkway, benches, lighting etc... in lieu of a free object for that week, might actually be more profitable.

If the area of free stores is a pleasant place to visit, it will have more customers and make more money. If Elianthus' own store is within this area, this will also benefit him since more people will also visit his store. The fancy name for making an area nicer and getting more business is external economies.