Is everything a mall?

I agree that I find it very disheartening to see the lack of creativity put in to people providing content for other residents. The faceless, characterless, disinfected rows of vendors is SL's version of urban blight, in my opinion.

I have no problem with people providing their creations for sale - the reality is that without doing something like that, the cost of providing more enjoyable content in SL is just too high - you have to support your works somehow. So I have no issue with people providing goods for sale in the really cool place, as long as it is done in keeping with the surroundings.

I have been lucky to have got myself "in" with some very cool people in SL who share the same visions - providing goods for sale in a more immersive environment. that was one of the reasons we built the market that we have - in order to make things feel a little more "authentic" - the market supports the land beneath it, which is a wild west "desert" sim, complete with some very cool effects.

And there are others doing similar - one of my favourite clothing stores, DE, has a wonderful garden when you arrive at their LM. Yes, it's shopping, but it feels like you are visiting some really nice store set in a beautiful garden.

I also agree that the search results are misleading when you are looking for non-commercial stuff, because the only people that will put money to get placing in the search results are the ones making money - i.e. selling things. Those are the people that can afford campers and classifieds.

If you want tips for non-commercial stuff, avoid the searches, and look for websites talking about cool places in SL.

Once you've seen one.......you've seen The Mall.

Happy Friday.

Yes, the second Philip decided to bend over for big business everything in SL effectively became a mall.

I just recently decided to give up the land I had a large freebie flower garden on for almost 2 years because I've grown tired of paying tier to provide content for free.

If I have any prims left over in the new land I bought for a larger store, maybe I'll throw some free flowers around to pretty it up.

Viva la revolution everyone!

Absolutely not. Besides... many people who do build pretty things for you to look at, pay for that land with a store they have somewhere else in-world. Tax their store and watch the pretty things die.

I used to own a mall about a year and a half ago, and I used the rent I made to build a park of equal size. I could not have afforded to do that if I had to pay more tier for having the mall.

Yes, it's true--the majority of the content isn't original, however, this does not mean there aren't any unique content creators.

You just have to explore, and trust me, you'll find some amazing content out there.

People try what they think works; they try what they see around them. If they see a bunch of malls, they mimic this in hopes of scoring the same crude oil as their neighbor. Also, Second Life is partly based on the economy and the products we consume--where do people tend to shop when they want a mish-mash of content? Malls.

I wouldn't mind so much (in SL), if [they] were designed well. Most are horrid and unoriginal.

Anyway. Don't fret. And always keep in mind: the traffic of a sim has zero to do with the quality of a sim. The best places are hidden and unappreciated (for now).

If people wish to create nice public spaces for us all to use, I'd gladly donate to make that happen. However, imposing some sort of fee's on me on top of what I pay in Premium membership costs as some kind of tax subsidy? I say, Ne Ne.

Not to mention... the result in raising tier for people who run commercial endeavors will be increased prices for all goods sold in SL, which will result in a higher cost for most people.

It's not good for anyone but people who log in and fly around with default skin/clothes/hair.

Um... isn't this a little like complaining that whenever I search for something in the Yellow Pages, all I get is businesses? The problem is the lack of a good way to search for non-commercial parcels in SL.

We are the Google generation. We all have been honing our 'browser searching skills' for over a decade now (for me since '94).

If you are clever with your searches (and the business was clever with wording or keywording) than you'll find what you're looking for.

Sometimes you have to do a little digging. But that can be half the fun. You never know what serendipity will bring to you.

Could be worse...it could be Dallas

This comment reminds me that for the first time I decided to see what Events might be going on by searching in Events. And everything seemed to be an advertisement. I mean for yard-sales, or shoes, or whatever, that do not actually have an event tied to it, just that something happens to be for sale.

I did find a Ghost Ship through Events though


Yes - I made a point of looking for specific things, like Chichen Itza or other finalists in the new "Wonders of the World" contest thingie.


This makes no sense to me. The "What are the items for sale if not content for other residents?" I have a small park (it would be a medium size park if I ever got around to finishing it). I don't sell anything. Anyone can drop by if they want. I do not sell anything. I really have no idea what you could possibly mean.

{and I do not like Tier (taxes) or subsidies}

Yes - I made a point of looking for specific things, like Chichen Itza or other finalists in the new "Wonders of the World" contest thingie.

This makes no sense to me. The "What are the items for sale if not content for other residents?" I have a small park (it would be a medium size park if I ever got around to finishing it). I don't sell anything. Anyone can drop by if they want. I do not sell anything. I really have no idea what you could possibly mean.

{and I do not like Tier (taxes) or subsidies}

Totally understand what you're saying but still very sorry to hear that Pie, I love(d) that place. Thanks for having it there for so long.

Sometimes, though, you find odd things I was looking for bull riding thingies for the Forum land and wandered into an all nude all the time club. And saw no bull. Looked at the place description. No mention of bull, riding, or bull riding. Re-did the search and that place still turned up. Very odd

Hmm. Bull riding may carry the same descriptors as certain aspects of sex. I'm not surprised one brought you to the other.

/me groans and holds her nose.

Oh Brenda...BTW, that was a very clever little phrase. I enjoyed that...got a giggle out of me.

High five.

I thought it would be neat to see The Mall, but I couldn't find it You know The Mall in Washington DC? long stretch of land with Washington Monument, museums, White House, etc.

/me makes sure she is well insulated and returns the High Five.
Thank You, Michael.

All you had to look for was the big, long, stiff pointy thing. Shouldn't have been a problem for you.........

I have seen a lot of junk in SL, but there are also a lot of truly impressive places out there, Svarga is one the springs to mind.

SJ

Whether it's a mall, camping pad farm, or ugly mess, there are a lot of rather unpleasant sights all over the grid. But there are also very beautiful places to visit. There are a lot of shops/malls, true... but there are also a lot of people who buy things.

The one thing about Second Life... there is something for everyone. You just have to overlook the content you aren't fond of in favor of the content you enjoy.

I see the situation that Susie mentions. It's impossible to miss. In fact, one article that slammed SL pretty hard mentioned the "wasteland of endless strip malls" that reminded the writer of much of Florida.

It's true...yes, there are wondrous things to see and do. But the great majority of SL is residences, and shopping venues. Plus clubs, which are another way of making money.

And you've all hit the nail on the head...what's driving this relentless commercialization is the need to pay tier.

Although I'm a strong supporter of capitalism and free markets, I think Chris' hands-off approach may be too shortsighted in this case.

Let's ask ourselves: What does the Real World do to create beautiful places that everyone can enjoy?

- A lot of vacation spots charge you to come there, to stay there, to use the facilities, to take the tours. And there are shops, too. This might be a possible model for some SL builds...the Getaway Resort. You TP to the resort, and appear in an arrival area. You then have to use a pay teleporter to enter the resort proper. Once inside, there may be other ways to separate you from money you really didn't need anyway.

- The Philanthropist. A rich person donates to create a library, a gallery, a park. He gets his name on the door, and a warm feeling. Pie's flower garden is an example of this model. The problem is, the number of wealthy philanthropists is limited, both in RL and SL.

- Government supported. Many public facilities are paid for by the government. In SL's case, this could mean one of two things:

a. Linden Lab donates several sims to the population. More likely, a group would apply for a "grant" and if their idea was approved, LL would give them the sim to implement it.

b. Taxes. As Chris notes, if LL gives a break on tier to someone to build a park, it has to come from somewhere...most likely a small increase in tier for everyone else. (And, while I draw a distinction here between LL imposing an identifiable "public works tax" and "donating sims" above, the tax is most likely there in either case...but in the first instance, it's hidden. Unless LL simply takes it out of their own hide, which seems unlikely.

c. Taxes II. A tax might not have to be imposed by LL. It could be a strictly Resident-run affair. For example, the citizens of Caledon might decide to tax themselves 5%, with the proceeds going to buy land for public use. Except in mini-nations like Caledon, though (and maybe not even then), the diverse and independent nature of SL residents will probably make it hard to get agreement of a large enough body of citizens to produce a satisfactory outcome. I shudder to think of the response if I were to circulate a petition to all the landowners of, say eight or twelve or 36 adjoining sims, suggesting that everyone contribute $Lxxx. Which brings us to...

d. Voluntary donations. This is how we built the Forum Hangout, and how numerous other groups have created builds that everyone (meaning either "EVERYONE", or in some cases, everyone in the group) can enjoy. It's a good system, because no one is forced to contribute to something he or she doesn't believe in. It does, however, require a sparkplug to get the idea rolling, generate enthusiasm, and manage the project. And if the group loses interest, the build can vanish.

Those are the ways I can see for supporting public works projects. The floor is now open for discussion. It's Friday, after all.

Things are fine the way they are. You are suggesting limits on the freedom many of us enjoy in SL. I wholeheartedly oppose your view.

The simple fact of the matter is this... if you want rolling fields of lillies and tulips, you need to aquire the land, and plant your merry fields. More power to you! I do not oppose wonderful free content, but I resent suggestions which imply my shop is puts me in some sort of "evil class". Second Life is structured to allow and encourage all sorts of projects... be they commercial, residential, or miscellaneous.

LL "donating" sims will increase their cost of operations without increasing their revenue stream. This increases the chances of tier going up, as LL is a business and has a right to profit. As for taxes... tier is enough tax for me.