Outlook for SL businesses in 2008

The most common way to buy an island is to divide it between friends or business partners, and split the costs. An island can be better value than equivalent land if divided this way. It can be helpful for managing lag and surroundings and preventing griefing.

Also, if you have brand-name recognition, you can charge other businesses a premium for the association with you that being on your island will bring, thus effectively going into the land business as well.

This is something I am seriously considering but have few contacts who seem to be up to it at present. I have some networking possibilities coming up in the new year, but they are dependant on new specialized product I am not as yet able to display elsewhere given the current theme of the land my store rests on.

I agree the costs are currently prohibitive for me to consider taking on a full sim, but I have to admit the prospects of working uninhibited by terraforming limits, prim limits and space are tempting given the type of work that I do, which is rather space and prim intensive.

After having SL drift in and out of my consciousness for a while I finally got round to seriously looking at it last night, and have so far read a lot (boring New Year night shifts), created an account, logged in and bumbled around orientation island for 15 minutes.

It does look amazing and I'm looking forward to exploring it (work and partner permitting).

I did have an idea of a business to start (one that's also been a RL idea for a while) but it seems that there are similar products in existence already. Probably naive of me to think that there's anything new under the virtual sun.

I may give it a crack anyway. It would be nice to make real money out of SL, but if I can fund a premium account and get a bit of land, that will be a start.

I look forward to our paths meeting in-game