2009 could be a difficult year

I've been wondering whether to post this, since it could so easily become another "this is the end of SL" thread.

However, this year I see a worrying conjunction of 4 circumstances each of which could have a negative impact on SL.

i) we are seeing a lot of press releases from LL aimed at trying to (re)attract business (M's killer app of errr in world meetings, talk of a private grid offering, attempts to clean up SL etc.) and we are in an economic crisis where many investors cutting or cashing in their investments. It is not unreasonable to suspect that some of the SL investors are now asking for a better return on their investment (hence the need to attract lucrative big business rather than hobbyists) and threatening to pull out if this doesn't happen. My feeling is that SL is (and will remain) a recreational platform and not attract big business.

ii) in a few months time we will have the second homestead price increase which will see more people shedding land or even quitting SL entirely

iii) LL's latest proposal to act against bots mining the system whilst much needed, will impact the headline simultaneous online figures (and hence anyone using those to judge whether SL is a good investment)

iv) the whole adult content fiasco (inconsistent definitions, requirement to move land with no assistance from the LLs and possibly at the residents expense in many cases, search filter by keywords which have PG or even G meanings as well as adult one, etc.) which will (and is) alienated a large number of people.

v) the possible emergence of competitors (OpenSim is still not quite there but not far off, BlueMars is attracting a lot of attention although until it actually launches we can't tell whether it is really a strong competitor)

Whilst I wouldn't want to put money either way, I do think that SL is in for a very difficult year.

Matthew

Nah.

LL will keep their head down and their nose to the grindstone not worrying about anyone else except the market they are courting.

A bad year for residents perhaps.

For LL, probably not, especially considering all the positive press they are getting regarding the shift to "Adult Content Continent". Techie blogs are reporting LL is looking up...

Agreed, could not put it better myself.

The whole idea of "attracting business" - at least for the dull purposes proposed, meetings and so on - is a complete non-starter and I hope LL will quickly realise this. Nobody apart from the most "cutting edge" will be interested, and they will have already made their decision there.

This.

Such as?

I see recent moves (adfarms, bots, "adult" stuff) as an effort to make the place presentable to normal people. Not businesses; people.



This is wishful thinking from people who want LL to fail when they do things we don't like. It's all too familiar...

"Oh, no, this policy sucks! I'm going to have to tier down and go basic! So must everyone else! This is really going to hurt LL!"

It's based on the misconception that "the world is full of people just like me".

Think of it like this...

You've set up a lemonade stand, and attracted a biker gang. They're buying your product, but...it's also noisy, the place smells like exhaust, your customers are rowdy and scaring off everyone else.

Whataya gonna do? Be happy with your current customers, and do everything they want you to do to keep their business?

That is not the how the techie netnews and bloggers are reporting it.

Things are looking up for SL becoming a cleaner more friendly environment.

LL is going to be able to market that they have the only "Adult Content" controlled grid.

The place is going to look fabulous and sanitized.

O.k., maybe not fabulous...But definitely sanitized.

The economy sucks....people (and businesses) need a way to save $$$ and curb spending....


I can't count the amount of videos I've seen already about SL being a huge marketing tool for both business and universities. The cost of physically bringing people together takes an enormous chunk out of business expenses and this, of all times, would be the time for SL to shine.

When company 'A' can't afford to send the 15 executives it would normally send over seas for a conference.....as well as bring in the 55 others from other parts of the globe.......they have a unique option now of bringing those people together in real time....in a venue that allows for discussion and sharing ideas. The journalism industry is also embracing SL......just watched a great vid on the University of Cairo and their journalism projects. SL is closing a gap....and in difficult times, people will seek out alternatives....... Even among average citizens who cannot afford to travel, there may well be a bigger draw to join SL in order to stay in touch and spend quality time with loved ones. If promoted properly....I think there has never been a better time for SL to be looked at anew by folks who have thus far ignored the virtual.

There are several controlled environments out there - There, IMVU and so on. They are rubbish, because they don't really let anyone create there without approval which ruins the whole concept of creation.

I'd rather be forced to sit through an ad at each log-in, than most of the proposed changes.

Noooooooooooooo.....

That means logging in and going afk to avoid the ads, and then forgetting you logged in and coming back to your PC an hour later to see your IMs piled up and geeks standing around you staring!

Woohoo, I am a pissed-off biker in this metaphoric scenario. I'm not nearly cool enough in RL to pull off tattoos and a Harley.

Seriously though, nicely put, if a bit disheartening.

I'll look at resident Ads all they want if it'll help, but the minute RL Corp logos start showing up, I'm gone. Unless of course the kids have chased me away already.

Well, that's LL's position, anyway.

But what they never seem to consider is that outside of the teensy proportion of business concerns that are centered on creativity (advertising agencies and the like), business executives are NOT willing to present themselves in cartoon form.

It simply doesn't go with the mindset. If you've risen in a corporation (or even non-profit, such as a state university or hospital) high enough be to sent to a conference, then you've gotten there by being VERY careful of your image.

You're not going to chance looking ridiculous.

And most people new to SL do look ridiculous.

LL is being wildly, unrealistically optimistic if they think that providing a Newbie Tutorial on Appearance will be enough to make most business people accept the risk of being laughed at.

Oh this is just silly wishful thinking. None of the corporate types I know would be caught dead trying to manipulate their virtual Barbie or Ken around to attend a virtual meeting where you can't use whiteboard, show a PC desktop, throw up a PowerPoint, etc., etc. There are far better tools out there for realtime conferencing. Even just installing the software and getting over the initial learning curve for SL makes it a non-starter in the corporate world.

Sounds like the Rock Store up on Mulholland Drive here in So Cal.

It's *the* go~to place for illegal canyon racing (only so many police and not enough to keep them there 24/7), and Jay Leno and other Hollywood notables show up there all the time ~ seen him there myself.



The pic doesn't even do it justice. I've seen crowds in excess of 500 people there, easy. Wildest thing I'd ever seen there was... a petite female in a ballerina tutu and leotard, riding a big GSXR helmetless and drinking beer on the street with her gal pals. Crazy! Plain to see she was a real wildcat. The ten biggest harley guys there combined didn't look half as ready to scrap as she did, dancer clothes notwithstanding.

(for those wondering: Desmond has a nitroused 750R kawasaki ninja, pearl black, currently no~opped due to my desire for longevity)

A guy i dated used to take me there on his Honda Hurricane every weekend (i think it was a hurricane), back in the days i used to eat meat. Do they still sell those tri-tip sammiches there?

When you need a semi-gamer system to have a reasonable experience? Yeah, my Dell-cheapo-box from Corp-Rat IT can do that. Not.

When you need 300kb to the desk through the corporate firewall?

When it takes at least a month of in-world experience not to look like a complete idiot?

No.

Not when Webex supplies what you really need, for a fraction the cost.

SL has wonderful applicability, and makes a lot of people happy. It is worth keeping. But because it mirrors RL at a human level, not at a corporate level.

Huh?

My Dell-cheapo-box XPS 420 runs SL just fine with many settings at max on a 1650x1050 resolution, and my experience is more than "reasonable" and that is the judgment of 5.6+ years of playing SL on various machines from laptops to custom desktops from when SL ran on a 700mhz machine to now.

;0 i knew it before, but definitely know it now ;0 des is soooo kewl ;0... i was still pulling for ya to be vp wit da 'bama. ;0

No longer cool I'm an old suburban dad now. Bleah. The bikin', surfin days have been largely replaced by stuff like "replace the garbage disposal."



It's been a bit of a while; I have no idea any more. I kinda quit going because the police tried to discourage us by 'inspections' ~ they would look over everything and issue a fix~it ticket if they found *anything* so much as a slightly bald tire.

I've got nitrous fueling solenoids clearly visible on both sides of the carbs, even if the nitrous tank isn't installed... not exactly the kind of thing you want to have seen by a rookie cop. That, and the horn button was wired for activating the boost...

Can I de-rail a thread or WHAT?

Yea a lot of people have mod'd out bikes who go there. The guy i dated had a bike with all kinds of switches...I do know some of those switches turned out certain lights on the bike, like the tail light and turning lights. He never liked stopping for police.

you ever seen the typical corporate computer? waaay outdated, integrated graphics, low ram, tons of bloatware, dozens of processes/services running... i cannot imagine trying to organise an office-full of those pc's onto the grid. some are still using netscape navigator theyre so old.

I use Netscape Navigator.