Words from Chairman Kingdon - Adult Content

Heed these words from the Chairman to learn the fate of SL, for his past [2005] is your future:

http://www.clickz.com/3517251

Indecent Brand Exposure

Traditional media are more heavily regulated. In general, if access is free, content is required to be "decent." If users opt in (i.e., subscribe), content can take on other qualities. Case in point: Howard Stern's show isn't meant for all listeners and isn't a placement choice for many brands. Yet it's highly successful. His travails with the FCC contributed to his decision to move his program to Sirius, a closed (subscription based, opt-in) environment.

[Note: Stern probably doesn't care what the FCC says, considering his contract is for hundreds of millions and any levied fines are diddly in comparison.]

Given the Web's distributed nature and the ease with which people can broadcast messages it's very difficult to police. Workarounds are developed very quickly. Regulation takes time to enact, test, and enforce.

More likely, mass-market sites reliant on ad revenues and the public goodwill will reassure advertisers their brands are placed in a reasonably comfortable context and adult conversations and exchanges take place in private. In the end, we'll have two Webs, roughly analogous to broadcast TV and cable -- one free, the other opt-in. Whether there will be a fee to opt-in, I don't know.

For more words of wisdom from the Chairman:

http://www.clickz.com/3622871/all_articles

Remember, his specialty is MARKETING not management.

So maybe in order to go to Ursula, users will be required to go Premium?

Google this

There hasn't even been a shadow of a hint or rumour of something like this; although I think it's an excellent idea

Yes it would be a bad thing. There are plenty of free accounts that create content in Second Life, and would rather NOT have their credit card charged to Linden Lab... especially if it's made widely known that it will be required to go Premium in order to get into the hard core stuff. I'm sure there are a few spouses out there that would be less than understanding.

Yes, that would be an EXTREMELY bad thing. There are a LOT of people in SL who actively participate, create content, and spend oodles of money in SL, but who have absolutely ZREO reason to pay LL for a Premium Account for the dubious "Privilege" of being eligible to own a mainland parcel.

Requiring a Premium Account to access the adult merchants in Ursula would be financial suicide, and would drive a LOT of people away from SL.

Yes, it would be a bad thing. The vast majority of SL users, premium or basic, are not part of the idot throwaway credential crowd.

Adult is the new Premium.

And believe me, people will pay for it. A lot.

Maybe not you guys due to principles, but the people here two years from now sure will.


It's a longtime proven approach that works, too. Sin taxes, anyone?

This is actually NOT scary. Yes, people are willing to pay for their adult entertainment. Me too (up to a point). Having to pay a "sin tax" is far preferable to being bleached and scrubbed out of existence.

What does scare me is another quote from M from some years back, in the RC comments thread in Further Conversations. In it, he seems to advocate listening to the customer base, and how critical it is to hear and respond to negative feedback.

I think he has forgotten his own words.

There are plenty of ways of getting around this in todays world without the spouse/partner knowing, such as prepaid cards, etc...

What?? Look at the online porn industry...plenty of men pay this and more

That or he doesn't consider us his customers.. There are birds in them there bushes too, you know.

How many birds in hand do you have to have to outweigh 100,000,000 theoretical birds hiding in the bushes?

Lin, what do you mean by this?

He must be practicing to be a politician.

I think she means "taxed" is better than "made illegal."

Agreed. I (an alt) only went to premium to buy land, I still spent about the same around shops with my free account.

The reason I bought land was sandpits were getting annoying and I got an interest in building, not particularly to have a house.

I know quite a few people who have no inclination to have land, they are really happy with out it. They generally float around socializing and shopping.

50,000,000

That would indeed not be a bad thing. It would lead to 90% of the population who spend a lot of money on their "free" accounts to stop renting land and to stop pumping any more money into a self-declared rip-off economy. Server hosting for 300$/month like it is already? You must be kidding! People just need to open their eyes. The remaining 10% will certainly not be enough to sustain LL's business with SL to keep it alive much longer. As someone else wrote; the demise of such a failing concept may lead to a much better virtual world elsewhere. With working systems and working governance. I'm looking forward to that!

Ahhhhh...thanks I think I was trying to read more into that than there was, lol.

Like window tax, so tax everything rather than the possibility of it becoming illegal? That's why you have to protest about stuff like this before it gets out of hand.

/me presses the button that sends Dekka an electric shock.

WRONG!

The correct answer is: "oooooo!! 100 million!! at least 99 million of those must be real, potentially paying customers! let's do it!!!"

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! so ok 50,000,001

/me sends Dekka another electric shock.

WRONG!

You're not thinking like a good marketing person! The chance to get 100 million new customers is worth anything. N EE THING!!

words of wisdom

the proof is already out there outside of SL.

Gee I wonder if people paid for playboy, or hustler, or any of the other smut magazines, oh, what about the 1-900 numbers, do people pay to use those? And who can forget the ever popular porn websites, all it takes is your credit card and a few dollars a month to access whatever is behind the closed doors.

So yeah... many people would go premium to access the adult stuff...

What I meant was, IMO, LL is out to squeeze all adult content out of Second Life. If I am wrong, and their intention is to corral it and charge for it...well, I won't like it, but it's better than no adult content at all.