No More Funny Numbers

Having looked at the websites main page, I notice not only is any mention of a Teen Grid gone (since apparently the plan is to merge the two grids anyway, once verification is implimented) but there are also no stats for "Total Residents" or "Residents Logged-In During Last x Days" and you have to dig down to the Economic Statistic page to find out that in the last two weeks only about half a million residents have bothered to log in (give or take a few hundred thousand alts).

After all the hoopla getting those numbers up where Philip could sell them to corporations, I find it ... o, what's the word I'm looking for... amusing... no, that's not right, but it's close enough I guess... I find it amusing that now, having suffered thru the issues inherent with the LL/SL media blitz, these numbers are being tucked away deep in the website.

Why do you imagine that is? Do you suppose its a little embarassing for LL to acknowledge that only a small percentage of people who have ever tried SL actually decide its worth playing/investing in? Or am I missing a bigger picture?

You only see the info on the teen grid if you're not logged in to the website already with a main-grid account. If you have a main-grid account, you're supposedly already too old for the teen grid, so why advertise it to you?

As for the numbers, they probably finally got sick of everyone calling them out on the numbers being pure hoopla and fantasy. Who cares if they have had 8 million accounts created, if only 100,000 or so are really still active. That's actually a rather condemning statistic, that so few stay with SL after creating acounts.

I notice today that the familiar description that used to say "Owned by it's residents", now only says "Imagined and Created by it's Residents."
Sounds like another slap in the face from Loony Labs.

I want to say that it has more to do with the companies that LL has been trying to court. They've decided that those front page numbers were full of it and started calling LL on it. So, what choice does LL have but to 'fess up?

I just wish they'd get rid of that ridiculous 9 million or whatever it is now. It's so unrepresentative of the true grid that it's laughable.

Here here!

I would estimate that on any given day in world I encounter about 10-25% noobs who are less than a month old. As the number of logged on users only climbs slowly, it's pretty safe to assume that the majority of new people drop out after a short time.

I guess what we need is a clearer definition of what constitutes an active account? Logs on once a week, once a month? A tough question. LL policy of keeping the account around for a year even after it has been canceled is also contributing to skewing the numbers. If someone wants to cancel, give them multiple chances to back out. "Are you sure?", "Are you really sure?", "Are YOU REALLY REALLY SURE?" If they answer yes to all, then delete the account and deduct 1 from the 9 million total.

Perhaps one of the plans for IDV would be to get a more accurate idea of exactly how many of these residents are actually "active" by being able to say truthfully " 'X number' of verified residents". Until then, burying the numbers, at least a bit, might just be a thought to save a little face rather then shouting on your website's front page "Almost 10 million people have tried SL... and 8 million of 'em couldn't figure it out!!!"

And thank you Ceera, I didn't realize Teen Grid info would be available if I hadn't logged in with my premium account that already suggests to LL that I, with my credit card info on file since 2004, am actually too old to be on the Teen Grid.

Word is all the funny numbers have been converted to Ginko bonds.

LOL. You want sex now?

Neanderthal says "Unggg".

I wouldn't think "embarrasing" is the main reason. Conversion numbers are always astonishingly low, and Second Life really is not so different in that regard.


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Sorry I don't do Gor

Hmm perhaps we should wait till they hit $10million.

They could always say "X number of verified residents & bots online"....

Piffle

Click on the links, all of the stats are still there.

Yes, Jamil, I know they are still available on the website of you click thru a few links. My point was simply that LL is no longer shouting them from the front page of the website and a curiosity as to why suddenly they have vanished from thier place of importance to LL.

And yes, Robby, I know "Conversion numbers are always astonishingly low, and Second Life really is not so different in that regard." and you know that, and I'm sure a lot of other people know that so... why did I have to suffer thru the whole "ZOMG we've got 1 million residents, o nos make that 2... eh 5 million" bullshit hoopla from LL, and all the bullshit it took to get that magic number up to where Philip was happy (think open registration)?

You, and every alt, bot, person who just didn't get it and only ever logged into SL ONCE and cancelled accounts, were sold as a whole number to large corporations as a thing of value to them; ie: potential customers to sell thier products to thru in-world interactions or advertisement. How much would you invest to reach 3 or 5 or 7 million potential customers? OK, How about if it was really only something like a half million? Do you think that would change anyones mind at the advertising office about how much funds to throw at our little virtual enviroment?

Maybe after almost 4 years here I should be used to the smoke and mirror tricks from LL, but they still always tend to irk me.

One question that doesn't appear to get asked is "Do You Want New Players To Stay?" It is in part how 'mature' players respond to new players, 'n00bs',. It isn't all about what Lindens have to do to keep them here, in other on-line games i've played in the past, the forums like this are the only direct help new players can get to understand the game mechanics and get answers to questions that should be in the FAQ, but never make it and then they are left to their own resources to play the game.

Second Life is quite unique in that you can also do this in-game mode. We can show a n00b how to take that box of their heads (after a few minutes of fun watching them of course), we can say hey your still wearing Linden skin, here's a place you can get a better one. And if your in a position to do so you can even say come to my land and you can build there, learn the principles and then you will see you want to stay and buy your own land.

However, I doubt only a few bother to do this, so I say the residents are also (partly) responsible for the falling rates of new players staying in-world.

Somehow I was lucky, the first camp spot I found had a group of like minded n00bie avs who all seemed to find the spot around the same time of starting in SL, we all had information the others didn't have, we didn't sit like zoombies, there was all lot of interaction. Now we've moved on, we have land (albeit it doesn't cost a penny to any of us) and the players actively encourages new players to visit the SIM and we do give all the help we can, from the day '4 active semi-n00bs' got the land, we now have about 100 avs who come back on a regular basis, some do leave or find a new favourite spot, but they are usually replaced by another n00b who is interested in doing something else than camp.

PS I have just got up, so if the above is garbage, aplogises in advance.

Hmmm "Do you want new players to stay?"

Busniess owners... yes, they want new players to stay to increase thier sales.

Content creators... yes, they want new players to stay so they can sell thier creations to business owners to increase thier sales.

Community organizers... yes, they want new players to stay to help build thier communities.

Ad-Farmers and other sundry spammers... yes, they want new players to stay to have as many people to spam as possible.

Even griefers would have significantly few people to grief if new players didn't hang around to grief.

Unfortunately, none of those groups of people can make new players stay when the enviroment they are trying to get people to stay in is riddled with bugs, difficult to "learn", and doesn't provide adequate customer support. It's also very difficult to be really loyal to a company that changes the rules on you every so often.

I'm not saying your post is garbage, Dekka, but to place the responsiblity for a lack of retention of new players on your fellow residents is not really fair. One can only work with the tools available, and the tools provided by LL are still, 4 years later, woefully inadequate for many people.

It also doesn't answer why LL suddenly feels its shining magic numbers are no longer important after making such a fuss over them.