Linden Lab Promoting designers to new Residents

The other day I created an ALT because I needed to update my new residents tutorials.
When I did that I got a 'Welcome Mail' from Second Life with 'great places' to know about for new residents.

It included:

* A link to 'Free Stuff' at the 'Xstreet SL Shop' - that's ok I guess since it's a part of SL now & shows ALL free items..

* Gnubie Store & The Free Dove / Hmm, guess that's KIND of allright! They are BIG and GREAT (but there are other freebie places just trying to keep up)

BUT also:
* A link to a 'VERY WELLKNOWN SKINCREATOR' in SL! That also sell hair, glasses etc.

What is this?
That must be ruining sales for other skindesigners in the SAME "sellinglevel" (not at all talking about my skins now, ok!)

Is this advertising? What would THAT cost? ALL new residents with some money to spend that go there (and it's the first slurl they ever come across) will be stunned trying these skins on since they don't know what other options are out there.

I really think that this actions from LL is ruining the open market and makes SL less interesting for creators!

I'm confused (well... as usual!)

Yes, that's an advertising programme in the making. LL asked a few merchants and landlords if they where willing to participate in a beta of this programme (they payed big money to LL for it though, just a little less, compared to the pricing when it's publically available, aka out of beta). Have you noticed the motd during login (SL) about some estates advertising land/islands, that are not LL's own? well, that's also part of the new programme.

still confused? hope not

And People say there is no FIC. LOL

Lol! I'm ALWAYS confused!

Yes at the login screen I noticed some estate ads. I was assuming they where a 'part' of LL & SL.

Hmm... Not all people need land at first - but most of us need skins - lol!

Well, if they are paying BIG money and it is really ADS it's more OK... But it really just get the wellknown creators more wellknown and put the other great creators ( and landproviders ) further down...



Excuse a swedish girl... What's FIC?

Fetid Inner Core.
It was coined by a conspiracy nut. The kind of person for whom the sky is always falling.

Only FIC members deny the existence of the FIC.

Thanks Rhoda!
I hadn't heard of that! I googled it and found this explanation:
"The Feted Inner Core (also known as the Fetid Inner Core) is a conspiracy theory that exists among certain players of the computer game Second Life. It argues that certain groups of players use their relationship with the staff of Linden Lab, the game providers, to obtain favours that advantage their in-game businesses at the disadvantage of others"

Sounds so rl, reminds me of politicians.

ie, just like real life, people will press any advantage they can get, including mining their friends/business associates for valuable information about upcomming changes, or try to pass them new ideas that will promote themselves...

doesn't require a conspiracy theory, just common sense. (ok so maybe the level of some of the supposed actions requires a conspiracy theory)

Wake me up when they start advertising Luskwood.

Long Live the FIC!!!! (opps, did I type that out loud?)

The question I have is why anyone would want to devote their time to content creation in this environment. There are no effective means of protecting content, advertising, or building consumer trust- Except these new mechanisms controlled by Linden Lab (direct e-mail, motd), in which one business can gain a huge advantage over all others in the field. Whether this exclusive treatment is given to a Linden's friend or the highest bidder, if you are not the one to have access to the exclusive resource, you are doing a lot of work at a huge disadvantage. Doesn't seem worth it to me.

There is no FIC.

The first rule of FIC club is........

Most people creating stuff in SL are doing it mostly for fun (like me) using their spare time being creative. Like knitting or something...

After a while the stuff might be worth something to others and you start selling it.

I'm not trying to make a 'living' out of my creations in SL! And I don't spend more time 'creating' & 'blogging tutorials' than I think is fun.

But I've come THAT far that I like to sell enough to pay all my bills ( Web, Shop and Mainland-Freebieplace), be able to give gifts to newbies AND buy the stuff I want.

That's where this kind of advertising is killing the fun of creating... If the first mail from LL to a 'New Resident' contains SLurls to 3 places to go before they even learned how to 'search & TP'?

Was this advertising spot announced? Or just offered to some? Well...
If I owned Laqroki I wouldn't be happy! Great loss in sales when one of the big competition get this advantage.

They didn't pay to be on Motd, that was LL testing whether such a feature was worthwhile apparently.

There are no effective mechanisms for protecting music, but people keep writing songs.

There are a variety of mechanisms for advertising. Imperfect, but certainly effective.

As for trust, people are spending RL US$, paying other SL avs, so obviously there's some degree of trust.

If you don't want to spend time on content creation, that's your right, but I see what point you're making against it.

Well damn- good thing some of us don't feel that way or we wd all still be walking around looking like Ruth and her male counterpart.

We create because we want to- It's certainly easier to just go buy Lindens and then buy stuff- but wait- who wd we buy from???

Re the OP - I don't mind the MOTD thing so much being adverts but I do agree with it being unfair to new residents to get hit with this stuff so soon before they get a chance to look around. As for the designers themselves, ourselves, I wouldn't worry too much- eventually they do get off the Island

But, it might be the wave of the future.

SL seems to want to try to help those brands that have worked hard and done well, to find real world level legitimacy and branding.

What else would the official "Linden approved" stamp be about?

I don't see it as a bad thing, but it will make it harder for new, small businesses, I think. But then, that's the business economy here in America. Until someone builds a better mousetrap the big names will sell more.

The governing body providing barriers to new businesses and protections to established businesses is anti-competitive and the antithesis of capitalism. Artificial barriers to new entrants prevent the better mousetrap from being produced and selling. No one can buy the better mousetrap if no one hears about it.

The other problem with the "Linden approved" stamp is that Linden Lab is probably going to try to avoid liability for endorsing bad products. Linden Lab is actively trying to cut into the share of the revenues (by tightly controlling advertising mechanisms and the marketplace itself) while shoving all the costs off to the residents (have a problem with that Linden-endorsed product? Sorry that's a "resident dispute" in which Linden Lab does not get involved.)

i think it stinks.

There is no spoo.... FIC

seriously though, there isn't... I wish there was, I would be doing some major ass kissing to get into the non existent FIC, anything to get a leg up in business in SL

yes


There goes me just having fun messing around making stuff, with the joy of a sale or too to affirm what I did was worth it.

its like the Walmart taking over the mom and pops

Linden Lab should stop to play Second Life and only concentrate on the tech-platform.

To play the "game" is our thing.

/me wonders if this is also a trial (like the estate advertising on MotD was a trial) - but this time for that 'approved vendors' thing that LL have mentioned on the blog recently. Or, it could even be the beginning of that being put into place.