How Many Islands have gone so far?

It's not really a net increase of 289 Mainland sims - but of Linden Owned Sims , Aside from the 51 Blake Sea regions, there have only be around 4 or 5 regions added to the mainland since the end of October and these were homesteads bridging the Corsica and Gaeta continents.

The bulk of the new Linden regions are Linden Corporate regions or special projects such as the 161 Urusla & Leo regions.

this inflationary streak in SL and the associated decrease in land sales/ownership can be solved - perhaps - by NOT tying the SL economy to the RL one.

How could you accomplish that?

1. Set a standard rate for currency conversion from RL currencies to Lindens and keep it static. For example: if it's 3.751:1 now, it will be 5 years from now.

2. Let the cash-out (Lindens to RL currencies) rate follow the RL rates.

This keeps Lindens at an SL market-established value - that will fluctuate...but be stabilized eventually by the buying public (SL citizens). It creates a standard, and stable economic model in SL regardless of RL economic woes, and would not be driven by such.

Those that convert Lindens to RL currencies (big business owners) will have to absorb the differences in RL exchange rates.

Otherwise, I fear, the SL economy - and it's associated membership numbers - will take a nosedive.

ratz !!! second again

Since LL is still 'repairing' their statistics page, again quoted from Tyche Shepherd's blog ( http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/business-land-economy/8523-new-second-life-sims-past-13.html ) last week's island numbers:

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This week the net shrinkage was slightly up from last week with a net loss of 119 regions

With 177 new regions and 296 regions going, the Main Grid is now 26946 regions (21574 are private estates whilst 5372 are Linden owned).
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Well the decline has gone on longer than I expected but I think we're hitting the bottom of the curve now, maybe April will bring sunshine.

I think that wasn't anticipated was estate sim owners unloading their sims at bargain prices. This has had an impact on new sales. And it is not just the OS reselling, but also the unloading of full prim sims. For the astute buyer, one can pick up a full prim sim now for around 500 US$. Why buy a completely new one for 1,000 US$ from LL.

Quoted from Tyche Shepherd's blog ( http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/business-land-economy/8523-new-second-life-sims-past-14.html ), last week's numbers:
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With 180 new regions and 276 removed this week (46 being renames), we end up with 26874 main grid regions. 21500 are private estates and 5374 are Linden owned
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And a summary of the past year:

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Tomorrow is the first anniversary of my initial grid survey, so I thought it would be interesting to take stock of changes in the Grid in the past year.

On the 9th of March 2008 there were a total of 17549 main grid regions of which 13225 (75%) were private estates and 4324 were Linden Lab owned.

8891 (67%) of these private estate regions are still on the grid a year later
4189 (97%) of these Linden owned regions are still on the grid a year later

In the last year a further 20844 private estates were added to the grid of which 8235 were subsequently removed, resulting in a net growth of 12609 private estate regions (95% annual growth).

Linden Mainland showed a net growth (27%) of 1185 regions , a further 1308 added and then 123 removed within the year.

The split between Private estates and Linden owned is now 21500 (86%) to 5374 (14%)


Overall the Grid grew from 17549 regions to 26874 (53% growth).

By the end of October, the Grid did reach a maximum of 31687* regions, of which 26605 were private estates, just prior to the Openspace repricing announcement. Grid size has declined since then but is still significantly larger than a year ago.

The actual maximum many have been a little larger than this as that is from a survey completed 36 hours before the announcement.
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Thanks Tyche for the great blog

How many people think the second increase will still go ahead? I'm certainly planning my budget on the assumption that it will, but margins will become a lot tighter as a result.

The second increase will go ahead, and then we'll see a whole new slew of abandoned/sold at discount land around July.

bliss

Is anyone selling full regular islands for 500? I might have a go at that. That way if rates for regular islands do an OS, I can dump it and only have lost 500 dollars instead of a thousand... hmmm... probably still more trouble than it's worth.

Well, bits and pieces and "half informations" from concierge point into the direction of the second step not happening. Stuff like "expect an announcement this month".

I'll be surprised if the second increase happens, the global economy is likely to still be in the pan in July.

Just thinking about that makes it seems even worse, if they don't do it then because the economy is "in the pan" (interesting phrase btw) then everyone has to stay on edge with no idea if/when it will happen which may very well not be until the economy recovers.

Once LL announced a 67% increase for OS sims last year, it was a no-win situation for it. If it puts it through, well, it puts through an outrageous and unjustifiable increase. If it doesn't put in through, then it has enraged those who have cancelled their OS, like yours truly, who cancelled them based upon it announcing that the 67% increase will be made.

In essence, LL remains the primary factor for economic instability and uncertainty within the SL world, with it's cavalier price increases and/or decreases, regardless of RL economic influences.

The exchange rate is already pretty much fixed, it might look like there is a market of suply and demand but the suply is largly blalanced by LL, if not L$ or offered for sale at the wanted rate then LL dumps more L$ on the market, they do it in a reerse way with mainland, if the mainland price gets to low they stop auctioning mainland sims.

That's pretty much how I've been since Island prices dropped to USD$1000, you don't know what's around the corner but in a strange way this helps you plan as you get used to expecting the unexpected, which changes your risk strategy dramatically.

They've already changed the conversion rate from 4 to 3, they show time and time again that they don't mind enraging people.

As an aside, why are threads in this forum disappearing at such a rate? Are LL hoping we'll all forget this ever happened?

I don't want to get into (another) argument as to whether they deserve it or not but it really is a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for them, there is really no way for them to get out of this without pissing a lot of people off.... well pissing them off more than they already have.

Since LL is still 'repairing' their statistics page, again quoted from Tyche Shepherd's blog ( http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/business-land-economy/8523-new-second-life-sims-past-14.html ) last week's island numbers:

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The SL Grid contracted by a net 72 regions this week, with 160 new regions and 232 regions going off line.
This brings the total number of Main Grid regions to 26837 ( 21463 private estates & 5374 Linden owned)
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Personally I'm hoping it happens. The last increase was a great bonus for me. I bought a ton of sims at a super discount rate, already filled with barely profitable renters. Most of those renters are gone by now and replaced with ones paying a higher rate so we saved a ton of money. By July hopefully the whole Adult Ghetto will either be implemented or not, at least we'll know where we stand so it seems like a great plan to hold off on any expansion until July.

So, for my personal benefit I think another increase will be good. For SL as a whole... I'm beginning to come around to the idea that the increase to $95 was appropriate but a further increase could break the back of the land business. Presumably we'll lose a lot more sims, hard to say if it will be more or less people than we lost with the first increase. Coming right on the back of the retarded Porn Ghetto idea it really could be a final demoralising blow to a lot of people.

I can hardly wait to see the next quarter report from Linden Lab.

i think i know why the lindens did what they did, by reducing the price of the islands they increased the amount of them, but they did not reduce the tier, this had the efect of making estate owners reduced prices to stay in business, this also had the affect of taking all the profit from the estate owners, therefor making sure that less money was taken out of SL, then by increasing the tier of the most popular island type made sure that no profit its was made on them, the net affect is that any money used in sl goes straight to the lindens and stops any money going out to anyone else, i think was their intention from day one. and they have been successful, i don't believe they have any intention of listening to any of you, they have ring fenced every penny and i think that the new CEO was meant to do that, hence the buying up of any thing that takes money out of sl.

Since LL is still 'repairing' their statistics page, again quoted from Tyche Shepherd's blog ( http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/business-land-economy/8523-new-second-life-sims-past-14.html ) last week's island numbers:

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With 168 new regions and 293 regions leaving, The grid is now 26837 regions (A net loss over the week of 125)
21363 of these are private estates and 5374 are Linden Lab Owned.
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When are you all going to wake up, this is one huge pyramid selling scam, and your all motivated by greed and blinded by it, in most country's this is outlawed to protect those blinded by greed, and one day this will be to. WAKE UP YOU SAD GREEDY PEOPLE.

I closed 31 sims, made no attempt to sell them, when i saw the light, and i down graded my account to basic, now i suggest that you all do the same, but i do know that the damed never see the light and the lindens are banking on that literally.

WTF! SL land is nothing like a pyramid scheme. The Lindens sell land to several Land Barons, each Land Baron sells it on to several Renters, some Renters sell it onto several Sublettors and the money flows upwards.

See, nothing like a pyramid.

Anyway, what exactly is wrong with greed again? I like money, I want money. As long as I behave morally trying to earn as much money as possible is practically my patriotic duty.

glad someone is paying attention