M Linden speaks to Hamlet Au on OS issue

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/11/mark-kingdon-on.html

Posted so people will be aware that someone from LL has spoken recently.
I will not comment on it further than my comment on the original article.

He does not say anything worth reading.

Just more proverbial smoke being blown up the backside.

He thinks they did the right thing, period. That sums it up.

Good Job M. ~not~

Meh.

edit: The one question I would have liked to seen asked wasn't asked: what about all the people who were not abusing this product - don't you think you're kinda screwing them over with this action, Mark?

edit edit: ok.. so.. yeah.. that's why I don't get to interview people like him too often.

He just doesn't get it. "Premium subscriptions are immaterial in our overall business."

Without the premium members, the only thing left are the deserted Linden builds.

The funniest thing I've ever heard a Linden say :



(Excerp taken from the link above the M Linden's blathering )

What customers did he ask for ratings ? lol. Certainly none of us . . . .

I don't have the adequate words to express my <INSERT WORD> after reading this.

This is a "rebellion"???.

So now all of a sudden, we are not only "abusers" we are now "rebels"!!!

And then to be told that Premium Membership is insignificant!!!! How many insults is one expected to take?

Now, is this history repeating itself? I'm not from the USA, but isn't that how that country started its existence? Rebellion to unjustified taxes? The green and Beta smelling pastures of Openlife (and other grids) look greener by the hour.

I'm sorry, I think I'll stop while I'm ahead and cool down after reading that piece of <INSERT WORD> from our not so benevolent dictator Mr M Linden.


====
PS. Please, can someone remind me, how is one expected to own mainland if one is not a premium member?

Looks like Mr CEO Linden (like all new CEOs) will leave his mark (bootprint?) on SL.

And yes, I don't have to be here, just feel bad at the way I, and every one else (I'm talking about us suckers playing the "game" here, not investors) that has forked money into this game is being derided here. Makes me regret ever buying a linden dollar.

/me steps his insignificant premium paying <INSERT WORD> off soap box

Okay, I've held back during all of this, other than to make a few comments about LL exercising faulty engineering and business analysis, and faulty business-decision and communications skills.

But this interview is just too much. Mark Kingdon voices so many demonstrable errors in fact that it's not just scary, it's terrifying--and it's actually even more terrfying that LL would hire someone of such shallow knowledge and perception to run the company.

I don't usually talk about myself in SL, but just to couch my terms in something credible, I have to say that I have graduate degrees in computer science and education. I help run a very profitable small company, and I am a senior systems engineer within it. I've worked in IT and engineering in severeal countries for several companies, ranging from Asia to Europe, and from multi-nationals to my own firm. Oh, I also have a degree in business.

I got into SL to learn the technology and try to gauge its effect on the future of society and technology. I've spent some time and skull sweat. I've done this on my own, because it is interesting.

If this interview reflects the true beliefs and ideas of Mr. Kingdon, and I have no reason to believe it does not, as Mr. Au is a very reliable correspondent, then yes, I'll admit it: LL and SL are in deep trouble. Mr. Kingdon's ignorance of the platform he is supposedly managing is obvious and immeasurable. I am shocked not only that he occupies his current position, but also that anyone at LL who has a shred of business sense allows him to speak in public.

I've always been a firm supporter of SL and LL, for many reasons. This inteview has shattered that faith, and prompted me to begin planning my withdrawl from the platform.

Sorry to say this interview with M Linden just doesn't cut it. Personally, I am tired of hearing about this unintended use or light use or misuse. I can accept that they were unable to predict the massive amount of OS sims that would be sold. I can understand that they did not have a model to make comparisons, therefore could not have possibly made a realistic cost projection based on server load.

However, please do NOT insult our intelligence M Linden. We are not idiots. Do not put all of the blame on us. LL certainly had no issues with having accepted the thousands upon thousands of OS orders which resulted in successful sales. Whether you realize it or not, your statement does make it seem more like a classic bait and switch. I am not implying that this is the case. However, PLEASE take some accountibility for poor management decisions concerning the OS projected server costs because that is exactly what this is a result of.

Your reasons for price increase are weak at best. Give us more interesting dialogue than this. Thank you.


Several suggestions for realistic compromise:

1. Allow each resident to own 2 non transfer grandfathered tier OS sims (if sold, the tier cannot be transferred.)
2. Allow non estate owners to buy OS sims.. requirement: Must be a premium account member.
3. Allow residents to convert back to full prim sims at no costs for a limited time
3. Re-introduce the original void sims with lower prims back into the market at half the cost of the new price.. this way the sailing association and others who use these sims for terrain purposes may continue to do so.
4. If you must increase prices for non profit, do so realistically.. do not go from 37 USD to 125 .. that's just wrong.
5. Wait until March 01 to intriduce these new prices to give people a soft cushion after the holidays.
6. Offer the users of SL an apology for insulting our intelligence and lack of proper communition cocerning usage and projected cost expectations.

I would kindly ask the users of SL to please not abandon your OS sims yet. The new price does not begin until Jan 01, 2009. There is still possibility of change of policy before then. M Linden said that by Wednesday these issues should be formally addressed in the blog. So, let's wait and see what this "response" shall be.

Dont leave out those of us who have less than 4 OSS and connot convert to a full sim
we should at least get a prorated credit when we have to turn them back in.

I cannot afford the increase for my one light use sim.

Excellent point.. thank you Boaz

The whole thing can be summed up here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8aQJAJ2VS8
an old english comedy Are You being Served with an elderly senile CEO

Maybe Phillip needs to come back to the helm.

alpha worlds are SOOOO much more tempting while doing it just for fun and money put to a , hopefully, good cause

M, don`t play with fire and defenetly not throw gas ON a fire! idiot

Well, that's good to know. I was thinking of upgrading to Premium, now I know I don't need to bother. Will save myself some money

So, Premium users are immaterial? LL prefer the non-payers or the countless free alt accounts to those of us who pay a fee to be inworld, buy land, use it sensibly and spend hundreds of RL dollars inworld?

I have been a resident, and a premium customer, for almost 2 years. I have an opensim, and a quarter of an island, both used sensibly, after all, I do have access to over 3000 prims, and was never told that I was not able to use them? I was considering upgrading to a full island, but the consideration is no more. If we premium account customers are of no worth, then I shall now consider leaving the land and downgrading. I can do everything else I want to do with a free account, so what is the point in paying to be in a world where those who signup, then sod off are better thought of just because they make the user figures look good?

I have long been against free accounts just because they are so often used as alts and then abandoned, however, I am now rethinking that. Mr M Linden should very quickly take back his comments before he finds that all those who thought they were contributing sensibly to this world of ours decide to do the same as me!

I've said it before I'll say it again: Mark Kingdon is nothing short of a criminal. Extorting money from customers with no basis for his extortion.

I DARE you M Linden, I double dare you to meet me in-world.

I find it very depressing that as running 2 permiums and only owning half a sim , I am "immaterial", I'm dumping a small amount of land to downgrade one of my premiums as we speak.
There were many other ways to handle this debarckle, without it getting to where it is................
But also, lets try not to get personally offensive.............

I've sat back and watched over the past week, seeing that interview just did it for me.

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/11/mark-kingdon-on.html

(That Premium subscriptions are immaterial in our overall business."


I have Been in here since 2004, always owned land on mainland, S/l forgets without the original Premium members of S/l Long term landholders of mainland they would have no Content let alone a decent business Platform to begin with, Many Creators still sell on the mainland, and they want to promote the mainland?? What a way of doing so, Geezer. All I can say is what next??? This little interview going to have many Premium Members thinking what is the point anymore. And likely dropping Premium accounts like crazy.

Tells you when you see how many lol posts on forums one has done in 4 years, lol 8, oh yea this has really has ticked me off, the attitude from Linden Labs, oh big time!!!

No comment other than that! Linden Labs, you greatly dissapoint your customers!

i am here reading all your comments and oh man i can see why everyone is upset, MR M needs to look at his comments and also i think LL need to really and i mean really start reading these comments because i can tell now there is alot of people i have spoken to in game who are really thinking of leaving SL AND LL for good i brought so many friends with me in past, to sl and yes i did leave for awhile but i did come and i found that linden labs are not really listening people again its a shame sl was once a great place tobe but i am stitting back and i am so unhappy that i brought my friends to sl i will thought linden labs knew what they was doing but i think its come down to the fact they see money signs in there face and they dont have the peoples thoughts in them anymore, remember LINDEN LABS its the people who pay for sl and who top up rl money on your SECOND LIFE as well shame on you alll please stand linden and take note of what you have done look at the way the open space prices are going up second life is ment to be fun and well linden labs have taken that all away its a shame a real shame the fun as gone



tiger

Nice to know our Premium accounts are immaterial to LL, well I will remember that when renewal comes up on the 15th of next month and save my $72 for the annual plan. As it seems that I don't need it anymore. What a shame LL got such a caring CEO at the helm. But at least we all know where we stand now!!!

PS: I will keep the main premium account as u end up paying me LL as it gets L$500 a week but we will drop the other ones as they become due.

Good to know that the income stream from premium fees does not matter to LL. This confirms my plan to downgrade myself and my alts to basic upon renewal time. So far I had kept premium membership because I felt that I didn't want to be a pure freeloader. However, as it is now clear that LL neither requires nor appreciates Premium members, there is no reason to keep it anymore. Thanks for clarifying that, Mr Kingdon.

LMAO.............M is CEO gives an interview and makes statements like this........

I have heard many things from businesses who commited suicide through bad policy decisions and dumb statements.........but M I think this statement of yours regarding premium accounts being immaterial is gonna go down in history as one big ARMEGEDON STATEMENT

I cannot imagine that M has a professional PR dept. who writes his speaches or prepares him for interviews.......because no PR professional would ever allow such statements to go out to the press

Having worked in advertising, for many years, for one of the worlds biggest advertising agencies I would say LL has created one mega image problem.........and I don't think the company I work for would even take on the challenge of trying to remarket and improve the image of LL..............would be like flogging the proverbial dead horse

There is no amount of damage limitation that can be done to erase this blunder.......WOW and I thought bringing in a top manager was gonna make things turn round in this virtual world I love so much...........how wrong one can be

All this reminds me of a great english TV series..........Only Fools and Horses........I think even Del Boy could run LL better....... and in the wise words of Del Boy.......YOU PLONKER !

A real case of the blind leading the blind .


Take care M..........see you on another virtual platform........rofl

I don't understand how premium accounts are irrelevant to Linden Labs? Aside from the obvious revenue stream (20,000 accounts generates at least $160,000 per annum), don't those account holders represent land owners (and I use this term very loosely as it is clearly misleading verging on deceit)? How can they be 'irrelevant' in their business plan? they must have something really shocking up their sleeves!

I set my account to downgrade when the annual premium is due again. I've already abandoned my two open space sims and will sell off my island before 1st January. I won;t spend a single cent in SL again. Then I am going to sit back and wait for Blue Mars http://www.avatar-reality.com to launch their beta test version.

Yet again we are talking to bricks!

Looking at the current market land companies are purchasing grandfathered sims.

Offering them at a tier rate of 350 or so a month. (nice profit)

Linden is already planning in the anticipated tier increase for grandfathered sims to 295 and the land companies reserve the right to up the tier to the renters. (excuse me...... buyers)

The market is already adjusting to the changes.

Clearly the only way to voice your displeasure is with your feet. Returning the sims to LL might make a nice tax writedown but gives Linden what they want. Unless there is a mass exodus their plan has worked.

I would love to have a grandfathered island full sim. But the clock is ticking on them and by the end of February we will have a price increase on them. They did not blink at cutting the educational discount.

The SL we know has been purchased and now is managed by venture capitol companies that need money.

Either we pay or we walk.

Sad