Can you hear us Mr. Linden?

I own three normal sims and three open sims. I ventured into the land business in second life with enthusiam and a business plan, based on the existing rules. I am currently losing money in this endeavor, but had plans to continue the expansion of our estate for at least another year, and then evaluate. I never dreamed that Linden Labs would change the rules mid stream. I must admit, it never occurred to me. I have been in business in rl all of my life. I was enthusiastic about my entry into business in sl. Now what am I to think?

I have customers in rl and sl. I would never dream of increasing their price by 66%. I would expect a few thiings to happen.

1. They would lose faith in my ability to deliver to them at a fair price.
2. I would damage my reputation with them.
3. I would lose their business, most certainly, or at least a large percentage of them.
4. I would feel like i was not busines ethical.

Do you really believe this is a fair thing to do? It makes no sense to me at all. SL is a craetive place. That is its strength. Do you really expect me to believe you didn't foresee the creative uses of open space sims?

If that is the case, thenwhy not? Wasn't this decision analyzed before putting into effect? And if you erred, is it right to have your response punish your customer? Isn't this a case where you have to take the hit yourself? And move on.

I have never had much respect for people who complain without adding possible solutions. I am not, nor do i pretend to be, an expert at your business. I am a customer. But it seems to me, you have other possible solutions. You could, and remain ethical, do the following:

1. Punish the abusers. Close down the sim, with warning, that are operating commercial endeavors, like clubs, on the open space sims.

2. Practice what you preach. Your own open sims are viloating you own rules.

3. Allow a certain amount of avatars per open sim, to reside.

4. Creat a second type of open sim.

5. Don't punish non-profits. This is terribly hurtful to your reputation.

6. Grandfather existing non-abusive open sims.

7. Make decisions that make us think you are respectful of those who are spending large amounts of money as compared to others. Aren't we good customers, sim owners? Why would you want to hurt those in commercial endeavors in this world? Isn't it essential, the lifeblood of second life?

I hope you are really reading these, and that you are aware of all the bad feelings that this has generated. And I hope you react. I would like to continue buying sims, creataing nice properties, and free public places. You have destroyed my business plan. PLease take heed.

Ozzie Drucker
World of Oz Estates

I did not hear the news from Jack Linden nor read his statements for LindenLabs. I was starting my pc, logged into SL and then a storm of IMs from all kind of groups let me feel a lag i never felt before.

What is taking place here is the arrival of a hurrican that will part users again and much deeper into people who spend money and people who can not spend money for a virtual creative programm.

I like beeing creative, i like doing kind of electronic prim based architectual art and in my times i used sl i found many people who liked second life for beeing a valueable platform for improving skills as artists, as scripters or any kind of pc-based jobs. Many come and came for talking, for communicating, for learning and for improving their skills.

Sure... Linden will raise openspace prices now, accept the dying of many creative islands, take them back from landowners like you when you will loose your renters and will they refund you for this? They will not. You can keep your land - make out of four openspaces one fullprim. Maybe people like skyscrapers or skyboxes more then islands? They will not. But what is going to happen is, that your fullprimprices will raise as well in the next months as not the construction "openspace" was the problem in general, the problem is the idea of getting cheap affordable space for creatives.

I saw the first openspace-sims die. I saw people getting in their second life the same panic as on the U.S. markets in real life. Why does this happen? Why does this have to happen? I am not in charge to find a answer for these questions. I feel sorry for all owners or renters that loose their place they build with lot of creativity and heart.

But... we will not loose it... we just have to give it up, cause there are not the financial resources to pay what is asked or what it is worth by analysts/managers/bankers/lindens. It is our problem that we think a company would not think about getting the maximum income only cause opening the door and looking inside with a basic account is free. It is our problem that we look for freebies and do not pay builders, artists and the scripters that amount they need to live in second life like they would live in real life and pay their fees. Do you get anything for free in real life? Nothing is free, even death costs life. Landowners will not give the land for the same tiers as now in future to the renters and neither will Lindenlabs stop raise their profits.

The only question is a market question: At what point will people not pay the price they are told to pay? 75$, 125$, 150$, 200$? People that like the product will pay until they can not pay the next rise or take a credit - or will be blown by the hurrican.


[KT]

It's like going to a store and buy a super modern wrist clock, see.


The clock however only works during the day, at night it stops, but in the morning it catches up with the time cause it has wireless.


After a month, the store sends us a paper saying that the clock doesn't work at night and so, to fix this we must pay extra 50$ to "improve" it to work correctly OR return the clock.


And this is your current model of business. You get the money, and then get your stuff back!
Because... ohh, maybe because there's no real competition, right?


A bunch of Thanks.

Make up your mind Jack,as the days go by, more and more people are getting very angry and discouraged with this OS business
Time is your enemy here,i absolutely love SL,i adore My OS island,before this i would never ever consider an alternative.
I registered at Openlife this morning,did'nt download a viewer yet,but while over there it seems a lot of people from SL have gone there.
Maybe it is'nt as good as SL,but it will get better
I hope a compromise of some kind is forthcoming soon,this whole thing is snowballing out of control and needs to be fixed now
Stop the bleeding now before the patient dies a very slow death

Recognize that Open Life may be currently at the development level Second Life was back in 2003/2004, but with the influx of experienced builders and scripters and animators from SL, I think OL will develop very quickly over the next year. SL four years ago did not have the talented residents that OL is getting today from this migration.