Clarification on InfoHubs, freebies, advertisements, Waterhead Welcome, WA, etc. etc.

Hello,
sorry for the length of this post ... *takes deep breath*

I am sure this info is out there and I know the situation is "in flux" but I want some answers on the above issues and I would like someone ( A Linden hopefully) to simply lay it all out in one clarifying statement. I am one of those OCD types that finds this kind of confusion to be almost painfull and I have been dealing with it for over a month now and emailing people and posting on it etc. Please, please, Torley, Libby or someone post something to clarify this situation.

My problem is that I am making freebies to distribute in the InfoHub "freebie program," which seems to have dissapeared, yet I have seen no announcement to that effect. I contributed the freebie in the format requested, on the day of the month requested and IM'ed Libby who is in charge of the program.

Now the month is over already and nothing happened.

Obviously the InfoHub program is "in flux" and I posted questions about it here once and got a reply to that effect ("It's in flux". Now things have settled a bit, but still no word on the freebie program or any kind of advertising at the hubs, or what the plan/rules are now.

So what's the deal with the freebie program or free content at InfoHubs?

Last night I finally had some free time for mentoring, so I went to Waterhead Welcome and there is

(1) A wall of Linden "free content" that is poorly maintained at best and mostly empty. (2) A fancy advertising thingie (linden owned and maintained) that lets *some* SL buisnesses advertise their wares to the newbies in gigantic splashy fashion.

These are not freebies at all, yet these particular sellers have all the access to the newbies in terms of advertising their stores that the "freebie" program was supposed to give. So here I am following the rules and being altruistic and my stuff is not *anywhere*, yet these folks get free advertising of the best kind. I didn't make the freebie stuff *just* for advertising, but that's supposed to be one of the fringe benefits. This way all these folks that are not necesarily contributing anything are ahead of the free content creators?

I don't get it.

Then I finally get to Help Island, and there is tons of free stuff around, but it's not really clear if this is the kind of free stuff that should or shouldn't have advertising (in the form of landmarks or brand names on it). Some of the stuff is just freebie clothes in boxes, other stuff has branding and location markers in it.

Worse, there are lots of things laying around that people have just put there that are not free at all. For instance there is a giant copy of a popular mind/numbers game that is free to use at HI, but "for sale" in the real world.

I have friends who make a competing product, why is that thing there, if it's not free and my friends product is not there? This is like a gigantic advantage to the seller, in a protected area. Shouldn't *all* content at Help Island be free only?

I don't understand the rules there.

What I really don't get is:

- Why if the Linden free content is in such a poor state, the user created freebies can't be integrated into it as a way of promoting free content in general?

- Why are the Lindens supporting and advertising board for paid content at Waterhead Welcome if they cant get the free content together? (is there that little free content?)

- Why is non-free content included at HelpIsland when it's bound to put individual sellers at a disadvantage and put a lot of noses out of joint when people find out about it? I mean I understand the intent there and that it's not nefarious or anythign, but do you think that's really a good idea?

- Is there really an overall strategy here at all?

Some clarification on infohubs in general would be nice.

I owned about 50% of the available land frontage onto the drinker hub... I use the past tense, "owned", because I was somewhat surprised to log in last week and discover that the drinker hub had disappeared (along with, it seems, every other infohub on the northern continent save one).

I know a shortlist of hubs that had been earmarked for redundancy was posted in a sticky thread a couple of weeks ago (some of which were subsequently "adopted" by residents when the auction plan went down in flames).... but I can't remember the drinker hub being listed amongst them (I would've taken a much more pro-active interest if it was!)

An overall strategy? are you kidding? how long have you been here?

Your points are spot on, but not unusual or surprising. I don't mean to belittle your confusion or your concern; but the answer to your question is no. There is not been any confusion on that fact for months, is it years now? Wow how time flies.

I've more or less finished the redevelopment of the Warmouth infohub, and left a space for any "Linden Content" that will be provided eventually, for now it's just a pleasant place to visit with a stage area for events if necessary.

But yes, it would be nice to know that the work was not all in vain.

Lewis

The issue with private businesses getting "incidental" promotion by having their products accessible to newbies, even if it's done just for the benefit of those newbies, is really old.. I don't think there's a policy on it and it'd be tricky to come up with one. I mean, I had to go way back into the archives to find the time when (that banned guy) was complaining about somebody giving newbies plane rides, on the grounds that it was promoting their plane business, even if that person's actual reasoning was "new folks like plane rides and think they're fun".

In the same situation I've used my BijoCam system to take pictures of submissions at newbie Show and Tell events; the same thing could be used to offer attractive viewpoints for the event for all the attendees without them having to fiddle with alt-look, but I don't actually use it for that, because I don't want to risk being seen as using my volunteer position to push my product to newbies.

Wow.

I know a couple of people who set home to Drinker because it was relatively quiet and out of the way. I guess I'll be picking up some more squatters.

I understand all that stuff and don't have a big problem with it in general. I was just surprised to find the Lindens promoting private businesses at Waterhead with a giant advertising screen.

I am sure someone will reply with some obscure post somewhere where they said they were going to do it, but I don't remember hearing about it, (maybe I am having another senior moment ).

My frustration comes from the fact that I am acting in the way the Lindens always say they want you to act (altruistically, making things for the community, within the rules, politely, working with the system etc.), yet I am getting nothing, not even a response. Whereas other people who just happened to know about that advertising board are getting quality advertising apparently for free.

I don't want to name names or cause a big fuss but there are three Lindens in charge of various aspects of this program and I have tried communicating to all three and posted in the forum as well and... nothing.

My suggestion is to take some of that 11 million, pay it to ME and call me "Freebie Linden." I could get the program up and running in a week and do all the necessary building and scripting as well.

Actually those advertisers have been at SL telehubs for years now. They're a free, automated service that anyone can use, so I don't think any particular businesses have been chosen by LL for promo.

To place your own ad, all you need is a full-permission image and notecard. Click the sign next to the ad panel that says "click here", then hold the CTRL key and drag your image, then notecard onto the sign. A moment later, your ad appears in the advertiser.

The advertisers are a great way for businesses to find residents and for residents to find businesses. I've used them since they first appeared!