Second Life Business name Registry

Hi Lo,
I am definitely planning on a web page... all information will be public.
The fee is really minimal compared to the amount of work I will be doing here.
The registry is really very simple, a place for business names to be claimed by one owner.
When new people come into SL they can see plainly what names are taken.
I’m not here to enforce anything in anyway; although the registry will be an ideal point of reference.
I may require proof of some kind should a double name arise... that’s just common sense.
My job will be to keep the registry up to date. I plan on doing this by checking routinely on the businesses and making sure they are still around.
I am open to any suggestions that would make this run better.
Again let me clarify this is strictly voluntary.
I truly see this as a service needed in SL.
Regards
Jill

Do you have any idea how long it is going to take me to change all my products in all my vendors? And I would have gotten away with it if not for those meddling kids

I agree that some sort of registry could be useful but I do think you need to put much more thought into the nature of the service. Things that come to mind are:

1. will you poll the registrants for location(s)
   
2. if so, will you keep it updated, how often?
   
3. if you do keep the list current, L$300 is probably way too low to sustain
   

Here's an idea that I think would have some real value if you choose to pursue it; I haven't the time or inclination. Something like a Zagats guide to restaurants. The Find->Places menu could work if merchants remembered to keep their entries current, but they don't. Similarly, there are many RL restaurants that had a brochureware website set up three years ago which Google will find but the hours may be wrong and the phone number may have changed, or the place may have shut down, etc.

Zagats is useful because it gives you at least a yearly update on the restaurants and hours, price levels, specialties and an editorial description of the restaurant. A service like that could be incredibly useful.

If you decide to do this, I strongly recommend that you read Wikipedia's editorial policy on Neutral Point of View as it has some very cogent information about how to write about a subject without falling back on "Sue Foo sells prim hair, but most of it is crappy" which benefits no one. You might also look into how Zagats (or similar publications) generate their revenue; I don't know if merchants pay to be reviewed or if consumers carry all the costs.

Good luck, you have a nice kernel of an idea but it does need more. You should also be careful about claiming that you have some power as the US Patent and Trademark Office does, because you don't and the Linden's likely won't give you such.

Oh, and things change daily in SL, you need to take that into account.

I think this is a wonderful idea... It's very hard to come up with a name... so many of us chose simple ones that there coulsn't possibly be another of. We search the find all (only shows those who pay to have it listed) and the forums (alot don't advetise here) and yet still can come across duplicates...


When I chose my business name... I had NO CLUE what to use.. so as my name was Alysa...and there's weren't many other Alysa's at that point, none of who'm had my business name in their profiles, I chose Designs by Alysa...

Simple right? LOL Imagine my surprise when a few weeks ago (6 months after I chose my name) I ran across a Dezigns by Alyssa owned by an avi months older then me... Had I known that, I would have chose another.


I support this 100%... (now where's my proof...heheeh good thing I keep SL emails in yahoo )

The Shelter opened August 20, 2004 in the Fudo sim - about 2 months before Linden brought the Simulator with the name "Shelter" online.

If I register, does this mean you can get Linden to rename "Shelter"?


(kidding!)

Thrust-O-Matic...

I don't think anyone else is stupid enough to use that name.

Everything else falls under the umbrella of :

Siggy's Stupid Shit...

But I am thinking of changing that to :

Evil Genius's For A Better Tommorrow..

Mainly because I just love the way it totally fails to trip off the tongue.

Siggy

I <3 Nukes!

Sorry to be negative again, but how can it be useful unless EVERY business signs up? I mean unless they do, you can't rely on that information to check if there is another business with the same name you have in mind.

I think it's a great idea, I just think its impractical. I can only see something like this working if it was a requirement by LL to list your business, ensuring the reader has 100% confidence in the information before them.

$300L?

Sounds like a way to make a quick buck to me. There are many companies that offer to include your business on some such site, for a small fee... Pfft. They make a fortune collecting a little fee off every business.

If there is to be a business registry, it should be $0L, and it should be created by a union of business leaders who wish to see one created. The (tiny) costs of updating a webpage or populating a database to keep it going should be free from the donation of time to the project, or covered by free will donations.

Tomorrow I start my business registry. Just $250L per business, and you even get your business name and a few stats on a web page.

I don't think the cost is the issue, 300L isn't much to pay someone who is willing to make the effort to get it up and running. The issue is more about practicalities.

From what I got from her post, it sounds like this would be a voluntary tool so that people don't inadvertantly choose a taken name.

I don't think enforcement ever entered the equation.

I don't think one man's solution will be practical. It'll be more like a private advertising guide. The only way the idea will become huge is if there is a free service which is created by a large number of representatives of key business in SL. That way nobody will profit from said service, and there will be no rivals to it, as it will be owned by most of the key players anyway.

Without the ability to stop a business naming themselves something already in the registry the service would have it's wings clipped from the start, but it could be an information repository on business. But as I say, if one man starts up a service which costs money, and he gets rich off the back of others on his own, people are going to come up with competitor after competitor, and it'll get silly. We need just one, free service that most big business owners are involved in or have a say over. An owned, closed solution is just another advertise your business for a fee site.

I never even mentioned enforcement. I am pointing out the fact you cannot be confident a business name doesnt exist by referring to this register. To use it in the way suggested, you need to know that all businesses are listed.

That just makes the idea even worse. If there was one free service lots of businesses were behind, the chances of a business being in there would be greater, but the only way to get 100% is to have something like companies house in the UK, which works cause the crown says you register, or you are not a business.

Good idea... I'll register Slootsville, SLBoutique, GOM, SL:Exchange, Aqua, Aces High Head Shop, Phobos, Neualtinburg, Darklife, Awakening Avatars, Midnight City and of course Graceland... OKTHKSBUHBYE

Billy, I guess you nabbed Midnight City fair and square, but if you look at my earlier post, I already registered Neualtenburg.

I want to register my business, AnsheChung.com. Thankyou!

*sticks tongue out at U* PPPPPPFFFFTTTHHHHHPPPPFFFFFFTTTTTHHH

Fine then... I will trademark the following AV names:
Billy Grace
Aimee Weber
Liona Cloi
Madame Maracus
Willow Zander
Merwin Marker
Hiro Pendragon
Lo Lacobs
Arbel Vogel
Nolan Nash
Wuvme Karuna
Trinity Serpentine
Paopo Portocarrero
Schwanson Schlegel
Surreal Farber
Ferran Brodsky
Pandastrong Fairplay
Misa Stravisky
Dakota Callahan
Koolhand Koolhas
Jeska Linden
Philip Linden
Heck… the last name Linden
And any name that starts with a U

Oh… toss in FIC for good measure… hehe

Contact me for extortion amounts… errr… copyright buyout costs if you are interested in using any of these names in any fashion.

I hereby lay claim to the SL beverage 'flaming Schwanson.'

Anyone caught drinking and farting flames will be subject to a severe finger wagging and eyebrow lifting.


- Newfie

DAMN YOU!

-Aimee Weber*

*(Aimee Weber is a registered trademark of Billy Grace. No infringement is intended.)

For the reasons previously stated in this thread, I don't think this idea is really practical.

However, I think maybe a sort of BBB is a great idea. Something web based, with a database of all known Second Life businesses, past and present. People should be able to review the businesses, and have the reviews linked to their SL avatar.

I like this idea. I have some excessive web space I could donate to such an endevour if there is an interest.