Cash flow positive - the inflection point?

Quick poll:

Are you holding back significant investment time and capital until SL becomes cash flow positive?

Hardly. The stuff I write just happens to be very mobile to any language of choice. Math is math. 3D concepts are 3D concepts. Art is art.

... though I will work on a way to store stuff offline, some day. For now, I'm not fearful for the state of Second Life.

Unlike the traditional MMOG lifecycle, Second Life is the gift that keeps on giving - because we make the content. That is, to me, the essence of stability over time. Users have kept many titles running long after their "commercial" life was over. I feel the same rule applies here.

Well, I'm asking more from the perspective of someone interested in ROI than someone who is an early adopter who likes the bleeding edge.

Which perspective are you responding too?

*cough biased poll cough*

I would say this depends on what you want out of it. A cash flow is not my concern, but if LL publicly traded stock tomorrow, I would buy it.

What I get out of it is another form of capital - skills and experience. This, to me, is my return on the investment of my time.

How is it biased?

If you are familar with the nature of investment, you will know that greater risk = greater reward.

Sitting by like a wallflower when people are chosing dance partners gets you matched up with the freaks.

I'm not investing much more than time until I can form legal contracts enforcable in game with people other than those I actually know in RL.

Even though I know that early investors have the potential to win big, I don't have that kind of risk taking attitude.

What happened to playing games for fun

This is a game? gasp!!!!

Where did did you get information about SL's cash flow ? Is there information available on LL's finance somewhere ?

I'd really be happy and curious to see it, I find SL so fascinating.

No, it's not their cash flow that is a factor, it's my cash flow

It's biased because your questions make the assumption that SL has an uncertain future and that any investment now is a risk. If you added answers like...

[ ] Not holding back because SL looks like it will be around a long time
[ ] Yes, holding back but for other reasons
[ ] I don't invest in SL
[ ] I spend money in SL regardless of its future

...then this poll may have been useful.

I voted other. To me, and the way I invest in SL - LL's cash flow is irrelevant.

Hasnt it allready been around about 1/5 as long as the internet?

LOL - long time is extremely relative when your talking Computer Technologies.

It seems popular, theres new people all the time, I meet a lot of people who, Like me, are only a couple months old here.

Id like to propose the Last name Little -

so Blaze can have a *Chicken Little* alt - much more useful for all these "the sky is falling" posts.

I think SL is actually improving, socio-economically in a lot of ways.

1. Many of the big old developers are losing steam and bailing out.
This is not a bad thing or a warning sign. It is part of a healthy economy. Law of diminishing returns, it's a sign of healthy competition driving the profit margins down.

2. Inflation is slowing down finally.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, can destroy a society as thoroughly as currency devaluation. It's insidious and subtle, but it touches everything.

3. The rental market is becoming more widespread.
This is part of a larger trend toward economic diversification, which is also good.

As I can tell, SL made an economic transition from wacky techno-socialism to land fascism, and then weimar-style decadence... now it seems to be finally hitting it's stride.