a serious post not another insain flame

Ok ppl I want to try to find a real solution to some major issues in Sl. Some revolve around the abuse of the free accounts, YES I said abuse of not the use of. I can understand the view of LL for offering the free accounts it permotes population growth. Helps shore up the economy and get more ppl buying goods. But one issue I have is when someone comes inworld under a free account and rent a shop and starts selling stuff. I know it's fair and all under the current setup; But that does not make it right.

One needs to think ofit this way, say you are some small guy wanting a peanut stand, selling roasted nuts on the corner of any town, can you? No you need a permit of some kind, and have to do other things that equate to business expenses.

As a free account short of having a rental spot you can have a shop for almost $0.00 expense. Yet you are still able like all the others who are investing into Sl with land and teir fees for their shops and stores to make a profit and turn that into hard cash. And I'm sure some are through fast talking able to even aquire some free space from a friend.

I would like to see some system in place much like the restriction of owning land applied to the free accounts. To not permit them to set up business of any kind. You want a store or a club get a premium account invest in Sl show you have the guts to take a risk.

Here's an example of why I'm saying this stuff and no it's not sour grapes and no I'm not bashing any.. ANY one with a free account. I'd say about 2/3's of my friends list are free accounts. But myself and my wife own a sim invested in it about 6 months after we bought our first land. For the shere ability to build our products and not be so concerned about the prim counts (Our Choice) So we have the sim and the teir, we build a mall and rent out stores. We even advertize the mall and feature different vendors as we can to help permote their products. Why, well if they do well they will stay and we have a secure base income from the mall. Gee sounds like "WE" are trying to do a proper business model.

Now as to our work my wife will spend upwards of 8 hours working on an outfits design not counting the research she does prior or the trips we both take to capture our own textures on our digital cameras. recently I spent 3 days now 12-16 Hr a day in Sl building some bdsm themed furinture. So my point is we invest time and money into SL and we fully expect that at some point it is going to come back to us. But as long as there are free accounts out there operationg shops and not having the overhead that they should have at least the expense of a premium account. They will be able to undermine the retail economy of Sl. And that I do not agree with.

I would suggest there be a way that when you want to start a business you must regester the name with the SL Data Base. And only be able to do so if you are a premium account holder. Ya I know there are possible ways around it but I'm sure there would be some realistic way to solve that much like the limit on the number of groups you can have. After all I can see someone having 1,2 ok at max 4 seperate companies, buy beyond that it would get very unrealistic for one person to manage more. So limit the number of active regestered shops per premium user. With the ability to un list inactive ones but that would then free that name to be used by someone else. Make the regesteration something like 500 lindens more than a group yes but hey you are going to be making money right?? But have that money go to a fund, say an Sl for Rl releif fund to be donated to greif stricken areas of the world.

Now I know some ppl are probly going to want to flame me, for some of my comments but why? Have I attacked anyone no, lied no, should anything I have said here inflamed anyone well I'm sorry or is it that you are a free account taking advantage of the situation?

So please lets hear your thoughts, and views. but Rude remarks and flames will not be addressed.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with someone who is on a free account trying to do business. I can't understand the idea of wanting to put that kind of restriction on someone just because they are on a free account. That is a rather extreme form of discrimination.

P2

Not only are there ways around it, but there's no way to enforce it. Unless you want to stop anyone not "approved" from exchanging money.

interesting point, but I do not really see your view.

My stand is really a simple one. as a free account they have no investment, no risk. Chances are honestly if I had thought for a second that I could have a free account and they were not available when we joined up. I may have concidered trying it myself, but I know me and I would not be the type to take such advantage of the system as that. All I'm saying is if someone wants to come inworld to make money they should at least have a premium account at the very least. hell if they want to build in a sand box or on a friends land that's fine. we allow some close friends to build on our land but they also have premium accounts they just do not want the teir that comes with the prims needed for their stuff. and they respect us and even from time to time toss us something towards the rental of our prim limit. it's honest, fair and all win.

And if you do that, you might as well do away with free accounts altogether. The point of them was to help the economy, not sit there and wish they had a premium account.

Free accounts should not be kept from selling their creations, it would do more harm than good.

Okay, since your not "sour grapes" as you put it, I am just wondering what it is that is "not offending" you. The fact that they are making a higher profit margin, by selling products that people want with less overhead? In the RW people rent places and open up businesses that make more money thantheir landlord.

I am on a free account -

In the last year, I have somewhere approaching 1000 customers.

I am evil

Before I get started, I am a preimum account member.

Enforcing this would probably shut down most of the rental businesses at malls and market places.

Money is not the only form of investment, what about time, talents and skills? At minimum wage, putting 40+ hours on a build or outfit would be ~ the same amount a person would pay for the monthly tier for a SIM.

you evil as a person probly not but if you are doing well then why not show your support for Sl and buy a premium account. if you are doing well then the money you make in SL will pay for your premium account and wow you are back to a no expences aspect. But the differance is you worked for it and earned it. and I'm not saying you did not earn all those customers For that kind of a base you must be doing good work so bravo for you. And I mean it good work. But can you not now afford to have those profits actually cover the expence of a premium account?

well I guess I just don't get it. I'm a play by the rules sorta guy. I expect ppl to talk as straight to me as I do to them. I can't fathom greifers or other things. At 47 I sometimes think I was raised in a hidden remote part of the world lol.

Ok answer this then. What would happen if everyone went to a free account and all the current shop owners would simply pay for the textures they uploaded. Yet cashed out their profits. What would happen to Sl? it would not be here for long would it. that is bascilly at the root of my statments really. My wording may not have been the best granted.

but what about some who stay on free account in hopes to maybe have a sim of there own 1 day.. some people think 10$ a month isnt alot and im sure at one time it was chump change but now people can spend 10$ every other day just to put gas in there car.

maybe there is some that want to save that 10$ to put towards the 1250 (i think) to get a sim or towards the 200$ a month they gonna pay in tier fees to keep it

Best RL analogy:

A small business owner, who own his own store is mad because the neighbour who rent, or run an online business is making more money then him...

Well, obviously we do want to encourage people to upgrade to premium accounts whenever possible, but some people really can't afford an extra $10 a month (I know, they're already paying for broadband if they're able to play SL, but that's a whole different argument).

I just don't think that anyone should be discriminated against. "Oh, you don't pay anything, so you don't get to benefit." Obviously, if one's business does well and grows, you would hope that they woiuld see the benefit of upgrading, but what you are suggesting creates a caste system that tells them, "You're no good if you're not a premium account." Not the kind of experience I would like anyone in SL to have.

P2

Just because someone is not on a premium account doesn't mean they don't support SL. Shop keepers pay rent. Rent is converted into dollars and pays the landlord's tier. So they are contributing to LL's bottom line, albeit indirectly.

I say bravo, Collette! Thank you for NOT buying a premium account and paying LL to print more money for a premium stipend. By staying on a basic account you make everyones lindens worth more in the long run. Thanks!

well .. I pay thousands in rent a month - so someone makes money off me. That money goes towards other people who pay teir to pay LL, does it not?

I also sell money on LindenX .. people do want to buy Lindens after all.

And of course I shop - the money I use to buy items (a fair amount actually , bad , bad me) goes towards designers paying for their tier and what not.

You do realize that almost all of the content in SL is player made? And 100% of the items for sale are made by players? If helping to build a world is not contributing, I dont' know what is. Free account or Premium, anyone creating content is benefiting LL. They keep the economy moving, and provide *content*.



The problem with that is people who go to a free account from premium will not be able to hold on to their land. So yes, if everyone gave up their land, SL would be in dire straits. But that's not going to happen. People are land owners because that is something they want. ANd for many, it's a way to make money.

However, taking myself as an example, I don't want to own land. Right now there's no reason to. So I'm staying with a free account. What am I doing to benefit SL and LL? I creating, pouring hours upon hours of my time and effort to make content for them.

Also, I've purchased a lot of L$. Now that money doens't go *directly* to LL, but it more than likely is used to pay someone's tier which DOES go to LL. For the two and half months that I've atually been playing, I've paid out over $100. If I was on a premier account getting $500/wk I more than likely wouldn't have purchased near as much L$. Having a minimal income, I need to purchase L$ if I want anything elaborate. I usually purchase in blocks of $20 which gets me much more L$ than I need for any single item I may want (even building a new AV). So I end up spending the rest of the L$. If I was making $500/wk, I could just wait a week or two and get whatever I want.

The reality is, if I was a premium account, I'd probabaly would have spent $40 on SL, but instead have spent over $100.

Free is a "Four Letter Word" on the internet.

My plans? I want to sell enough to be able to afford land for my own store. I won't be able to do that as a basic account holder though, so eventually I will go Premium. I'm not looking for a handout, or to get something for nothing. Anything worth having is worth paying for, in one form or another. I have MORE than contributed back to LL what I have recieved from SL and will continue to do moreso.

Preventing free accounts from joining into the economy and making a 'living' would be very detrimental. To re-word your own question, What would happen to SL if everyone quit because they felt there was no place for them?

interesting points, and most I can see and agree with. especially seeing you intend to have your own store and through that will be comming a primum account. I guess the whole issue of free account verses paid accounts can't help but get backs up. I know when they released the free accounts it caused an uproar, I was most likly one of the voices saying wtf? mainly because we were willing to pay for the SL experanice. *shruggs* guess I must be worng thinking that someone wanting stuff for free with no social comitment. After all I don't think I once mentioned ppl planning for and saving for their primum accounts. I simply mantioned about the ones that have no intention what so ever of getting one. They simply want to float around have the account amass money and cash out. They are the ones that need to be educated about the benifites of being prt of the greater whole.

Hummmm I'm rambling now spinning my wheels guess I'll stick it in park and wait for a tow truck

Not a flame, but could you hit the Enter key ? Your paragraphs are hard to read.

I'm on a free account, but I pay for half a sim. It didn't make sense for my partner and I to both maintain premium accounts since you can't apply tier to islands.

I also own half of a successful business. Since I don't rent, I'm not contributing to the economy other than what I pay for advertising.

I pay $100 a month to LL and a few hundred $L is burned up by sinks each month.

Where do I fit into your matrix?