Employment Opportunities

I agree entirely with this point.

New Citizens Incorporated has two Show & Tells each week--but they are only for players 90 days and under. I know that Primworx has a weekly open Show & Tell event. I'm not sure if the Pond Show & Tell is still running.

Could it be that after exhaustive economic research, LL has concluded that the stipends have GOT to go, and are looking for a way to have us (business owners) pay the stipends out in their place? I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here, but I've thought long and hard, and can't really think of any place within any of my business entities where unskilled labor would come in useful. I'm definately at a loss for SKILLED labor though. I could use:

1. Vice President of Marketing
2. Chief Technical Officer

Frankly though, when I want unskilled labor for a mundane task, I write a script to handle that task. Mechanized labor is the way of the future. Human labor is on the way out the door, being exported at a rapid pace to third world nations where it's still affordable.

Instead of socially engineering people into jobs that they don't want, couldn't LL focus on a more robust scripting API, which would allow us to better automate the mundane? This way consumers and producers would both have more time and energy to focus on their respective roles within the virtual economy.

It is not the job of virtual business, in my opinion at least, to dole out free money. The stipends dole out quite enough already. Just my L$2.89.

Well, I guess we all have to speak for ourselves. I could really use some salespeople, unfortunately compensating them is frought with difficulties.

If LL were to see clear to pay out a commision on each resell, that sure would help..

i'm looking forward to the implementation of the group tools which, last I heard, offered much better infrastructural support for in-world businesses and thus should help this.

Once the problem of giving rights and roles to employees is better solved, then the big challenge for in-world businesses will be finding dependable staff, which of course is not a small task anywhere... real or virtual.

I do think that Enabran's post has a lot of validity. Details of your thoughts and intentions are useful -- don't worry about boring this audience. I guess my big question is whether the plans /ideas reinforce the concept of a platform or lean towards the concept of a game.

How do premium players get paid for free?

I knew I had heard this before somewhere..



"New Deal"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal#Other_initiatives

Perhaps we could start a grid wide war, that might help the economy. Maybe we could launch a sneak attack on World of Warcraft.

From: Pratyeka Muromachi

Vasudha: Are you the economic expert of LL? If so, maybe some reality check is in order for you.

Actually, yes, she is.

From the March 7 Metaverse Messenger:

From: someone

LL hires economic guru

by Gabe Lippmann

There have been many claims to the throne, but for my money only one person stands out as Second Life’s Economics Maven. She has the tools, resources and access to make her opinions count. Enter one of the newest Linden family members, Vasudha Linden.

Robin Linden introduced Vasudha via a forum announcement on Feb. 11. Vasudha is charged with doing analysis of the Second Life economy, including an investigation of transactions that encompasses calculating the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the economy, stipend policy analysis and establishing guidelines and direction for Second Life monetary policy. Vasudha Linden brings with her a wealth of experience working as an analyst with the City of San Jose, California, as well as over six years as a financial analyst and controller within the corporate world. A Master’s Degree in Applied Economics rounds out Vasudha’s skill set and places her on good footing to attack the unique challenges of understanding an emerging virtual economy.

Vasudha’s analysis is progressing well. The first draft of a “State of the SL Economy” report has been completed and passed around internally. Vasudha noted that there was economic activity amounting to $L1.3 billion in January and that, in her opinion, the Linden Dollar is doing very well despite its decline. Having completed her initial goal of crafting a State of the Economy report, Vasudha will incorporate Linden feedback and is preparing to make much, if not all, of the analysis available to the community at large. Additionally, Vasudha mentioned that there has been talk about her inclusion in future roundtable discussions to gather feedback directly from the community.

In regards to the GDP, a measure of the total value of goods and services produced by a nation in a given period, Vasudha notes that presently the only measure for GDP is done using consumption data. Linden Lab has contemplated gathering producer data to verify transaction amounts and recognizes the need to firm up the data overall for a truly robust analysis. Thus far, the analysis focuses on Nominal GDP, or GDP measured in the current year’s prices. Part of the next step in the process is to gather data on price levels and price changes and to incorporate a defined basket of goods to track inflation.

Vasudha notes, “In order to get a true picture of the economy, all transactions priced in $L have to be taken into account, for now. Later, we can make the distinction of domestic and foreign goods and services.” In regards to GDP per capita, Vasudha commented, “Per capita info is very useful. However, presently, we are still trying to discern who are the producers and consumers.” Additional in-depth analysis of labor productivity, GDP deflators (to measure domestically generated inflation), and economic sector analysis will be looked at when the appropriate data can be gathered. Vasudha highlights that this is information that producers have to volunteer and that she has started the process of collecting this information, “It is still a ways away, I think, before we get the data, decide on classification and all that good stuff.”

In regards to stipends, it is noted that stipends is the currently available tool for monetary policy with the SL economy and that Vasudha has looked into stipend behavior in some detail. Vasudha said, “It could be argued that an economy that didn’t exist before needs a push, a jumpstart, and so stipends need to be viewed as income for now.” In response to comments that LL is simply printing money, she says “I am reasonably certain [that stipends] are contributing to the decline of the L$,” but that she has looked at the numbers, “and they don’t look very alarming, primarily because we have a good growth rate of members and the economy. The L$ is doing not so badly at all considering the amount of cash injection that has taken place. And, I expect, over time with all the +ve [value engineering] changes that LL will initiate, the L$ can be expected to appreciate in value.”

Many, I’m sure, are wondering what all this economic technospeak actually means. The true takeaway from Vasudha Linden’s commentary is that LL is taking a proactive approach to the Second Life economy and is currently wrapping up the early stages of analysis. The true in-depth data mining has not begun in earnest and it will be incumbent on all of us, as participants in the economy, to provide actionable census data. The results of the economic analysis could result in changes to current economic policy and, as such, the scrutiny of the economy will be with appropriate detail and will not be completed hastily. Vasudha added, “I know once we have this info, I’ll be comfortable making some difficult recommendations. If these are implemented, you may see a dip in economic activity, or you may not, depending on the kind of members who’d be disadvantaged. I am sure there will be psychological barriers/cultural shift that need to be made once a change has been made. What I know is, given the level of transactions, the economy does not need stipends to sustain it.”

Vasudha will be checking in on the Land and Economy forum, so give her a shout out and let her know your thoughts and concerns about your virtual economy.

P2

It is fascinating to learn that the economy has reached a point where it no longer requires stipends to fuel it.

I have three employees. (My group, Phase 5, is for my partners and our creative folk who contract with us to sell their cool stuff, so they don't count as employees.)

Of these three employees one actually makes a fair bit of L$. The other two asked if they could just "do it when they felt like it" - I said yes, of course... not a lot of point in saying no. They don't feel like it very often.

At least 12 others have signed up and disappeared without pursuing the job. I'd contact them a few weeks later and be told that it was too much like work.

Well, it was too much like work. Because it bloody well is work. Understandably, they didn't care to get off real life work and come home to Second Life work.

For this subject I divide the SL population into three groups: The "content creators" including folks who run services and entertainment venues, the "has so much fun doing X that they can and do make money doing X and still have fun" paid by those in the first group, and the consumers - those who have no interest in working ir creating in SL and are attracted here by the wide variety of entertainment.

I bet you can guess which group I think is the largest and which the smallest.

So, I honestly do not believe that employment opportunities will handle any economic problems; nor do I believe that, even if they could, that most of the population would care to come to work.

That said, it would help me if there were better, broader and finer grained group controls (Abbott's and Caldbeck could use folks able to do object litter control and greifer control without being able to sell off the land, doncha know) and an improved permissions system (as has already been suggested earlier in this thread) would go far in my being able to hire and manage employees.

And if this is about wiping stipends from free accounts... well... I'd rather see more "education" (as it were) of new users about using LindeX and how they're supporting "little-guy" business spending in SL. Though... you know, I see stipends as part of this economy too. It's the little boost that lets this all stay play for those who do not care to work in SL.

A few thoughts on abolishing stipends.
First would be if the stipend was eliminated for Premium members, then I think LL would have to substantially lower the monthly fee for Premium. After all $9.95 USD is a lot to pay for the priviledge of being able to own 512m of land. Specially when that land isn't all that neccessary, and that $9.95 would be better spent buying $L to buy things, pay for uploads, etc.

Secondly, eliminating the basic stipend, I believe will just see an increase in all those things people are already complaining that SL has too much of. Namely camp chairs/dance pads, gambling, and escorts.

It can be hard enough for the casual player, or the new resident to get a footing in SL, eliminating stipends will only further disenfranchise these people.
A lot of people come to SL to relax and socialise after work. They don't want a 2nd job, or in the case of the many that have children, a 3rd job. A lot just don't have the hours freetime to dedicate to making a business, or the time to learn the neccessary skills.

Lastly, if stipends are to be eliminated, and methods of earning an income are to be introduced, then it is plain that all those that Volunteer their services to LL to help out in positions such as Live Help, Greeter, Mentor, should be paid for those services. After all if players aren't going to get anything for nothing, i.e. stipends, then why should LL get their services for nothing.

So, in having "rich employers" hiring low-wage unskilled labor, we would in the long term increase the consumer base so more people would spend their hard earned $L buying the stuff the "rich employers" make....

sounds like the "Ford" strategy of giving higher wages to his workforce so they could afford buying his automobiles...

What's next? Credit card for these low-wages emloyees so they can spend more than they can afford?

This world is looking more and more like RL.

How depressing.

$9.95 is actually a great value for land ownership up to 512m2. I've never understood why the stipend wasn't an extra value-add service personally.

512m2 for 9.95 isn't worth it. Make its an equivalent amount as the teir at 9.95 (1536m2?) and then its a good deal. Or maybe the 4096m2 some members get free..

edit: I've never, to be honest, understood why we have free tier on a premium account.. to me premium was about the stipend and -ability- to own land..not free tier coverage.

Err, no, it's not. At all. Fairland offers 512 sqm land for 1/4 of that.

There should be no monthly fee, you merely pay for the land that you own.

If there was an actual incentive apart from the ability to own land on having a premium account, many more people would probably upgrade. As it stands, it's perfectly doable to have a free account, rent some land at a mall or from a land baron, and LL make diddly squat out of you.

Whilst we're at it, remove the ability to 'cash out' from basic accounts, but allow them to buy L$. That shouldn't be hard to implement.

Lewis

Special Linden Liasons should offer residents money for pixel slapping.
Thereby ensuring money is available for any resident with the ability to sit on a poseball.

How about "group inventory"? Stuff deeded to the group could go in there, and group officers could make other changes (change the next-owner permissions on them, for example). Group *members* couldn't change the permissions but they could rez them, wear them, attach them, and so on. Including transferring them if they had transfer permission before going into the group inventory.

That would be so useful for all kinds of things other than sales or customer service jobs, too.

Nice thought and I wish it were true, but LL needs to be able to pay for the maintenance on the hardware that your land is on. Not to mention the "please move this thing off my land". Land has its own maintenance.

I think of this in the same mind as most states' property taxes. Because you are wealthy enough to own a home, you get to pay property taxes, some of which goes to the infrastructure, but otherwise does very little to increase your property value. A large portion goes to the school disctrict where all the children in your neighborhood go. You don't have any children? It still goes there. Because you are sufficiently well-to-do to be able to afford to help others.

Yes, we land owners are now helping to subsidize all those free account holders. We are paying for the programmers and Linden helpers and the human resources guy, etc. The inital cost of the land probably (I'm guessing here) pays the incremental cost for the hardware and associated software. But there is a whole lot more to Second Life than the server.

It'd be great if the OP would respond to a few of the concerns raised in this thread.

I do not come to SL to work. I get enough of that in RL. I come here to have fun and relax. If it gets to the point where I have to have a job to do anything in SL, I will be leaving. There are plenty of other entertainment options, other than SL

There are plenty of jobs for unskilled laborers. The problem is that they don't pay well and no one wants to do them. Kind of like the real world huh?

Vasudha I'm really very disappointed you don't know this already. It shows me that you, looking down on the whole of the SL society from your vantage point in the Lofty Linden Labs, is not getting the whole picture or you never would have made this post.

Talk to any club or venue owner and the first thing they'll tell you is that they have a hard time holding onto unskilled hosts. These jobs pay 100-300 L for about 2 hours of work. Now go to Pixel Dolls, or Nomine, or Nevermore, or MIS, or Trouble or ETD, any of the other of the other clothing/skin shops. Hair starts at around 250. That's an entire evening's work and doesn't leave money for anything else. Want shoes? Another 250. That's another evening's work. Want clothes to go with those shoes and hair? That's another 200 and another evening's work. Lets say you work five days a week, 8 hours a day. Do you want to rush home to your virtual job so you can afford to pay for your virtual hair, shoes and clothing?

Now that's unskilled labor. Lets move a step up from that. Lets say you want an event host that brings his or her own event -- someone that runs a trivia quiz has to research the trivia questions. Someone that wants to run a storytelling session has to write a story. DJs often have to have their own streams AND their own music. They make marginally more -- 350 to 700 or so a night. Some of the better DJs make a grand. But still, that's not a lot. A grand is 1/4 the cost of one of Starley's skins (or Exotica or SS labs or a whole bunch of other people who sell them that expensively). And we aren't talking about unskilled labor now are we?

Now we get into the highly skilled. Event planners, Marketing, builders, scripters etc. And let me make it clear I'm talking about JOBS here. Not people who create stuff and sell it but more people who sell their services. These jobs are the more highly paid and usually start at around a grand and go up from there. I fall into this category and I STILL buy Lindens every once in a while to support my healthy shopping addiction. (I mean that the addiction is healthy in and of itself, not that it is necessarily healthy for me to have the addiction in the first place).

Then the are the creators who own shops and they have the potential to make a boatload of cash IF they are good enough. It often takes a while to be good enough.

The problem is, that unless you fall into one of the last three categories, working is pretty much going to suck for you and there's no way to make it better. And even so, some of the creators don't make much at all. I know the Scripters are all up in arms these days because they feel unloved and unappreciated and no one pays them what they are worth.

I run a newbie class and I tell people to work cause they have fun working and not becuase they want to make money. If you want to make money in SL, then get Photoshop or Gimp and learn to use it or become a land baron. However I always point out to them that I always have jobs available for event hosts and to see me if they want to work. So far everyone who has expressed interest, been interviewed, and has had both a salary and event agreed upon (and there are many) has failed to actually show up for work.

I cannot believe you do not know this. For you to have posted this line of questioning reveals an ignorance of the economic structure that I did not think was possible given who you are and what you were hired to do. I'm sorry I don't mean to be insulting but I'm just floored. Even if its possible that you could make jobs that were *fun* there's no way you could pay people enough to be able to afford much of even the most basic stuff (like clothing). After a while, you'll loose your unskilled labor to hanging out with friends or cybersex or even building and creating -- because, like working in McDonalds, the job is never going to be good enough or pay enough to make it worthwhile to stick around when its up against friendship, creativity and cybering.

If you want to see how things really are, cast off your Linden tag, make an alt that has no money except what you migth be willing to purchase from LindenX or some other exchange, use only your own personal funds to use these services and play this character ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR DAY AT THE OFFICE. Be like the rest of us. See what its like to come home and log on to the *game* (sic) only to have be at work again and make a pittance for what you do. Be sure to take a job as an unskilled worker. IMHO the ones that will pay the highest are the dancers and escorts but you have to be willing to cyber for the latter and have animations for the former.

Ahh so you want to recreate the pizza making job from TSO, but more fun... more jazzy. Is this because you guys really are listening to the kooks who say to end the stripend?

Certainly if you could somehow promote in-world 'jobs' for people to do, however stupid and lame, it would be a small justification for ending the stripend.

"Oh look! See? It's ok we ended the stripend, we now have dumbass 'jobs' for you to do when you get home from doing your rl job all day. And there's no reason why you should quit your premium accounts because .. uhhh .. premium accounts .. umm ... will get a higher WAGE per hour .. yeah that's it"


Am I warm Vasudha?

So how far do you intend to drop the stripend for SL's bum welfare class who still pay a premium membership?