The benefits of stipends being phased out.

There is alot of fear over the new announcement that $L will be sold by Linden Labs. Everyone should remember that this is nothing new. Linden Labs has been selling stipends for a very long time, and stipends are no different than $L being sold by Linden Labs on the Lindex exchange. Both cases have brand new $L being created with Linden Labs making a profit. Lower stipends will make less revenue for Linden Labs on the premium accounts, but the revenue lost on accounts can be compensated for on the Lindex.

Residents will be the main ones to benefit from Linden Labs selling $L in this fashion as stipends become phased out. The first people to benefit will be those relying on their stipend. These people will now be able to get exactly the amount of $L they want at exactly the time they want. No longer will they have to front a huge US$72 bill that forces them to wait a year to get their $L. They can now spend US$6 every month and have their entire monthly income instantly.

This will help those selling on the Lindex as well. No longer will residents have the illusion that buying stipends is the better way to get cash. All residents will go to the Lindex where all residents will get a majority of the US$ coming into the economy. Linden Labs has a right to get a percentage as some of this money would have been given for upgraded accounts in the first place, and they fail to get US$ for the many services they do in $L.

Finally, content creators will benefit from a more stable economy. A stable economy makes pricing easier, and it also attracts those worried about the economic stability of the world. Linden Labs with money created through Lindex can fine tune the amount they create constantly without having to anger residents who bought stipends up to a year in the past. Things will also be more transparent as residents can see exactly what percentage of the US$ flowing into the economy is going to Linden Labs. With stipends, the numbers are a little harder to see.

These changes are good things. It does work like a tax, but stipends worked like a tax in the same way. The important thing to remember is that Linden Labs is only changing the method they sell $L. If you weren't worried about stipends being sold, then you shouldn't worry about $L being sold directly.

The End of the Stipends is near... All Hail the Anti-Stipend Party for winning this political debate and finially getting LL to realize that printing an endless supply of money is bad.

w00t w00t....

This may be true but I refuse to buy Lindens for dollars directly. I suppose my poor avatar is going to be subjected to the camping chair or dancing pad to make money. Owning land in second life is more of a problem than a help, renting land is about the same. Only difference for me will be who I pay (not LL) and not buying crud only things really needed. That and my avatar spending long times in that camping place to get Lindens for paying for uploads and other LL fees.

With the new system Linden Labs could print an endless supply of money. I don't think that is the issue. The situation is not different in the way you imply. The difference is in the way that $L are created, but no one has won any victory against the creation of new $L. No one should win that war. The best thing for both sides, sellers and buyers, is stability. You will always need creation of money as long as there is growth of population and destruction of existing money.

If you have a premium account, then you already get your $L for US$ directly. Is there a reason why you think getting immediate cash is worse than having to wait for your money?

Lindens are only good in second life, the content is only useful in second life and is thus not worth paying real money for it. Other than some user fees why do I have to buy Lindens? My inventory is a overflowing with content

The victory is over Stipends (aka: Welfare) Free Money.. No more, the gravy train has ended.. Anybody wants some L$ has to pony up the US$ for it... Muahahahahahahah

Basic stipends are not completely gone yet. Was there any free money other than that left. Premium stipends were never free money.

What are you smoking?

The stipend is just an illusion. You can still play for whatever level of "user fees" you want to. If you feel like around L$300/month is sufficient, then you can spend US$1/month on Lindex. If you feel like around L$3000/month is sufficient, then you can spend US$10/month on Lindex. Nothing got any more expensive. Linden labs is still getting their cut.

Land teir is the only thing that gets more expensive as you eliminate stipends. If Linden Labs eliminates the stipend all together, then I fully believe they will lower the cost of the premium account. If they don't, they will lose money to rental companies that can give land for very cheap to their renters.

I gave up on owning land when the person across from me launch every type of scud and nuke and the Lindens did NOTHING. Thus a premium account does not help me. The stipend is only a welcome by product of it. I dont want to pay money for it. If I get no stipend my only source of income will be from camping and selling some old content. I refuse to buy Lindens to buy content not really needed or even useful. About Linden Labs and content providers, well it is not my job to help provide them an income. So sorry but this is the truth. I wonder how many others feel the same way.

Perfectly understandable. I can't see why you would want to spend money on something you see as not being worth money. I woud suggest not renewing your premium account if you aren't interested in land or $L for money. Your current premium account will continue to get the same stipend as they have already explained. You are correct in saying that the account does not help you. There is no point in buying a stipend when you find no reason to spend US$ on $L. Linden Labs is set up for you to have a free experience when you feel the way you do. Why not take advantage of the generous opportunity you have to enjoy Second Life for free.

Each time a person spends real money to buy game money his brain has the opportunity to say no.

That's why selling money to users through a subscription will milk them of the greatest amount of money as their brains only get to say no at the start of the subscription, or when they finally choose to end it.

Current premiums are not going to be affected by this change. Hopefully the new planned benefits will get people to take premium. If not, I fear LL will slowly fall into the red deeper.

I for one will not buy lindens off the market if premiums are effectively killed. I pay LL to keep SL alive, and the rotten apples profiteering off of SL have ruined the chance any of the honest players who sale only to break teir have to get money from me.

You don't need premium accounts for Linden Labs to make money. It could be possible that they charged for nothing except land, and still make money. They would have to raise land teir prices to do so. Selling money on the Lindex as they are about to makes them money as well. There is no difference between them selling money in stipends compared to them selling money on the Lindex. It is the exact same effect. Players give US$ to Linden Labs, and they get freshly printed money either way. Don't worry. Linden Labs is a company. They wouldn't be doing this if they thought it would lose them money. Part of them making money is keeping the game affordable to normal players, and keeping content creators making money. You'll notice they made a small move at first. They have all the data. If things start going south, it is not too late for them to keep things the way they are. I personally think everything will be better for everybody.

Cubans...

There is nothing good in this change or the last one for ANYONE but the L fat idiots who day trade and get Linden to wipe thier behinds for them. It's slow death for the rest of the economy and the only Funny or Good part is. these idiot speculators can't see the long view that it WILL drive them broke too in the end when the rest of us head for greener pastures. LL has put Second Life on a path to self destruction, probably before two years have passed. And they ahve done it by using tunnel vision and selective hearing, only seeing and listenning to those high dollar players while screwing the rest of us.

I got a gesture in game for youi RBD...the trigger is "/finger"

I wouldn't buy a cup of water from you if I was dying of thirst moron..in fact you couldn't pay me enough to take it from you. the really funny part is you are so short sighted blind and just plain st00pid you can't see this will hurt you in the end just as badly if not worse than the rest of us.

there no upside to loseing Stipends for basic!
how in hell new basic buy suff? explain that to me people!
if you think this good your pretty blind not to see long tream efects!

"

Originally Posted by Torley Linden
Hi Jonas!

There's more transitions on the way--this is, like many things we do, part of a larger umbrella. We recognize that a L$400/week stipend looks less lucrative in the short term, and that in the even shorter term, there may be a transient boost in Premium signups because the L$500/week ones will only be around for about three more days!

Eventually...

1. We are mapping out additional benefits to Premium accounts that aren't so much tied to land-owning or L$. This includes exploration of added-value features, goodies which aren't basic essentials (like being able to travel around inworld), but rather, really nice--and true to the word--Premium offerings. For example, could a try-before-you-buy bonus be added for Premiums? Just an idea.

2. We aren't planning to lessen current Premiums. We're very thankful for all our Premium account holders and don't forsee lowering their L$500/week stipends. So essentially at present, apart from the broader societal changes, it doesn't affect them on an account-specific basis."

Torley, you're a nice person and as such I like you, however this is pure dbl talk. Linden knows danged well that the inw world economy is hurting off of this and they are just panderring to pl who have a ton of L's to sell. This is not a solution and even cuting the basic stipend before this was a step back, NOT forwards in the economic issues. I stated what hose fixes were before and no one would listen.

1) a FIXED market rate, making all third party slaes of L's a bannable ofense under the ToS. ALl sales and purchase of L's to be done at fixed rates, allowing a small markup to Linden when a customer pruchases L's....

2) making ALL reslaes of freebie items a bannable ofense under the ToS. Regular inspections of Gambling game scripts and making rigging a banable ofense under the ToS.

3) All rigged contests in clubs become a bannable ofense under the ToS....

and finally 4)

and ENFORCED minimum L wage and or commission that ALL employers in SL are required to pay thier employes. Violators get one warning after that they get banned adn all hodlings, L's and property revert to Linden labs for redistirbution.

THESE are the ONLy things that would fix the economy and make it FAIR to ALL...as it is Linden has done thier best to make it one sided in the favor of the fat cats at rhe top ofg the heap while slowly strangling the rest of us

One comment: you get what you pay for. What are you paying for your basic account?

I see your /finger and I raise you two /fingers..

Ohh well, if you are dying of thirst and didn't buy my cup of water, you would just have to fall over dead and make way for the next person who will pay for that cup of water. lol

If I was dying would take it from you and open the public well up to all to drink from