Loss Of Stipend

I really must ask - where are these people who want the stipend removed? I don't think I've read anyone saying that.

We need more free entertainment in SL, agreed.

I said that I wouldn't post again about this subject in that other thread.. but this is a new thread.


I've talked to a couple of people in SL, who are not likely to post here. Reading these threads just makes them angry and so they try to stay away from the forum and just continue enjoying SL. However, I'm a habitual poster.. and the consenus from the (relatively small) group that I've surveyed is this:

The concept of removing stipends is only something that long time members want. Why? Because they've been around long enough to esablish themselves, and get a fairly large bank roll. And now, they want newbies to have to purchase $L from them for $US cash, rather than getting it for "FREE" from LL. In other words, it's the "rich" trying to push down and control the "poor".

That last sentence was not my words, but is almost a direct quote from one person I talked to. But it is an interesting idea... this small percentage of SL members know that without stipends that there would be virtually no new L coming into the system, and as the population grows, the US value of the L would go up as well.. actually it would go quite high.. and then their L$100,000+ bank accounts would be worth a lot more (in $US). There's a name for this concept.. it's called greed.

But that system can't work. Because let's say that the $L more than doubled in value and got up to 100L/$1US or higher. Well, who in their right mind is going to pay that much for virtual stuff? Not the average user. It would alienate new members. Joining and immediately having to buy L so that can afford a new skin and some non-newbie clothes, would push new members away. LL doesn't want that. Phillip has already stated that he wants the value of the L to be around $4/1000L. (or 250L/$1)

If (or should I say when) I'm established in business and rolling in the L, I'll want lots of new members joining and all of them getting stipends. So that they'll come visit my establishment(s) and spend money. And I know the auto-response.. "but then the L won't be worth anything" Well, I disagree. I think the L will stay between $3.50 and $4.50 per thousand. And I have my reasons for thinking that, one I mentioned above.


But here's my answer to this thread. Let's just stop worring about it, stop suggesting it, stop arguing about it.. because LL will never remove (premium account) stipends. Because right now, in a way, we're buying our stipends from LL and that means that LL makes money off it. So they're not going to stop a revenue stream for them. So we really don't need to worry about it any more.

At first I used to post my hatred of the idea because I worried that LL might listen to these people and stop the stipends. Now I realize that it's not going to happen. And there's no reason to complain about something that's not going to happen.


I suppose it's not a bad idea for those out there who would quit if the stipends were taken away to let LL know about it. So go ahead and do that.. just to drive the point home. But don't lose any sleep over it.

I dont want the stippends to go away either. Needs it for my rental vendor space. Right now im only a basic user and cannot afford the premium account at this time. When and if i can i'll probably upgrade but at this time its not forseeable and my sl job only pays 250L per week.

Well I lack scripting and building skills and the few clothes i made havent sold so its my only income and at this time i cant afford to buy lindens for myself. And since thats all i've got it's better than nothing. Atleast some nights i get a tip or two inbetween.

Well, speaking not for him, but for myself, I can't justify buying Lindens on the game.

That's one thing I didn't like about There. I didn't want to have to pay for everything I got or did on the game. (And I also didn't want to pay for the privilege of selling clothes or vehicles in the game, either.)

To me, my games/platforms/okras are something I do for fun, and there is a basic budget I have to go by; I can justify some things (like getting a second account cause it is theoretically for my husband, or getting more tier, but it is only $5 a month, and I already saved that by paying for the accounts by the year, etc.) Maybe this guy, and a lot of others, are in the same position. So it doesn't help much to suggest that their time isn't worth the amount of money they are getting, because it really doesn't translate that way, cause of the basic real life budget we are on.

Plus, part of the challenge is seeing what you can do without spending more real life money. My first little challenge to myself was seeing what all I could do on a basic account. I did that for three months, and reported my findings here. (I managed quite a lot.)

I would NEVER compare what I can make irl to what I can make on the game. If I had done that, I would never have run around to money trees; I'd never play Bingo; etc. etc. I would never have made and sold my first item.

To me, real life and real life money and the game life and money are entirely separate. So maybe that guy has fun doing his job, just like I had fun doing mine, which was basically money trees, other odd jobs, Slingo, etc.

Also, I would never put a limit on how much money per hour I intend to earn in SL or else I wouldn't do the job. Part of that I think is because I haven't gotten paid by the hour irl since I was in college. Irl, I do the absolute best job possible - no matter how long it takes - for the set amount of contracted money.

Here, it is the same. I may get lucky and make more money on an item that really didn't take as much time to make as some of the others, and less money on something that took ages to make. But - so far - I have made money on every item, so it doesn't work out too badly.

I think if you worry too much about what you are making per hour, you would never get anywhere. At least, that was true in my real life, where, as I said, there is no such thing as an hourly wage.

And in both rl and in SL, if you are enjoying your work, the hours don't count anyway, because when you are immersed in a creative endeavor (or a fun one, like Bingo), you just don't even think about the hours its taking. You think about the finished product, and making it the best it can be. Or you think about enjoying yourself at Bingo, or at your odd jobs. It's also fun to "beat the system" by making a living off odd jobs.

coco

Unless you are making a minimum of $L1000 per hour in SL, I suggest you quit your SL job. I would quit my job even at $L1000 personally. I don't like to work for any less than $L2500/hour, and that is still on the low side for me. You are wasting your time. If you are not skilled in Second Life, use your skills in First Life to fund your Second Life. It is not expensive. You have the choice of spending a fraction of an hours real life pay on Second Life, or to work hours on end for the pay of 5 year old. Demand more pay or leave that job. Your time is worth more than that.

Can you give us an example of anybody in SL who is paying more than $L1000 per hour for unskilled labor please?

And I think a lot of us would really like to know who in SL is paying $L2500 per hour.

That's about $10.50 an hour USD, or almost $90.00 per each eight hour day, and a whopping $450. per five day work week!

Can you give us an example of anybody in SL who is paying more than $L1000 per hour for unskilled labor please?

And I think a lot of us would really like to know who in SL is paying $L2500 per hour.

That's about $10.50 an hour USD, or almost $90.00 per each eight hour day, and a whopping $450. per five day work week!

The concept of removing stipends is only something that long time members want. Why? Because they've been around long enough to esablish themselves, and get a fairly large bank roll. And now, they want newbies to have to purchase $L from them for $US cash, rather than getting it for "FREE" from LL. In other words, it's the "rich" trying to push down and control the "poor".

Yeah I agree, back up your claim buddy. I can understand if you meant SKILLED labor, but face it. Anyone who has a job in SL is UNSKILLED in terms of building, scripting, and/or tailoring. Nobody I've met who has one or more of the 3 basic SL skills have jobs. Hell if you can point out to me someone who will pay me that kind of money and hire me I'd quit my RL job and sit on my @$$ all day playing SL since thats more than I make in a week normally.

Thats the point. Most people don't make what they make in a real life job, why is your time suddenly worth less when you come online? I only get random here and there jobs of 10-30k $L for about 3-5 hours of work, but I won't work a steady job, because they pay me wages like 50 cents an hour.

I'm not saying everybody and their brother can get paid a good wage in SL. I'm saying that if you don't get paid decently, and it isn't for entertainment, then you are wasting your time. Just fork over the small fist full of dollars it takes to have money and not work.

Thats the point.

And apparently you're missing my point. The reason you're making that much money is because you're skilled in Scripting. Not everyone can build, script, or tailor in SL thus they are considered unskilled labor. No one is gonna pay someone who's unskilled 10 - 30k for 3 or 4 hours of work. Not everyone is willing to spend money on SL like you're saying everyone should be. Why? Its called priorities. We have jobs in real life to pay our bills and not everyone has spare cash handy to buy a 1k+ of lidens every day. If everyone had the money and was willing to spend alot of money just so they can buy things or participate in games then why do we even bother having basic accounts? Just so land barons and casino owners have an extra account to store/sell their lindens? No. Its because not everyone has the money to pour into SL. Every post so far of yours I've seen you ignore or avoid that fact. Alot of people take what they can get because lets face it, there's not much in the way of decent work in SL and stingy employers trying to make a buck off the LindeX doesn't help. This is why people depend on the stipends, not because they're lazy or stupid, but because its all they can afford to do.

And apparently you're missing my point. The reason you're making that much money is because you're skilled in Scripting. Not everyone can build, script, or tailor in SL thus they are considered unskilled labor. No one is gonna pay someone who's unskilled 10 - 30k for 3 or 4 hours of work. Not everyone is willing to spend money on SL like you're saying everyone should be. Why? Its called priorities. We have jobs in real life to pay our bills and not everyone has spare cash handy to buy a 1k+ of lidens every day. If everyone had the money and was willing to spend alot of money just so they can buy things or participate in games then why do we even bother having basic accounts? Just so land barons and casino owners have an extra account to store/sell their lindens? No. Its because not everyone has the money to pour into SL. Every post so far of yours I've seen you ignore or avoid that fact. Alot of people take what they can get because lets face it, there's not much in the way of decent work in SL and stingy employers trying to make a buck off the LindeX doesn't help. This is why people depend on the stipends, not because they're lazy or stupid, but because its all they can afford to do.