Pull Out While You Can?

Because of the declining value of the Linden, I stopped doing business in SL back in mid February. I pulled out all of my profits.

I'm soooooooo glad I did.
It isn't worth keeping money in a game where currencies are in a declining trend.
You are way better off investing in the Forex market or RL real estate. The Forex market has been the best investment market since the late 90s. I never liked stocks, and will never invest in anything other than Forex.

I just thought I would stop in, and wish everybody luck in SL. It is a fun game, but has a flawed economic foundation. Hopefully they will manage to reform the economy.

Uhh huh huh you said "while".

MM

I thought this thread was about birth control

I have lurked in the L&E forum for months and have watched the discussion on the value of the L$ with some interest. As a content creator I have come to the following conclusion (at least for my business)

The value of the L$ doesn't make a differnece.

When you can get more L$ per US$ (say above 320/1) people spend more money in world so I get more sales.

When you get less L$ per US$ (say below 320/1)people spend a bit less but I get more US$ for it.

In the end it all pretty well evens out for me. I saw a slight drop after dwell was removed, but it seems as though people have gotten used to it, or new users don't know the difference since that was a short term (about 2 weeks) effect.

My L$2.

The declining L values has zero (or insignificant) effect on your business?

Yes that's exactly what I'm saying. What I see is the more L$ people get for thier US$ the more they spend. The less they get the less they spend, but I make the difference up in the exchange when I cash it into US$ for tier and such. In the end I make the same amount when converted to US$, month over month, regardless of the value of the L$ to US$. In reality, my business growth has been about 20% month over month, when converted to US$.

My business is not affected by the Lindex either.

On average, I make the same amount in sales no matter what the value of the Linden is.

I've oberserved this effect with Fate Gardens over the past year as well:

expensive lindens == fewer sales == higher sell gain * fewer lindens == steady income

inexpensive lindens == more sales == lower sell gain * more lindens == steady income

So 6 weeks of experience gives you some sort of special insight in the dynamics of SL Busiess?

You might want to sue your plastic surgeon. They sewed your lips back to the wrong end after your accident.

You sound like my wife.

I wish everyone who thought of SL as an investment would pull out.

Please report to The Nerd Emporium for your socialist party membership badge, citizen.

Sure. I don't see what's particularly socialist, though, about wishing to see content creation rewarded rather than parasitism.

How is content creation not rewarded with the current system?

If I listened to threads like this I would've sold at 330 and not 298 recently.

Reporting for duty comrade! Death to the decadant Moneygrubbers and thier capitalist peegdog thinking! Creation for the good of the people! All the people! *Goosesteps off and dissapears in a puff of logic*

We're here, we've capitalists, get over it!

Seriously, I don't want to "play the TOS card", but who are you to say how anyone else should run their Second Life?

Is there a fundamental difference between saying "I wish all the gays (or furries or whatever) would leave Second Life" and what you said?

I think that it is best to blame one's self for one's failures.
For that way you at least retain a sense of personal power.
When you blame others or the world in general you are in effect giving away your power and becoming a victim of whatever
affects your perception.
If what you tried did not work, try something else.
Learning new skills will also fundamentally change a person.

This applies to SL and RL

What is rewarded in the current system is gambling, prostitution and land speculation. None of which add much value (unless a prostitute is talented; prostitution is probably the most honorable of the three).

If "capitalists" think they are somehow morally superior, they really need to reflect on the fact that if they profit, they are necessarily profiting at the expense of the game.

But I can't help it if people don't come to Fate Gardens in Taber and buy trees and flowers that flex in the wind and change sizes and seasons at a touch. Aside from exploiting every available advertising opportunity, e.g. FIND and Classifieds, what do you suggest I do?

All the people that buy my products might argue with you. Only one of them has anything to do with gambling.

gambling is teh k3wl

4 months.

But only 1.5 months of that time (give or take) was doing anything involving profit or investment.
Seems you should have a little more time invested before you try to urge the masses to follow you.

I'd have to slightly disagree with the others here who said the effect evens out. I had my most profitable weeks (in US$, not just in L$) when the L$ was trading at its peak around 350. From my (admittedly limted) experience, when L$ are cheap and easily come by, people spend them more freely, perhaps even overspending a bit in terms of US$ value.

Of course, business sometimes has good and bad weeks. It could have just been a fluke that I made so much more then. But for me, business was definitely up when the L$ was trading so cheaply, even when measured in US$ terms. It didn't even out -- I made more real money then than I have in the past couple weeks. Sure, each L$ is worth more now, but I'm making less of them. People said this move would make it easier to pay my tier -- I fail to see how.

The real danger is deflation. As long as there is at least mild inflation, it makes sense for consumers to buy now rather than later. But when you enter a deflationary period, it makes more sense to wait than buy now, since you'll be able to buy more later with the same money. An economy without some inflation is in a very bad state. The in-game economy was doing very well until a few weeks ago, but right now it's adjusting to recent changes. I'm hoping it gets back to normal soon. Deflation may be great for someone sitting on a stockpile of cash, but it sucks for anyone trying to make money rather than sit on it.