All your STIPEND options up for debate in one friendly location

OK here is the list of what i think are the choices. They are multi selectable as non are mutually exclusive. The poll is just easier to disect than reading a massive number of posts.

This option includes anything without at least some sensibility of proof. If you think a cell phone code should be required that goes here. Most teens have cell phone access if not carry one of their own with text ability. This also includes our CURRENT, less effective, age verification.

This option means that some for of accurate billing method is on file at all times. Credit Card preferred but paypal too. Yes i realize there are teens with paypal accounts but its still a lot more secure of a gaurentee than what is currently in place in SL.

This is the extreme. It means that not only should some billing information be on file but that SOMETHING should get charged for a sign-up fee to further reduce the number of people abusing the systems. This can be taken to mean any ammount from a simple 1 cent 'prove payment is valid' trivial payment to 1$, 5$ or 10$. Regardless of ammount its meant to be a 1-time only fee that is REQUIRED to leave the Orientation Island and Help Island area. People in their first trial week who havenot actively PAID something should be restricted from leaving the tutorial areas until payment is collected.

Simple. Dump newbs into the world with nothing. Not 1$L to their name and no gaurentee of aquiring any unless you also vote for a stipend (seperate from starting funds)

This option is meant to include a desire for any TRIVIAL ammount of starting cash. 50$L thru 250$L or maybe a tiny more. Your choice can be for them to recieve this immediately. Your choice could be they only recieve it after leaving the tutorial areas or only after a week or two of active play. The timeline is not the point of this issue, only the rough ammount and that its a SINGLE starting payment.

This option is meant if you wish the starting ammount to be slightly more than Trivial but still be a ONE TIME payment. Again the timeframe of when its delivered im not voting on, just its basic nature.

This is if you believe that new accounts should not recieve a stipend at all. You believe they should be left on their own throughout their entire account life with no means of uploading content to help contribute without having first recieved some t ype of handout or putting up real life money first.

This option is if you think that the first few weeks deserve a initially higher stipend before the ammount drops down to some lower ammount. If you think this timespan should be 2 weeks or 2 months i dont care. I also dont care if your two values are 250vs100 or 75 vs 25 for the stipend ammounts. Just that you think some initial time should be a higher value than the rest of the stipend lifespan.

Choose this if you think that the stipends should only be given for a limited time. 3 weeks or 3 months isnt important. Combine with above option #8 for stipends that start higher and slowly taper into nothingness.

Choose this if you think that stipends (even if some tiny miniscule ammount) should be a thing that last for the lifespan of an account. 10$L, 25$L, 50$L or more isnt the point. If you think that at least SOMETHING should be given out on a weekly basis mark this.

That should cover all the descriptions. Your votes (if the option works) are set to be public. If you want to talk about why you voted a certain set of things go ahead that is encouraged but please DO NOT COMMENT in this thread unless you have made your choices.

OK all descriptions added of what the various options stand for.

Though I voted, its purely on the stipend options themselves.

My preferred format would be to have the Premium's stipend and land access separated out as payable options of Basic, allowing better granularity in what's wanted.

Existing Basic and Premium would not be hurt by this, they'd simply convert to the new model and if they want can turn off stipends of their own accord then.

The model is based roughly on the simplified one now emplyed by There. The land-use option would be a one-time fee of US$10, and requires a valid form of payment on record due to access to the Tier model; Paypal would be OK.

How the stipend option works is debatable of course; I suspect though that most would be OK with my form of the idea, but that's not for this thread (or perhaps it is?). It'd not match what I voted for here though.

--Alan

TY for the vote and comments. Never bothered looking up anything on There yet though its mentioned often. Will have to check up on its policies sometime in the future. And I probably should have mentioned the stipend choices above were meant to apply to new BASIC members who have no policy gaurentee of income.

My personal votes were
Age Verified
Registration Fee
Starting Funds: 250$L
Increased Initial Stipends
Short Term Stipends

I would like to see new players with a tiny bit of starting cash. I'm completely happy with 250$L. This starting funds should not be recieved until the player leaves the tutorial area though. As a matter of fact Id like to see the "Explore 2nd Life" kiosks on Orientation Island give people WHO COMPLETE THE TUTORIAL 100$L. If players instead of going to the main grid spend some time on Help Island the Explore 2nd Life kiosk there would give 250 to any NEW PLAYER who leaves from there. Obviously it would need set up so that the Mentors (like myself) who work on HI and OI dont accidentally recieve benifits when doing testing on the kiosks. Id prefer to see the "Skip Orientation Island" sign removed completely but people who skip the learning process I would not give any starting cash to.

Stipends on the other hand i think should not start until after a new resident gets to the mainland. This date should also be the date visible in a persons profile. Reason for this is there are newbie events like the contests we hold at New Citizens Plaza that we only allow to be eligible to people in their first 90 days in the game. This is to help encourage new players to learn the tools. The first 2 weeks a player is on the mainland (only if they log in) would be 100$L a week. The next 4-6 weeks should be 50$L each (if they log in). For new accounts this setup would give people interested in the game and wanting to learn (doing tutorials) a little gift as a reward and the stipends just enough tiny starter cash to allow someone to do a few screen shots and maybe get one partial set of clothes or a single skin. The most someone would recieve this way would be750$L if they go thru help island and get all 500$L in stipends by being active their entire first 2 months. Thats TWO MONTHS. This ammount of money is utterly trivial and would not have ANY effect on economic stability other than to encourage new players to like spending.

Now thats my dream. I dont want any critique on it but Id love to have more people post their OWN ideas on why they think their system would be good. I dont want this to be a flame war by any means so unless you have something complimentary to say on anothers post dont talk. Just explain your ideas and avoid attacks.

no one else to comment? =-(

I'm not comfortable picking any of the options and here's why:

I'm very much in favor of easier immigration in SL... and with ease/lax security comes the obvious two problems: kids and/or griefers. You can't GIVE newbies money if getting alts is super easy, it will only encourage exploitation.

Personally, I think there should be a new area of the grid, neither Teen nor MA+PG, which any and all players can teleport TO.

This new "Welcome Continent" should only have PG rated sims, folks can buy/sell land there, treat them like the normal mainland continent for the most part with welcome areas etc.

Private Sims could be visited from the welcome continent provding they're set PG and have some 'new' option set to allow visitors in from the welcome grid.

To get into the mature grid, or the teen grid from the welcome grid would require being invited by someone already in those grids and/or a credit card imprint as well.

Once the player leaves the welcome grid for the mature grid or the teen grid, they can move about freely on the welcome grid or the grid they've been invited to... but aren't allowed into the grid they weren't.

Anyway, it certainly isn't perfect. I do prefer the doors to SL being more welcoming to all... but wish there were more 'doors' than just the entrance.

Tnx for commenting Jopsy. Interesting idea though im not sure how they would handle people peddling inappropriate content to teens while there.

It would either need to be only adult accounts over 3 months and without ANY administrative actions take allowed to go there to have some semblance of maturity when interacting with the minors or all forms of setting items for sale or transfers would need disabled there so that we would not have the chance to be giving penis head attachments to the kids.

Well it seems like the voiced opinions are quite consistant. People want age verification with some even wishing to revert to a cost associated with basic accounts (i'm one of them). People think stipends help though it should be a bonus to accounts in their infancy and not something that infinately inflates the money supply.

Between this thread and nearly a hundred others complaining of the greifing being done by the infinate supply of alts I think its obvious that neither the recent registration changes or the discontinuance of stipends were proper choices.