Counter-Demonstration: Do You Want to Keep Your Premium Stipend?

If so, let LL know!

Some players want to get the premium stipend removed so that Lindens will be worth more on the exchange. They plan to hold Linden-burning demonstrations every Tuesday, twice a day, at Governor Linden's mansion.

I propose we have a counter-demonstration, to oppose this idea, a half-hour later.

I don't want to lose my stipend, and I don't want LL to think that these people demonstrating speak for me.

I personally don't believe that losing stipends would help increase the value of the Linden dollar, partly because the greater problem is the land glut. Moreover, the Linden used to be strong when we were all getting stipends, bonuses, dwell, and everything else.

In fact, I think getting rid of stipends would a dampening effect on my customers, and on how much people buy; and would have an unfortunate cascading effect as people buy less, care less, and become involved less.

We could end up seeing fewer players overall;, fewer involved players; and fewer people inclined to become Premium players, buy land, and start businesses.

In addition, I pay for my stipend in my monthly premium membership fee. If anything, they should be giving me more Lindens to make up for the fact that they are worth less than they were last year, should I want to cash them out.

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Players wanting to get rid of our stipends are organizing. They are going to hold demonstrations on Tuesday mornings and evenings at Governor Linden's Mansion. Here are the detals (from a post in another thread):

"we will be holding a Linden 'burning' party tomorrow to voice our concern over the too large of a money supply imbalance in SL's economy. We will hold two parties to allow sufficient opportunities for those in different parts of the world to join in.

"By 'burn,' we mean return our stipends to Governor Linden.

"Each Tuesday, the day stipends are paid out, those who are interested will meet at the same location and same time to continue our protest.

"Location: Governor Linden's Mansion, a Sec, Clementina (182, 110, 61)
Day: Each Tuesday
Time first group: 9 am EST
Time second group: 9 pm EST

"Anyone is welcome to attend, even if you are not going to be "burning" your Lindens. The only requirement is that everyone act civil. This is not an opportunity to grief as griefers will be duly noted and reported. We are exercising our right to assemble in peace and protest.

"Finally, we are trying to get a member of the Linden family to attend. If anyone has connections, feel free to pass this request on to them."

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If you disagree,and want to keep your stipends, then do what I will be doing, which is to show up at the same place to demonstrate FOR continued stipends.

I suggest going to Governor Linden's Mansion to protest against any future loss of stipends at 9:30 on Tuesday a.m. and p.m. This will give the first group ample time for their demonstration.

Needless to say, as Bloop said, acting civil is key.

I will be there, since I don't want these people speaking for me, and since I believe the LL needs to know there are those who are opposed to losing their stipends.

coco

I'll try to make it I work mondays and tuesdays so may not be able to though (I work ngihts and have to sleep during the day).

If we start a war with the anti-stipend people, maybe they'll start to give us their stipend.

Do I want to keep *my* stipend - personally I don't really care - I give mine away to instructors anyways.

That being said I think that a system for new players and low end players to have some kind of money to spend - even if its only to get them interested and involved in SL to be important.

Preferably one that can't be gamed easily.

heh i will come i know that everyone i speak to think removing dwell and stripends even if partially it not a particularly productive move in the sense that there will be less money.

In actual fact i believe its a minority that wants this stuff done but they are the loudest and these boards and the opinions set out in many cases don't really represent the majority opinion of the player base either (just the loudest ones..)

anyhow i can't be at the 9 a.m. one but i can come to the 9 p.m. one..

think i will make myself a sign or two..

I highly doubt anyone wanted to lose stipend, in fact as much as I doubt they were ever the cause of any issue with the L value. Why not add as part of the protest that stipends be reinstated to those who have lost them since they were actually an incentive to buy in the first place.

"I highly doubt anyone wanted to lose stipend"

Opinion with no supporting evidence behind it.

"in fact as much as I doubt they were ever the cause of any issue with the L value."

Ditto.

"Why not add as part of the protest that stipends be reinstated to those who have lost them since they were actually an incentive to buy in the first place."

DANGER WILL ROBINSON! UNSUPPORTED OPINION STATED AS FACT! DANGER!

Explain why you believe that stipends were an incentive to buy.

Musuko.

I say put back basic stipends, reinstate dwell, give people their ratings bonus again. And find a half dozen new ways to pay people who contribute to the game.

Then go ahead and add in money sinks. Make teleporting cost. Let us NEG RATE people again (though strictly via abuse reports that result in punishments) and increase upload fees based on content. Then find another dozen ways to charge. Maybe creating a landmark costs 25 and giving a copy of it away the same. Putting one in a copyable notecard cost 100$L.

Being able to EARN money is what gives newbies the cash to SPEND on the content creators stuff. So dont try to kill methods of earning. Just fix the sinks so that the only overal INCREASE in total circulation is equal to the size of the actively playing population.

I can't wait until Tuesday when a few of them come on here and post 100 times a day. It's going to be like WWIII in here.
Lets all just wait and see what happens with the removal of the dwell bonuses and see what happens. Also inflation still needs to catch up to the current rate and that will lead to people needing to buy more off the Lindex.

Oh I was also wondering if Summertime will have any effect on the economy. Do a lot of college students go on here during the summer? Seem business really boomed this weekend or maybe it was just a good weekend and a 3 day one at that.

is there really nothing left to gripe about that we need to fabricate issues such as the end of premium stipends and zOMG updates?

Note: We've now made a group inworld, called "S.O.S. - Save Our Stipends!" It's free to join and open enrollment.

coco

"Then go ahead and add in money sinks. Make teleporting cost...etc..."

Lindens within SL are there to create and purchase non-essential content: items, vehicles, clothing, land, etc. You can play quite happily in SL without Lindens (meaning, of course, that nobody NEEDS stipends...they just want free money. Greedy greedy).

Charging for "essential" services, like teleporting, etc, would turn the want for money into a need. Hardly constructive.

Musuko.

Im all for keeping my stipend so that I can get my business up and going. Ill be making some protest signs free for all. Let me know if you have any sign slogans you want.

I say we demonstrate at the same time they do =)

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get there because of the time difference... but if I can find a way to do so, I will.

I will be with you in spirit if not in avatar.

Lewis

I was already planning on attending, until I remembered I have to work (SL) during the only time (9 a.m.) that is otherwise suitable for me And I can't take the time off, because I really need the money, especially when I will lose the money from my shift on Wedesday, because of the update on the update's update, same thing that happened last week already And not forgetting reliability issues to my employer as well.

Stipend is so important particularly for the people starting the game. I wouldn't mind them being taken away from those who don't need it (people that are burning it). There are lots of us who do need it, why not support your fellow players, like Duke suggested in another thread???? Well, a stupid question really, I know the answer to anyway. I have to save up the stipend + wages, until I have enough to buy a thing I want, and it might take months (especially if you have a basic account, like I used to), then when you've spent it, you have to start saving for some other item you want to buy all over. If you want to live somewhere, you have to pay the rent also. There are people who actually need the stipend, believe it or not!

So, I'm with you in spirit all the way! I hope the message on behalf of the little people (who probably make the majority of the customer base anyway) gets through. It's the little people who give to the SL economy with their spending.

I think the stipends should be reversed - basic accounts should get 500L (each week) and premium accounts 50L - but only if they log in

I am what would be described as a 'low-end' premium player and my stipend does make a difference for me. I find it a saddeningly predictable phenomenon that Linden Lab's policies are increasingly being influenced and set by monied lobbyists. In the case of the stipend astroturfing, the obvious motive was to corner the market on L$ and to profit from controlling the supply / trade.

Money-changers in the temple?

Sorry, y'all, for poofing like that! My cable went out - right when I was having an interesting conversation with Jillian.

It just now came back, and I hope it stays back for tonight's demonstration.

coco

I think we should form "Avatars for the Retention of Stipends for Everyone" ... ARSE for short.

I'm sorry I won't be able to make the meeting tonight but I do want everyone to know I am proud to be an ARSE.

Lewis

Your explanation in a nutshell:

New basics are stuck running around in chalky looking skins with crayon colorred hair. They see others with the better stuff they want it. So they go skin shopping on thier little 250L's sign up they got. Unfortunately it is imposible to buy a decent skin for that so they start looking for work adn trying to save stipend. A couple weeks later they have found out that there are no, or rather almost no paying jobs in SL. Thier little 350 or so is a constant tease sitting there useless, or maybe they buy some cheap clothes in the hopes they can look as good as the photoshopped picture on the vendor but once they put the clothing on they realise now they have to wait even longer. Thier L's are now down to about 25 L or so. Most of the time they lose patience and decide to go buy L's.

Now then if you take thier stipend away you take away that tease. The 50 L stipend was kind of like planting a seed. No one is going to get rich or actively harm the economy with it. Not even a group of a few hundred will nearly as much as some land baron dumping 2 mill on e-bay at 500 per USD in a panic sell to cover tier. But take away the seed and you have just taken away ANY hope they have of saving L's and replaced it with the dim and accurate conslusion that there is no way to make it financially in this CHAT unless you were here right after the original beta and have been since. And before you say they can make things in world and sell them, a shop costs L's for rent or buying. L's they cannot make. Most games in SL are rigged as are most contests, so that's a non option. Money trees are good except no one is going to amass the amount it takes to go into business by flying from tree to tree grabbing 1L at a time. Ok now we get to SLX and SLB..true they only take a percentage but...you gotta have a place to put the boxes in world. Again that costs money. Yes there are free vendors out there but they are laggy adnd buggy as he**...as is most of the free content in SL INCLUDING that resold by a rather prolific poster who wanted stipends gone in this very forum ( again, note...no names mentioned).

fyi, I was frustrated when I joined since my stippend couldn't buy me much (plus at the time there wasnt a lot of choice), so after a few weeks of being frustrated, instead of leaving, I just built my own AV from scratch, head, attachements, clothing, and everything. It didn't cost me anything, either, since the jeans were generic that I just cut/customized myself, the t-shirt is just plain white, again customized to match one I wear iRL, and the textures on my prim parts are black asphalt in place of black fur (darkened with many repeats), basic bumpmapping for the iris eye texture, and default wood color, with many repeats and yellow color tint, for the hair. If you're broke and frustrated, you can eiter build stuff yourself, spend money on Lindex, or if all else fails and your artistic sence just doesn't work, od on drugs and cut off an ear. Either way, you can still have fun

nuts

Omg! Please no

We did not let them join the game for free to do this.

Please stop them quickly.

Thanks for letting us know, Coco. We were wondering what one of us had said to make you leave. I'm glad it was only your cable. Then again that sucks too!

We'll see you this evening.

Thank goodness, I thought it might have been my breath. (Memir did hand me a Tic Tac...)