L$ falling like a BRICK!! L$313 / $1 USD

Thank you Craig.

I don't believe SL would become empty, but i believe it is all the richer for both free and "paid for" content.

Given the amount of free content, one doesn't even have to be able to make ones own, so to those who don't feel the need to compensate resident creators with RL money, there's absolutely no need.

Equally those same people have no right to expect to get the things that are made to be sold by virtue of being given a stipend, unless Linden Labs themselves compensates the creators in turn.

I agree CJ,

When I first came into Sl, the free content helped me greatly in getting started, but what I found was to make something really nice (and more importantly unique) time and effort and people deserve to be compensated for that.

You're buying those $L from Linden Labs (in $US) who, in doing this, is printing new money everytime they're issued.

Let's put it another way. If instead of issuing new $L every week, LL could buy some or all of their needed $L from the exchange market. Doing this would would soak up a huge amount of the excess $L on the market and, in effect, compensate the resident content developers while allowing LL to easily control the exchange rate for $L. Of course, from their point-of-view that would be an expense since printing and selling us $L costs nothing.

Residents who don't opt for premium accounts, but rather buy their $L are doing just that. In a real economy we don't get our money from the mint, we get it from other people. The mint issues new money to cover what's being taken from out of the system and as tool of monetary policy. Normally, that money is borrowed and re-lent out causing a ripple effect as it goes from banks to business and back again while the base money supply is kept fairly constant.

See my revised message about doubling of the basic land amount. Premium members now get 512 sq meters. Double it to 1024 sq meters! It would work out to a fair exchange.

Oh one thing, if I had to pay dollars for Lindens, I would not buy content at all. Watch what you are asking for!

But unless you''ve signed up with the basic free SL account, you *are* paying US$ for $L. It's just a matter of who you're paying those US$ to. LL to play the game or the content providers whose items you are buying.

Also, if you "tier up", you're now paying even more US$ and getting no $L for your money.

You think creators who care about the value of the linden are that concerned with not giving you any more content? Sales that aren't backed by a USD purchase of lindens from a player are worth $0US.

Since this thread is kicking the game versus busines ball around, note that Linden Labs has now removed any sort of coup counting other than Linden dollars. There is no leader board, so ratings are satsifying only for those who enjoy glancing at their own profile. Dwell still shows, but not the person who owns the land who gets the dwell, so there is no game glory in that. There is no way to find out who owns the most land, has the most popular build, is the best liked, spends the most time working for Second Life, owns the most yellow tulips, or anything else that you can think of.

It becomes less gamelike everyday--games need to have goals and scoreboards, even if people chose which game they play and which scoreboard they want their name on.

So, what do you think, do we need user-created scoreboards in order to bring back the balance between business and fun?

FFS, "Today's high: L$350 / US$1.00" jeez...

Thanks Barbarra,

While this is a much more business oriented forum. SL *is* a game for the majority of users, in spite of the ability to make SL/RL money off of your talents. While I enjoy running my, admittedly small, SL business. It's isn't all that I do, although sometimes I wonder .

The motto of SL is "Your World, Your Imagination" not make $US in a virtual business. Business aside, I've always thought that the real strength of SL is how it facilitates the creation of communities of people with similar interests who normally would never have met in RL. To come together and create something that would normally be impossible or impractical.

How would you like your sales to drop like a rock? I buy content with Lindens given to me from Linden Labs. I would think twice before buying content with what amounts to American Dollars. I might buy a sl use only necklace with play money but never real money.

If you dont want to make content, well DON'T! Nobody is forcing you! What is the name of that other provider?

Ranma, what are you so concerned about? You are behaving like people are attacking and you in this thread and I don't see where they are. Certainly not the people you are jumping all over.

Oh, We paid money for that stipend!. I will not stand by and do nothing and see it go away. We have a contract with Linden Labs. We paid this amount of money for this service. The service was to allow us to own land, 512sq meters before paying tier and L$500 a week stipend. Yes they can try to get out of paying for it but think the courts will see differently.

Linden Labs might get away with closing a few accounts but thousands? There would be a very different article in Business Week next time.

Ok... so show me who that you are jumping all over is saying, I think we should take away premium stipends?

But don't you understand... the more L$ that are printed, the less they are worth. We are already seeing the effects of this.

And Ranma, don't point to Jamie, because no one takes her seriously.

The smart people do. Obviously, you've identified yourself as to what pile you are in.

I was the only one saying the L$ would keep falling... everybody else had their heads in the sand.... and still do.

We will fall through L$400 / $1 USD before the year is out.

and then?

Yep, you are right... you were the only one who predicted that the Linden would continue to fall. It didn't even occur to anyone else, ever. In fact, if you go back through all the threads in this forum, you will never, ever see a post where anyone but the amazing "capitalist genious" Jamie Bergman suggest that the Linden would do anything but gradually and gracefully increase in value.

It will mean very little to most of us. We dont need to earn and sell lindens to make tier or rl money. I do understand how you would be efected by his action.

So the Linden is falling? So why should I worry?

Because if it did, you could save money by switching to a basic account and only buying Lindens when you really needed them.

Additionally when merchants start raising their prices to compensate for the devalued $L, your weekly stipend from LL will buy you less and less.

The major land owners are already raising their weekly rents and that will ripple through the economy until everything balances out.

Ironically, in such a situation, people who generate their own in-game incomes will be less effected than those who rely on their weekly stipend for their in-game $L.

We haven't seen it yet because the content creators are eating the increased cost of business and not passing it on to the consumers.

Cost will be passed on among those who Rent Land...
Land owners who rent land and pay tier from rental income
MUST pass on the cost, else they risk subsidizing their rental
property out of their own pocket.

I am paid in advance and am a landowner. Why do I want to rent? I like having the land controls

I rent only a apartment and that is used as my photo gallary. I should probally just buy another small lot to place it on.

About content, if it gets too expensive will not buy it. I am on Second Life for reasons other than buying objects and renting land I do not need either