Economic Parasites

I guess I need to rant about something that really bothers me.

I know of one of a post ball seller here who makes over $2000 usd a month off of SL. He admitted to me that he doesn't like the game. He thinks that the players are all basically loosers, and that it's great that he's able to exploit us. The guy never comes online except to suck his SL tit. He totally ignores his customer's and their requests and problem.

The siphoning off of SL's economy by people who have no desire to 'give back' to the SL community...or worse views us as simply sheep to be sheared has got be effecting the overall economic health and the future viability of the game.

It's a pity that there isn't a way to impose a tax on the money that these people siphon away from SL and use that to help insure the continuance of the game, and better the economic system.

***OK I feel better now ****
--==* NOT *==--

He's not siphoning off SL's economy -- he's contributing to it by providing compelling content that people apparently want to buy.

He's "giving back" to the SL community by doing his part to keep users in SL by providing them with things to do, and he's staying in SL because he's making money off it. Win/win.

"It's a pity that there isn't a way to impose a tax on the money that these people siphon away from SL"

THERE IS! Every time you sell money on Lindex, a fee goes to LindenLabs. Sheesh.

And as the above poster mentions, they ARE adding to the SL community; they take money out and put content in. Duh...that's what money is for; you exchange it with goods and services.

Musuko.

If you think this person is a problem and is running a shoddy business that cheats customers and you don't believe should be earning him $2,000US a month, the best thing you can do is to simply let people in world know about the business so that they are aware of the lack of customer service, or whatever else he's doing that's a bad business practice. If it's true, his business will suffer until he puts more work into it. If not, then his curent customers will stay, and his business will continue.

Perhaps we should set up something like an SL Better Business Bureau?

You make very valid points, and in essence I agree. I guess it's the fact that his whole attitude towards the populace of SL is bording on the obscene.

I'm lucky to make $50 a month on my little projects while paying out more than that. I try to contribute to the social scene here making dontations and all, and participating in activities to make it a richer place in a more social sense and not just the 'material'.

I guess I'm idealistic.

Don't worry. You'll lose that in time.

LOL.. that was cynical! ROLF

Just another way SL mirrors RL I guess. Plenty of rich, stuck-up snobs who barely worked for any of their money, and treat people like trash, iRL, too. Just another sad fact of life I guess.

Unfortunately, whoever this is about, I would have to defend and bash at the same time.
If he is making US$2K/month from his items, then thats great! He must have put a lot of work into it for so many people to buy his stuff.
I program casino games, and spend 30+ programming hours on each game (not including the 3 week testing period to weed out any possible bugs). I make just about the same amount as the person in question.
The difference is that I offer top notch customer support, and solve any problems my customers have as quickly and professionally as possible.
If he has a great selling item, he really needs to have the customer support to back it up. Otherwise, people will simply stop buying the products.

There... I posted, now lets go to lunch.

Sadly, this is mostly true. Some of us manage to sneak past the tollbooth asking us to hand over out idealism though.

He must be doing something right.

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." -- George Bernard Shaw.

heh...

Is his last name Murdock?

(Note: this can in NO way be considered naming names, as I personally know of 2 avs with the surname Murdock in the adult animation poseball industry)

If so... no wonder he was such a dick to me when I tried to get replacements after that asset server error back in March...

Actually the person you are responding to is correct. Sounds to me like he is preparing a problem ridden content package and when pl ask for a fix or a refund he is igying them. Not good busines and he is certainly at hat point as big of a leech as our favorite freebie reseller.

So what's wrong with being idealistic and sleeping well at night because you KNOW you are doing the honest thing?