Classifeds being closed?

I'd like to know more about this new in game system being developed tied to our profiles.

I think this will effect our sales for new product and land. Alot of people check the forums for new product being released. I think it if is just attached to the profiles...how will that effect those of us who dont socialize and stay on our land to work? Are people going to be spamming randomly now the people in find? "Hey look at my profile for new upcomming product"

really would like to know if anyone else thinks it will effect the economy if we dont have a classified section to post to the public.

and would like a run down on exactly how this new thing Nov.1 works.
/3/fe/66218/1.html

The announcement says that you can self-manage your listings through your profile, not that it's going to be in everyones profile.

In other words, you will be able to list, price, add a photo and description through your profile. The listing itself will more than likely be separate and listed by category on a tab on your GUI.



As has been said thousands of times in the past, only a very small percentage of people ever even look and participate in the forums. This will be accessible and available to ALL users through their GUI.

It's a win, win for everybody and an absolutely great idea. The same thinking that went into implementing the LindeX, which will eventually be available through your GUI as well, went behind the thinking of this classified feature.

Don't be so resistant to change. Change is good when done right, and when you consider that now all products will be seen by all players through built-in game classifieds, common sense says this is being done right.

If so few people visit the forums they why can't they leave the classifieds in the forums for those of us that like to browse new products when away from our SL computers so we know where we're going when we get home to our SL computers.

I am well aware it wont be in everyones profile. that would be rediculous.



Right, kinda like Picks, got that part too.




I disagree with you there, My sales are much better when I post on the forums, all it takes is the small % to tell their friends.




How is this a win win, if people don't know you or have or look in your profile. where there is public exposure on the forums.
LindeX - you can not compare one foucus page to all the public to an individual profile.



I am not resistant to change and I have common sense you have been here 2 months, i have been here 16 months... I have had my fair share of Change in SL
I do not recall seeing any detailed information on this change other than the one link.
So unless you have more real information on this change, you don't really know how it is going to be done. Look at the classifieds IN game now in find. In my opinion it is a mess too many classifieds there and too many double postings. If i remember correctly too they buy their spot off ebay.

VERY good point!

I get replies from my postings from people while they are at work.
I don't know how many jobs allow you to run SL on their computers.

LL has their reasons im sure, but I'm certain one reason might be that they want to encourage us ALL to use the in-game classified feature, as opose to encouraging splinter groups by having multiple type new product listings.

Once again, the classifieds won't be in your profile. You'll merely be able to manage your listings through your profile.

Never anything wrong with multiples I thought?

Switching to a browser to read the classifieds breaks immersion.

We should be glad we don't have to find change to put in a paper dispenser and read them printed in microscopic print on a simulated piece of newsprint with exceeding short rather cryptic abbreviations.

It depends from which perspective you view it. If you want strong use and participation in the classifieds, then you eliminate any alternatives, and voila, theres strong use and participation in the classifieds. (Ie., it will give the in-game classifieds more bang for the buck right? )

having just been on the preview grid...not sure if this new feature is part of it, but I think I understand the desire of LL to get rid of the forums. Listing under classifieds is avaliable through your profile and when you click new it asks if you want to list something in classifieds for 2 weeks for a fee of $250L. HUGE SINK! It's a mess and not categorized at all...hope that they give a sort feature so that you can look for clothing or houses if you want to. The classifieds are still listed on a tab in the find menu.

Basically you have to be willing to give up 1/4 of your stipend in order to advertise your products. No problem for the established business, but newbies...lol....be prepared to give up or buy major $L just to be able to advertise your products!

I agree with you, this could really discourage new designers. and dont forget they are saying they are getting rid of bonuses. that is less for a basic account to use for this plus upload cost.

even for an established designer $250 a week for one classified ad of a new product is rediculous.

I agree. If this is true I hope they re-think this fee. When you consider some designers have hundreds of items and introduced dozens more quite regularly, the listing fee should be no more than the fee for an upload. $L10 max.

I would think it has to be more like a running $L250 fee per week to list your store, irregardless of the individual items listed.

I know it's discouraged me. I built a couple pre-fabs and decided to post them on the forums as a risk free way to see what the reaction was, rather than $30L a week for listing under find. Glad the forum was there because I still havn't sold a pre-fab. With that kind of response to my work I don't think I'll be advertising a classified anytime soon....yes I know more people may have seen it if I had listed it under find, but then again I know my dwell is so low that it would never have made it onto the first page of any search. I'll hang onto my $L for now for sure.

it seems the idea is more to adveritse your store and location rather than new products...still not a replacement for the forum.

I really do all my shopping planning through forums classifieds, and sometimes the majority of my shopping through SLBoutique and SLExchange...leaving me time to host people at our club, spend time with my sweetie, and visit with friends. This may still be possible through in-world classfieds, but is it going to be as well organized as forum classifieds and will photos will be available? Will my favorite designers have to post six classifieds per week, as they are often productive enough to put out 6 new sets of outfits per week? Will that cost them $1500, and if that's the case, will their prices increase? I guess this leaves the field wide open, though, for another website to host forum classifieds where designers can post their new products for free (SLUniverse I guess), and yet another third party website to visit regularly...

posted some of these questions to the Hotline and got this response...


/invalid_link.html

Well, ya'll asked for more sinks...looks like you're getting them...at the expense of potential new designers I'd wager.

Major problem with the new feature too....as soon as you click yes to place the classified you pay $250L...if you cancel, get logged out, crash, etc...you do not get that $$ back.

The classifieds forum has a special sub-forum, named 'special attractions'. This forum contains interesting event announcements... I guess this will be gone, too, forcing event hosts to invest yet more money in promoting their -- many times pocket-financed, supported -- events.

Not mentioning that will people look in the classifieds for events? Because the Special Attractions forum is easy to find, but would I look in the local yellow pages for concerts, cultural events in RL?

Of course I wouldn't check the yellow pages for upcoming entertainment information since it is published annually. I do check out the ads in the Entertainment section of the Sunday paper for what's upcoming at the various venues or for detailed information about what's happening now.

That's really a shame, I like browsing the classified forum at work. It's the only way I can keep track of what everyone's making. I like building in world, I don't want to waste my time looking at ads when I can be making something.

I hope they reconsider. Please keep the classified forum!

*sigh...*

Well, this really screws a small merchant like me. I'm a basic member, not someone who pays a monthly fee to own land. L$250 for 2 weeks is more than my entire MONTH's stipend, and far more than my little t-shirt shop brings in from sales so far.

Wake up, Lindens! Not everyone who plays here can afford to pay for a monthly membership fee. Yes, if I was a Premium member, I suppose I could just deduct that advertising from my stipend... But I'm not.

Essentially this is telling the Basic level members that they shouldn't even consider trying to be merchants in SL unless they want to upgrade to Premium member status.

The proposed fee is too high by at least an order of magnitude. At L$25 for 2 weeks, it would still be a streach for someone who is just getting started, and WE are the ones who need advertising the most! Hey, the big merchants all have established reputations, get lots of business, and can afford to advertise and to have multiple stores. It's the little guys who need a break.

If you make the fee much lower, a LOT more people will participate, and everyone wins. Merchants sell more, customers get a better selection, and the Lindens get happy people all around.

At the very least, please consider a discount for people who are basic level members and just want to advertise for a single landless location. Give us little merchants a chance for people to find our kiosks. Please? Or maybe allow some sort of 'small ad', like something text-only, as a freebie, and the merchants who want to pay for splashy color picture ads can pay the extra fees, like real life merchants do when they get listed in the yellow pages. Any merchant can get their name and phone# in the yellow pages business section, for free, sorted by merchant type. For a small fee, they can add a few lines of text. For a much larger fee they can have a color ad. That is the business model the Lindens should use, if you ask me.

What do you currently sell your t-shirts for? How many do you sell in a two week period? A classified ad might boost your sales considerably -- what % growth would it have to be to make a comfortable profit. What other expenses do you have associated with running your business? If you can sell just five t-shirts at L$50 in a two week period you've covered the cost of the ad without using your stipend.

I wager that Linden Lab does not want to screw small business people, but without a compelling example with some real data that contradicts their data (and they've got a pretty good set of data) your plea for a modified classified system seems a bit hollow.

"Might" is the operative word here. It's a substanstial business risk - the classifieds forum provided a risk-free way to get word out.



I think the point is that she has to save up for 5 weeks in order to place the ad in the first place - no matter how much or how fast she gets her money back in sales. In fact, if LL are determined to stick to the $250/2 weeks price, I would prefer to see it as a L$15/day payment instead.

(And please, don't say she should just go buy L$s on LindeX - I am sick and tired of people making assumptions that all SL residents are in a position to spend US$s beyond their initial basic account sign-up. There are plenty of residents who are stay-at-home moms, starving students or just plain unemployed.)

I'm not against change and all of that...but 250L is high.

I guess this means the ads are going to be an eye-sore...because you know people are going to cram as much crap as they can into them. And I don't blame 'em...

Using Pathfinders link page as a jump off let's just make our own Classified section. We will need someone to get a website or share an existing website.

I know we would all have to stick together and just make ONE site, but we can do it.

We could call it 'SL Classifieds' and make up our own sections like Shopping, New Products, etc.

This way we can still browse when we are away from access to SL.

Hooray for you Mhajik

Finally a suggestion that makes sense.

So many complain when SL takes over some facet of the world by citing the slogan "Your World. Your Imagination" and how hyprocritical the slogan is. But when LL bails out of a particular facet of the world that we can easily take over and run ourselves, so many are up in arms as if without LL's help we are doomed for failure.

Why not practice what we preach, create a new classified website, and run it ourselves. With all of the talent we have in SL, not to mention currently running SL websites that can easily take over this function, why are so many crying on an SL created forum?