Linden Land Sales

I asked a few questions 05:06:2006 and got this response:



and this:



So, I will ask again:

Now that a couple months has past since the 1.9.0 upgrade and changes in policies towards abandoned land, I have some questions which I would like answered.

1- Linden Lab claimed abandoned land would sit in limbo for a mandatory2 week period, in order to allow appeals to be made for returning the land. My question is: How does the dialog confirmation differ from that of regular land sales? I accidentally purchased a 16m plot for 16,000 Lindens and your company had absolutely no sympathy for me. Abandoning land follows the same dialog confirmation processes.

2- How can Linden Lab justify claiming abandoned land at no cost and reselling it at 3.0/sq m.? Why did Andrew Linden reneg on his committment to the community, that abandoned land would be sold on the land sales list at 1.0/sq? Likewise 512 plots were to be earmarked for First Land, yet they have appeared on the land sales list.

3- I have several plots landmarked, which have been sitting within the Governor's tier since this was implimented, far longer than the promised 2 week period. My question is: How can LL justify holding land in tier where residents used to hold within paid tier?

4- Linden Lab, as a company promoting business within the world has put alot of people out of work over this issue. Andrew Linden purported that LL staff spent "a great deal of time" resolving abandoned land issues. My question is: Has LL staff spent a great deal of time working around this issue and does LL staff continue to require extensive manpower to manage abandoned land by a greater or lesser degree than under the previous policy?

5- The SL economy is dependant upon a stable environment, where confidence in the Linden dollar and business security are paramount. Buying and selling land though wholsale to retail markets provides economic stimulii. Sitting on land within LL tier does not encourage growth, sales or profits for residents. Does Linden Lab take the position, that eliminating abandoned land resellers in favor of "in house auctions and sales" benefits residents moreso than a resident managed policy? Afterall, Philip has claimed time and time again, that issues are often better manged by residents.

I am very sorry this took longer than expected, Weedy. I will do some further checking and see what we can find out to help you clarify this.

Hi Weedy,

The policies we work to can and will change over time if we feel it necessary, including the way that we manage land. We do generally keep abandoned land for at least a week before it is processed back into the community, as there may be support calls about it. Current policy is that we do not refund in cases where a residents makes a land purchase and then wishes to undo it.

Parcels that we are unable to sell through the auctions may, at our discretion, be set for Sale on the open market. Where it makes sense to do so, 512m parcels may be sold rather than setting them to First Land once more. The resource required by us to manage this process has reduced over time, through UI changes and better tools - and through abandoned land reverting to us rather than going public.

Obviously we do not wish to sit on large amounts of land that is better used by residents. We feel that the way we currently do this is the best and quickest way to do it. Since the start of 2006, more than half of the abandoned land we previously held under Governor Linden has been moved back into circulation, which is good for the mainland as a whole.


Jack Linden