Where do You get your Disposable Income?

After....it's got to be after... he thought he was her *first*

I always knew the 'teleport' facility would come in handy one day..

Just be careful you don't TP to the bottom of the ocean, wearing cement sandals.

Assuming that's Lindens, it works out to less than $4 US. Even if it's just one hour, I'll stick with my CC.

On the other hand, if it's 500 USD, where do I sign up?

Just for the record, he didn't, and wouldn't, get to touch me. I was building at the time (yes, i do other things apart from fuck for money actually), and he passed by, and wanted to know how about what i was doing, and how to succeed in SL, being brand new with the paint still wet on his newbie avatar. I gave him my newbie pack and answered his questions because, up to that point, he was polite and seemed in search of knowledge about SL. I gave him 50 linden because i know how hard it is to arrive with empty pockets, to have it spat back at me with a mouthful of abuse.

But like so many other people in SL, his tolerance for other people's tastes and ways of earning a living (not having a CC to dump cash into this world) was sadly lacking.

I thought it was sad that he couldn't take my 'dirty money'... i put it in a RFL box instead. They don't ask where it comes from.

Imogen

I'll take your money, even if it is filthy.

Wow - Electronic game tokens can be dirty?

Can some tech-head tell us how to digitally launder it?

Its pretty clean these days Brenda... I gave up escorting a while ago now, because it upset the man i was in a relationship with on SL.

I used to earn in the region of 25k a week, without breaking into much of a sweat, and had a lot of fun doing it. There are a lot of people who think escorting. or prostitution as they usually prefer to call it, is a dirty trade. I know i may be biased, but to my mind, its a lot cleaner than coming here and spending, for example, on your rl partners credit card (or your SL partner's come to that). Its a lot cleaner than pretending to be something you are not, to get a free ride on the back of a partner.

I am not referring to anyone in particular, but i know some people who do these things and think they are better than me. The club i used to work for was visited several times by SL partners of our clients, and they would come in raging and looking for their partners and to take a look at the 'sluts' their partners had come for. We didn't drag them in kicking and screaming.. we didn't go fishing for them in their nice cosy little love nests. They came of their own accord. And some of these women openly stated that they lived off their partners credit cards.

We also used to get people, superciliously saying "I don't pay for sex, dear". We had all heard that line. Well to my mind its a hell of a lot better to pay for it than to screw some girl for love until you are bored with her and leave her.. Hell Yeah. Its a business transaction, no strings, no drama, no scenes... you don't have to say you love me, or lie and say it if you don't. Its a hell of a lot cleaner than many things i have seen on SL and in other places online. And for someone who is a newbie to SL sex, its a great way to get ready for the 'one' who will be your significant other. A sensitive and discreet escort is a great way to learn.

I don't have any dirty money.. sorry Brenda... and nowadays, trying to make my living as a builder and creator, i don't have any money at all to spare... sorry honey... Its all i can do to pay my SL rent.

imogen

Dont dash our hopes yet were still working out how to clean it.



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I always thought the "I dont pay for sex" snobbery was funny.

Like its somehow so much more moral for someone to intentially schmoze their way into someone's bed with hints of promises they never intend on keeping, only to dump them in the morning.

my point exactly Colette.. to my bitter experience

imogen

Edit:: When people used to ask me why i was an escort, I would say "I got fed up of being screwed for love.. now i screw for money"

Har, this is amazing. What an amazing way to address the SL experience. In SL I was born on 3rd base and you are working your way to it. Have you thought of blogging your experience?
Your suggestion about more jobs for entry level is very interesting. I agree and it would be better than camping in that people could acquire skills.

Dnali goes off to think about how to employ people.

I imagine that like the immigrants, you don't accept charity either?

Of course Brenda would make a fortune in SL as a stand up. I think it was Timothy Leary who eventually did a stint as a stand up philosopher. And you are much cuter and funnier.

I really hope voice brings comedy clubs to SL.

Dnali still thinking about how to create jobs for people.

voice will make comedy out of all clubs in SL.

unitentionally.

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lol sorry couldnt resist.

Imogen, if you are as creative in your escort work as you are in your builds and art, then people are definitely getting a lot for their money.

Dnali who believes in the whore with the heart of cold; not the pimp with a cash register for a heart.

smiles, blushing.

imogen

Awwwww...no I'm blushing. remind me to hug you next time I see you.

Hmm. Assuming a 5 day work week, that's 5K L$, or roughly $18 US/day. Now if your time doing this was an hour a day, that's pretty reasonable. Even if it were two hours/day, $9/hour is still above minimum wage.

So how many hours does that 25k/week translate into?

Of course no charity.

First of all, it would undrmine the life script I chose for myself in SL. More interestingly, from walking in those shoes, I suspect RL imjmigrants have made a similar Life Choice for themselves and react the same way for the same reason. So, I suspect taking charity would undermine their self-esteem. It would also lower them in the eyes of their fellow immigrants who think as they do. And if one's aim is "making it," taking the role of supplicant means placing oneself at or near the bottom of the social order, and in terms of social status at least and one's own psychology, makes such a goal more distant than ever. Which is not what one wants who has a goal of advancing himself.

It's an interesting experience.

I do not believe I'm making assumptions, actually I'm just giving hypothetical examples--building and design is just one example of how one could make money rather than camping. You can choose your own method--building is just a great example of a useful (potentially profitable) SL skill.

I work full time in RL on the weekdays, and act in film on the weekends--yet I still find time to run a design firm in SL. Yes, it's true that I already had a firm grasp on 3D modeling and design, but this does not mean that had SL been around ten years ago that I wouldn't have used [SL] as a tool to learn, and possibly profit. It's all about attitude and devotion. You have to be disciplined in anything you do if you want to profit or garner respect (respect for yourself, and respect from others).

And to comment on your design comment: You say prim building is easy to learn? Actually, I don't think that is necessarily true--ask my Mom to build something as simple as a door...and she would have trouble. She has a hard time navigating Orientation Island, let alone the build tool.

So, let's say the build-tool curve has been overcome, let us now discuss your idea about "design." You seem to believe that someone had to attend RISD to be a competitor in SL's design/build community--this is not true. Building and an “eye for design” is like any other art form: some people start out ahead, some people will never learn, but most can be trained to master the craft (who can say whether a particular person has the “IT” factor?). I am not assuming that everyone can jump into design and building and make a profit, or "succeed." But I do believe that with practice and discipline, anything can be achieved.

If camping is something you love and enjoy, then you go boy! But don’t just sit back and complain about not making enough money to buy what you want, as you sit on your ass doing nothing. If all you want to do is meet people camping or playing Slingo, and you have no ambition to do anything else, than this diatribe has nothing to do with you. If, however, you continually panhandle, or complain about your bank account...get off your pixilated ass and make something of your digital ego.

I do not think campers ruin SL…just like I don’t think bums ruin my RL. The difference is, a lot of RL bums are incapable of getting a job…campers in SL don’t have physical illness, or disease. SL campers aren’t amputees. They are not held back by their physical bodies. It’s up to them to make of themselves what they dream and desire.

Again, I use building and design as just ONE possibility to profit or work. There are many other ways—the key word is discipline. Do you have it?

between 2 and 4 thousand linden per hour, depending on the kink

But i wasn't seeking to fund my real life.. only my second life. Since my rented plot cost me 6.5k per month, and a nice outfit costs me between 500 and 1000 linden per ... I had plenty left over to convert to real dollars to pay my premium fees...

easy peasy.. don't knock it.

imogen

Aside from my own design firm profits, the majority of the money I make (freelance building for movie premiere sims) is too high to even touch SL--the money goes directly into Paypal.

Another strong example reinforcing my point of why knowledge is power--in both SL & RL.

I helped multiply filthy money once. I met a hooker, and just thought she was a cool, fun person. I didn't feel like having sex right then, but I gave her the hooker fee, and took her shopping for a new hairdo. She says that hot hair helped her to earn much more dirty money. We had fun, and are still friends.

I just love to do a good deed.

Heh. I hope when you sowed the wind in this case you reaped the whirlwind. O.O.

Well I thought I'd make a list of particular jobs. I don't know if I've got them all or even if some of these are right as I haven't really been some of these. So whatcha think? Which one are you? Or would you add something else?


1. The customer = buys lindens with credit card or paypal.
2. The worker = earns lindens by working a job in SL. eg. dancer, dj, escort, model, etc.
3. The merchant = creates and sells virtual goods.
4. The player = plays games of chance in hopes of winning more money.
5. The lucky one = has rich friends who just buy them stuff.
6. The camper = sits and earns a tiny amount of money.
7. The land baron = buys land at low price, sells land at higher price.
8. The premium account holder = gets a monthly stipend by paying monthly subscription.
9. The owner = rents out land for commerce or residence.

It's Lindens.

Still, considering I was listening to some great music and iming friends and having fun, it's all bonus. I just prefer to not hit my rl budget to fund in world fun. I already spend enough with all the monthly subsriptions I have.