Going premium, your opinion.

This isn't the usual "should I or shouldn't I" thread. It seems in most peoples opinion going premium is a waist of money, and they usually give reasons why. Well now how about some suggestions on what you think it would take for the Premium account to be worth your subscription.
And please lets be realistic and reasonable.

For me, it would be getting the piece of land your allotted with out paying for it. As in the land comes with the premium account.
With the exchange rate of Ls to $, your monthly subscription fee would almost buy you another piece of land; depending on land value in the area.

They would have to change things from the way they were when they were offering first land for $512 and people were adding alts and gaming the system.

I can safely say you will never go premium if that is your criteria. LL is not going to go back to offering cheap land.

A stable platform. Professional Support and service. That would be worth my $9.95 a month. And then some.

If you get premium get 1 year -- this works out to $6/month, which means you get 512m tier for $2/month.

Land comes with a premium account?!?! LOL, where'd you read that. Back when I joined up premium there was "first land", and between the $1250 bonus L's for signing up and the $512 cost of first land (if you could find it), yes, my first 512 sq meter plot was free, but first land died a while back. So, get the idea that you get free land out of your head. If you go premium, you're gonna pay about 5-6k for a 512. Now, your first 512 sq meters of land has a $0 monthly tier fee, which is nice.. but you'll soon outgrow your skimpy 117 prims, and quickly desire more land to gain more prims.

If you wish to get into real estate, I'd recomend buying a premium account. I personally am no longer in the real estate biz, but I still maintain a premium account because when I go to buy land, I prefer to own mainland no covenent lots. Most rentals (but not all) come with restrictions about what you can build, even weather or not you can run certain types of scripts... etc. So owning mainland is easier, because you own the land, you own the rights to what you can and cant do as well. However, if you just want to own some land, you can effectively rent the land and avoid the premium account cost. I paid a year in advance, so it's only $72, and then forget about your premium account fees for a whole year. That's mainly why I have a premium account.. because it's fairly cheap to have (if you pay the year in advance, which is what I'm recomending) if you decide to go the Premium route.

It was just his wish. He knows it is not available.
Sorry Manstan, people seem to have missed the point of this thread.

I think what the OP is asking in this thread is what it would take for premium membership to be worth it to people who aren't premium.

I am already premium, so ...I guess for me it takes what they are already giving.

I went premium so that I could own land. But, even if I had no intentions of owning land, I would have become a premium member for the simple fact that I should support this platform called Second Life which has given me so much for free. This is an amazing creation and I feel obligated to contribute in any way that I can. Someone has to pay for all the resources, provided both by LL and the users of SL, to make this thing run and to not contribute in some way is downright criminal! There really is no such thing as a free lunch!

Having said that, this does not mean non-premium account holders are criminal since there are a variety of ways to contribute. But if you don't contribute at all, just log in and take up bandwidth, then maybe someone needs to take you out back and um.....

Still, LL needs to do something to attract more premium accounts. If owning land is the only reason to upgrade to a paid account, I don't see many people thinking like I do and paying for access if they are not somehow "rewarded" on top of the privilege of being able to be in Second Life. Maybe increase stipends? Non-resellable first land? Better choice of free stuff (avatars, clothing, etc)? In game coupons for valuable items? Exclusive areas? Better server access? Free rl SL gear? Mentoring services for premium members? I'm sure there are more and/or better options out there.

After my first day in Second Life, I realized it's awesomeness and that's the only reason I needed to subscribe....

There are a number of features that would be difficult to introduce due to scaling issues (first one on my mind would be a group increase for instance) but since there are so few premiums the scaling issue might be small enough to offer it.

The upside is that things like that don't actually cost LL anything, but after enough time there might be enough features that basics don't have access to to make it compelling to those who currently see no value in being premium.

The one feature that would probably send the number of premiums surging would be inventory backup.

"It was just his wish. He knows it is not available.
Sorry Manstan, people seem to have missed the point of this thread." Yup

And it's not just about land, it could be privileges, perks, and so on.

"117 prims" you can't serious, I have almost 3x that renting. And that is the point. I've only been on SL for a few weeks, and it is already quite apparent that it is actually better to not get the premium and rent.

Let me rephrase my original question.

For those that have been on SL for a while, and don't intend to become a premium member, what would it take to get you to do so? Is it all about land?

Another example, I am a texture artist, so on an average I spend 200-300Ls a day uploading images, it would be nice if part of the premium package was an actual discount for bulk uploads.

I said part as your suggestion could just be a part of a premium package. Like say a newbie starter box; skins clothes, hair, and such. Or special invites to premium member only parties.

That will also be good for content creators and the SL economy. I won't buy anything new until I get some sort of assurance that my purchases will remain in my inventory.

LL could use you as an employee. Good ideas.

Great freaking idea right there!!! I upload tons of images for my own art, photography, and t-shirt designs. An actual discount for bulk uploads or maybe even a certain number for free each month and then pay the regular $10L per upload would be a nice benefit to an enhanced premium access.

I think they should have 1st land again but for yearly subscriptions only (to stop the problem of people abusing it. I don't know why LL couldn't think of that)

Also 500 L$ a week (like I get).
Many people would never buy on lindex yet are happy to receive money and pay a subscription. This is common among people who think of it as a game rather than a business.
LL are missing out on "selling" money (via subscription) to these people by making premium accounts not worth it.

Good idea.

Ooh I like the idea of a certian # of free uploads per month.

I'm a little disappointed that there aren't more benefits to being a Premium. As a Basic you can go everywhere a Premium goes and do everything a Premium does except buy land..so a Basic just flies off to an island somewhere and buys that instead. Having said that I'd rather pay my subscription and remain Premium.

If I would have known that I'd be moving so much because the land I bought was quickly surrounded by first, dreadful ugliness in the form of spinning ad farms and hideous builds, then second, by incredibly lag-inducing nightclubs and casinos, I would have NEVER gone premium.
I thought "Hey...LAND...that's cool...I can put up a little house...enjoy some privacy (oh, I just SLAY me sometimes with my own naivete...), and learn more about how this place works."
I actually DID get a house built...then the forest of giant flexi penii appeared next door...so I learned how to put together a skybox...and bought a cool plane...until everyone else decided to do the same (oh, there was MUCH hilarity in raising and lowering my skybox in order to get to an altitude where I wouldn't have to see the flying treehouses or giant boxes someone else was rezzing. Too damn bad about the 700 meter limit...
I also learned how to mute annoying b*tt-weasels who were CONSTANTLY asking me to sell my land.
I learned how much lag a fireworks particle generator can cause...when it's set up next to my property. I learned that 117 prims really isn't enough...THEN I learned that you can still use giant prims...although as soon as LL hints they'll get rid of them, I will really lose my cool.
My last lesson .... and the reason why I will never again make any investment in mainland property ... is that the frenzied quest to earn filthy linden luchre will plow any sort of attempt at artistry and community completely under. The neighbors, who...unstatisfied with building a two-story commercial bauhaus nightmare...decided to place spinning ad boxes for their business directory overhead.
The hours I spend terraforming my little 1024 plot to be a nice little spot where ANYONE could come and sit...just seemed to be completely unappreciated.
So...my last lesson...I arranged to sell my land...and clumsy novice that I was...set the land to sell to anyone...in a then avatarless-sim...and in under a minute lost it to a landbot...while I was out checking nearby prices.
I moved to another, new, mainland sim...on a nice, shiny class 5...and within three days...the same spew of trash followed. I sold that parcel...and have been "homeless" ever since.
I'm seriously thinking of downgrading my account...the 9.95 would be MUCH better spent on a private estate on an island somewhere. And since LL seems to have very little interest in aggressively pursuing and heavily punishing griefers...I have very little interest in EVER returning to the mainland at all. I can't fly my plane without hitting an unstable sim border...or encountering some other problem that leaves me stranded on no-script, no-rez land...and I'm sick of the garbage that springs up around me wherever I find to hang my hat.
So...premium? I'd say go for it. But don't pay for the whole year. Go month-by-month...and if your experience is like mine...get the hell out...and if you like it...THEN get a yearly account...and have fun.

I tier up and I tier down, but I don't think I'll ever give up being Premium on my main account.

There is just nothing like a 512 of your own, secured any way you wish, with a skybox sitting way high up, and your orb chasing away all the unwanted, and you can always teleport home to it, if you "die" in combat you go to it, it's just absolutely worth it in every way.

Awkward social situation? No problem - teleport home.

Hate your roommate, your landlord, the group you roleplay with? No problem - you can get away from it all.

Three prims makes a basic skybox. And you are god in heaven.

The extra support means a lot too, and you will be Payment Info on File if you weren't before.

When I'm in my alt I feel homeless and lost, but my main on a 512 she owns is Queen of All She Surveys.

Occasionally a 512 comes up on the mainland in an older, stable sim with good looking builds on the neighbors' lots. This is the best kind of land to buy if you must have a tiny lot and the price is worth it. New sims are too likely to go through a chaotic phase and you will be depressed when you go home. But if you have a little piece of a stable good looking sim, it's very very nice.

Another idea, even more expensive but hopelessly romantic, is to get a little piece of water in an old stable sim and put a boat on it. I have seen oldbies' homes which were rustic shacks next to forest or river. It's all about the visuals, after all.

I once had a smallish lot with a build under water, another build floating at the water surface, and a skybox 300m up in the clouds, all joined by secure teleporters. You can also buy up scrap land in the same sim later on to add prims to your build.

It's also fun if you go for a larger lot to set up something that allows you to host your own parties.

And, your own land is your own sandbox, at least for smaller projects.

However.... there is a danger of land addiction.. .be careful.. set a limit of tier on yourself and don't go over. I am now at the $15 tier level and that's enough for me to live in style in three nice houses, a low prim modern skybox, a cute low prim cottage and a four story castle heavy on the prims. I use the castle for entertaining and the skybox for leave-me-alone zen solitude to IM.

If you want help hunting land, let me know, I am fairly familiar with the old continents. Have fun.

Lets try this. A premium account package.{ not counting what you get already}
250 prims on your parcel. 117 is ridicules, 3 cars with a garage would fill it.
Bulk uploads at 8Ls per file.
A pass to the private premium club.
Premium pass only events.
500Ls for your SL premium sign up birthday. And a cake at the club
An SL starter package; house, plants, furniture, land textures, a suit, and a vehicle {and the way they handle in SL I would recommend a scooter} Yes all this is free stuff, but the package would be the best ones; possibly with some fine tune moding.
Of coarse a premium members news letter.
And a membership to the premium union, were members can have a direct voice to the Lindens. As in vote on plocy changes.
Well I can dream.

117 prims is rediculous? Hardly, it's a limitation put in place because of hardware issues (on both ends, both client and server). The solution is simple, if you need more prims, buy more land...

I'm premium more because I wanted to support the company than because of any particular benefit. However, when my payment info recently became not good enough for them and they didn't explain why, or even which of my accounts had the trouble, I felt like in addition to paying them money I was also giving them my time (to figure out what the problem really was), and having to jump through hoops. Invisible, vaguely-described hoops. Which moved after being vaguely described. And were electrified with a threat of closing my account; a threat freebie accounts didn't have because they don't have payment info that goes stale for unknown reasons like us premium accounts do.

So when I come up for renewal I may just make sure I am tier-free and downgrade to a safer, less work-intensive free account.

It does not take a lot for me for paying for SL to be worth it. Lots of people seem to believe that paying should come with a significant "Physical" benefit and rarely think about the "Fun" they have being in SL.

For me Premium is worth it because I enjoy being in SL. The stipend means I don't have to water that fun down with a second "Virtual" job or endless camping to get "Walking around" money, and eases the burden on my CC that much more, also I have a lot of fun owning land and having my own private place to chill where I make the rules and can do what I want with it. I also gladly pay my mainland tier and would not think of complaining about that.

Lots of people think LL will have better service if people don't pay, but the truth is companies need money to pay for employees and training, the electricity to run everything they need to do business and keep emplyees happy, the building(s) they work in and the bandwidth that allows us to reach the grid. Ultimately it may well be the community that thinks this way that keeps service sub-par by their standards.

Johan Laurasia I have almost 3x that and I rent. So I would be losing prims if I bought land. And one of my points. If; as it seems, the only benefit I can see to being a premium member is to own land, I would like to be better off then renting.
And I spend more then 300Ls in a day regular, just uploading textures.

The point of this thread is to find out what enticements it would take to get people to go premium. Which is something I would think the Lindens would be concerned about.

And yes? I have about a 15 times that on the land that I own. It is all about what you want. Renting better then buying? Maybe for you, but not for me... and a lot others. First I don't want noboddy (apart Linden) telling me what to do or not to do on my land. If I wish to make my logcabin tomorrow purple, I can do that (no, I never would... it just an example).

Add to that, that I have heard too many stories by know of landlords/landladies who suddenly leave SL and drop everything... or have for whatever reason something against you and just dump you. And yes, there are great landlords/landladies.... but not all are. And for me the risk for is just a bit too high....

So your "SL for a few weeks, and it is already quite apparent that it is actually better to not get the premium and rent" I take with a bit salt if you don't mind.

Morwen.