Comments on: Virtual Worlds and the Trend Towards Free: Second Life and the Object Economy http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2008/10/23/virtual-worlds-and-the-trend-towards-free-second-life-and-the-object-economy/ Virtual worlds and creativity, business, collaboration, and identity. Thu, 30 Sep 2010 06:34:48 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Suzanne http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2008/10/23/virtual-worlds-and-the-trend-towards-free-second-life-and-the-object-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-20679 Suzanne Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:21:02 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=994#comment-20679 A couple of thoughts...I actually notice a qualitative difference between products, so like in the real world, I might pay more for something I value more. In SL that's primarily aesthetics but increasingly it's design. I just bought sunglasses with a well designed HUD for adjusting them in a myriad of ways. I agree content creators should be paid for their labor, and better goods can command higher prices, in principle. I'm one of those people that will pay for a better widget, but I know residents who'd rather make it themselves, in part cause they don't wanna pay for it, in part cause they (think) they can make it. I think there's a lot to improve in SL and therefore a lot to innovate still. A couple of thoughts…I actually notice a qualitative difference between products, so like in the real world, I might pay more for something I value more. In SL that’s primarily aesthetics but increasingly it’s design. I just bought sunglasses with a well designed HUD for adjusting them in a myriad of ways.
I agree content creators should be paid for their labor, and better goods can command higher prices, in principle.
I’m one of those people that will pay for a better widget, but I know residents who’d rather make it themselves, in part cause they don’t wanna pay for it, in part cause they (think) they can make it.

I think there’s a lot to improve in SL and therefore a lot to innovate still.

]]> By: The anonymous http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2008/10/23/virtual-worlds-and-the-trend-towards-free-second-life-and-the-object-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-20594 The anonymous Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:45:20 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=994#comment-20594 Sl is trashed economy wise, the only one making money is Linden. Take a look at Anshe Chung her land for example, it's over 50% yellow, there is to much land, to much objects, to many bots, to many freeloaders. Linden can't expand anymore, mainland is at 2.2 Linden per metre and they release some garbage looking land hoping to rake in 300 USD for a 1024 metres parcel again. At the moment Linden is making money and collecting tier with void sims, each week over 100 of those get sold but it's starting to slow down and plenty of these are getting dumped. What is funny is that even with the release of all those void sims Linden isn't growing at a spectacular higher ratio compared to the past when most sims were bought by estate owners and in world commerces. This gigantic shift really didn't turn Linden into a huge profit making company. Why do you think they are promoting SL for businesses so hard these days? It's about the only market segment they can exploit to sell more land. They don't make efforts towards the regular users who made SL to what it is today. Items became way to cheap in SL, for many people they are just game goods they can buy for play money 50 Linden for hair, 100 Linden for a dress, for a real dollar you spend hours of shopping, consume a GB of bandwidth and don't bring any form of stimulation for the economy. Sl is trashed economy wise, the only one making money is Linden. Take a look at Anshe Chung her land for example, it’s over 50% yellow, there is to much land, to much objects, to many bots, to many freeloaders. Linden can’t expand anymore, mainland is at 2.2 Linden per metre and they release some garbage looking land hoping to rake in 300 USD for a 1024 metres parcel again.

At the moment Linden is making money and collecting tier with void sims, each week over 100 of those get sold but it’s starting to slow down and plenty of these are getting dumped. What is funny is that even with the release of all those void sims Linden isn’t growing at a spectacular higher ratio compared to the past when most sims were bought by estate owners and in world commerces. This gigantic shift really didn’t turn Linden into a huge profit making company. Why do you think they are promoting SL for businesses so hard these days? It’s about the only market segment they can exploit to sell more land. They don’t make efforts towards the regular users who made SL to what it is today.
Items became way to cheap in SL, for many people they are just game goods they can buy for play money 50 Linden for hair, 100 Linden for a dress, for a real dollar you spend hours of shopping, consume a GB of bandwidth and don’t bring any form of stimulation for the economy.

]]> By: freebie culture inSL - Ana Lutetia http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2008/10/23/virtual-worlds-and-the-trend-towards-free-second-life-and-the-object-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-20497 freebie culture inSL - Ana Lutetia Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:09:55 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=994#comment-20497 [...] ~flirt~ Jewelry Expo Aqua Gift Edition - not worth 1 L$? Gwyneth Llewelyn :: The Hard Facts About the Second Life® Economy GREENE concept :: The dynamics of Dollarbies - advice for content creators Prad Prathivi :: I can haz freebiez Teagan Blackthorne :: Pay It Forward Dusan Writer :: Virtual Worlds and the Trend Towards Free: Second Life and the Object Economy [...] [...] ~flirt~ Jewelry Expo Aqua Gift Edition – not worth 1 L$? Gwyneth Llewelyn :: The Hard Facts About the Second Life® Economy GREENE concept :: The dynamics of Dollarbies – advice for content creators Prad Prathivi :: I can haz freebiez Teagan Blackthorne :: Pay It Forward Dusan Writer :: Virtual Worlds and the Trend Towards Free: Second Life and the Object Economy [...]

]]> By: Night Singh http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2008/10/23/virtual-worlds-and-the-trend-towards-free-second-life-and-the-object-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-20496 Night Singh Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:16:59 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=994#comment-20496 Comparing freebies in Second Life to the emergence of lower priced items in the real world has one point of important overlap - a place to put your things in the world. Yes, you can have a bazillion items in your Second life inventory, but you can only rez as many as you can afford. In the real world that fridge might cost you a dollar, but I bet it will cost you two dollars to recycle the old one. Comparing freebies in Second Life to the emergence of lower priced items in the real world has one point of important overlap – a place to put your things in the world. Yes, you can have a bazillion items in your Second life inventory, but you can only rez as many as you can afford. In the real world that fridge might cost you a dollar, but I bet it will cost you two dollars to recycle the old one.

]]> By: Eris http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2008/10/23/virtual-worlds-and-the-trend-towards-free-second-life-and-the-object-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-20491 Eris Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:52:05 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=994#comment-20491 All good, but it's even more fundamental than that. The best advertisement for any business is a happy customer. One happy customer gets you 3 more who, in turn, get you 7 more and so on and on. If Linden Lab's had sat down one day and devised methods to piss-off and alienate their existing core customers (remember them, the ones who built SL into something worthwhile in the first place?) then they could hardly have done better than they have. Immersive Workplaces - which I'll happily re-christen 'Submersive Workspaces' as they sink without trace - are a perfect example. A huge misstep - get into bed with one of your past critics and ignore your existing customers - and do it at a time of economic crisis when your target market really has better things to do than listen to you. They really need to get a clue...and fast. All good, but it’s even more fundamental than that.

The best advertisement for any business is a happy customer. One happy customer gets you 3 more who, in turn, get you 7 more and so on and on.

If Linden Lab’s had sat down one day and devised methods to piss-off and alienate their existing core customers (remember them, the ones who built SL into something worthwhile in the first place?) then they could hardly have done better than they have.

Immersive Workplaces – which I’ll happily re-christen ‘Submersive Workspaces’ as they sink without trace – are a perfect example. A huge misstep – get into bed with one of your past critics and ignore your existing customers – and do it at a time of economic crisis when your target market really has better things to do than listen to you.

They really need to get a clue…and fast.

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