Free 512sq is it still free

[greek Wingtips]

Friend of mine is think of getting a premium account
Are they still eligiable for the first 512sq free from any tiers

[valerie Inshan]

Yes.

Premium accounts are granted a 512 sqm bonus lease before land use fees are applied.

http://secondlife.com/land/pricing.php

[Qie Niangao]

Free from tiers, yes. It's possible, however, that your friend is thinking of the old "first land" program which actually awarded 512 sq.m. of land to a new premium account. That program is long gone, but instead there is the Linden Home program which allows premium members to use their 512 free tier to own one of several specific kinds of pre-built houses on Linden-designed sims.

[greek Wingtips]

That is so silly,means you pay a year fee for what? to be cooped up were LL wants you to live, sorry that is not right at all this should go back to the old system, were one can choose were they like to live not were LL wants you too, what if a person finds a nice small 512sq near some LL water or road, means that cannot buy it and be free from tiers,, no I would not recommend my friend in becoming a member not under this system

[ObviousAltIsObvious]

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greek Wingtips wrote:

That is so silly,means you pay a year fee for what? to be cooped up were LL wants you to live, sorry that is not right at all this should go back to the old system, were one can choose were they like to live not were LL wants you too, what if a person finds a nice small 512sq near some LL water or road, means that cannot buy it and be free from tiers,, no I would not recommend my friend in becoming a member not under this system

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the old system is still there and it works exactly the same way it always did. Linden Homes just offer an alternative free of speculators and grief builds.

[greek Wingtips]

so one can still become a premier member band buy a piece of land of there own choosing but not exceed 512sq and not paid any tiers is that correct?

[ObviousAltIsObvious]

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greek Wingtips wrote:

so one can still become a premier member band buy a piece of land of there own choosing but not exceed 512sq and not paid any tiers is that correct?

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yes, it works exactly the same as it always did. the Linden Home is an alternative to the old way, not a replacement.

[greek Wingtips]

ok thats cool then

 

[Qie Niangao]

I'm sorry I couldn't return to this thread sooner, and that my earlier posting seems to have generated so much confusion. It's certainly true that the Linden Homes program is just one option for how to use that 512 sq.m. of free tier -- one that doesn't require paying any one-time purchase price for land, as one must to buy a 512 elsewhere on Mainland.

It is not correct, however, that the system otherwise works the same as it always has. Long ago (until maybe 2008?) there was a different program called "First Land" that gave new Premium members free 512 sq.m. parcels in new continents. This was a fantastically popular program while it lasted (not that it didn't have problems of its own), so I was thinking that a friend who had been away from SL long enough might have fondly remembered First Land, and could be disappointed by the standard, free-tier-only bonus, and possibly less disappointed by the Linden Homes option.

[ObviousAltIsObvious]

First Land was just regular mainland set to sale at L$1 per sqm. the tier schedule was exactly the same. it was also a sham, "new" avatars sold it right back to their land baron alts and it went to the open market in no time.

[Perrie Juran]

http://secondlife.wikia.com/wiki/First_Land

I couldn't dig out the original announcement but here is when it ended:

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Features/First-Land-program-to-end/ba-p/558239

[Qie Niangao]

Yeah, I did say First Land had its problems. And I'd forgotten it actually sold for L$1/sq.m. -- and just how hot the land market was back then: L$1/sq.m. was much like giving it away because any ol' chunk of landlocked Mainland would sell for at least ten times that. As much as that made it popular with land baron alts, it was also popular with new residents and drew many folks to Premium for the first time -- including many of my friends at the time, some of whom went on to get their own Estates. Again, that's much what Linden Homes were intended to do, too.

[Marigold Devin]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

http://secondlife.wikia.com/wiki/First_Land

I couldn't dig out the original announcement but here is when it ended:

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Features/First-Land-program-to-end/ba-p/558239

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Oh that was a fab read. Feb 2007 is a little bit before my time, and I didn't know this part of Second Life's history. 

I recall in 2008 land bots lurking on the corners of sims, always they'd hover at around 105m height which made them seem an extra-eerie presence. (Before flight restrictions were removed, that was about the maximum height you could reach before you needed a flight aid of some sort.)

And land would be snapped up at that magic number of 1L$.

Now I am seeing the parcels of mainland that were abandoned and automatically reset for sale for the 1L$, and then land dealers and private sellers putting chunks of land up for sale for as little as a third of a Linden dollar per sq. m. 

I love how SL evolves. In some ways. (Still hating mesh though - especially the hands and feet... and the heads ... oh heck we're ending up like Ikea Billie Bookcases, flat pack form avs. Grrrhhh!!!)