Where do you think SL is heading?

[MiaSnow Myriam]

I really am wondering what other people think regarding this topic. Please share your thoughts!

Annnd, where is SL now? I find it difficult to guage why people log in SL these days. 

I'm thinking about only using the Marketplace to sell my wares, as I know plenty of others are doing as well, especially now with the improvements to the site. But it makes me wonder then, why would I pay so much tier for land? I hope SL is going to soon add features that make the land more valuable for residents. 

I'm confused...

~Mia

[Elite Runner]

I am not sure what Second Life is heading at the moment. I better talk to the Lindens someday.

[Seven Overdrive]

It will become a dress up game for virtual dolls on smart phones.

[WADE1 Jya]

straight into a wall at 100 mph

[MiaSnow Myriam]

wow dismal outlook, people! that dressup game sounds pretty dead on LOL!

[Cali Souther]

Personally,  I think it will survive a bit longer...     I've seen 2D chat with die hard loyals hang on for many years after the fire went out of the chat.

Still a lot to do and see in SL.  Maybe the tier will go down to draw new members?!  hahahahah

 

[jwenting]

so, some people think the ONLY reason to be in SL is to do virtual shopping or selling the goods those virtual shoppers buy?

The sims I like best all run without any malls, have at most a very few affiliate vendor displays, are labours of love from their creators.
The overly commercialised megamalls are a good sign the sim isn't going to be very enjoyable, or at the very least a laggy as hell environment. Was in one earlier, full sim (not a homestead) but couldn't hardly move around even at the landing point with 20 people in region and that's not much different from my previous visits there.

[Kenbro Utu]

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MiaSnow Myriam wrote:

I'm thinking about only using the Marketplace to sell my wares, as I know plenty of others are doing as well, especially now with the improvements to the site. 

~Mia

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Improvements? I think SLMP has more problems now than ever before. Stop over at the Commerce/Merchants forum and see what the outlook is. 

[Griffin Ceawlin]

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MiaSnow Myriam wrote:

I'm thinking about only using the Marketplace to sell my wares, as I know plenty of others are doing as well, especially now with the improvements to the site. But it makes me wonder then, why would I pay so much tier for land?

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I'm one of those people that use the Marketplace to search for products but prefer to go to an inworld shop to get a better look at product and/or make purchases. That's one good reason, I think, but what do I know? I'm just a consumer.

[Brenda Connolly]

Billings, Montana.

---

Annnd, where is SL

now

?

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Someplace near Cleveland I think.

[emmettcullen93]

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Cali Souther wrote:

Personally,  I think it will survive a bit longer...     I've seen 2D chat with die hard loyals hang on for many years after the fire went out of the chat.

Still a lot to do and see in SL.  Maybe the tier will go down to draw new members?!  hahahahah

 

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tier goes down then i may buy a spot to sell stuff lol.

[Ceka Cianci]

the only time i buy from the market is if they have an in world store and i don't have time to go to it..

my money goes to towards the sl economy..not the leaks..

as far as where is sl going..

who knows..hopefully it won't end up like a spam house  like yahoo did..

[Perrie Juran]

Reading the OP I see two things being asked about.

First is really Linden Lab's business model.  That is a subject of a lot of speculation.  Supposedly the purpose is to make money. As much as possible.  But many find land costs a big hindrance. Personally, I don't believe I know enough to really calculate how over priced land is.  I've seen a lot of numbers thrown around and some I consider very good educated guesses, but really, none of us know how profitable SL is.

The second thing is User Experience.  For me it is still "Your World, Your Imagination."  I am still enjoying "My Second Life." The only limitation I see to that is scalability, how much computing power there is available both server side and client (user) side, and the tubes that connect them.  This is a great discussion of Virtual Worlds and scalability I highly recommend:  http://www.informs-sim.org/wsc10papers/070.pdf

If Linden Lab folds as a company it will be because of bad business decisions.  The interest in Virtual Worlds will remain.

I am of the opinion that Virtual Worlds and the interest and participation in them will continue to grow.  The biggest limitations will be scalability and ease of use.  And honestly, it is not that hard to learn the basic 'navigation skills' in SL.  The biggest problem as I see it right now is how poorly designed notifications (toasts) and the chat window are in the Viewer.

[MiaSnow Myriam]

TOTALLY AGREE!

but alot of ppl dont realize, those sims are created by those fortunate enough to waste money on a hobby. sims/land, etc costs waaaayyyyyy tooo much to invest in (for the average person) without wanting to make some cash back in return!

 

[Cali Souther]

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Brenda Connolly wrote:

Billings, Montana.

---

Annnd, where is SL

now

?

---

Someplace near Cleveland I think.

---

 

haha .. and here I thought it was in California! ;-)

[MiaSnow Myriam]

---

Perrie Juran wrote:

Reading the OP I see two things being asked about.

First is really Linden Lab's business model.  That is a subject of a lot of speculation.  Supposedly the purpose is to make money. As much as possible.  But many find land costs a big hindrance. Personally, I don't believe I know enough to really calculate how over priced land is.  I've seen a lot of numbers thrown around and some I consider very good educated guesses, but really, none of us know how profitable SL is.

The second thing is User Experience.  For me it is still "Your World, Your Imagination."  I am still enjoying "My Second Life." The only limitation I see to that is scalability, how much computing power there is available both server side and client (user) side, and the tubes that connect them.  This is a great discussion of Virtual Worlds and scalability I highly recommend: 

http://www.informs-sim.org/wsc10papers/070.pdf

If Linden Lab folds as a company it will be because of bad business decisions.  The interest in Virtual Worlds will remain.

I am of the opinion that Virtual Worlds and the interest and participation in them will continue to grow.  The biggest limitations will be scalability and ease of use.  And honestly, it is not that hard to learn the basic 'navigation skills' in SL.  The biggest problem as I see it right now is how poorly designed notifications (toasts) and the chat window are in the Viewer.

---

i enjoyed reading your thoughtful response. & i agree with the toast problem! i feel disconnected from everyone in SL... i miss so much

[Cali Souther]

---

Perrie Juran wrote:

Reading the OP I see two things being asked about.

First is really Linden Lab's business model.  That is a subject of a lot of speculation.  Supposedly the purpose is to make money. As much as possible.  But many find land costs a big hindrance. Personally, I don't believe I know enough to really calculate how over priced land is.  I've seen a lot of numbers thrown around and some I consider very good educated guesses, but really, none of us know how profitable SL is.

The second thing is User Experience.  For me it is still "Your World, Your Imagination."  I am still enjoying "My Second Life." The only limitation I see to that is scalability, how much computing power there is available both server side and client (user) side, and the tubes that connect them.  This is a great discussion of Virtual Worlds and scalability I highly recommend: 

http://www.informs-sim.org/wsc10papers/070.pdf

If Linden Lab folds as a company it will be because of bad business decisions.  The interest in Virtual Worlds will remain.

I am of the opinion that Virtual Worlds and the interest and participation in them will continue to grow.  The biggest limitations will be scalability and ease of use.  And honestly, it is not that hard to learn the basic 'navigation skills' in SL.  The biggest problem as I see it right now is how poorly designed notifications (toasts) and the chat window are in the Viewer.

---

 

While I agree that interest in VR's will continue,  I do think SL tends to be difficult to the new user, and honestly - not very friendly.  There are places for new residents to go, yes - but the first few times I tried SL, no one offered to help me and I hated it.

It took having a friend who had already figured things out,  ask me to try again. 

I think it could be easier, and friendlier to new residents.

OH and...  tier is high, and omg @ the price of virtual land! 

[Senobia Xenga]

Why do these threads crop up every so often from disgruntled members? Is it to get attention from the Lindens? Do they really think one gripe will make much difference? I mean, it's kind of like threatening suicide. Most people who intend to commit suicide don't give warnings. They just do it.

 

Same with people who truly get fed up with/burned out on/sick of SL. They don't carry on with long farewells. They just go.

If you need someone else to point out the good/bad reasons for you to stay somewhere - anywhere - you maybe should have left a long time ago before your ability to enjoy it hinged on other people.

[161488303349]

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Senobia Xenga wrote:

Why do these threads crop up every so often from disgruntled members?

---

bc thats what you should do when you disgruntled. if pay for a service and not get then say so. is better than not say anything and just leave

like not learn anything otherwise:

provider: why you leave?

customer: am not saying

provider: is there something we could do better?

customer: am not saying

provider: where will you go now?

customer: am going to kill myself

provider: why?

customer: am not saying

[madman626 Fall]

Down a big damn hill at full speed,, one features in land tool I would love to have and I`am sure other would too that is a tool to ban all alts of the one you ban from your land ,, so they can't keep coming and giving you **bleep** over silly things

[LuciaRiley]

Maybe not make us buy lindens for good quality items? LOL kidding. It's easy to buy your own linden dollars

[MiaSnow Myriam]

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Senobia Xenga wrote:

Why do these threads crop up every so often from disgruntled members? Is it to get attention from the Lindens? Do they really think one gripe will make much difference? I mean, it's kind of like threatening suicide. Most people who intend to commit suicide don't give warnings. They just do it.

 

Same with people who truly get fed up with/burned out on/sick of SL. They don't carry on with long farewells. They just go.

If you need someone else to point out the good/bad reasons for you to stay somewhere - anywhere - you maybe should have left a long time ago before your ability to enjoy it hinged on other people.

---

you must not have actually read my original post... its a question. i really want to hear other opinions & am enjoying this thread. i wonder why so many ppl waste time out of their day to put others down.

i believe in SL.

[Angus Mesmer]

Where is SL now?

Oh, good, I'd like to take part in that discussion.

*hit Reply*

*get sent to the login page*

*fill in, attempt login*

*repeat three times*

SL, at the moment, would seem to be stagnating at best, but I'm afraid it would be degrading.

There appears to be very little in the matter of service and listening to residents.

Support tickets are very limited, especially for free accounts (helloooo, anyone? Free account doesn't mean that people do not take part in the SL economy, just that they do not feel like paying for Premium, or cannot afford it)

Office hours (sorry, usergroup meetings) are somewhat limited too.

Abuse Reports seem to be ignored quite often, whatever the matter, from Harassment to copybotting (I know, I know, you do not receive feedback. However, seeing an effect would be nice, otherwise it is entirely useless, just remove the whole thing if you don't want to be contacted at all).

Talking to a Linden is just impossible. "Use the Knowledge base", "Hit F1", "use the proper channels and send a Support Ticket" (surprise, free account, can't do on a lot of subjects), what is the point of having avatars if they appear as humans as bots?. You may try to contact them but it is extremely rare to receive any kind of answer. The last time this happened to me was more than a year ago. Yes, they may be inworld to work, but in a somewhat social media, talking to residents might just show you care.

The lack of an official 9th anniversary celebration seems to point out that the Labs really stopped caring about residents, and possibly SL itself.

Where are they headed? Full on into Suitland, possibly on the other side of a brick wall, to be hit rather hard.

Sorry, people. You are just numbers.

[Perrie Juran]

---

Cali Souther wrote:

---

Perrie Juran wrote:

Reading the OP I see two things being asked about.

First is really Linden Lab's business model.  That is a subject of a lot of speculation.  Supposedly the purpose is to make money. As much as possible.  But many find land costs a big hindrance. Personally, I don't believe I know enough to really calculate how over priced land is.  I've seen a lot of numbers thrown around and some I consider very good educated guesses, but really, none of us know how profitable SL is.

The second thing is User Experience.  For me it is still "Your World, Your Imagination."  I am still enjoying "My Second Life." The only limitation I see to that is scalability, how much computing power there is available both server side and client (user) side, and the tubes that connect them.  This is a great discussion of Virtual Worlds and scalability I highly recommend: 

http://www.informs-sim.org/wsc10papers/070.pdf

If Linden Lab folds as a company it will be because of bad business decisions.  The interest in Virtual Worlds will remain.

I am of the opinion that Virtual Worlds and the interest and participation in them will continue to grow.  The biggest limitations will be scalability and ease of use.  And honestly, it is not that hard to learn the basic 'navigation skills' in SL.  The biggest problem as I see it right now is how poorly designed notifications (toasts) and the chat window are in the Viewer.

---

 

While I agree that interest in VR's will continue,  I do think SL tends to be difficult to the new user, and honestly - not very friendly.  There are places for new residents to go, yes - but the first few times I tried SL, no one offered to help me and I hated it.

It took having a friend who had already figured things out,  ask me to try again. 

I think it could be easier, and friendlier to new residents.

OH and...  tier is high, and omg @ the price of

virtual

land! 

---

By basic navigation skills I meant really simple things like walking.  Not too long ago I said to Torley that unpacking boxes and changing clothes should be a part of orientation and he agreed with me but it seems like he is not involved with any of the decision making any more. 

Perhaps I was fortunate that right from the start I met some very helpful people.  But also I was pretty outgoing and wanted to 'see the world.'  So I said "Hi' to a lot of people and jumped right into conversations.  And right from the start I'd ask people to take me to their favorite place.  Also, I wasn't afraid to experiment.  So I learned quickly.   

I do take my time to help new residents.  But I only have so much time I can devote to this.  I tell newbies that it can take take a few days to begin to feel comfortable but to be patient.  There are what I refer to as 'rites of passage' in SL (I once started a thread on it).  Things like learning to unpack a box, rez a cube, change clothes, use a pose ball, etc.  There is a lot to learn here.  But I don't see a way around it. The problem that arises is we are in the "got to have it now instant gratification generation."

[MiaSnow Myriam]

i know what u mean Angus lol! it can be so frustrating... it feels clunky to me. so many issues, so many steps & clicks, & go here, go there... inworld, marketplace, website, forums, all these places we have to log in & out of. 

every single time i've contacted the chat support, they tell me they cant help with that problem. i roll my eyes b/c i knew they'd say that! & my tickets have also gone ignored. many.

however... i have seen glimpses, i think, of where they might be trying to head... not sure of course, hence my confusion!

but i had an opportunity to take part in a LL survey which was very thoughtfully constructed about a year ago. it specifically addressed my user needs & allowed me a chance to feel heard. it was visual, easy, & resonated with the "Your World. Your Imagination" motto. i was like "ooOOOo"! but a year later... i'm wondering if they ever finished that whole project... it seemed to go nowhere.

then when i tried to upload my 1st mesh experiment, i was prompted to go through a tutorial / test that i had to pass, about intellectual property. i liked that! it was informative, & easy, & shows LL cares about that topic.

anyway blah blah blah

)

---

Angus Mesmer wrote:

Where is SL now?

Oh, good, I'd like to take part in that discussion.

*hit Reply*

*get sent to the login page*

*fill in, attempt login*

*repeat three times*

SL, at the moment, would seem to be stagnating at best, but I'm afraid it would be degrading.

There appears to be very little in the matter of service and listening to residents.

Support tickets are very limited, especially for free accounts (helloooo, anyone? Free account doesn't mean that people do not take part in the SL economy, just that they do not feel like paying for Premium, or cannot afford it)

Office hours (sorry, usergroup meetings) are somewhat limited too.

Abuse Reports seem to be ignored quite often, whatever the matter, from Harassment to copybotting (I know, I know, you do not receive feedback. However, seeing an effect would be nice, otherwise it is entirely useless, just remove the whole thing if you don't want to be contacted at all).

Talking to a Linden is just impossible. "Use the Knowledge base", "Hit F1", "use the proper channels and send a Support Ticket" (surprise, free account, can't do on a lot of subjects), what is the point of having avatars if they appear as humans as bots?. You may try to contact them but it is extremely rare to receive any kind of answer. The last time this happened to me was more than a year ago. Yes, they may be inworld to work, but in a somewhat social media, talking to residents might just show you care.

 

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