premium premium membership is it worth it?

[Phorumities]

2 hours ago, Solar Legion said:

Just like clockwork ...

Lindens are worthless anywhere outside of Second Life and if Linden Lab ever closes down the service/goes out of business/they decide to stop "selling" them or "buying" them back. They are valueless tokens that Linden Lab allows the users to convert back to cash at a rate of their choosing. Argue that they have value all you (general) want - you're wrong and the varied reasons why have been covered to death in the varied threads where this has come up in the past.

If LL decreed one could no longer cash out Linden dollars that would be the end second life.

[Rhonda Huntress]

On 8/15/2018 at 1:00 PM, Pamela Galli said:

No I am not a premium member. I don’t know if it is worth it to anyone else.

Jinn,
It is "worth it" to me.  Other people feel differently. 

[Brandi Lane]

6 hours ago, ellestones said:

the same can also be said for any RL fiat currency. RL currency has no intrinsic value either. Currency is a fiction, which people treat as a truth until the RL issuing regime collapses. Regime banknotes, coins, bank ledger entries, all worthless

*laughs*  I was thinking that too.  The accusation was that  Lindens are a fiat currency and subject to the problems & restrictions thereof.  The same arguments can (and have) been made about the US dollar.  The only real difference is that the US has more guns backing up their fiat currency than LL does.

[ellestones]

5 hours ago, Brandi Lane said:

*laughs*  I was thinking that too.  The accusation was that  Lindens are a fiat currency and subject to the problems & restrictions thereof.  The same arguments can (and have) been made about the US dollar.  The only real difference is that the US has more guns backing up their fiat currency than LL does.

true. US collapsing wont happen anytime soon

Countries are fictions as well. They exist while people treat them as a truth

[Lindal Kidd]

On 8/15/2018 at 1:56 PM, Sexy Jinn said:

is it worth it i use to be a yearly member a year ago so im wondering if it is gotten better or worse or not worth it to be a premium??

so are you a premium member yes or no?

Hi Jinn!  I'm a Premium member, and have been almost from when I started SL back in 2007.  Obviously, I think it's worth it.  I held my Premium membership even when I didn't own any Mainland (my first home was on a private estate).  Most of my time in SL, though, I've owned Mainland (which, of course, requires a Premium membership.)

But owning Mainland isn't the only benefit.  See my blog post: http://acrossthegridwithlindal.blogspot.com/2018/01/premium-benefits-creep.html

[Garnet Psaltery]

I've had Premium membership since my arrival in 2005.  I ran through the scary Welcome Area and went immediately to buy First Land (formerly provided special empty mainland 512s for newbies).   I've enjoyed the stipend and most other perks ever since.  Downgrading is unthinkable.

[Annie Nova]

I went premium a few months back mainly for the early access to events and the 60 group slots, which like Skell said still isn't enough! So for me it was worth going premium just for those two things. And like someone else said, it all depends on what you want and need. 

[ellestones]

@Garnet Psaltery

fiction meaning that a country is a truth belief system. Example: "We are French. Our country is France."

France will continue to exist as a country while the people in the territory hold this to be a truth 

french people can exist without a country called France

example: Kurds don't have a country, because the people in the territory do not hold Kurdistan to be a truth

 

[Phil Deakins]

On 8/17/2018 at 8:30 PM, Brandi Lane said:

The same arguments can (and have) been made about the US dollar.  The only real difference is that the US has more guns backing up their fiat currency than LL does.

It's not just money that has no intrinsic value, and land (countries). Laws are a giant confidence trick, as one top politicain said many years ago. And it's perfectly true. The only thing that maintains laws is muscle (guns in your example). As long as those who want to maintain laws (governments) have more muscle than those who don't, laws will remain. But the people can do away with any laws they don't like, and at any time. All it takes is there to be more of them than there are muscles to put them in prisons.

Money, countries, laws - they are all giant confidence tricks.

Edited August 19, 2018 by Phil Deakins

[Phorumities]

On 8/17/2018 at 9:10 PM, ellestones said:

true. US collapsing wont happen anytime soon

Countries are fictions as well. They exist while people treat them as a truth

you must be salivating at the prospect of a one world government and the abolition of nation states.

You should google "Georgia Guide Stones" to see the brave new world our future masters envision for us

[Phorumities]

why do the most successful capitalists become the most strident supporters of communism when they start to enter old age?

is it massive guilt at being so successful?

 

[Fionalein]

Can't you guys just stop it while others try to keep the thread on track?

[Phorumities]

1 hour ago, Phil Deakins said:

It's not just money that has no intrinsic value, and land (countries). Laws are a giant confidence trick, as one top politicain said many years ago. And it's perfectly true. The only thing that maintains laws is muscle (guns in your example). As long as those who want to maintain laws (governments) have more muscle than those who don't, laws will remain. But the people can do away with any laws they don't like, and at any time. All it takes is there to be more of them than there are muscles to put them in prisons.

Money, countries, laws - they are all giant confidence tricks.

im sure you'd prefer anarchy to law. too bad Britain took away your ability to defend yourself.

[Phorumities]

7 hours ago, anniepany said:

I went premium a few months back mainly for the early access to events and the 60 group slots, which like Skell said still isn't enough! So for me it was worth going premium just for those two things. And like someone else said, it all depends on what you want and need. 

no matter how many slots there are, for some people its never enough. I have 60 group slots but always keep half a dozen open for the inevitable group invite to whatever club i'm gracing with my presence that day. plus i regularily leave the deadest or most useless ones.

Unless they are mine of course.

[Phorumities]

2 hours ago, ellestones said:

@Garnet Psaltery

fiction meaning that a country is a truth belief system. Example: "We are French. Our country is France."

France will continue to exist as a country while the people in the territory hold this to be a truth 

french people can exist without a country called France

example: Kurds don't have a country, because the people in the territory do not hold Kurdistan to be a truth

 

Kurds dont have a country because they were double crossed when the Ottoman Empire was broken up, the result being Kurds are forced to live in an area straddling Turkey and Iraq

The Kurds have regularily suffered at the hands of the rulers of both countries.

If America had an ounce if honor and integrity and a desire to see the true liberation of oppressed peoples they would support nationalist movements around the world starting with the Kurds.

oh and by the way..... FREE TIBET

Edited August 19, 2018 by Phorumities

[Lara Aulder]

I think the home linden don't makes any difference, is very ugly, and you can live whatever you want, in a better place (what matters most to me, the local) 

If you have some fixed income $L somehow (wich is a very nice objective to have in game), with a store, job, reselling gachas or a rich boyfriend ... 300L for week is almost like nothing, and would not make much difference if you can earn it the same amount every 2 days. If you don't have, you're gonna be able to buy a simple thing with that money, unless you don't spend and save some, not worth it anyway. You can buy 300L as well or try to get for free somehow (Fish/Collect)

So, only left the crowded places that you can visit, is the only benefit worth having. But if your computer is not so good, not worth it either, cause lag is real.

So for me, don't worth it what they're offering. Also cause brazilian coin is devalued compared to the dolar which is 3x more, so is kind expensive for me. But I guess you could buy something like 1 month just to try out. 

Edited August 19, 2018 by Lara Aulder

[Lindal Kidd]

Lara Aulder said, "... Also cause brazilian coin is devalued compared to the dolar which is 3x more, so is kind expensive for me."

The exchange rate between currencies can be misleading.  The fact that 1 Brazilian Real = 0.277516 USD or that 1 Chinese Yuan = 0.1552 USD doesn't tell you much.  One wise world traveler always asked the question, "how long does an average worker have to work to buy a loaf of bread?"  The wage rate and the price of bread allowed him to estimate the worth of the local currency in a meaningful way.

I can buy about $L625 for the price of a loaf of my local bread.  How does that compare to you in Brazil, Lara?

[BelindaN]

I would always go for sourdough, which makes the best toast ever.

But then I'm contributing to thread drift, which is faster and less predictable than continental drift..........time for bed!  23.25 here!

[Fionalein]

1 hour ago, Lindal Kidd said:

Lara Aulder said, "... Also cause brazilian coin is devalued compared to the dolar which is 3x more, so is kind expensive for me."

The exchange rate between currencies can be misleading.  The fact that 1 Brazilian Real = 0.277516 USD or that 1 Chinese Yuan = 0.1552 USD doesn't tell you much.  One wise world traveler always asked the question, "how long does an average worker have to work to buy a loaf of bread?"  The wage rate and the price of bread allowed him to estimate the worth of the local currency in a meaningful way.

I can buy about $L625 for the price of a loaf of my local bread.  How does that compare to you in Brazil, Lara?

True, the nominal Yen is much devalued compared to Euros and still they pay more for food,... but asides some lucky few Brazil is not known for it's wealth, sure, there are some people down there with more money than we can ever dream off, but that is true of Russia as well...

Edited August 19, 2018 by Fionalein

[Lara Aulder]

The minimum @Lindal Kidd. L$ 264 = R$ 4 = 1.02 US$.

We have middle class as a majority and a large population in SL. Even the lower classes have easy access to the internet nowadays, is like a streamers invsasion. But in SL it's not so easy maintain a certain lifestyle because the high exchange rate. 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Lara Aulder

[ellestones]

22 hours ago, Phorumities said:

why do the most successful capitalists become the most strident supporters of communism when they start to enter old age?

is it massive guilt at being so successful?

 

caplitalist old people who are uber wealthy don't become supporters of communism. They become philanthropists. They put their money into things which they think will do the most good to advance the human condition

where I live is the Carnegie Free Library. Mr Carnegie ,about 100 years ago now, thought it would be good to provide books so people could further educate themselves and their children. As in the day books were expensive and beyond the means of low wage earners, the infirm and elderly

Bill and Melinda Gates, George Soros, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Warren Buffet, etc, etc. Philanthropists 

 

[desireu2]

hello, yes I am a premium member, sadly I signed up for a year , and even bought land ( which after my ex and I broke up I abandoned the land) I wonder if its 

worth the cost myself. 

[Phorumities]

8 hours ago, ellestones said:

caplitalist old people who are uber wealthy don't become supporters of communism. They become philanthropists. They put their money into things which they think will do the most good to advance the human condition

where I live is the Carnegie Free Library. Mr Carnegie ,about 100 years ago now, thought it would be good to provide books so people could further educate themselves and their children. As in the day books were expensive and beyond the means of low wage earners, the infirm and elderly

Bill and Melinda Gates, George Soros, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Warren Buffet, etc, etc. Philanthropists 

 

Maybe not, but they definately attack free market capitalism.

 

[Rolig Loon]

Premium membership can be a good deal for many people, but it really depends on what you do in SL.  Personally, I have never been interested in living on the Mainland. I have a private estate that supports itself through rents, so land perks of Premium membership aren't much of a draw in my case.  Neither are premium sandbox privileges.  I have never had more than 30 group slots filled and can't imagine needing more, so that's not an attractive benefit either.  Access to Live Chat and more support case categories might be worth it for me, except that (1) I already have access to the most important categories as an estate owner, and (2) in eleven and a half years I have rarely needed to submit a support case -- and never in one of those inaccessible categories.  Access to hyper-crowded events and shopping areas is a non-starter for me because I tend to avoid crowds anyway.  All in all, I am quite happy as a Basic member.

Having said that, however, I would encourage anyone else to consider Premium membership seriously.  Perks that are not important to me can be exactly what you want, and the cost is quite low -- much less than I expect you pay for coffee and doughnuts or cigarettes or whatever your daily vice is.  If any of the benefits are at all attractive, it's worth at least trying it. 

[ellestones]

5 hours ago, Phorumities said:

Maybe not, but they definately attack free market capitalism.

 

the term for the people you now mean by they, is monopoly capitalist