What are your opinions on the new "Land Price Reductions, New Premium Perks, and Pricing Changes "?

[Theresa Tennyson]

17 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

It would only be disingenuous if I were making an attempt to be insincere via leaving out pertinent information crucial to the opposite side of the argument (your apparent belief that the reduced price of land will benefit merchants or at the very least it will be a wash).

The problem is I don't believe the new ratio with land prices reduced will benefit MOST merchants; many merchants don't own land (many MP stores have no link to an inworld store), and many who do own land fund it via Premium memberships (and the price of Premiums are going up, not down).
Plus, so many residents who provide various services in SL (like musicians, for example) don't even need land, so the increasing cashout cuts only causes their income to continue to drop as they are not benefitting from a drop in land prices if they don't own land. I'm kind of among them (more like a service provider) as most of my income is received via custom designs on others property, and the majority of additional income comes from MP sales (so no land needed in these cases) -- very few sales come from my inworld store.
 

You left out pertinent information right there - your business is on two full regions in your partner's name. They're saving $40 a month, or $480 a year. Taking that into account, you'd need cash out over $1600 a month to feel any hit.

[Luna Bliss]

36 minutes ago, Theresa Tennyson said:

You left out pertinent information right there - your business is on two full regions in your partner's name. They're saving $40 a month, or $480 a year. Taking that into account, you'd need cash out over $1600 a month to feel any hit.

I don't know about your math there, but I thought I made it clear -- I'm not so concerned about this recent doubling of cashout fees all on its own in isolation -- two and a half percent doesn't come out to much per month. What I am concerned about is how this cashout fee continues to rise every year -- there is a pattern, and there has been talk of it going to 30% "like other games charge". We need to make the distinction that SL is NOT like other games, and that because of this I don't think high cashout cuts are in SL's best interest as it could very well diminish the creator community too much.

Of course I'm worried about my own, personal situation and lament at times about those who may need to stop working in SL and find another less-creative job. Of course I can see and empathize with my situation better because I live it, and I can more easily champion its cause. But I am making a very earnest attempt to see the big picture -- the big picture being SL's continued survival.

Once again, I believe (at this time) that it's the diminishing of those who need SL to cover their SL expenses and cash out $100 to $300 per month through their creative effort to be the largest percentage of people in SL, and so the ones we need to take care with when reducing their ability to accomplish this. And I don't see how a reduced price for land expenses will help them if they don't own land -- I would need to be convinced that most of them do indeed own land to believe this.
If someone is earning $300 per month and starts getting a 30% cut they would have to own a hell of a lot of land for that monthly $100 reduction to benefit them via less-expensive land costs.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Luna Bliss

[Qie Niangao]

4 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

Once again, I believe (at this time) that it's the diminishing of those who need SL to cover their SL expenses and cash out $100 to $300 per month through their creative effort to be the largest percentage of people in SL

Where could that $100 to $300 per month come from, for it to be cashed out? Any money cashed out is money other people paid in in excess of land and other payments to Linden Lab. And it generally takes dozens of people's spending to support just one person cashing out, so there's at least an order of magnitude more people paying in than there are people cashing out.

High land cost has always hurt creators' bottom lines because the Lab sucks all that money out of the economy rather than it flowing into user-generated content and services. Tier reduction and expanded land ownership are the best things ever to benefit successful SL creators who should be ecstatic at that tradeoff for paying higher transaction fees.

[Kiera Clutterbuck]

16 hours ago, Echo Kinsella said:

On ‎6‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 3:26 PM, Kiera Clutterbuck said:

Do you think he, or they, care about anything other than themselves and making money?

Wow! way to generalize half the country and belittle them.  Why bring him into this at all?

I never said that, you made a quote mistake. That's what Beth MacBain said.

[Beth Macbain]

41 minutes ago, Kiera Clutterbuck said:

I never said that, you made a quote mistake. That's what Beth MacBain said.

I say a lot of things. What thing in particular did I say this time?

Edit: Oh, I see what I said. I also stand by that. 

Edit II: That was a GREAT opportunity for a "that's what she said" joke...

Edited June 7, 2019 by Beth Macbain
Added stuff.

[Selene Gregoire]

1 hour ago, Kiera Clutterbuck said:

I never said that, you made a quote mistake. That's what Beth MacBain said.

It wasn't a mistake on their part. The forum software does that when you copy from a quote within a post that was made by someone other than the person you are trying to quote. It's happened to me, Love and a couple of other people I know of recently.

It's not the poster's fault the software is wonky. 

[LadyJane Bailey]

 

On ‎6‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 2:40 PM, Blush Bravin said:

This sounds more like the subscription boxes that were somewhat popular a couple of years back. I believe it started with Luxe Box but most of those have gone by the wayside. The makeup boxes ... can't think of the name atm .. but it's for two of the major mesh head brands is still going as far as I know. These aren't gifts. They are simply using a group to organize and collect funds for the subscription boxes.

That is your opinion, but the groups mentioned (Especially DFS) actually do GIVE GIFTs, you're only paying for the special boxes that do NOT get sold in their store or on MP. Unless someone who received the item decides to sell it on their personal MP, these items can only come from being in the group. They also for the time you are in the group, will give you free items that can be purchased in their store. There is a difference. You DO NOT have to join every month either, you can pick which ones you want to get, they are themed. You can choose to join for the Christmas box or the Halloween box. ALSO The owner of DFS actually does call it A gift Box, Special Gift... 

Edited June 9, 2019 by LadyJane Bailey

[Blush Bravin]

3 hours ago, LadyJane Bailey said:

 

That is your opinion, but the groups mentioned (Especially DFS) actually do GIVE GIFTs, you're only paying for the special boxes that do NOT get sold in their store or on MP. Unless someone who received the item decides to sell it on their personal MP, these items can only come from being in the group. They also for the time you are in the group, will give you free items that can be purchased in their store. There is a difference. You DO NOT have to join every month either, you can pick which ones you want to get, they are themed. You can choose to join for the Christmas box or the Halloween box. ALSO The owner of DFS actually does call it A gift Box, Special Gift... 

That's exactly how the Luxe Box subscription group worked. The description is exactly the same. There were gifts given sometimes as well, but it was still a subscription box.

[Mikal Brinner]

I recognize that LL has reversed part of their new policy.  Non-premium members keep some of their groups, great. 

As a premium member there remain concerns.  First, I don't believe it is unreasonable to increase the Premium fee structure.  Any business needs to be solvent and profitable and LL has been dirt cheap for years compared to other platforms. Try to play GTA5 for free or some of the MMOs.    I am less than amused at the features provided to premium members compared to those who are riding SL coattails for free.  Sure we get the opportunity to wait for the new homes or the old homes which have been around for years and years.  We get the opportunity to buy into the mainland ghetto where there is no zoning or recourse to settle land disputes.  We get access to live chat, which for the life of me, I cannot locate.  Still I believe we should invest a nominal amount to have our voice heard.  Though are our voices really being heard, as premium members, compared to those who don't pay into membership?

The reduction of tier and set up fees makes a lot of sense too that cost was overpriced for years.   So there are good things happening with LL and SL.  I watched your CEO's YouTube interview and I get and support the concept of "balance".  Where you reduce participation costs in one area, LL has to increase revenue in other areas.  However, it seems to be more on the back of premium members who perhaps aren't as vocal as the nonpremium participants.  Voices should have relative weight the thing is, I don't mind paying more if my voice has greater comparative weight.  I don't mind paying more if I see some improved value from my contribution.  Otherwise, call "premium membership" a donation.

One topic which I have read is a concern is the fees applied to withdrawing funds from SL.  Forgive me if I don't have the actual rates presented accurately but I do have a point and suggestion to share.  For nonpaying participants in SL, the fee to take Lindens into the RL should be greater than the fee for members.  Here's why, as members, we are already paying into the community for the greater good.  We are part of the profit scheme LL has.  It isn't to say nonmembers do not contribute toward the SL economy, many do but what value is membership when nonmembers get the same relative benefit when they don't contribute?  Perhaps by charging nonmembers a 5% fee to withdraw and charging members a 3.5% fee to withdraw inworld earnings, more people would choose to be members and membership would have another value add. 

At present, there is marginal value or benefit to membership to justify the expense when there is value in being a nonmember.  I'll continue paying my membership fee because it is the right thing to do.  LL is on the right path and finally well led.  I would encourage, unless you are, to listen to your premium members first and with greater weight than those who have made the choice to not be a member.  There are politics at play and like any business or community, you have a degree of vulnerability.

Thank you for what you do. 

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 minutes ago, Mikal Brinner said:

those who are riding SL coattails for free

OMG, this recurrent refrain is boring.

NO ONE who is an active and engaged participant in SL is "riding" for "free." Non-premium members are landowners, they are creators, they are consumers, they generate the social communities here that make logging in worthwhile. Hell, even if you do no more than log in and sit on a log staring at your avatar, you are still contributing to concurrency.

I am entirely fine with LL coming up with cool incentives to make premium membership more enticing. But they, at least, recognize (even if you apparently don't) that these so-called freeloaders are the machine that makes SL worth using in the first place. How interesting or even viable do you think this platform would be with only premium members?

Can you not find a way to make your point about making membership more attractive without crapping all over 80%-90% (or whatever it is) of residents who, believe it or not, are contributing massively to the success of SL?

[Selene Gregoire]

14 minutes ago, Mikal Brinner said:

who are riding SL coattails for free. 

This crap of "basics don't contribute" needs to stop. It has NO basis in fact or logic. It's a lie. A bald faced lie.

[Fox Wijaya]

6 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Can you not find a way to make your point about making membership more attractive without crapping all over 80%-90% (or whatever it is) of residents who, believe it or not, are contributing massively to the success of SL?

would be a bit the same to forbid to join discussions  for 2010 accounts with only 2 posts .. or forbid non merchants talking about process fees.

[Fox Wijaya]

Just now, Selene Gregoire said:

This crap of "basics don't contribute" needs to stop. It has NO basis in fact or logic. It's a lie. A bald faced lie.

yep totally agree, scaling basics and freeloaders in the same category is simply totally wrong.
There áre freeloaders... but also again 2 groups ... one that made the choice not to spend money and do everything to keep up with SL developments, the second group is also by choice, but doesn't make any efford to contribute anything to this world, but those also are found in the premiums.

[Selene Gregoire]

When I win the lottery, I'm going to set up an estate of oh say 9 regions and guess what. Premium members will not be allowed access.

So there. 

[Fox Wijaya]

4 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

When I win the lottery, I'm going to set up an estate of oh say 9 regions and guess what. Premium members will not be allowed access.

So there. 

my day is good , im not premium

[roseelvira]

There were  many ways so many sensitive issues with all the  pricing changes etc could have should have been handled.  And so  many  wonderful insight and ideals   the residents have ,,,,,that being said  a year  or more ago   if   LL  ( would have been nice)  had  been  point specific on the changes,prices,how things were to transition  with complete point by point specific   and all options and had plenty  of time to redraft  recent example    what they  thought would make second life grow  but need  to re do ,,,ie group slot thinggy ,,,,,,, 

 NOTE   THE FOLLOWING IS NOT WHINING   

  OBSERVATION AND INFORMATION ,,,,,,

RESULTS MAY DIFFER FROM  RESIDENT TO RESIDENT 

i do get  very leery  when i am told  be patient  we have something  wonderful ,,,, well  a man who has nothing to hide hides nothing .   i just did my quarterly a  week   before  fees going up announcement .  When  i asked  for exact information i was told after lock  in the rest of the information will be announced   in July   be patient ,  why the wait ,,,,,,, A MAN WHO HAS NOTHING TO HIDE HIDES NOTHING...... so paying my quarterly one week  and  paying it again the following week   for  me personally a red flag ,. The law the  state  i live  in  is based  on  the  old    English  Law  as follows  

Caveat emptor (/ˈɛmptɔːr/; from caveat, "may he beware", a subjunctive form of cavēre, "to beware" + ēmptor, "buyer") is Latin for "Let the buyer beware".^[1]

^{(((((((((   SO   i am going  to  wait and see   all the information ,,,,,,, the fine print)))))))))))))))}

Quote

 

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by roseelvira

[starhunter Gall]

They are screwing the people who are actually the one's helping keep SL a float, a game/platform this old and they are increasing the membership price? Hell they wanted to gut the basic accounts real bad before the back lash.  300L$ stipend is nothing any more, barely reason to be premium as is. A higher fee with out a change to the stipend is a very bad idea, I am lucky as my main account gets 500 a week but many players I know only get 300.
So what land prices are going down, so lets jack up the membership prices those are the same players who are BUYING the land !!!! Seriously LL Ever since your ban on gambling and bank many years ago. The player base has been dying off and ***** like this is just going to make it die faster.

[roseelvira]

LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO  THE ATTARI  SITUATION

[Fox Wijaya]

3 minutes ago, roseelvira said:

LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO  THE ATTARI  SITUATION

the what?

[Scylla Rhiadra]

6 minutes ago, roseelvira said:

LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO  THE ATTARI  SITUATION

OMG . . . how could we forget . . . !

 

 

Whut?

[Cindy Evanier]

1 minute ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

OMG . . . how could we forget . . . !

 

 

Whut?

Feels like it must be time for some

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 minutes ago, Cindy Evanier said:

Feels like it must be time for some

MY understanding is that it's always time for that.

[Fox Wijaya]

3 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

MY understanding is that it's always time for that.

Edited June 10, 2019 by Fox Wijaya

[Beth Macbain]

#attari2019

#neverforget

[Scylla Rhiadra]

7 minutes ago, Fox Wijaya said:

Clearly, you are an empty, hollow shell of a person.

Either that, or it's the effects of PTSD, triggered by this reminder of . . .

THE ATTARI AFFAIR

 

In either case, please be sensitive. You're hurting Cindy's feelings.

Edited June 10, 2019 by Scylla Rhiadra