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Its amazing how strong SL seems to be!?


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The strength of SL (today & for at least the next half decade) I think is clearly stated in that the decline in users is so      v - e - r - y       v - e - r - y      s - l - o - w .

People REALLY like it here! It tells me there is currently not an effective plan where it comes to attracting & keeping new visitors. 

Im no expert, but im offering a starting idea. Add yours if you have a better one!

 

I would establish 2 teams at the lab.. give them an equal budget, and get them to compete for attracting & retaining new signups at two different New Citizens locations.

To begin with they could brainstorm approaches as a single group, then pick two main concepts, and divide themselves into two groups according to which idea each person is most betting on.

An enjoyable competitive employee challenge with a 6month or 1 year time frame?

Am i mad?

 

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I think this is a grand idea, but I'd rather them wait a bit before embarking on this. 

I want them to finish Bellisseria first, or at least get to the point where they have enough homes for all so new residents don't get relegated to the icky old homes. 

I know they're also working on the new resident experience. I'd like to see them finish that before we have an influx of new folks.

After that, sure. Let's have a resident challenge, too. I'll take a bonus for getting out there and recruiting some new people. A month of premium? Double stipend for six months? I dunno. Lots of ways they could incentivize referrals that remain inworld actively for six months or something. 

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1 hour ago, Beth Macbain said:

I think this is a grand idea, but I'd rather them wait a bit before embarking on this. 

I want them to finish Bellisseria first, or at least get to the point where they have enough homes for all so new residents don't get relegated to the icky old homes. 

I know they're also working on the new resident experience. I'd like to see them finish that before we have an influx of new folks.

After that, sure. Let's have a resident challenge, too. I'll take a bonus for getting out there and recruiting some new people. A month of premium? Double stipend for six months? I dunno. Lots of ways they could incentivize referrals that remain inworld actively for six months or something. 

A referral program is a good idea, however just a thought....a reward for those that dont want to be premium

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What keeps people here and spending money is the million dollar question, which has a million answers.

Is there "a type" I wonder? I guess not.

Before SL, I spent lots of time messing about on computers and spreadsheets.

And I have OCD tendencies, all of which fits nicely into Inventory management!

But newbies are basically ignored on arrival. Yes there are big signs and arrows to follow and way too much to read, but it isn't welcoming.

I don't have an answer to this because obviously to mentor every new arrival is impossible.

I'm just thankful I made it past the barriers in those early days, and was lucky enough to be looked after by a real nugget of a person, who sadly has been absent now for a long time. She was my mentor and confidante in those early days, and bought me my first AO.

Maybe a step by step induction is the way. Day 1 is at a single sim, with a small number of "challenges". Day 2 is promoted at this sim, but with a carrot or two. And so on for a few days, with freebies provided at each stage, leading towards a better avi. 

So for example by "day 5" you can select a better avi, or a choice of hairs, or whatever. A L$500 MP credit would get people onto the MP.

The point is to incentivise return the next day. This could even be done on a spaceship with a few decks, although obviously this might put impatient newbies off.

If there was a simple answer, it would be in play now.

 

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I'm very wary of this idea as it reminds me of a time when the team I worked with was under extreme pressure to complete its project.  Our pushy, ambitious team leader came up with the the same competition idea to speed us up.  She was so pleased with herself she was grinning.  Aghast, I objected, and the idea was dropped (so did her grin - she expected us to cheer and comply).  The last thing overstretched and frazzled employees needs is more stress, especially from the management causing it in the first place.

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1 hour ago, BelindaN said:

Maybe a step by step induction is the way. Day 1 is at a single sim, with a small number of "challenges". Day 2 is promoted at this sim, but with a carrot or two. And so on for a few days, with freebies provided at each stage, leading towards a better avi. 

So for example by "day 5" you can select a better avi, or a choice of hairs, or whatever. A L$500 MP credit would get people onto the MP.

The point is to incentivise return the next day. This could even be done on a spaceship with a few decks, although obviously this might put impatient newbies off.

If there was a simple answer, it would be in play now.

 

That would certainly suit some people, however for anyone who feels it till slow you are more likely to drive them away through frustration. If I had logged on day 1 and be told yeah you are stuck on this sim, come back tomorrow for lesson 2. I would merely have logged off and never come back.

People learn at different paces, you therefore have to have many different ways to get them on board and you can't stick restrictions on and say you are too new to do this

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2 hours ago, KanryDrago said:

People learn at different paces, you therefore have to have many different ways to get them on board and you can't stick restrictions on and say you are too new to do this

This. One size most definitely does not fit all.

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Personally, I think the best recruiters for SL is definitely the residents. I don't see how LL staff could really do this in any meaningful way. At this point, SL needs more than just fresh bodies. It needs people who are going to be engaged. You can't just recruit somebody, you almost need to be a parent to them. You probably need to invest in them, teach them, make them part of your life, and then be willing to set them free. Otherwise, the majority of people are going to never make it to the fun or acceptance before they're overwhelmed by the financial commitment and the vast amount of assumed skills it requires to just be a typical avatar. 

I don't think there should be a reward until your recruit or "child" has met a certain set of goals and has proven they are willing to be a part of all of this. The reward should be big. It doesn't necessarily have to be some huge financial sacrifice on the part of LL, but it should be something that pays off in respect and visibility, some kind of permanent elevation. It's just as important as any other kind of celebrated contributor in this society. SL is going to die if it doesn't evolve with some higher purpose and respect for it's residents beyond being credit card cattle who idolize money makers and narcissists. Years of experience, available time, real life contacts, generosity of spirit, are all lucrative assets that are being ignored because we are only thinking that a small % of our residents are truly valuable. The other reward is that we start focusing on being social again. Money doesn't lead good societies, it follows them. 

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11 hours ago, Zed Avedon said:

The strength of SL (today & for at least the next half decade) I think is clearly stated in that the decline in users is so      v - e - r - y       v - e - r - y      s - l - o - w .

People REALLY like it here! It tells me there is currently not an effective plan where it comes to attracting & keeping new visitors. 

Im no expert, but im offering a starting idea. Add yours if you have a better one!

 

I would establish 2 teams at the lab.. give them an equal budget, and get them to compete for attracting & retaining new signups at two different New Citizens locations.

To begin with they could brainstorm approaches as a single group, then pick two main concepts, and divide themselves into two groups according to which idea each person is most betting on.

An enjoyable competitive employee challenge with a 6month or 1 year time frame?

Am i mad?

 

With the recent hike in fees and premium do you really think LL has the money to spare for a hairbrained idea like this? They're  not going to go to the additional expense of hiring new employees for this and they are already shorthanded. They've been shorthanded since the big lay off a few years ago and they have no intentions of changing that. It's more fun to watch us dance like puppets for them.

And yes, Linden Research dba Linden Lab, I am going to keep poking at you until you finally get your sheet together. Because I do care. If I didn't I wouldn't bother speaking up.

 

 

 

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You seldom, if ever, see Second Life advertised at all anymore. There are many people who don't realize it still exists. Surely LL can afford a small ad campaign. I occasionally see an ad on the blog of current residents, which is read mainly by people who have already signed up, so there's no point really. I agree that it would be best if the new homes were completed first and a few improvements were made, but a total re-branding and advertising campaign would work wonders, in my opinion.

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i agree about different approaches to entering being available, or a step system so that the most intrepid folk can come back to the steps when they eventually get frustrated. I imagine a team focused on 20 'interested new prospective residents' being quizzed to pinpoint the exact moments of percieved hardship and actually addressing that in a clear & measureable way. Then i also agree with a less than g rated promotion. It doesnt have to be creepy, but definately dont make it look like its 'good clean fun' :P .. what a turn off! .. nobody wants that.. getting freaky, edgy an adult is part of being entertained. OK .. well i hope to see that curve bottom out at some point.. its STILL an amazing and interesting new medium .. so many possibilities/narratives .. keep letting non users know it!

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3 hours ago, Zed Avedon said:

Then i also agree with a less than g rated promotion. It doesnt have to be creepy, but definately dont make it look like its 'good clean fun' :P .. what a turn off! .. nobody wants that.. getting freaky, edgy an adult is part of being entertained.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying.  If you believe no-one wants to live in a General-rated area then you are mistaken.

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I have been musing a bit about this I do meet a fair amount of newbies, seems one of my common hangout places is in the destination guide so there is a trickle coming through most days. Yes I often im them as I have a few useful landmarks for places that give free stuff to new players so I have some anecdotal evidence from those that reply to go on.

The problems seem for new players to fall into two main categories

1) How do I do stuff. This is everything from learning to dress and buy stuff to how do I dance etc. The mechanics of the game if you like.

2) What do I do?

For those that talk I try and give them a bit of an answer to both indeed if I am not busy I will often spend an hour or so giving a newbie a crash course in sl to get them started maybe an hour or two. In that time I can usually get them through the basics of movement, how to use demo's how to dress,editting their body, how to use outfits to swap back and forth. using dance balls and huds and furniture both pose ball and av sitter. Also creating a basic item I usually get them to make a picture, just a cube stretch it add a texture. Nothing to in depth but a foundation on which they can build.

The second I also talk to them about. Usually by listing some of the things that are common interests, socialising , sex, photography, exploring etc then try and tease out of them what might interest them and pointing them in the right direction.

Now a lot of these newbies add me to their friends list in case they want to ask questions which is where I get to my point.

Even with all that help the majority of them will quite between 1 week in and 3 weeks in. I would estimate about 70 to 80%. Those that say goodbye normally have the same reason

"SL is boring" that of course is not true. What they mean is they didnt find what they are looking for. So pondering that I thought about those that stayed and wondered what made them different. My conclusion is those that stayed were the people that joined in and made friends here. Whether going dancing and talking or joining rp sims. Whatever, the people that stay are those who become social within SL. Those that didn't were the ones who "observed life" here.

Unfortunately that insight is however pretty useless. The Lab cannot make people be social and make friends or make existing residents be friends with newbies. However we can those that want to play a part by just simply remembering it and next time you see a newbie don't be so quick to just ignore them. Sometimes just a "Hi welcome to SL" message will help convince them we arent all demons waiting to pounce and steal their firstborn

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12 hours ago, Mahala Roviana said:

You seldom, if ever, see Second Life advertised at all anymore. There are many people who don't realize it still exists. Surely LL can afford a small ad campaign. I occasionally see an ad on the blog of current residents, which is read mainly by people who have already signed up, so there's no point really. I agree that it would be best if the new homes were completed first and a few improvements were made, but a total re-branding and advertising campaign would work wonders, in my opinion.

I'm going to second this. While I'm usually all for trying new creative approaches, I think in some instances the simple answer can often be the best.

Forums aside, the best form of advertising (and the one LL most appears to rely upon) is word-of-mouth. There's been a lot of negative press over the years; how SL is little more than a chat room for perverts/sex driven, how "SL is dying" (and apparently has been for years), how Sansar was the new golden child predicted to drain SL dry, how LL staff can't be retained, etc etc… There's been little PUBLIC GOOD, at least that I have seen. Any mention of SL is small-fry. LL doesn't need to reinvent the wheel, just remind people Second Life is still here. That it's not visually clunky (as much as it was). That the landscape is changing (new homes, bento, etc). That improvements are happening, they're no longer just plans for the future but are actually happening with more improvements on the horizon.

If anyone out there in cyberspace remembers SL from years ago when it was at it's proverbial peak, then they are likely to have dated opinions. Big business brands "reinvent" themselves every so often. Prime example; Look at Coke. It's a drink. The product formula itself barely changes. Granted it's a mega-million dollar company that can afford to spend a lot on advertising, but if a drink can be remarketed regularly and the product itself never changes, why can't LL do the same to push a product that IS changing even if it has to be on a much smaller scale?

I can't remember seeing an advert for Second Life ANYWHERE now I think about it, perhaps only by accident when I'm looking for something else. When I mention SL, people ask me what it is. That tells you something very simple; If people don't know you exist or know what you do/have they won't search you out much less want to sign up.

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The issues are pretty obvious-the game looks old. I mean I know there are parts of it that don't look super dated but in the age of Unreal4 it looks ancient. Then there's the learning curve. I'm not saying it should be dumbed down but it shouldn't take a ten video Youtube course just to figure out how to do basic things. A lot of the reason the learning curve was tolerated in the past was because the only people really using SL were advanced content creators interested in exploring the then new virtual world landscape. Nowadays there are a lot more options when it comes to virtual chat and avatar customization. The tool and model support are better. 

SL is a museum piece. 

Please don't get me wrong-I love this place. I love my avatar. SL is where I learned to be myself and when it goes a huge part of me with go with it. It will literally feel like both a friend and part of me will die but that's the breaks. SL isn't going to be revitalized. Some day soon its underlying technology will run into modern tech just not being able to support it and it will be gone. Everyone needs to accept that and just do their best to enjoy the fun while it lasts. It's a fruitless endeavor to try and get people into it or 'save' it. 

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8 hours ago, KanryDrago said:

pondering that I thought about those that stayed and wondered what made them different. My conclusion is those that stayed were the people that joined in and made friends here. Whether going dancing and talking or joining rp sims. Whatever, the people that stay are those who become social within SL. Those that didn't were the ones who "observed life" here.

If this is true then how do you explain me still being here? I can't always be the only "exception to the rule".

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10 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

If this is true then how do you explain me still being here? I can't always be the only "exception to the rule".

You do get involved, you create, you talk to people here, I assume you also talk to people in game and have some on your friends list

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1 hour ago, KanryDrago said:

You do get involved, you create, you talk to people here, I assume you also talk to people in game and have some on your friends list

There really is only one reason I post on the forums. I have no one to talk to inworld. There are maybe 2 people on my reduced list of around 30* that still log in but I never hear from them and one of them is my RL other half. The rest apparently either abandoned those accounts or just stopped logging in. So yep, I spend all my time in world either building stuff no one will ever buy or combing the MP for things I'd like to get for build ideas I have but will never be able to afford or making half assed attempts at cleaning up my inventory. That's what happens when the world gives you the cold shoulder from the moment you are born.

 

*Yes, I'm foolish enough to keep hoping that someday they will log in again or I keep them on my list as a memorial. 

 

ETA: I should mention that 4 of those on my contacts are my alts. 

Edited by Selene Gregoire
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