the change that name changing... changed

[Whisperwind Snowpaw]

So, I've heard on that live streaming that the name change would come with a small fee to prevent too many changes and all that. Maybe to cover upkeep cost on all those changes needed for it. But to change a line of text for the price of a full Triple A game...

This makes me sad. SL has always been about community, and although I know I'm far from being a huge spender here, I had my fare share of moneys going to support designers and artists and even got premium to support Linden Labs itself (really, the only good perk is cutting the line to get into Uber, Acess, Cosmo, etc). 

It's not a token price. It's not something to mitigate costs. It's a cash grab, in my humble opinion, over a community that would probably have too much invested by this point.

I may be wrong, but at least for me this is a turning point regarding my SL spendings. Maybe it's about respect. Maybe I'm just butthurt because right now eveyone inworld is making freebies to keep people at home and this comes at a bad timing. I dunno. 

What I do know is that this puts a hard stop on all my SL spendings. I'll still be a part of this community, and I even think I have another year or so of premium already paid upfront, so this is not a "oh, why I left SL post" nor any sort of babling like that. I'm just concerned that how I feel right now may be how many of us feel. A bit disrespected, that's all.

[LittleMe Jewell]

Yeah, we've sort of discussed that every which way possible

https://community.secondlife.com/search/?&q=name change&type=forums_topic&search_and_or=and&search_in=titles&sortby=relevancy

 

And you feel "disrespected" by LL because they are charging?   Disrespected?   

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Edited April 13, 2020 by LittleMe Jewell

[Maitimo]

The cost of name change has been known for months. 

 

[Whisperwind Snowpaw]

2 hours ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

And you feel "disrespected" by LL because they are charging?   Disrespected?   

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Yeah, literally not what I said. I just don't see why the need to say "token price so people won't change name so often" and the likes of it. Just say it like it is and that's okay.

But disapointed, for sure. 

[LittleMe Jewell]

46 minutes ago, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

4 hours ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

And you feel "disrespected" by LL because they are charging?   Disrespected?   

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Yeah, literally not what I said.

 

Um, yeah, it is exactly what you said (bolding is mine)

4 hours ago, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

I'm just concerned that how I feel right now may be how many of us feel. A bit disrespected, that's all.

 

 

Hmm, quoting the entire thing, just for preservation sake - cuz things happen

4 hours ago, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

So, I've heard on that live streaming that the name change would come with a small fee to prevent too many changes and all that. Maybe to cover upkeep cost on all those changes needed for it. But to change a line of text for the price of a full Triple A game...

This makes me sad. SL has always been about community, and although I know I'm far from being a huge spender here, I had my fare share of moneys going to support designers and artists and even got premium to support Linden Labs itself (really, the only good perk is cutting the line to get into Uber, Acess, Cosmo, etc). 

It's not a token price. It's not something to mitigate costs. It's a cash grab, in my humble opinion, over a community that would probably have too much invested by this point.

I may be wrong, but at least for me this is a turning point regarding my SL spendings. Maybe it's about respect. Maybe I'm just butthurt because right now eveyone inworld is making freebies to keep people at home and this comes at a bad timing. I dunno. 

What I do know is that this puts a hard stop on all my SL spendings. I'll still be a part of this community, and I even think I have another year or so of premium already paid upfront, so this is not a "oh, why I left SL post" nor any sort of babling like that. I'm just concerned that how I feel right now may be how many of us feel. A bit disrespected, that's all.

 

[Lindal Kidd]

I guess one person's "token charge" is another's "exorbitant cash grab".  Compared to dinner for two, or a fillup for a full size pickup truck, or the cost of a Private Region, it's pretty small potatoes.  Compared to the upload fee for a texture, it's mighty high.

I don't think it's unreasonable.  After all, if you want FREQUENT, and FREE name changes, there's still Display Names.

[AdminGirl]

People get upset over prices all the time, I get that. But there's no need to feel disrespected. LL is offering a service and charging a fee for it. It is optional, and if it is too high a price, you can simply just not opt for it.

There are so many things offered to the community for free. As @Lindal Kidd mentioned, you can still change display names. And just as you mentioned, you can still enjoy and be part of the community without paying a cent. And I think any business that offers anything for free is the opposite of disrespectful. It comes down to expectations and perspective.

[Sara Nova]

I think $40 is awfully steep but it was still worth it to me. Weird that they require Premium as well as the $40 though.

[Cain Maven]

7 hours ago, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

It's not a token price. It's not something to mitigate costs. It's a cash grab, in my humble opinion, over a community that would probably have too much invested by this point.

I think it's another attempt to slowly shift the SL economy away from being so dependent on tier revenue. A number of other recent changes have had the same goal: increased checkout fees, increased Marketplace commissions, etc.

If the long term effect of all these changes is that land becomes affordable to more residents, I think it's a Good Thing.

[Mollymews]

58 minutes ago, Sara Nova said:

I think $40 is awfully steep but it was still worth it to me. Weird that they require Premium as well as the $40 though.

yes i don't get why, it being a fixed fee, that it isn't open to non-premium accounts as well

[Cain Maven]

5 minutes ago, Mollymews said:

yes i don't get why, it being a fixed fee, that it isn't open to non-premium accounts as well

I think the plan is to make Premium (and the upcoming Premium Plus) more attractive. Again, the idea is to reduce the dependency on tier and hopefully be able to lower the cost for residents in the future.

[Maitimo]

4 minutes ago, Mollymews said:

yes i don't get why, it being a fixed fee, that it isn't open to non-premium accounts as well

Perhaps to tempt people into trialling Premium for a month and deciding they want to keep it after all.  After you've spent about $50 on going premium and getting a proper name, the cost of continuing with your premium account for the rest of the year doesn't seem so high in comparison.

[Syo Emerald]

8 hours ago, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

It's not a token price. It's not something to mitigate costs. It's a cash grab

And you can base that statement on what? For me, this price is also too high to justify purchasing a name change, don't get me wrong. (I would be interested in a name change for a poor resident alt, but another premium fee + name change price + VAT.... nope not going to happen). But eh... I can at least not argue, that its not a price that keeps people from changing their name more than once within a long period of time.

8 hours ago, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

This makes me sad. SL has always been about community, and although I know I'm far from being a huge spender here, I had my fare share of moneys going to support designers and artists and even got premium to support Linden Labs itself (really, the only good perk is cutting the line to get into Uber, Acess, Cosmo, etc). 

I don't really understand what this has to do with the new name change option. Is SL suddenly less about community (for you) because you now have the theoretical option to change a name you have been unhappy with? If so, why? And do you reallly want residents to be messured at how much they have already spend in SL? Because you are a little bit asking for that, when mentioning how much money and linden you poured into SL. Personally, I think premium as more than this one good perk, but that might be too far off the topic for now.

But isn't it interesting? To you premium membership is worth it simply because you can skip lines, others would not pay for that. Same with the name change. I don't really get what this has to do with respect.
 

 

[Whisperwind Snowpaw]

Thank you for all your replies, you all are the best 😃

Lemme try to answer some:

 

8 hours ago, AdminGirl said:

(...) And I think any business that offers anything for free is the opposite of disrespectful. It comes down to expectations and perspective.

I think you're right. My heart rests at easy now. 

No, really. Don't want, son't pay for it, but I was so disappointed I had to rant a little. I took it personal. It wasn't. 

 

6 hours ago, Mollymews said:

yes i don't get why, it being a fixed fee, that it isn't open to non-premium accounts as well

Yeap, but as someone else said probably it's to promote a month of premium.

Maybe they'll open up in the future.

 

6 hours ago, Syo Emerald said:

(...) To you premium membership is worth it simply because you can skip lines (...) I don't really get what this has to do with respect.

I meant it's the only thing I happen to use. But yeah, the respect part is because I believed the token price speech and the "let's build together" and all that. (more bellow)

6 hours ago, Syo Emerald said:

And you can base that statement on what? (...) Is SL suddenly less about community (for you) because you now have the theoretical option to change a name you have been unhappy with? If so, why? 

(about cashgrab) Because 40 USD doesn't feel like a random number. It's a well estabilished entry-price, aiming people who already spent a lot more on a char (which raises the added value of a desired name change). It's not aimed at selling people what they want, It's mark-up focused. 

Yes it's a valid business practice. Yes we all do it. Doesn't change the fact that it's a mark-up.

 

10 hours ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

Hmm, quoting the entire thing, just for preservation sake - cuz things happen

Such a forum savy (/me hugs). 😃

The disrespect was bull*****ing about token price, not about charging. But I guess writerly text, as Roland Barthes would put it, happens. Cheers

 

Love y'all

 

[bigmoe Whitfield]

I remember when the fee's increased for event listings,  people were spamming it,  and posting events like "10 mintues left"  "5 mintues left"  to me this fee for name change, makes me think,  they want to prevent abuse of it,  and this high of a fee will prevent abuse of it.  

[AdminGirl]

46 minutes ago, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

Thank you for all your replies, you all are the best 😃

...

I think you're right. My heart rests at easy now. 

No, really. Don't want, son't pay for it, but I was so disappointed I had to rant a little. I took it personal. It wasn't. 

 

Totally understand

Personally it's way too expensive for me too, especially during this time.

[Sassy Kenin]

On 4/13/2020 at 6:09 PM, Whisperwind Snowpaw said:

What I do know is that this puts a hard stop on all my SL spendings.

[Adam Spark]

On 4/14/2020 at 4:29 AM, Cain Maven said:

I think it's another attempt to slowly shift the SL economy away from being so dependent on tier revenue. A number of other recent changes have had the same goal: increased checkout fees, increased Marketplace commissions, etc.

If the long term effect of all these changes is that land becomes affordable to more residents, I think it's a Good Thing.

That is true if paired with the slash in land costs. It might eventually come to pass, but until then, that isn't what this is.

[Cristiano Midnight]

AAA games cost $59.99 - but I do agree $40 for a name change is steep compared to similar services offered in online games.

[JoeDex]

If Linden Labs was a person, they would be on Jerry Springer.

[JoeDex]

Is Joe Welthybig***** available? 

Edit pea-nis is not available.

Edited April 16, 2020 by JoeDex

[Scylla Rhiadra]

3 hours ago, Cristiano Midnight said:

AAA games cost $59.99 - but I do agree $40 for a name change is steep compared to similar services offered in online games.

I wonder how valid comparison with other MMOs and games is. Without getting into the whole "Is SL a game?" thing, it suspect that for most of us, our avatars, and hence our in-world identities, are the real focus of SL. I don't just mean in the sense of avatar customization: they define how we engage with others and with nearly every aspect of our experience. I'm sure that's also true of many games and MMOs, but not, maybe, to the same extent? You might pay some serious cash to buy a new spaceship or whatever in those: the equivalent here is to pay money for things that express things about our online avatars -- mesh bodies and accessories, clothing, vehicles, houses, and, now, names.

On 4/14/2020 at 3:50 AM, Syo Emerald said:

To you premium membership is worth it simply because you can skip lines, others would not pay for that. Same with the name change.

This is surely true: the value of a name change is highly subjective. For me, it's essentially valueless: I have zero desire to change my name, and wouldn't do it if it were free (although I have an alt whom I might treat to a last name if it were free or extremely cheap). For others, it's clearly worth a lot more, and I'm sure there are some who would pay even more to do it.

I'm sure that LL's price point here reflects, in part, a desire to recover costs, but mostly I'm sure it's a calculation of how much they can get away with. Not unlike the cost of most things: basic economics dictates that you set a price at the balance point between volume of sales and recoverable profit. And because, unlike many commodities (food, shelter, medicine, etc.) that have a universal value, name changes are subjective, and we're all going to have a different sense of how much we'd pay for them. LL has clearly calculated that there is a sufficiently large number of people willing to pay US$ 40 to maximize their revenue from it. (They may, of course, be mistaken.)

As I've said elsewhere, the timing of this is unfortunate. But LL is kind of caught in quandary here: the alternatives were to delay this further, which would undoubtedly generate howls of outrage, or drop the price, which would reduce the revenue they must be hoping to generate from this.

[Coffee Pancake]

9 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I wonder how valid comparison with other MMOs and games is. Without getting into the whole "Is SL a game?" thing, it suspect that for most of us, our avatars, and hence our in-world identities, are the real focus of SL. I don't just mean in the sense of avatar customization: they define how we engage with others and with nearly every aspect of our experience. I'm sure that's also true of many games and MMOs, but not, maybe, to the same extent? You might pay some serious cash to buy a new spaceship or whatever in those: the equivalent here is to pay money for things that express things about our online avatars -- mesh bodies and accessories, clothing, vehicles, houses, and, now, names.

World of Warcraft is a a pretty huge virtual world (that's mostly game, but not entirely, has RP communities, social stuff) and comes with a subscription fee (a premium membership) .. name changes are $10.

One key difference is that a month's sub for WoW gets you access to everything in WoW, everything your characters collect is yours (and there is sufficient content to keep you entertained all day every day for years).

But still.. $10 .. and that's about the same price on most other platforms (PSN etc)

It only costs $10 as a break to stop people changing names every 10 minutes.

 

[Pussycat Catnap]

While having a charge is normal; the amount of the charge is out of proportion with competing games...

I think it was about $10 in World of Warcraft:

https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/world-of-warcraft-service-name-change

 

$10 in FFXIV:

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/261277-Name-Change-Price

- That is a thread of someone complaining $10 is too much. Only people with actual subscriptions can see the actual store.

 

ESO with an in-game currency you have to buy - and it takes $33 to buy a 'bundle' of that currency sufficient to cover it with a little left over:

https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/crownstore/item/934?name-and-race-change

ESO's price comes with a caveat, their version of a premium subscriber gets 1650 of the tokens a months, and it takes 3500 tokens to name change. And subscribers have few uses for their tokens, and free bonus changes show in your account from time to time...

 

These 3 MMOs are basically "the industry" at present - the big 3. There are some other good sized MMOs (Black Desert Online and Guild Wars 2 are still both doing well) - but those first 3 define the current industry.

 

So yes... Second Life is severely over-charging for this.

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Pussycat Catnap

[Adam Spark]

14 hours ago, Cristiano Midnight said:

AAA games cost $59.99 - but I do agree $40 for a name change is steep compared to similar services offered in online games.

Games are an entirely different category with only so much in common with virtual worlds