Opinion piece: Kudos to Oberwolf and Phillip

[Eirynne Sieyes]

I thought the Oberwolf-Phillip SLB19 chat would not be very interesting, but on the contrary, I found it fascinating. To understand more about how our new owners fit together and organically came to be was heartening. Phillip's integrity, love of community, vision, and gentle style counterbalanced Oberwolf's practical, timely, and sharp business acumen. I appreciated that Oberwolf explained the business model they are betting on, and in my unlearned opinion, think it makes sense. I was pleasantly surprised at their transparency.

I may be all wrong, but in my observation, I think we sadly may have lost some Lindens but gained some wonderful moles. Cut costs here, invest there: they did empower Patch to let his active imagination soar resulting in the beautiful Belli continents. I eagerly await 2048 Belli. (Hint hint: very high ceilings/glass wall open concept modern Meadowbrook-like builds would be amazing on 2048 lots!)

A couple years ago when we first were told of the sale there was widespread fear that we would be acquired and sold off in pieces. On the contrary, Linden Lab is heavily investing in SL, has cut fat, and looks for ways to give us the most bang ("value") for our buck. Of course nothing is perfect, but I have certainly noticed the difference. I appreciate that they chose to continue Ebbe's successful open interactive style with the residents.

Fingers crossed, I left thinking that we are in very good hands. 

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by Eirynne Sieyes
typo

[Coffee Pancake]

I think the big thing we leant is that SL is safe from being sold.

Not because no on wants to sell it (because omg they tried and tried!), but because no one else wants to buy it.

[Rowan Amore]

7 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

I think the big thing we leant is that SL is safe from being sold.

Not because no on wants to sell it (because omg they tried and tried!), but because no one else wants to buy it.

The very definition of...

white el·e·phant

a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of

[Luna Bliss]

1 hour ago, Eirynne Sieyes said:

I appreciated that Oberwolf explained the business model they are betting on, and in my unlearned opinion, think it makes sense. I was pleasantly surprised at their transparency.

What is the business plan (if it can be summed up easily)?  Or is this talk available on YouTube yet?

[Alwin Alcott]

1 hour ago, Eirynne Sieyes said:

 I was pleasantly surprised at their transparency.

Think they showed their agenda more in the P+ pricing and content, lot of money for nearly nothing.

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

 

[Drayke Newall]

All I got from that interview is that Oberwolf sucks with timing a one handed Mexican Wave.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Drayke Newall

[Luna Bliss]

So far...they don't intend to use the advertising model Meta does. This is good, as we seem to be little pawns for their profit at Meta, in this regard.

[Anaiya Ahren]

Quote

Think they showed their agenda more in the P+ pricing and content,

My exact thought alongside how long they made everyone wait.  Nothing about Plus and its development suggests much pragmatism to me.

 

I'd add on the fact that I have over 50k lindens and despite adding payment information, I'm not allowed to sell any of them which is a separate thing from cashing out. 

Apparently I'm supposed to raise a ticket?  How does that make sense?  They can't automate a customer initiated "charge back" so when you add payment info you can have them raise your linden selling tier without expensive human intervention?  And they want to sell this tilia thing's services to other businesses?  Who would pay them for this backward nonsense?  Human intervention is the least convenient and most expensive way to check if payment information can be trusted in 2022.  None of this is a good advertisement for money handling services, or a pragmatic way to run a business.

A smart 12 year old could tell you that if you can issue tokens you make up out of thin air to customers who can sell them to US dollars to pay to you, that you make this as easy and convenient as possible. 

And don't get me started on the crazy tier for land above the premium allotment....in all these years no one in charge has had the sense to fix that?  How about 6 dollars per 1024 a month if you pay annually as an add-on to when buying an annual premium subscription?  Then they get all the money up front whether I even use the tier and customers are encouraged to buy premium annually to access the deal and annual premium subbers are offered an upsell.  They're hosting mainland anyway - lot of abandoned land out there.  I'm certainly not paying 4 US dollars a month for 512 - pragmatism isn't what this current (long-standing) pricing model brings to mind.

 

It sure seems like no one with pragmatism, business acumen or even basic common sense is being allowed to steer this ship.

[Eirynne Sieyes]

[Anaiya Ahren]

1 hour ago, Eirynne Sieyes said:

She obviously needs a Coke:

[Prokofy Neva]

9 hours ago, Anaiya Ahren said:

My exact thought alongside how long they made everyone wait.  Nothing about Plus and its development suggests much pragmatism to me.

 

I'd add on the fact that I have over 50k lindens and despite adding payment information, I'm not allowed to sell any of them which is a separate thing from cashing out. 

Apparently I'm supposed to raise a ticket?  How does that make sense?  They can't automate a customer initiated "charge back" so when you add payment info you can have them raise your linden selling tier without expensive human intervention?  And they want to sell this tilia thing's services to other businesses?  Who would pay them for this backward nonsense?  Human intervention is the least convenient and most expensive way to check if payment information can be trusted in 2022.  None of this is a good advertisement for money handling services, or a pragmatic way to run a business.

A smart 12 year old could tell you that if you can issue tokens you make up out of thin air to customers who can sell them to US dollars to pay to you, that you make this as easy and convenient as possible. 

And don't get me started on the crazy tier for land above the premium allotment....in all these years no one in charge has had the sense to fix that?  How about 6 dollars per 1024 a month if you pay annually as an add-on to when buying an annual premium subscription?  Then they get all the money up front whether I even use the tier and customers are encouraged to buy premium annually to access the deal and annual premium subbers are offered an upsell.  They're hosting mainland anyway - lot of abandoned land out there.  I'm certainly not paying 4 US dollars a month for 512 - pragmatism isn't what this current (long-standing) pricing model brings to mind.

 

It sure seems like no one with pragmatism, business acumen or even basic common sense is being allowed to steer this ship.

Why can't you just file a ticket? Something doesn't make sense here.

[Quistess Alpha]

9 hours ago, Anaiya Ahren said:

Apparently I'm supposed to raise a ticket?  How does that make sense?  They can't automate a customer initiated "charge back" so when you add payment info you can have them raise your linden selling tier without expensive human intervention?  And they want to sell this tilia thing's services to other businesses?  Who would pay them for this backward nonsense?  Human intervention is the least convenient and most expensive way to check if payment information can be trusted in 2022.  None of this is a good advertisement for money handling services, or a pragmatic way to run a business.

It works fine for most people, it didn't work fine for you. This happens in large automated systems, sometimes something goes wrong and an actual person needs to fix it. FWIW I didn't need to file a ticket to be able to sell L$.

[Anaiya Ahren]

Quote

Why can't you just file a ticket?

Who said I can't?  There's no need to make things up.  Why should I need to?  How long will it take?  What am I supposed to say in the stupid box that asks for reasons why?  

 

Didn't they invent an entire service to handle money payments and aren't charge backs a well established thing?  Why would any business looking for a money handling service consider such an offering? 

"Raise a ticket, include a little essay listing reasons why, and then we'll consider it and get back to you, eventually (perhaps)" is a pretty hair-brained system in this day and age.

[Anaiya Ahren]

Quote

It works fine for most people, it didn't work fine for you.

Oh, wow, now I feel sad.  And a little in need of a Coke.

Quote

FWIW I didn't need to file a ticket to be able to sell L$.

Well it's worth a lot more to you than to me.  🤪

Edited June 23, 2022 by Anaiya Ahren
Coke

[Gwin LeShelle]

I don't like Oberwolf, there I said it. I never said that before about a Linden x3 but he seems cold, and his name choice tells me enough about him.

He's unattached, what can be a good thing for a company but in his case it seems more like ...not caring at all. He don't understands what SL is about and he don't even wants to is my impression. 

No passion like Philip or Ebbe had. Not a hint of that in him.

He's not communicating much with the community only on occasions where he really can not avoid it.

 

[Atomic Infinity]

17 hours ago, Anaiya Ahren said:

Apparently I'm supposed to raise a ticket?  How does that make sense?  They can't automate a customer initiated "charge back" so when you add payment info you can have them raise your linden selling tier without expensive human intervention? 

It might be that you just need to review and accept the Tilia terms & conditions - when they got updated I got that same message but when I went through the pages in my SL web dashboard there it was. Reviewed, ticked, and it all went open to trade again.   Might not be that, but worth a look.

-

Back to the topic - I like Brad (oberwolf) - considering he's a very busy business person I am not surprised he does not spend much time in SL, and really I don't think he needs to. He seems to have a great attitude towards the big picture, surrounds himself with Lindens and Moles who really *do* know the inside of SL, and is on the correct side of 'humanity vs data harvesting', unlike some other metaversal speculators we could mention.

[Prokofy Neva]

7 hours ago, Gwin LeShelle said:

I don't like Oberwolf, there I said it. I never said that before about a Linden x3 but he seems cold, and his name choice tells me enough about him.

He's unattached, what can be a good thing for a company but in his case it seems more like ...not caring at all. He don't understands what SL is about and he don't even wants to is my impression. 

No passion like Philip or Ebbe had. Not a hint of that in him.

He's not communicating much with the community only on occasions where he really can not avoid it.

 

Well, his name is based off his RL name so it isn't meant to be cruel.

When I saw his RL businesses had been snacks and car parts, I thought he sounded perfect for SL. SL is all about snacks and car parts, i.e. little things for consumers.

When Coca Cola bought his organic snack company and then it became less natural, he was sort of resigned to it.

He's been friends with Philip for some years and lives 3 blocks away from him and goes to Burning Man with him, so that seems like something.

The only thing I didn't care for was his admission that he doesn't come inworld. Not because he is busy with other companies; he says he is thinking of SL "24/7". But he should come inworld and he might get some basics better and possibly solve them, like the welcome areas, the lack of effective advertising, etc.

I don't need the Linden owners to have passion, I need them to have long-term, sustained concern and effectiveness. It has to turn a profit so it sustains his and other investors' interest, and that's fine.

[Luna Bliss]

He said 80% of the top earners in SL were women. And he is impressed with how SL removes the barriers that create inequality in RL, and that he values world equality. So politically he has my vote.

[Luna Bliss]

7 hours ago, Gwin LeShelle said:

I don't like Oberwolf, there I said it. I never said that before about a Linden x3 but he seems cold, and his name choice tells me enough about him.

He's unattached, what can be a good thing for a company but in his case it seems more like ...not caring at all. He don't understands what SL is about and he don't even wants to is my impression. 

No passion like Philip or Ebbe had. Not a hint of that in him.

He's not communicating much with the community only on occasions where he really can not avoid it.

 

 My impression of him, as he talked, was that he was warm and engaged. He said there was another Wolf, hence the choice of name.  I sensed a lot of passion and interest in making SL work.

[AnnabelleApocalypse]

22 hours ago, SarahKB7 Koskinen said:

 

Say what you like about Phillips avatar, but at least he bothered to get a decent microphone. The other two sound like they are talking through a blanket.

The one-handed Mexican wave thing is super distracting. lol

Edited June 23, 2022 by AnnabelleApocalypse

[Luna Bliss]

I was impressed that he had an awareness of the growing creator market in other games, and that he wants creators to realize they'll earn more money here in SL because these other virtual worlds take a huge cut. This gives me assurance he won't go too far in taking additional cuts from our earnings.

While I liked them voicing the benefits of community in virtual worlds too, as the Metaverse grows we need to be able to earn money within it -- many can't log in for the community aspects if they're broke.

[Gwin LeShelle]

54 minutes ago, Prokofy Neva said:

Well, his name is based off his RL name so it isn't meant to be cruel.

When I saw his RL businesses had been snacks and car parts, I thought he sounded perfect for SL. SL is all about snacks and car parts, i.e. little things for consumers.

When Coca Cola bought his organic snack company and then it became less natural, he was sort of resigned to it.

He's been friends with Philip for some years and lives 3 blocks away from him and goes to Burning Man with him, so that seems like something.

The only thing I didn't care for was his admission that he doesn't come inworld. Not because he is busy with other companies; he says he is thinking of SL "24/7". But he should come inworld and he might get some basics better and possibly solve them, like the welcome areas, the lack of effective advertising, etc.

I don't need the Linden owners to have passion, I need them to have long-term, sustained concern and effectiveness. It has to turn a profit so it sustains his and other investors' interest, and that's fine.

You had me at snacks XD nah for real you giving me a little more background information about him was nice thank you and makes him a tad bit more loveable 💜

[Eirynne Sieyes]

Wish I could delete this double post.

Edited June 23, 2022 by Eirynne Sieyes

[Eirynne Sieyes]

9 hours ago, Anaiya Ahren said:

Oh, wow, now I feel sad.  And a little in need of a Coke.

Well it's worth a lot more to you than to me.  🤪

First, here's your coke. *hands it over*

When you request support, are you talking only to Boxy or have you gotten thru to a Linden? If you are premium, you need to stay with Boxy long enough to request to talk to a Human. A Linden will enter chat and they will help you fix it. Of course you can only chat during working hours, but it is worth it to go this way in your case instead of just filing a ticket where it's hard to talk back and forth.

Edited June 23, 2022 by Eirynne Sieyes