What questions should I ask SL Merchants in my upcoming report of the virtual world's economy?

[Hamlet Au]

Hey everyone! I'm preparing to write an in-depth report on the internal user-driven Second Life economy. As part of that, I'll be conducting an anonymous survey of SL-based content creators, trying to capture the overall state of the market, while offering some useful takeaways for creators.

What questions should I ask?

Would be grateful for suggestions here or if you want suggest anonymously, do so in comments on New World Notes here:  https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2024/05/sl-content-creator-report.html#comments

Thanks!

[Froukje Hoorenbeek]

• How has your income from Second Life creations evolved over the past few years?
   
• Have you noticed any significant changes in your revenue from SL compared to previous years? If so, what do you attribute these changes to?
      
• What factors do you believe have influenced the fluctuations in your income from SL?
   
• How would you rate your overall communication experience with Linden Lab regarding platform updates, policies, and support?
   
• Have you encountered any challenges or frustrations when trying to communicate with Linden Lab? If yes, please elaborate.
   
• Do you feel that Linden Lab is responsive to the needs and concerns of creators and merchants on Second Life?
   
• How satisfied are you with the performance of your products on the Second Life Marketplace?
   
• Have you observed any notable trends or patterns in sales on the Second Life Marketplace recently?
   
• How confident are you in the long-term sustainability of your business within Second Life?
   
• Do you trust Linden Lab to make decisions that benefit the overall Second Life economy and its creators/merchants?
   
• To what extent does trust in the platform influence your decision-making as a creator/merchant on Second Life?
   
• Where do you see the future of Second Life heading, particularly in terms of opportunities for creators and merchants?
   
• What changes or improvements would you like to see implemented on Second Life to support the growth and success of its creators and merchants?

[Chic Aeon]

LOL. Well I think that pretty much covers everything. Look forward to the report findings.   

 

I guess I will add here as I don't  see it in the long list.

"Are you creating more or less than you have in the past decade?"

"Are you making more or less net income than you have in the past decade?"   

(This of course for long time creators. There could be questions for new folks about why they came recently to the SL economy and perhaps how it compares to other platforms they are on or have been on).   

 

I know the answer to the questions above I think basing it on my chats with creator friends -- then again it might just be who I know :D. 

 

 

 

[Sid Nagy]

My 2 cents:
If a journalist can't come up with the right questions by themselves ....
Are you drifted that far apart from SL? Became totally out of touch ?
Better chose other fields to write about than.
 

Edited May 19 by Sid Nagy

[Kathlen Onyx]

11 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

My 2 cents:
If a journalist can't come up with the right questions by themselves ....
Are you drifted that far apart from SL? Became totally out of touch ?
Better chose other fields to write about than.
 

Well, it was nice of them to do the work for him. Hope he gets an A+.

[Sid Nagy]

17 minutes ago, Kathlen Onyx said:

Well, it was nice of them to do the work for him. Hope he gets an A+.

Hamlet isn't a student. That makes it even worse IMHO.

[Love Zhaoying]

8 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

Hamlet isn't a student. That makes it even worse IMHO.

At least he doesn't show as having a store on the MP.

(So it is not self-serving unless one of his Alts or partner has a store.)

Edited May 19 by Love Zhaoying

[Kathlen Onyx]

1 hour ago, Sid Nagy said:

Hamlet isn't a student. That makes it even worse IMHO.

OH well now I'm way confused. Why would he be writing a report about the SL economy if he knows nothing about it. Would SL merchants really take it seriously and/or read it?

[Sid Nagy]

11 minutes ago, Kathlen Onyx said:

OH well now I'm way confused. Why would he be writing a report about the SL economy if he knows nothing about it. Would SL merchants really take it seriously and/or read it?

Hamlet is an ex Linden. He has a well read New World Notes blog.  And he wrote books about virtual worlds
So I wasn't expecting him starting a thread like this to be honest.
 

 

[Kathlen Onyx]

Makes more sense now. 

[Froukje Hoorenbeek]

I suggested to Hamlet that he post here to gather your insights because I believe that SL merchants are the best source of information about the state of our economy, second only to Linden Lab. After two days without responses, I decided to write down some questions that I would like to hear answers to.

Our information is scattered, but if we can bring it together, it may provide us with valuable insights. The questions I proposed were meant to spark discussion. I would love to know if you have suggestions for better questions or areas of focus. Please share them here or anonymously in the comments on the New World Notes blog.

[Eve Greymoon]

1. what methods are the most effective in helping customers find your products inworld?

2. Is it too difficult for customers to locate new creators inworld?  How could LL improve this?

3. What could LL do to encourage new creators bringing products to SL, both to mp and inworld stores?

 

[Sid Nagy]

No freebies from me, sorry.
Nobody does my job for me either.

Edited May 19 by Sid Nagy

[Coffee Pancake]

On 5/16/2024 at 6:12 PM, Hamlet Au said:

What questions should I ask?

Are you receiving food stamps, disability or other government assistance.

[Love Zhaoying]

Do you depend on the income from your business in Second Life?

[animats]

12 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

Hamlet is an ex Linden. He has a well read New World Notes blog.  And he wrote books about virtual worlds
So I wasn't expecting him starting a thread like this to be honest.
 

 

I've read his books. He has a good track record writing about Second Life. This isn't the usual "help me with my homework" clueless survey question.

[Chic Aeon]

You guys jump on folks a lot (not new news) but doing some investigation (assuming you don't know something which seems to be the case) just MIGHT be a good idea.   

FYI from the OP's blog post about this (a snippet). 

 

[Kathlen Onyx]

2 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

You guys jump on folks a lot (not new news) but doing some investigation (assuming you don't know something which seems to be the case) just MIGHT be a good idea.   

FYI from the OP's blog post about this (a snippet). 

 

To be fair when one is posting on a forum, they should take into consideration that not everyone knows who they are and are reading from the post itself.  Being that his last post was 3 years ago, a little background on who he is might have been helpful.  Not everyone has been in Second Life or on the forums since the inception of the platform.  Even after I looked at the blog I really couldn't tell who he was or if he was a reputable blogger.

Edited May 20 by Kathlen Onyx

[sirhc DeSantis]

Ah ok a little suss as FH is a sponsoring partner of NWN but actually - why not? Au covers real SL, from time to time, and along with Gwyn possibly why I got in here.

And Dutchie is a thing - not mine but has reason to ask

(i missed a pee in sonsoring)

Edited May 20 by sirhc DeSantis

[Zalificent Corvinus]

On 5/19/2024 at 2:37 PM, Kathlen Onyx said:

Makes more sense now. 

*cough* Somebody wrote a bad book about SL for the 20th anniversary, charged $20 for it. Probably because nobody buys their previous bad book on SL anymore. *cough*

 

[Love Zhaoying]

6 minutes ago, Zalificent Corvinus said:

*cough* Somebody wrote a bad book about SL for the 20th anniversary, charged $20 for it. Probably because nobody buys their previous bad book on SL anymore. *cough*

 

How DARE you!!! They are a respected member of the Second Life community!!!!!  * wink * 

(Sorry folks, nobody gets a "free pass" around here.)

[Froukje Hoorenbeek]

Thanks for your input!

[RohanaRaven Zerbino]

Hamlet is a journalist, and it's not obligatory for him to be part of the SL economy. He has every right to ask for information within the SL merchant community, as there is no better source of insights.

I've been thinking about this post over the last couple of days, wondering how to compile a few questions for someone who, I assume, has low personal experience with the SL economy. My issue with most SL journalists is that their questions often show a lack of understanding of the area they are covering. It reminds me of those kids' notebooks with questions like 'What color/movie/actor/drink do you like?' (I'm not sure of the English term for those). Of course, there are journalists who won't write about something without at least scratching the surface.

Now, my question for @Hamlet Au would be: Who do you ask? Are you asking real-life business holders in SL? Hobby merchants who operate only within SL? Player merchants? Each of these groups might have their own perspective on the subject, and these perspectives might not be shared among the groups.

Next, from which group will you seek answers? Real-life business holders in SL might hardly have time to deal with it, and even some hobby merchants might not be available.

@Froukje Hoorenbeek Froukje’s list of questions is great and covers pretty much everything. I feel every merchant should stop and find the answers for themselves for their own benefit, whether or not they choose to share them. Furthermore, I believe these questions should be published as a separate post. Froukje is a long-term merchant in SL, and her input should not be taken lightly. Therefore, it will take effort on your part to understand what is behind her questions before you use them.

Edited May 21 by RohanaRaven Zerbino

[Chic Aeon]

On 5/19/2024 at 3:58 AM, Chic Aeon said:

LOL. Well I think that pretty much covers everything. Look forward to the report findings.   

 

I guess I will add here as I don't  see it in the long list.

"Are you creating more or less than you have in the past decade?"

"Are you making more or less net income than you have in the past decade?"   

(This of course for long time creators. There could be questions for new folks about why they came recently to the SL economy and perhaps how it compares to other platforms they are on or have been on).   

 

I know the answer to the questions above I think basing it on my chats with creator friends -- then again it might just be who I know :D. 

EDIT QUICKLY

There was a similar questionnaire on NWN some years ago  and it is interesting to read the results BUT BUT BUT anyone completing the questions can just LIE.  So the VALIDITY IS IN QUESTION.    

On 5/19/2024 at 3:58 AM, Chic Aeon said:

 

 

 

Thinking on this today I want to add a slightly DIFFERENT question that is in this same theme.

Do you feel you are working harder these days for your net income?  

 

For the record and for those that do not know I am a "second tier" creator who has never mass marketed or done the social media bit (or even a store group).  I USED to make my RL living in SL.  I am currently pretty much retired. I have typically mostly made items for myself that I needed (or wanted to see if I could actually make) and then sold them. Had a good run during the gacha days and now mostly sell on the Marketplace still making a "hobbyist" income each month.    

I now and then comment on NWN which I only visit rarely.  

Edited May 21 by Chic Aeon
adding info

[Flea Yatsenko]

I'd like to know how other merchants who have in world stores have been doing with their ratio of SLMP to in world sales for the last year or so.