[The Second Life Economy in Q4 2010]

I couldn't agree with you more Mike.

It is clear that SL's economy has been going down hill for quite some time now.

I used to think it was due to the Real World economy being so bad but the huge success of an inferior product like IMVU proves this wrong.

You ask for solutions so here is what I would suggest LL do.

1.     Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

2.     Create two or more viewers.  One for newbies.  Very simple with built in video & audio links by Torley Linden on how to do the most basic of tasks.  IE Walking, Flying, Teleporting, Searching, buying and opening boxes.  One for advanced users and creators in the original viewer 1.23 UI interface with all it’s capabilities.

3.     Admit Viewer 2’s UI and usability has a lot to be desired.  Fix it by always offering a UI in the viewer 1.23’s UI with all the original capabilities even though the guts may be Viewer 2.

4.     Get rid of newbie islands or at least add interesting things to do run and organized by real people staffed 24/7.  You can’t open an amusement park but not have employees there to run the rides.  You could probably just hire residents and pay them L$200 an hour.

5.     Give new even freebie accounts a few hundred lindens to spend in world only.  IMVU does it.

6.     Corporate sponsors who can advertise in different parts such as on the login page or on the freebie accounts their viewers.  Make it a perk of premium accounts that they don’t have to have such advertisements on their viewer.

7.     Get mesh import ASAP on the main grid!

8.     Mesh uploads for only premium accounts.  This will help limit the number of stolen and mesh bought on the internet from being uploaded to SL.

9.     Study what IMVU is doing right and emulate them!  Gift Cards! Special rights and abilities for premium members.

10.     Lower the tiers and fees for land ownership and land transfer fees.

11.     Change the market place to a search only.  No buying directly on the market place but a teleport button to the persons shop who is selling the item.  Perhaps LMs be automatically inserted into a special LM folder in the searchers inventory.

12.     Fix in world search!

13.     Allow camping but not bot camping.

14.     Automatic log out after 3 hours for feebie accounts.  This will cut down on bots used for camping and griefing.

15.     Create multi level premium accounts.  $1 USD a month gets rid of advertising on viewer. $2 USD a month gets this and stops 3 hour automatic log outs. $4 USD ability to buy land. $5 ability to upload mesh.

 

I am sure all these ideas will fall on LL's deaf ears but I figured I give it a shot.