[The Second Life Economy in Q2 2011]

@Yoki: Shopping on the amrketplace is (can be) so quick, easy and sterile that it leaves not much impression in the buyers memory.

Result: quickly bought, quickly forgotten.

If someone searches the whole night for an item in-world, sees the distracting shops, has to focus back on the targeted item - it can be really a 'challenge' to get the desired item. This brings the item to the status of a 'trophy'....and it will last longer in memories, it will be used longer/more often.

Of course, the right balance between how easy <-> difficult shopping is is the tricky point.

[The Second Life Economy in Q2 2011]

Regarding markeplace vs. inworld shopping I had another 'vision'.

I compared it to RL. In my RL city, a few years ago there was a shopping trend: mega-malls (supermarkets).

Supermarkets are offering products from different producers, the whole range from food to socks. The goal is to have customers shop. Very similar to the marketplace, isn't it ? Here the customer is also 'flooded' with products of all kinds with the goal to have them uy these things...quick and easy...and it works. Supermarkets are about "shopping".

(We already discussed why the MP has a negative effect to the in-world economy. ) 

In RL I see a new trend: called "galleries" . These are buildings as large (and larger) than classy super markets, but follow a different concept. The gallery holds many different sub-shops in it. Instead a flood of producs, the customer faces an area with individual shops. Each shop with it's specific products and it's specific style. Between these mini-shops are even coffee-bars, restaurants etc.. These galleries are not "shopping", they stand for "shopping as a experience". They don't try to push the products in the customers bag, they try to entertain the customer and to have them spend time in the area.

This gallery-type of shopping malls is what we have in-world in SL. Shopping is an experience. If you search for a "car", you'll start to teleport to individual shops/places. Each one is different, thus entertaining. Such a shopping tour can last a whole night...seeing a lot, meeting people, having fun. -> Marketplace instead is cold. Search car, choose from thousand available ones, buy, done. Nothing entertaining here, no in-world time spent, not seen anything beside cars...boring. 

[The Second Life Economy in Q2 2011]

@Astolat: We could say: If people land in an unpleasant HUB, they can simply walk a few steps to where it's more quiet (That's how I started :-) ). 

But I get you point. Something in this direction were the community gateways, I think. A pirate community has their own website with their own registration channel - and people who come this way login/rezz at the community-sim.

Did you the SLCC-videos ? Rod was asked if the community gateways could be reactivated. He was surprised that they were gone (before his time at LL) and pocketed the question-card...maybe (hopefully) a good sign. 

[The Second Life Economy in Q2 2011]

@Shockwave: THIS is a nice idea :-). Especially since it's a compromis LL could maybe live with (instead my hammer-idea of shutting MP down).

Of course, we'll need ear-plugs because many people will only see themself as 'victims'..."LL is forcing us to own land just to sell on MP".

But better a crying crowd than an empty world :-). 

[The Second Life Economy in Q2 2011]

Land owners pay to keep a sim alive -> they get paid from creators who rent shops there -> creators get paid by customers for their products -> customers enjoy the sim with various activities -> we're back at the land owner :-)

An economic circle - if  any part it taken away, the WHOLE circle breaks.  Marketplace takes creators and customers out of this in-world economy...

At this point, I don't belive LL will make the huge step of bringing the economy back in-world.

[The Second Life Economy in Q2 2011]

It's eye opening clear: 

What increased ? -> new registrations and marketplace ( = off-world things). What decreased ? -> Nearly ALL in-world stats.

(My) conlusion: what we see is a chain reaction caused by the marketplace. What keeps people "in" secondlife ? Playgrounds, roleplay areas, sports places or just visible attractions...and to keep these running it needs 300+ USD a month. Not many can be on welfare, they have to compensate these 300$. The usual way is to set a mini-mall in a corner of the sim. But these malls are shrinking (until they collapse), because merchants and customers are lured to the marketplace.

When the malls die, sim owners start loosing money - and have only the option to close their 'important' sims (sooner or later). And without interesting sims...you know the rest: inworld activity decreases. 

 And the worst of all: no "new user experience", no mesh content an no "new UI with better game elements" will be ableto stop this trend...it's all useless without interesting places to use these features. 

 (( It's not meant as rant, or black painting...it's just my sorrow.))

[Recent Improvements to SL Search]

So since we were asked to post what we think in the comments: It's buggy. A search for any word with "General+Moderate" gives the same results that a search for "Moderate" only. Same for "Adult"-only searched...the results that should show only adult places have a lot of general/moderate results in them.

Maturity filters were broken with this update.

[Recent Improvements to SL Search]

1. Is it meant to be that way, that when searching for "Moderate"-only content a lot of "General" results appear ?
2. Is it meant to be that way, that when searching for "Adult"-only content a lot of "General" and "Moderate" results appear ?

I see super-ranked 'General' and 'Moderate' parcels ... so good ranked that they even appear in 'Adult'-only searches.

[Recent Improvements to SL Search]

Yes, this, beside ranking and parcel dropping, is hard.

1. Slow: it often takes up to 20 seconds until the search results show..or the result page stays just empty at all...
2. Reset after every TP ? When i searched for something, i ended with pen and paper making notes what places to visited. Was far faster than starting a new search after each shop i had visited.

[Recent Improvements to SL Search]

I'm curious if the major 600-votes issue https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/WEB-2001 has been addressed.

1. Search with 'General' rating: parcel A ranks higher (#1) than parcel B, C, D.
2. Search with 'General+Moderate': parcel A vanished, while B, C and D are still in search.

600 votes...

[[QUICKTIP] Toggle Help menu > Enable Hints in Viewer 2.3 Beta]

When i watch TV and switch through channels, i actually find it handy that my TV shows 'hints' about what's currently playing, and what's next.

Very good thing for new residents, thus a good thing for SL.

[Two Important Updates on 2011 Land Pricing]

Kate, the fact that it might have a bad (snowball) effect could be true. It's probably the most important point - there will be less interesting places to explore.

Now i wonder what the future target audience for SL will be: Teenagers welcome ..... no education, art and culture.....world of warcraft, imvu, frenzoo ?

[Two Important Updates on 2011 Land Pricing]

Ignatius, the TOS say  "7.6 Linden Lab owns Intellectual Property Rights in and to the Service, except all User Content,...". But i'm not lawyer enough to judge if these TOS still would apply if the Lab or/and SL would be sold.

I'm simply yearning for a reliable statement from SL about LL's future plans. A clear word of "we are cutting back to focus on the basics (already heard) and do not want to sell." or "we're cutting back to match the interests of potential (or existing) buyers".

[Two Important Updates on 2011 Land Pricing]

Treasure, sometimes there are comments from Lindens. But recently a couple of 'sensitive' news were announced that caused 'heavy' and plenty of reactions.

From what i see, the Lindens read the comments. They also add/comment if something has to be added or was unclear in their OP.

But they don't take part in wild discussions with complaints and speculations. Simply, if they have no news other than in the OP, they'd just get bombed, accused and such. From this point of view it's simply sane for a Linden to only post/comment if there is 'something new'.

[Two Important Updates on 2011 Land Pricing]

You forgot they canceled the community gateway program. (And wasn't there some kind of "Mentor program", too ?)

Somehow i have only the question "Who will it be ?". Means, if LL really cuts down to only focus on their core business - the grid. Who will be the one who takes SL (that runs on LL's grid) and does all the things beyond tech ?

Edit: just found another point that increases my panic: Phil Linden repeatedly stated he's "interim" CEO. Now i was looking at LL's job offerings at http://lindenlab.hrmdirect.com/employment/openings.php?sort=da& . Is Phil planning to stay devoted to us :-) ? ...and if not, did LL miss to post the CEO position or has it already been decided behind the scenes ?

[Welcoming Teen Grid Organizations to the Main Grid]

I think we should not worry too much about here.

1. LL has surely learned a bit from the 2007's child-porn scandal, LL started to look at these issues.

2. Later on LL did the  un-loved adult (Zindra) step, just to be in line with the law.

Now, i'm pretty sure that they'll closely look that the allowance of minors will comply with the corresponding laws.I consider it as a good move at all - it's simply needed to stay in business.

[Welcoming Teen Grid Organizations to the Main Grid]

I'm not professionally involved in the viewer development, but i think the restrictions would be tied to the 'account', rather than to the viewer.

Similar to the current restrictions: some 'accounts' can not visit adult land, regardless what viewer i use.

[Welcoming Teen Grid Organizations to the Main Grid]

I'm not sure where I did read it (will try to find), but it sounded like there is no question that 16-17 agers get this limit. When they stand on a PG sim and look towards the neighbor mature sim, they'll only see the ocean. The mature sim will not appear.

I'll give it a try to find this statement. However, LL drives a quite straight line with the age thing. So i'm quite sure they will prevent minors from seeing moderate/adult sims.

Technically, of course teens can move their cam to a location where a mature sim exists, but it's also possible to prevent a viewer to 'download/display') blank sea, instead of the land/content.

 

Edit: i did NOT read about it at this jira SVC-6242, it was somewhere else...

[Welcoming Teen Grid Organizations to the Main Grid]

Seems you are not aware of  or ignoring some details.

13-15 years: are NOT able to 'visit' the grid. They are NOT able so 'see' regular gid-sims. They're restricted to specific sims, assigned by the educators. They are NOT able to see search results neither in world not at marketplace.

16-17 years: can connect to the regular grid, but are limited to PG sims, not able to see mature sims, even if these are adjacent.

So it's very unlikely 16-17 year olds will visit your private mature place (at least the teens with proper age-info - the others (age-cheaters) are already talking on mature places.).

And it will be quite impossible that you meet 13-15 agers - you have no access to their edu-sims, they have none to the grid.

[Next Steps for Mesh Import]

Fully agree with "The only thing ... is more to do in Second Life, appealing to more people." Meshes will make content look good and i like it - but a good look is not enough.

Task for creators: think a bit long term. Sure, people will buy the new mesh-hair for (several reasons). But it will not make people stay in SL - because it quickly gets boring to just 'look good'. Innovations..

Task for LL: performance, stability, as well as improving the scripting language since this is what makes the world 'interactive'...and innovations...

[Next Steps for Mesh Import]

I love the idea of having polygonal hardwood prims and triangles ... and shape them...

 

But see, if we could edit them in-world (beside of the nice feeling) - it would still require to learn 'completely new methods' to edit them in-world. Methods like "chamfer", "extrude" and "tesselate".

[Next Steps for Mesh Import]

If LL would just implement the basic polygon-editing-tools into the viewer, you would still have to learn them.

With 'basic tools' i'm still pointing at Wings3D. This would be the amount of useful tools for mesh- and it's UV-editing. If you call this 'a mass to learn', then you maybe just overrate it ? It must be learned - in- or off-world.

Since i like many, pay a lot for SL, alts, land,...: I more than expect that LL provides, maintains and develops the basics/grid - i insist on it.

Regarding the feeling of building live in-world: I know it and like it.

However, 3 years ago, when sculpties came into a vague beta - my world didn't go down because i had to sculpt in an external app. And when i arranged and scripted the sculpts inworld, the nice feeling was back again .

Animators would have far more reasons to call for in-world tools, seriously. While a mesh (assumption) will inworld look exactly like in the external app, animations heavily suffer during their import. Animation upload causes a lot of trial, error and gray hairs.

[Next Steps for Mesh Import]

Seriously, just embarrassing how some residents behave. For the sake of decency i quote without names.

"before mesh goes live Linden Lab lab needs to provide tutorials for Blender..." - hilarious, try http://www.google.de/search?q=blender+modeling+tutorial on your own. For people who are new to polygon modeling, i'd rather suggest this http://www.google.de/search?q=wings3d+tutorial.

Converted to lowercase, because shouting makes wrinkles:

"Linden Lab has to provide/improve in-world building tools"...hey: LL is starting the beta test about SL 'handling' poly-meshes. This is a first step. Why are you shouting for the second step already ?

Personally i'm not eager to see in-world tools developed by LL. I see it as waste of LL's development resources. We have well working offline editors, available for everybody (i'm using wings3d). LL doesn't need to re-invent this wheel. However, it's possible 3rd party developers develop such viewer-modeling-combo if people request it. But LL should continue to focus on grid, scalability, stability and speed.

[Check here if you want more options]

Just because emerald users praise this feature, it does NOT mean it's a good/needed one...