Mickey Vandeverre

Thank you, Banner maker - it's quite festive! Lots of Luvin now

No, not kidding at all. Serious. Would be nice to have a complete list. We could certainly pay attention to those ourselves. We could get that off the web, I'm sure, or just consult with customers. Good luck getting any effort there on a banner. Religious holidays are interesting nowadays. Even within the US, there is separation on how one should address "Christmas" and whether PC to call it that, as opposed to "Holiday Season" or "Happy Holidays" or whatever. I believe that even the President had an ankle biter after him for how they presented and worded their seasons greeting card this year. Touchy stuff now. They don't celebrate St. Patty's day in Pattyland? holy cow! Learn something new every day. I think it would be totally cool to celebrate each others' holidays. Would be totally cool to get a decent banner changed up now and then, too, in a timely fashion, no matter what the promotion is. Baby Steps.

ooops...St. Patty's! HUGE Toy, there have been some interesting observations across the web last few weeks on that front page Vampires purchase stuff - was invited to a blood bath recently, and wanted to go, but the tp system wasn't functioning that hour. Scantily clad would be awesome. Art would be awesome. Music would be awesome. A mix of Everything would be awesome. Even the slightest attempt at a halfway professional appearance on the front page would be awesome (no matter what the topic)...just make it look professional and inviting. Peter - I know that other countries have other holidays, but LOVE is an international language, and appears that many different countries are celebrating. What holidays does LL miss for other countries?

Hello Isabella - on #1) you can report that with a support ticket. Make sure it goes to the marketplace category, and they generally review those within 24 hours during the week, and report back to you. on #2) if the merchant refunded your money, then it is a wash, and review should be removed. If someone contacted me about dissatisfaction with a product, I would appreciate the chance to simply refund the money, and correct the situation. Then, I would contact the marketplace people and ask that the review be removed, as I corrected that situation. Perhaps what happened in this instance. We cannot correct those ourselves. on the item being crap....you trashed it.....holy cow. If it were that bad, perhaps a note to the merchant first. Please consider that we have all types of "merchants" here. Some do it for pure joy of creating, some for the joy of running a shop, that they may not be able to do in physical world, some do it for an income, and on and on. We are all mixed up together in the marketplace, and LL has not chosen, just yet....to make clear distinctions on which one of those categories we are all operating under. Thank god. a really bad review can pull someone's bread and butter income off the table. or it may take their "joy" ....doubt you would want to do that. Please consider contacting them first. In general...I've read enough pages of reviews, then cross-referenced with avatars, to determine that many are bogus, so as others suggested take them with a grain of salt. The system is clearly gamed. But it's probably the best we can do. You are dealing with anonymous avatars that can multiply. example of questionable review: "omg, I searched everywhere! all the other stores have crappy stuff and I found this absolutely wonderful store! blah blah blah.....everyone else's products were crap until I found this amazing store!" same avatar writes this review on three other products from same store: "omg - I found a new amazing store! ..... ummm duh....avatar already wrote 6 times that they found a new store. In many situations, the reviews are quite comical when matching them all up. (not comical for someone who is losing income due to manipulation of reviews, though) I've seen manipulated reviews place product on the top pages of search and dominate for 20 to 40 pages, while a merchant with legit reviews gets crushed to page 45 perhaps. Might be what is happening to a particular product category, as you suggested in #1, and appreciate you noticing that. Report on that might save someone's income that week. Be aware, that just one 5-star review (and we appreciate those dearly!) can jump a product from obscurity to page one overnight. Once it is on page one....then there will be automatic sales following, simply from placement. That is the power that you have in your fingertips. And it works the opposite direction as well. Please consider contacting a merchant first, before pulling the plug on their joy or income. Thank you.

It's Holiday and Festive Time again! Just like Halloween and Christmas, and well, every other holiday....Valentine's Day is Huge in Second Life. It appears that we still have a Romantic Christmas/New Year banner running....at least half the equation is close, but perhaps something pretty with red and pink and hearts and candy and roses and cakes and balloons and champagne and love nest rentals and romantic skyboxes. All that jazz. And the vampires, yes, they need some luvin too. I bet they would love a pretty red velvet dress with an upsweep hair style and perhaps a rose boutonniere pinned to a nice tux. Definitely some red stilettos. I believe it was the beginning of the year, or perhaps it was even last year (time flies when you are hand delivering all day long).....that we would be informed of each month's promotions, and have ample time to prepare, and be given directions on which category would be promoted, with perhaps a title tag to use or something like that. At bare minimum, perhaps a suggestion on which category to plug the promotional items into, that feeds directly from the banner (once the new banner goes up - shortly, hopefully) Assume it is Celebrations this time? How we doin' on that? After Valentine's Day....Spring and Easter arrives for some.

Good Grief. Do they have anyone left in the marketing department at all??? All they have to do is to type in some keywords to check. keyword phrase #1 - Second Life - type that into google search, Linden Lab keyword #secondlife - type that into twitter keyword phrase - Second Life - type that into wordpress etc,, ............... now, LL....after you have completed tasks #1, 2, and 3.... let's get crazy with keywords. venture out a bit. perhaps...."Second Life Fashion" perhaps "Second Life Blog"....perhaps "Second Life Builder" holy cow.

hi Kitte - I've been using the putting the message into a bottle and throwing out to sea method, as Hollee suggested. It's not working.

I know what ticks me off...and that's usually when someone tries to put me down with a cheap shot remark....it all kicks off then! It's like a red rag to a bull! (Mickey are you reading?) Not really...just skimming your dribble between tweets and google tweaking. Google is King.

Josh Susanto wrote: >Rene and the old codgers at the downtown merchants meeting absolutely refuse to grasp that they are losing customers daily to the mall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's not my preferred analogy. My preferred analogy is that Amazon continues to expand as Borders continues to shut down locations. Real locations are often more and more unable to compete with virtual markets in RL, so SL would only be a less real simulation if its virtual real markets didn't have some kind of problem competing with its virtual virtual market or markets. That is: SLM simulates the experience of using a virtual market in RL. Josh, was going to use an updated version like you just supplied....just did not think dude was in that century yet.

Good grief. You didn't even grasp what I meant. You're just twisting stuff now or pulling stuff from the air.

You do that, and you take JOY away from a LOT of people. Those people are my customers and friends, and me. They are also yours. You just missed analyzing that particular aspect of your business. And if you miss that part, then yes, you will have some problems competing.

Luna - I just don't ever recall thinking about Freebies. Maybe I did one day, don't remember. There was one time when I thought it a good plan to have people pay 5 bucks to join, but the economy changed that. Totally against that now. There might be a blurb around here somewhere when I was concerned about Freebies. I just don't recall. I like to have empathy (always an effort)....but I just have no experience with any Freebies messing with my business. I do know, that several folks here bash my stuff. As they do others. When I see that....I see desparation, grasping at straws, fear, lack of confidence in product, some other stuff. They need to keep their paws off my stuff....and deal with their own house. This is just another example. I tend to work isolated in SL because the spirit of cooperation is very slim. Those merchants who are dissing people's stuff....are more of a threat to me, than Freebies. That is not good spirit. That will not help a newcomer. And I'm not talking about you - you're very sweet.

"Like i stated before....you're all gloss and no substance!" Cool - the Kardashian thing is working then. Google is King.

Tari Landar wrote: Mickey Vandeverre wrote: There used to be more tin foil hats there. Were those yours? Market is short on Lime Green Hoodies too. It's entirely possible. I think I angered someone and that's why they kept getting removed. Even when they were in the correct categories (because I'm not stupid, and once removed frmo one place for "incrrect placement", I'd put it somewhere else, not the same place it was, lol). Sigh, such is life. I do intend to put them back, eventually, lol. And to make sure this answer stays on topic...I'd make them very low priced, the way they always were, lol. I'd make a lime green hoodie, but clothes are not my thing. In fact, I'm quite terrible at them. I can never get the shadows correct, lack of depth perception is a bigger hinderance than some realize, lol. (never stopped me from trying, you should see some of the monsterosities I've come up with over the years, haha). I've never been brave enough to actually sell them, but I once had a whole line of freebie clothes, figured the folks looking for them probably weren't looking for top notch You need to get those tin foil hats back up - just ask Dakota what category they are approved for. We need those here! This thread has veered off topic, because there was no topic. 40 some odd pages later, and not one person has given a legit example of how Freebies are ruining their business. So what if they are? Then those people need to go manage some stuff. In addition to not coming up with a legit example, someone keeps pluggin in all kinds of nonsense that they do not have a clue about. It's easier that way. Not making it? Blame the next guy, or any other aspect you can come up with (Josh has some great examples) And it makes you look better. Check my pics below and lemme know if you sell any more of those this week. Workin' on my Oprah plan.

Merry New Year, VonG! and cheers to excessive delivery failures!

Howdy there, Mr. Hancroft and Miss Lucinda - hopefully it will be back on track soon

Rene Erlanger wrote: Mickey Vandeverre wrote: Rene Erlanger wrote: It tells me your sales weren't covering your Tiers ....which is probably the same reason why Cartoonimals are closing now. It's the most logical reason.....as rarely would one close down a profitable business (I didn't!)...even then one could get a partner or close friend to manage it, whilst away to deal with RL issues. You are pulling assumptions out of your ass. You do not use marketplace, so you have no clue. A logical reason is that it has no "value" - not when you can use marketplace as your sales venue. Another logical reason, is that it is no longer a "value" in this economy. Another logical reason is that it is not a "value" compared to other options. Another logical reason...................keep going I've listed on Second Life's related shopping sites for a far longer period than you have done....so whilst i've been away MP's latest search engine shows products up on Google. Big deal! Well its only Pixels on your screen at the end of the day ...in that sense nothing on Second has real value......unless someone wants to pay for that image. You do waffle on.....if you can't support your land in SL, it tells me your not going to be the next Donald Trump of SL anytime soon ! nope, not The Donald. visualize a blend of Mr. Walton and the Kardashians. maybe a bit of Oprah thrown in.

Gavin Hird wrote: The next this that happens in your real world story is that the mall is converted to a Wallmart where all the crap comes from China, and your customers use food stamps because all the jobs that existed are gone. Starting to see any parallells here? So far, in the virtual world, I've not encountered any type of judgment calls on "where" product comes from, as in which country. Gosh, hope that never happens. I really don't know where most of the people I buy from live. Ya'll aren't discussing that as the next plan at your breakfast meeting at Sally's Diner this morning .....are you?

Tari Landar wrote: Rene Erlanger wrote: It tells me your sales weren't covering your Tiers ....which is probably the same reason why Cartoonimals are closing now. It's the most logical reason.....as rarely would one close down a profitable business (I didn't!)...even then one could get a partner or close friend to manage it, whilst away to deal with RL issues. You assume too much. I've closed business in sl for other reasons besides tier not being covered. I know of plenty of businesses in sl, and merchants who have either downsized or had to close(some temporary, some permanent) but kept a presence on MP, for all sorts of reasons. I'm still confused as to what this has to do with freebies being on marketplace and why they deserve to get the axe, along with all the merchants that offer them. 40+ pages now, and not a single explanation that makes a lick of sense. Freebies are a scape goat for some, that much I can tell. It's easy to blame freebies and the merchants that offer them, when we fail-I suppose-for some. I wouldn't. My failures are my fault, I don't go looking for outside reasons. But maybe that's just me. When business is slow, or not profitable, I don't feel right trying to pin it on others. I feel even worse watching other merchants try to pin their own shortcomings on their fellow merchants. That gets a big tsk tsk from me. Doesn't mean much, I know, but it's still what happens. I just don't understand this mindset that freebies seem to be the evil darkness beneath all the bad happenings around the grid. Nope, don't get that one bit. Simple explanation for that, Tari. Rene and the old codgers at the downtown merchants meeting absolutely refuse to grasp that they are losing customers daily to the mall. They do not have any data to clearly demonstrate what is happening....because well, they did not open a shop at the mall. Of course, this loss is none of their doing. Not the merchants fault, of course. They have bistro tables on the sidewalks! for goodness sake. So they spend a couple hours each morning discussing what happened. The mall store owners have cut prices! slashed! Why? because they are no longer having to pay for a downtown store. How dare they! This must be stopped! We must make them out to be slime balls and **bleep** this in the bud!

Tari Landar wrote: Mickey Vandeverre wrote: sky - healthy mix falling - healthy mix sky is falling - healthy mix and half of page wide open for new product tin foil hat - freebie - only one on the page - grab it. market wide open - that device is rather intriguing - it says "make all your lies appear true" - quite intriguing, yes. You could bust one out there, Josh, at 5L - rule the market. tin foil - healthy mix - some cuties on that page I'm going to start charging for this service. You need to stop giving people ideas that I'm already working on. You're killing my not-yet-in-existance business models....and stuff (I do make a lovely tin foil hat, actually, I have an entire set of them, but someone keeps getting them flagged right of the MP, lol. I never put it back up after the last removal, I probably should) There used to be more tin foil hats there. Were those yours? Market is short on Lime Green Hoodies too.

You said "If I could reduce tiers I would"......why? Why would that be? Some of us can reduced tiers, and we are. If your model is that you have to expand land every time you introduce new product, I feel bad for you. That's gotta suck. 2 years ago, that was my model, but I got hip. What a relief my business doesn't require that. I don't know how else to explain to you - you don't seem to be able to look beyond what you did 2 or 3 years ago. Let me try the old fashioned way, from an example that seems to be from the century that you are stuck in. You have a downtown store in the physical world that has done well for 20 years. Very well. A mall opens up in the suburbs, (which just happens to be where most of your customers live) and it's very convenient for them to shop there, because it's close to their home, plus their other favorite stores are there as well, so it shortens their time when shopping. And they do not have to pay for parking. Let's say that takes about 50% of your business away. But that's ok, because you can still cover your rent. Barely. But you're top dog because you've still got that downtown store. You have some people who just prefer to shop downtown because you've got cute little bistro tables on the patio, and the downtown buzz is great atmosphere, so these folks stay loyal to your downtown store. Your neighbor downtown decides to open a mall store. Your neighbor's mall store explodes. He's thinking cool....I can use these profits to cover the downtown store, where the business is decreasing. Awesome plan. So he does. You're happy and he is happy because you have Saved! the downtown merchants! You have Saved! a Culture! Heros! So one day your neighbor dude reviews his books. End of year, probably. And he's looking at the numbers and shaking his head and thinking....."this is insanity"....".I'm taking all of my profits from a very successful mall store so that I can pay overhead on a downtown store that is operating at 1/4th the capacity it used to. Not to mention I have to go open it up every day, work it, pay employees, ....all that stuff - it makes no sense to take all this good profit, then use it to keep the downtown store open." But it's the Culture! He's had that downtown store for 20 years - it's a lifestyle - if he closes, Failure! And what about his buddy Rene next door? What will that do to Rene's business? What about the others? If he closes, he lets them down. What about his loyal downtown customers that love that atmosphere? But he keeps looking at those numbers, and it's tempting. Not to mention not having to manage a second store. That alone would be a huge benefit, to have that time back. So he does close the downtown store. Now, all those profits from the mall store go into his pocket, without having to feed another store. Plus, he has oodles of extra time, and less pressure. Actually makes his mall store run much better without that added pressure. But what about his buddy Rene??? Rene will spend his day this way: *Two hours at the downtown merchants meeting brainstorming on ideas to get the shoppers back downtown. *Next two hours trying to make the store prettier so that more downtown shoppers will come inside to make up for the ones who went to the mall *Next two hours chatting with Sally next door about what a slime ball their landlord is for not lowering rent *Next two hours chatting with Bob across the street about what a failure Joe is (the guy above) and how he totally failed as a merchant...hmmm, must have lost his mind or something. *Next two hours twiddling thumbs...thinking....I'll just ride this out because the shoppers are coming back! *Time to lock up, go home, and repeat again tomorrow.

Rene Erlanger wrote: It tells me your sales weren't covering your Tiers ....which is probably the same reason why Cartoonimals are closing now. It's the most logical reason.....as rarely would one close down a profitable business (I didn't!)...even then one could get a partner or close friend to manage it, whilst away to deal with RL issues. You are pulling assumptions out of your ass. You do not use marketplace, so you have no clue. A logical reason is that it has no "value" - not when you can use marketplace as your sales venue. Another logical reason, is that it is no longer a "value" in this economy. Another logical reason is that it is not a "value" compared to other options. Another logical reason...................keep going

no - I did not remove that series of posts.

You don't get it at all. Not at all. The tiers were covered - otherwise I wouldn't be there. Makes no sense to throw money away, when you can take it to any other venue for much less. I already had some started in other venues, that appeal to the entire world, and not one teeny tiny segment. For much less. So can others. You can purchase a small rental home on land that has value (even in a depressed economy - moreso actually in that kind of economy) on land that has value. Not much value - but that will come back. There is no value on virtual land (at the moment) They are milking people like you, who need a sim to boost their ego and quantify "success" - that ain't gonna last forever.

Dartagan Shepherd wrote: Mickey Vandeverre wrote: good grief, Rene. Why don't you find out circumstances before you label a sim closing as a failure, or at least imply that. People's lives change. Or just leave well enough alone, he gave a nice gesture and said he would still have marketplace store open. Geez You need to hook up with that Hamlet guy and get yourself a job reporting for the Death Sim Watch or whatever the heck that guy calls it.. You would be good at that. How many overall sim losses would it take to give you an idea of conditions? The 170 sims lost last week? The 150 sims the week before? A real sim deathwatch would be more than a full time job. I'm sure some were lost just because people change and move on, but all of them? And always trending toward losses, is that a solid business indicator that things are fine, or that the model is eroding? (and Rene) I'm sorry, but it took me like half a year until I sat down to do the Math. Was busy. Just kept feedin' that tier machine. And this is nothing against my tier taker - he is awesome dude. And I don't think I can mention venues, because did that the other day, and several pages here went missing - but might be something else - you never know. the tier fee was a zillion times more than a very popular online retail site that has more tools than you can imagine. the tier fee was a trillion times more than a very popular online retail site that has more customers than you can imagine. the tier fee was a billion times more than brick and mortar space the tier fee was enough more than roof over head payment to make you cringe and the tier fee was more than most all of the other daily services combined. IN A BAD ECONOMY. Tell me what part of any of the above equation makes sense to carry on with. forgot to mention: IN A WALLED GARDEN