Hi lol so I feel a little out of place posting I don't usually comment on these but here goes. I have been in sl on and off since 2006 mostly off in the last few years. I have along the way brought some friends from RL into game who are also still in and out and these days mostly out.
When I started sl there were still plenty of bugs more than today if I'm right (i might not be) but my experience at the time leads me to think so. Regularly I was ruthed or my hair was attached to my butt lol but dispite the problems myself and many others were willing to endure things like not being able to get where you wanted to go without striping off everything and sim hopping to get there (even if where u were going was all but empty). Some of my first sl experiences in that first week involved me finding random noobie shops (if you want to call them that). All very tacky many without walls just random items laying around. Here I found many questionable items. Granted not in everyone's intrest but for w/e reason it peaked mine even if the animations were horried. "OMG you can have sex here!" My first job in sl was as a stripper not the classiest but it was fun. I still remember the first time I heard a live DJ in sl and it was one of many things that hooked me.
I am not going to pretend I know how to fix sl but here is where I see things have gone wrong much of which is going to mimic what others have already mentioned but I felt the need to put my 2 cents in.
1. Land cost - I have always felt and probably will never change my mind on that one. I am one of many who have never been able to afford LL tier prices. I have however been a part of the ownership and purchasing proccess and well I can't believe anyone would pay for set up + tier ever.
2. Marketplace - Although I am also guilty of using this handy tool it does take users away from the experience of sl. Back in the days of Xstreet before the merger I'm not sure many who used it seen it comming I know I didn't but I do feel it has taken away a great deal from sl. This I feel is probably one of the biggest reasons next to cost as to why the land market in sl is in the state it is in.
3. New Search - I won't get into the viewer war I feel both have their good and bad points but I will say that search dispite it's many flaws was much more user friendly several veiwers ago. This was my main go to when finding anything during my high days in sl but am now finding I avoid it. I can't imagine any noob finding it any easier.
4. Market - I am also a creator in sl. My sales have seen their ups and downs like most creator though I have never been at the level of some creators. I do think that it is great that so many are able to create here there are some things that I feel have ruined this for many of us. Template packs.. Yes I know some who have used them.. I think these have really hurt the clothing industry in sl. It has made it so that nearly ANYONE with basic photo editing knowledge can come in and start producing. While many of us can tell from looking if something we might buy is template made or not (based on common templates sold) New players aren't going to know the difference. So people mass produce these templates with little to no editing and flood the market with their things for next to nothing as far as price. This has cause people like myself to have to drive my price even lower. Where I could sell one item for 100-250 L before I now have to sell for 25-50 and I have to do so on our flooded marketplace or I get no sales at all. At this point the idea of renting even a small plot for shop is out of my sl budget.
I was going to go into more detail on my thoughts of lack of interesting places to go but I believe this is something that can only be helped by fixing the above problems.
Creators can't afford shop = Land owners can pay teir = no interesting places to go
I would also like to say I feel that the joining of the teen and main grids was a mistake. Although most of sl may not be a sexually charged as I once believed I still feel that enough of it is that doing so killed much of sl.
I have over the years watch the majority of my sl friends leave. People don't hang out in sl anymore the magic that once was is no longer. It really saddens me to say that but it's true. The days of a noob comming in and becomming entertained by some random sex pose or that goofy darth vader outfit im sure you have all seen have passed. This has led me seek out other grids however there isn't enough there yet and i find myself comming back to sl.
I said I wouldn't pretend to know how to fix sl but here's a thought. Return our search and create some limits for the marketplace. If possible create some rules that would address template packs and what not. Reduce tier possibly remove or reduce set up cost. At the very least provide some sort of discount to those who have held onto their land more than a month or two. Get the kids off the main grid!
I think I will take some inititive today and see if I can talk some friends into comming along and start up a new mentor group. Maybe I'll go seek out some noobs I just hope they are adults cause I know little to nothing about what teens do in sl. Anyone know of any fun noobie clubs? Probably not..
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Flickr
The Second Life Economy in Q2 2011
in Featured News
A group blog by Secondlife in General
Posted
Hi lol so I feel a little out of place posting I don't usually comment on these but here goes. I have been in sl on and off since 2006 mostly off in the last few years. I have along the way brought some friends from RL into game who are also still in and out and these days mostly out.
When I started sl there were still plenty of bugs more than today if I'm right (i might not be) but my experience at the time leads me to think so. Regularly I was ruthed or my hair was attached to my butt lol but dispite the problems myself and many others were willing to endure things like not being able to get where you wanted to go without striping off everything and sim hopping to get there (even if where u were going was all but empty). Some of my first sl experiences in that first week involved me finding random noobie shops (if you want to call them that). All very tacky many without walls just random items laying around. Here I found many questionable items. Granted not in everyone's intrest but for w/e reason it peaked mine even if the animations were horried. "OMG you can have sex here!" My first job in sl was as a stripper not the classiest but it was fun. I still remember the first time I heard a live DJ in sl and it was one of many things that hooked me.
I am not going to pretend I know how to fix sl but here is where I see things have gone wrong much of which is going to mimic what others have already mentioned but I felt the need to put my 2 cents in.
1. Land cost - I have always felt and probably will never change my mind on that one. I am one of many who have never been able to afford LL tier prices. I have however been a part of the ownership and purchasing proccess and well I can't believe anyone would pay for set up + tier ever.
2. Marketplace - Although I am also guilty of using this handy tool it does take users away from the experience of sl. Back in the days of Xstreet before the merger I'm not sure many who used it seen it comming I know I didn't but I do feel it has taken away a great deal from sl. This I feel is probably one of the biggest reasons next to cost as to why the land market in sl is in the state it is in.
3. New Search - I won't get into the viewer war I feel both have their good and bad points but I will say that search dispite it's many flaws was much more user friendly several veiwers ago. This was my main go to when finding anything during my high days in sl but am now finding I avoid it. I can't imagine any noob finding it any easier.
4. Market - I am also a creator in sl. My sales have seen their ups and downs like most creator though I have never been at the level of some creators. I do think that it is great that so many are able to create here there are some things that I feel have ruined this for many of us. Template packs.. Yes I know some who have used them.. I think these have really hurt the clothing industry in sl. It has made it so that nearly ANYONE with basic photo editing knowledge can come in and start producing. While many of us can tell from looking if something we might buy is template made or not (based on common templates sold) New players aren't going to know the difference. So people mass produce these templates with little to no editing and flood the market with their things for next to nothing as far as price. This has cause people like myself to have to drive my price even lower. Where I could sell one item for 100-250 L before I now have to sell for 25-50 and I have to do so on our flooded marketplace or I get no sales at all. At this point the idea of renting even a small plot for shop is out of my sl budget.
I was going to go into more detail on my thoughts of lack of interesting places to go but I believe this is something that can only be helped by fixing the above problems.
Creators can't afford shop = Land owners can pay teir = no interesting places to go
I would also like to say I feel that the joining of the teen and main grids was a mistake. Although most of sl may not be a sexually charged as I once believed I still feel that enough of it is that doing so killed much of sl.
I have over the years watch the majority of my sl friends leave. People don't hang out in sl anymore the magic that once was is no longer. It really saddens me to say that but it's true. The days of a noob comming in and becomming entertained by some random sex pose or that goofy darth vader outfit im sure you have all seen have passed. This has led me seek out other grids however there isn't enough there yet and i find myself comming back to sl.
I said I wouldn't pretend to know how to fix sl but here's a thought. Return our search and create some limits for the marketplace. If possible create some rules that would address template packs and what not. Reduce tier possibly remove or reduce set up cost. At the very least provide some sort of discount to those who have held onto their land more than a month or two. Get the kids off the main grid!
I think I will take some inititive today and see if I can talk some friends into comming along and start up a new mentor group. Maybe I'll go seek out some noobs
I just hope they are adults cause I know little to nothing about what teens do in sl. Anyone know of any fun noobie clubs? Probably not..