A Farewell Notice

After three years in Second Life®, I’ve decided to take a break. There are many factors contributing to my decision, both real life and second life.

Without going in to a lot of detail, suffice to say that I have become disillusioned with Linden Lab® and the way they operate creating what I consider a difficult forum in which to operate a Second Life® business. I’ve also become more and more discouraged with the Second Life® platform as it stands. But I’ve blogged about my feelings toward Linden Lab®, so I’ll leave it at that.

My real life has become much busier and I have found lately that I just don’t have as much time to devote to operating within Second Life®. Real Life will always come first and as such, SL will have to be put on hold.

Second Life® has served its purpose for me. It was a welcome therapeutic adventure at a time I needed one. I learned so many things here that can only help me in real life. I’ve also met so many wonderful people beginning with my life as a newbie right up to today. So many people have helped or encouraged me along my journey and I am appreciative of each one of them. I also like to think that I had some help in the lives of others.

I’ve been discouraged with a lot of things that make it frustrating and lately I’ve become bored with my Second Life®. I no longer spend the time I once did nor feel the creative juices and excitement that once encouraged me.

I am proud of everything I’ve done and accomplished and feel satisfaction that the goals I set for myself early on have been met. With no new goals that interest me, I leave with some satisfaction.

So over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’ll remove my items from XStreet, dismantle my stores and malls and store away my inventory.

At the present time I will keep my account active as I plan to log in once in a while and who knows, I may decide to become more active again in the future.

Thanks to everyone who has made my journey a pleasant one and good luck in your future endeavours.

Jenny

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Goodbye XStreet®

It’s no secret that I’ve never been impressed with the way Linden Lab® has managed Second Life® and XStreet®. The inability to function or market effectively has always been an issue and Linden Lab® never seems to address the concerns of the residents or merchants. Most recently, changes to the way fees are imposed in XStreet® and a survey sent to select merchants are prime examples of how they do not communicate effectively with those that have most at stake. But I’m not going to get into that; you can read the forums to find out how that is progressing.

What I am going to talk about is why Linden Lab® doesn’t listen and don’t seem to care. How they go about business and what they are attempting to accomplish is probably more of a mystery. They certainly don’t seem to operate the way most of us think a business would.

As I have said previously, I think their prime objective is to increase the value of Second Life® and now XStreet® to a point where they would realize a sizable profit upon the sale of both. I think this would explain why they ignore some things and concentrate on others. Most of what they do is to add new features without addressing problem areas in an attempt to make this world more attractive to potential buyers.


Why would they ignore existing problems? Quite frankly, I feel that they don’t really care about how we conduct our in world business and whether or not we are able to be successful at it. By us profiting, doesn’t necessarily make them profitable. As long as concurrency remains where it is, the in world problems appear to the outside as having little effect. Unless population drastically changed, which it is unlikely to do in the near future, the Lab sees no urgency in dealing with our issues.

The same holds true in XStreet®. While there is quite an uproar, it’s not likely to affect any major Linden Lab® decisions. There’s an old saying that any advertising is good advertising and I feel the Lab considers this to be true with the forums as well. With the high number of posts and participants, it appears to the uninformed that the forums are in high use regardless of what is said in them. The fact that merchants are voicing opinions leads well to potential investors even if a lot of the comments are negative. Negative comments would only be seen adversely if concurrency was dropping. But it is unlikely to either in world or XStreet® as seldom do groups leave here en masse. Unfortunately, some will go and others will come.

In addition, the business of large corporations bodes well for a potential sale. It’s no secret that Linden Lab® has sought these types of businesses and caters not only to their attraction but to those in world that could be considered large as well. The participation of these businesses is attractive to buyers who see more interest in large sums being contributed by these groups than by the smaller amounts contributed by merchants and residents.

The recent fee changes and those proposed in the survey support this theory as only those with sustainable business will be able to operate, at least profitably in the confines of XStreet®. The smaller merchants will be forced out of being able to compete effectively as they have been in world.

Linden Lab® caters to these types of businesses. They give special consideration and opportunities to them particularly with notices on the welcome screen and in mass emails that have been sent by the Lab to merchants and/or residents.

I don’t want to deny Linden Lab® the opportunity to do business and realize a profit. Although they have said this is a world imagined and created by the residents, it was and is not owned by the residents. If they simply set or changed their fee structure, they could do so with less criticism. What gets most people is that they explain their increases and changes by saying it’s what the residents/merchants want. It seldom is. They take a small sampling from select groups or individuals and claim it’s the voice of the majority, when in fact it is the voice of the minority. They can put out surveys and other forms of opinion getters, but unless there is an independent tally, we never know for sure if the results are as they say.

Satisfied customers and trust are keys to most business, in world and out. Unfortunately Linden Lab® can skate around that trust as they deal in a multitude of languages, cultures and countries and an organized opposition would not withstand. If they acted like a real life business, they might care a bit more and not run a dictatorship like they do now.

Unfortunately, whether you believe Second Life® will die, it won’t happen soon. For the many different reasons people come here, they will stay. Some won’t and they will be missed by those who knew them, but to most, it will make little difference.

As for as myself, I’ve been struggling with that decision for the past year. The changes to the XStreet® forums have left me to not participate in them. I refuse to and it’s a personal decision. I’ve removed my free items from Xstreet® and if the proposed changes occur, I’ll delist and not participate in XStreet at all. This predicated by the fact that where XStreet® once contribute about 10% of my total sales, they have dwindled to almost nothing since the take over by Linden Lab®.

As far as Second Life®, I’m still pondering that and keeping a watchful eye on what happens in the coming months. I like what I’ve accomplished in Second Life® but as they continue to make it more difficult to operate, market and compete, a decision about my future will be imminent. I know there are people who have and will call for boycotts or similar actions or those that feel their removal of items will make a point. Unfortunately it may make a point but has little effect on Linden Lab® decision making. This community is too diverse to have a unified effective voice. We need to make our own decisions that effect our operations and lives here and stand by them. We don’t need confirmation.

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If It Ain't Broke .........

Seems Linden Lab® has taken a different twist to the old saying. My feeling of late is that they operate with “If It Ain’t Broke, Break It” in their approach to Second Life® and of late XStreetSL®. While I have long been critical of the lab, their latest changes to XStreetSL® are downright annoying.

From the old forums before the merge, it appeared most were happy with XStreetSL® and aside from a wish list of improvements, no one really wanted the whole thing to change. I find the whole thing a little irresponsible to ignore what your users are saying and do what you want, but as has been played out in Second Life® so many times, the powers that be just don’t seem to care.

The forums used to be an easy read, and I looked forward to perusing them daily and throw in the odd reply. It usually made my day and often I could pick up on little bits of advice or offer some of my own. I don’t find that anymore. With the forums gone to the blog style of the rest of the Second Life® web site, I find it a little more annoying and of late do not seem to browse them anymore. Especially with having to relog in order to post, it’s frustrating. These days, I take care of my products on XStreetSL® and aside from the odd services post, I stay out of the forums. Too bad, it was a good thing.


Actually the whole layout of XStreetSL®, while debatable as to whether it functions better, didn’t need to be done. It worked well before and as I said, the lab seems to love destroying what is working well.

There are many changes throughout XStreetSL® and the Second Life® web site and most I won’t comment on because well, it just doesn’t seem worth it any more. The lab has proven time and again that they ignore what the residents have to say and instead cater to the high volume sim owners, corporate accounts and a few others in favour with the lab. Again, too bad.

I will say that my interest in this whole thing has dwindled lately, so much so that I don’t spend as much time in either site. It’s just not as much fun anymore, particularly in Second Life® where it’s now almost a daily occurrence that you are prevented from doing what you want to do. Those annoyances include textures not loading, note cards not opening, scripts not working, clothing not downloading, avatar showing up as a ball of gas and so on. While they don’t all happen at the same time, you can count on one of them showing up on your visit. Add to that the times we are all locked out while the boys at the top try to figure out what they screwed up and it makes for a less than enjoyable time.

I do love Second Life®. It was a cure for me at a time I needed it. It was therapeutic and gave me some direction and hope. Over the years I’ve built relationships, businesses and enjoyed what I’ve accomplished. Lately however, I find the thrill is gone or at least dissipated.

While I don’t plan to leave Second Life®; I’ve built and created so much including the businesses I love, I do find it necessary to make some changes. While I loved having my own sim, the cost of maintaining it became difficult and therefore I’ve given it up and moved to smaller, more affordable and hopefully more efficient locations. I plan on keeping most of them operating as I do love creating and operating them, but unfortunately a few will not continue.

Most notably, Gia’s Fashion Cabaret and Gia’s Second Life® Music Hall of Fame will no longer operate. The cost of running a club are exorbitant with not much in return and to try to fund it on your own, well, is just plain crazy. There was little interest in the Hall and again with the work involved to keep it up to date, made little sense to keep it running. I loved both places and am sorry to have to close them, but under the circumstances I see no other option for me.

While having your own sim gave a lot of freedom to do what you want, the problem is that you used a lot of space for things that really didn’t have a purpose other than for aesthetics. Moving to smaller areas means those things get left out, but working within your prim limit, you can still make things pleasing. The biggest draw back to moving away from your own sim is those big ugly red ban lines that seem to pop up on neighbouring properties. I tried to find places that don’t let ban lines be used, but couldn’t completely.

Also, part of the reason I spent so much time in Second Life® was partly due to the fact that there is so much to do when owning and operating your own sim. It creates work, work however that I enjoyed but did take a lot of time. With that part out of the way, maybe I can concentrate my time directly to what I need to do and maybe limit it overall.

As I said, I do love Second Life®, the friends, business acquaintances, musicians and all of the residents, the creations, the wonderment and yes the therapy are all things that keep me coming back. Unfortunately as more and more gets broken, it gets more frustrating to try and accomplish what you want. Maybe someday, they’ll leave well enough alone.

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Lindens In Our Bedrooms (Move To Zindra)

Well big brother has done it again. Although they claim not to be the government here nor act as the police, Linden Lab® is again proving they are by banning more activities. On the heels of bans against gambling and banking, the Lab’s most recent foray into our bedrooms is to ban adult activity on the mainland. While on the surface that may sound appropriate lets take a closer look. First here’s their official position:

5. Adult Regions, Groups, and Listings Second Life is an adult community, but 'Adult' content, activity and communication are not permitted on the Second Life 'mainland.' Such material is permitted on private regions, or on the Adult Continent, Zindra. In either case, any Adult content, activity, or communication, that falls under our Adult Maturity Definition must be on regions designated as 'Adult,' and will be filtered from non-verified accounts. Other regions may be designated as either 'Mature' or 'PG.' For more information on how to designate land, events, groups, and classified listings, please carefully read the 'Maturity Definitions.'

The scary part of this is the communication part. I’m not sure exactly what they mean by communication nor how they plan to police it but it certainly leads for some weird possibilities. First, if I own land (and yes, they do use the term “own” as well), shouldn’t I be able to act as I deem fit on that land as long as I don’t break any laws. (and adult communication is not against the law). If I speak to my partner about sex, never mind have sex, am I in violation? Can I and my friends not have a frank discussion about sex? Is anyone with a Sex bed required to move or dispose of the bed?

I don’t think so. While I think their intention is to do away with open and blatant forms of sexual content, their wording leaves that determination of what is sexual content open. In fact, in some comments made by the lab, they imply that they will focus primarily on the advertising of adult material. That's fine, but that's not the way the policy is worded. Since it will be Linden Lab® making that decision, we will be at their mercy. Surely my partner and I having sex in our home can’t be viewed as adult content. But in the eyes of the Second Life® government, common sense as usual is thrown out the window.

Moreover, what this is really about is not adult content specifically but control excercised by those who can exert it. While this community is on the surface about its residents and their creations, it has been obvious to those of us who spend time here that it isn't so. It is about Linden Lab® excerising their control and will over the Second Life® inhabitants.

Communication is crucial in relationships, personal or business and once again, Linden Lab® have forgotten that. While they claim to seek input from residents, as they have in the past, seldom do they take the residents concerns to heart and go ahead with their plans anyway. Their little fiefdom of Second Life® while a novel concept in the beginning has become less about the residents and more about the control over it by the Lab. Acting like a government in any other form, they continue running Second Life® through favouritism, nepotism and without common sense.

"There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation." Those unforgettable words made famous by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1967. Linden Lab® in their zeal to attract corporate investors, big time players and to drive up the value of Second Life® have again ignored the residents and instead force their will upon them.

Sex is a big reason why a lot of people venture in to Second Life®. While not all of us do nor is it a sustained theme, it is an attraction and what a good many (maybe even majority) of the people in Second Life® participate in. Here in Second Life® they can act out fantasies, role play and do a lot of things they either don’t’ have the courage to do in real life or are not able to. Many communities in Second Life® have sex as an integral part of their existence.

What we have now, aside from private sims, is those groups and activities will now be forced to relocate to the adult continent. Again, on the surface, that probably doesn’t seem like a bad thing. However, it looms like a cloud over the non adult mainland where surely land prices will drop and some remain vacant. Business, not only adult oriented business, will suffer as adult business is forced to move and take their traffic with them. The hygienic mainland left behind, void of casinos, banks and adult content can carry on its merry way doing whatever it does.

It’s not that I’m against adult content being in your face, but censoring it completely by banning it to its own continent is not what I would call effective. Linden Lab® could have put controls in place, as they could have with casinos and banks and regulate what can be public. It’s done in real life. But since the Lab continues to claim they aren’t the police, they won’t do that. Instead they ban and segregate. I wonder what is next.

Here are a few quotes that I feel are appropriate:

"Those are governed best who are governed least."-- Thomas Jefferson

"The sheep are happier of themselves, than under the care of wolves."-- Thomas Jefferson

"A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away."-- Barry Goldwater

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Lindens vs. Dollars, debate continues.

There’s long been discussion and opposing views on what is a fair wage in Second Life® and the discussions usually lead to whether someone should work for a few dollars. There are those that suggest real life wages should be paid and those who don’t. Deciding what is fair is difficult but requires looking at a number of things, the value of lindens vs dollars, the buying power of both and the economics in world and out.

If you ever post an employment opportunity in XstreetSL®, you’ll find out what I mean. You’ll see a lot of responses questioning the value offered. I recently saw a couple of posts by people who said they expected to be paid approximately $L 8,000 per month. Is that fair? How was that number arrived at? What should be the in world wage scale.


To determine these things, I look firstly at the buying power of the linden and dollar. Simply put, I have found that what one dollar buys in real life, can be bought in world for a linden. Men can buy a shirt in real life for 25 dollars and up and here, they can buy a shirt for 25 lindens and up. There are always exceptions of course and barring freebies and dollarbies, the comparison stands. I can pick up a gorgeous outfit in real life for about 600 dollars and do the same in Second Life® for about 600 Lindens. All said what your dollar buys you in real life; the linden will buy in Second Life®.

The exchange rate of lindens to US dollars is approximately 240. What does this mean to the economics and wages? Well the exchange rate determines the value and consistency the currency has and equates the in world prices to real world prices. Simply put, what something is worth in real life is worth 240 times less in Second Life®. Back to the shirts, a 25 dollar shirt in real life would equate to a 10 cents in Second Life (25.00/240).

When considering wages, you have to consider the earning power of those you work for. A retail clothing store in Second Life may be charging 300 lindens for a dress as compared to its real world equivalent of 300 dollars. That clothing store could not pay its employees real life wages of 500 dollars a week or so. The clothing store would soon be out of business as its wages would probably exceed its revenue.

So what should wages be and in particular, what would be a minimum wage here. I think the answer is quite simple. Minimum wages should be the same as in real life, currently ranging from 6.55 to 8.06 per hour. Therefore I would think that a Second Life® minimum wage should mirror that and probably be in the range of 8-10 lindens per hour (350-400 per week). Since I’ve said that the wages here should mirror those of the real world, look to what comparable positions would pay in real life to see what their value is in Second Life®.

In spite of the above, there are those who will still say “Why would someone work for $1.45 a week?” Personally I don’t think that’s a fair question. I don’t know anyone or think anyone would come to Second Life® strictly to work or find a job. I believe they come for other reasons and then find that a source of in world income would help them with their purchases. Since they come to Second Life® for a variety of reasons, an employer is not paying them to be here. They are here anyway and simply want to use some of their time to earn money to use to purchase or invest. So again, look to the value of their purchasing power with what they earn.

An example of what I have been paying to my employees will probably further fuel the debate. Dancers in my club receive $L 150 per hour worked. That kind of is off from what I’ve been saying but considering they work 2-4 hours per week, their weekly income is 300-600 lindens. That gives them the buying power to purchase two quality outfits, which is exactly what you can do with 300-600 dollars in real life.

I haven’t gone in to the value of Land and tier but the little I have compared seems to follow suit with my theory. Land prices vary significantly but generally 20-40k will get you a nice parcel, same as real life.

This debate on real life vs Second Life® wages and payments will continue and certainly there are those on both sides who will never be swayed. But in my opinion, a dollar is a dollar is a linden and the earning and buying power are the same. If someone is asking for 8000 lindens a month, look to real life and ask if you would make 8000 dollars a month doing the same thing. Unless it’s a profession, I seriously doubt it.

Quite frankly, I think a reasonable starting salary in Second Life® is 500 lindens per week. With experience and knowledge, that number can certainly go up but 2000L per month goes a long way to purchasing what you need here as it does in real life. Anything more is simply unrealistic.

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The Island Looks Great

Mutley and I have been busy for the past month making some changes and improvements around the Island. Here’s a summary of what’s been done.

Lavender Building:
A new building has replaced the old one. My office and workshop occupy the third floor; Thump Magazine and a boardroom are on the second floor while reception and resource center are located on the main floor. At the reception area is a pager to contact me, my schedule, a mailbox for myself and one for Thump Magazine. The resource center currently has three kiosks to give out information to visitors. There is a kiosk giving out information on the stores on the island by category, one on the businesses, and a third kiosk that provides manuals to help newcomers to Second Life®.

Thump Building:
The Thump building was imploded to make room for the new Lavender Building and Thump Magazine relocated to the second floor.


Blush Bridal:
Blush Bridal is a new boutique situated next door to Gia’s Fashion Cabaret. Wedding dresses, Bridesmaid dresses and Prom dresses are available here as well as garters and bouquets. There are some free poses and gift wrap in the store.

Gia’s Fashion Cabaret:
A new building courtesy of Mutley Latte replaces the old building. Most of the contents remain and over the next while we’ll be tweaking it a bit.

Lavender Isle Downtown Market:
The main shopping area of Lavender Isle has been renamed to the Downtown Market. Most of the builds have been updated to fit the theme and the central square surrounded by a lake remains. All the same great stores are still in their original locations.

Pawsome Pets Playcare Center:
Mutley has designed a playcare center for Second Life® pets on the south side of the island next to Subtle Couture. While details have yet to be finalized, the idea is to offer a place for residents to let their pets roam and be cared for when they can’t.

Off The Seawall:
The Off The Seawall Business area welcomes a new tenant in Shammy’s sionEggs. White Dahlia Photography has a new building and has updated the GS photo studio.

Marina Plaza:
The marina area is still intact as before, but now a new building occupies the dock area. Stalls are available for rent inside and kiosks outside with a few rented already by some of our tiny friends. Ad boards are available to promote your business. There is ample room to sail and boat with free boat rentals available inside. Autoreturn has been set to 20 minutes to give you time to sail the seas. Marina Plaza serves as the Marina Station for the Lavender Isle Rapid Transit (LIRT) system.

Lavender Beach:
The beach has remained intact but has had a few more amusement rides and games added and designated as an amusement park.

Lavender Isle Touring Balloon:
A hot air balloon ride giving a tour of the island has been set up next to Off The Seawall. The balloon seats four people and provides a sky high tour of the island with commentary.

Lavender Isle Rapid Transit (LIRT):
The old monorail system has been completely replaced by a new tram based system. This system covers 90% of the island with thirteen 20 second stops along the way. The underwater route remains after leaving Marina Station, and a new Sewer tunnel route has been added between Messy Bedroom and So Intimate. The trams seat four people and operate approximately every four minutes with a complete tour of the island lasting about twenty minutes. The track is invisible so as not to distract from the rest of the island.

Blogs:
Thump Magazine has been given a new look with a more user friendly menu. Upgrades to both blogs are ongoing. Lavender Corporation has pages for most businesses on the island.

Blog Vendors:
Newly designed vendors for Thump Magazine and the Lavender Blog have been placed around the island. In addition, a vendor for voting for the Hall of Fame has been added to various locations.

Prefab Chic Rezzing Platform:
The rezzing platform has been expanded and now has two rezzers to display the builds for sale. One rezzer is for residential builds, the other for commercial builds.

Advertising and Promotions:
I have redone a few of the classified ads and picks, as well as most of the parcel descriptions. I’m reviewing places and ways to do some more promotion off island.

We are constantly looking to improve things and plans are to replace the Messy Bedroom building and LIRT office building. It’s always busy on Lavender Isle but it’s never too busy to have you drop by. Do so and see what we’ve done. I’d love to hear your comments.

Ciao for now
Jenny

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A Day In The Life!

Since I give out a lot of business advice and emphasize that a lot of time must be spent working on your business, I’m often asked how much time I spend on mine and what I actually do. In short, I spend a lot of time and whether I’m online, in world or not, I always have my Second Life® businesses on my mind and am constantly trying to evaluate and think of new things. That aside, here’s a typical day for me regarding my Second Life® enterprises.

I usually arrive at my real life job 30-45 minutes early and after starting up my computer and with a fresh cup of coffee, I venture on to the internet. My first stop is the Second Life® web site to check on my overnight and early morning transactions. At this point it’s just a quick look over of sales. I then tab over to the Showcase area to see if any of my submissions have been included (not so far).


Second up is my hotmail account to check on emails received and sending responses if needed following by a cursory view of my two blogs, checking the traffic counters and ensuring the blogs are showing up properly.

I then log in to XStreetSL to review sales and views. I scan both and make note of items that are viewed a lot and not selling, but also noting what is selling. I tab over to view my items to check on changes in ratings before I settle down for a review of the forums. I generally scan the forums for anything that looks interesting or may have significance to my businesses and if so, read the posts and respond if necessary. If I have something that concerns me, I’ll scan the forums for posts relating to those topics.

Done with XstreetSL, I head on over to SurveyGizmo to check on the surveys I have running. I scan the responses to the survey questions, making note of anything I feel requires action and also make a list of the respondents and the amount they will be refunded that evening.

At this point, I need to start real life work, so I log out and continue at lunch time. Generally I take a break at 12pm or 1pm and my lunch hour is spent on the internet again. I run the entire morning procedure again at lunch followed by the following:

A trip to Subscribe-O-Matic to view new members to my group and a quick check on the terminal activity then off to SL Blogosphere and SL Bloggers to check on my activity there. At this point I’ll scan You Tube and Flikr viewing my sites as well as doing a few searches to see what shows up (anything that interests me actually). I do the same at Picasso Web Albums and then scan a few of my favourite sites (Mermaid Diaries) and search a few of the fashion and music related sites.

Periodically, but not daily, I will check on my account at Statcounter just to see if it’s working correctly. I don’t need to check it often as the traffic figures do show up on the blogs, but this site gives me a little more detail.

For the balance of my break, I do a variety of things. I review the blogs page by page to see if anything should be updated or changed, review each business making notes of things that need or should be done and do some general internet searches for related business items and information. From this, I make my to do list for the evening.

I normally get home between 5:30 and 6 PM immediately boot my computer before changing and deciding on supper. Before beginning supper, I log into Second Life® to check on IMs, notes and notices received. I have a quick look around the sim and if my staff are on I’ll also have a short conversation with some of them.

Logging out and rebooting again (clearing cache) I break to have supper and watch a little television. It's usually about an hour or so and then I’m back on to Second Life® for the balance of the night. With my to do list in hand, I’m off to accomplish as much as I can. In addition to my to do list, I have a daily schedule of things that need to be done, so I make sure those get done as well. Fridays and Sundays seem to be my busiest, with new releases on Friday and Administrative functions on Sunday.

A lot of things come up during my time on Second Life® so I never seem to accomplish everything I set out to. As well, I get ideas while logged in that I either act upon or ad to my to do list. While in Second Life® I am constantly searching the net for ideas that do pop in my head, have paint.net and gimp open for anything that needs to be made and pop in and out of XStreetSL over the course of the evening. In addition, I try to visit all the sites again for updates.

Sometimes it seems busy and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it’s overwhelming and sometimes it isn’t. Add in trying to market your businesses and creating your products and it makes for a very full day. But I have to admit, I love it. If not, I wouldn’t be doing it. Remember, to be successful, you have to work on your business, maybe not as much as I do, but some.

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