Yes You Did Protestors!
by Jessica Holyoke on 06/11/08 at 10:27 pm
by Jessica Holyoke
Yesterday, M Linden announced a dramatic change in plans for OpenSpace Sims. http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/11/05/a-letter-to-second-life-residents/ In light of the protests and the different ways OpenSpace sims are used, OpenSpace sims, those used as parks and ocean front, will remain the same price. In the future, various restrictions will be applied to keep these open spaces open, such as prim and avatar limits and eventually increasing to script, event and classified limits. In order to keep the OpenSpace at the OpenSpace price, a resident must talk to the Concierge team. If a resident wishes to do their part to set aside virtual land to keep it open, then they may continue to do so with various limits on the use of their land.
For those that want a bit more use than OpenSpace but less than an Island or Mainland, there will now be Homesteads. Existing OpenSpace users will be transitioned to these new lands over the next six months, but prim, avatar and eventually script limits will be imposed on this land too. Maintenance fees will go from $75 to $95 dollars in January of 2009 for non-compliant OpenSpace sims. Educators will continue to have a discount off the new fees. In July of 2009, Maintenance fees will go from $95 to $125 per month.
In the end, for the few people that used OpenSpace sims as open space, they get to continue to pay for server space to make it appear that there is an ocean or park nearby, even though it is unknown how much you will be able to use those spaces. The people that made low density housing will still see the prices increase, just in two jumps over the first six months of 2009 instead of instantly. And now there will be stricter enforcement by Linden Lab in order to keep their vision of the use of those sims in line with what they wish to see. Good job protestors! Perhaps now with the new announcement, people will be willing to use the Lindex again so that the Lindens will not be forced to lay off more people. http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/11/linden-lab-pulls-back-second-life-price-hikes
OpenWhat
Nov 6th, 2008
Jessica with all respect. Are you trying to use the same tatics as LL does and blaming the residents/customers for a price hike ? This seems a little twisted.
Orion
Nov 7th, 2008
Umm, you missed one thing. These so called “homesteads” are nothing more than the original Openspace product only re-branded and offered at a higher price. The protests accomplished nothing, and the only solution Linden offered was to soften the blow by renaming the original Openspace and staggering the price increase across two quarters. What I don’t understand is how on Earth is is that people can’t see this for what it really is? Its a rip off, a con, a bait and switch!
They never pulled back the price increase. They just manipulated the whole thing so that it looks like they’re offering a new product rather than listening to their already hemorrhaging customer base. Instead of fixing the broken gas pipe they’ve simply patched it with duct take, charged the customer a hefty repair fee, and handed them a book of matches as a consolation prize. Some solution!
In all honesty it would have been quite simple to remedy this problem. Obviously their customers need space and prims at a low price. That disaster they call the mainland just doesn’t cut it for most of us and there aren’t many that can afford $300 a month for a full sim, forget the $1000 setup fee. Seems to me the answer is rather obvious! Instead of alienating your customer base to the point where a good chunk of them are pulling out and going elsewhere, why not diversify your product offerings?
Instead of offering 1/4 (openspace), full, and double prim sims offer the full gambit. 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, full, and double. All purchasable directly from LL. As for pricing, base it all on the highest grade sim available and work your way backwards. So given a full sim is $300 / month, double is $600. Then 1/2 prim should be $150, 1/4 would be $75 and so on.
Simple fix that alienates nobody, but instead offers more options thereby increasing the company’s revenue. Common business sense is to give your customers what they want, and not to hand out a royal decree stating that we’re all horrible people for trying to contribute to the SL community then punishing us by first saying you’re going to jack up the price on our sims, then weaseling it around into a bait and switch by renaming the product and still raising the price.
Gigs Taggart
Nov 7th, 2008
This changes nothing. The price still goes up for 99.9% of the users. The protesting is not “over”, and it wasn’t “successful”.
Anonymous
Nov 7th, 2008
I love how there are no comments.
LL does the right, sensible thing after a protest and there are no comments? sounds like the dramabomb was diffused and no one has anything to cry about now.
Darling Brody
Nov 7th, 2008
People using open space as parks/oceans are not getting what they wanted!
Linden labs are dropping the number of prims to only 750. When Open Space first hit the Grid it had 1875 prims. People will have based their parks and habors around that number of prims.
What this means is that people who originaly got an open space region with 1875 prims will have to delete more than 1000 prims, even though they were doing the right thing.
The decisian made by linden labs is designed to force people into the homestead product or loose all the hard work they put into making their parks and habors.
Darling Brody
(I’m joining PN in protest, where do I sign?)
Witness X
Nov 7th, 2008
All they did was change the names and assfuck us anyway. They didn’t change ANYTHING, except to make us pay more to get less. Instead of a 66% increase, the price-per-prim on opensims now jumps several HUNDRED PERCENT instead. Do the math – 750 prim allotment – and maximum simultaneous occupancy of 20 avatars, while the price remains the same. So we get far far less for the money we’re already paying for these sims, and at the same time, the rates still go up 66% for those who used the prims they were given on the original definition of openspace sims.
So no, NOTHING changed, except possibly the deal getting even worse.
MachineCode
Nov 7th, 2008
Not really giving a fuck about land and shit. I had no clue until now what all this drama was about. Now that I understand it, it seems quite clear that you’re fussing over the wrong thing. Consider what you were paying for: $75/month for a small parcel of land where you were supposed to put a park and some trees. One, you dumbfucks can’t read, from the sound of it, and two, YOU WERE PAYING 75 BUCKS A MONTH FOR A SPOT TO PUT SOME VIRTUAL TREES. BAHAHAHAA.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.
wtf
Nov 7th, 2008
Are you smoking crack? You must be drinking the same shitty koolaid that’s been handed out by the Obama campaign. This idea that we protested and won is ridiculous.
I think most people fail to realize that residents have an abusive relationship with Linden Lab. Residents are abused constantly while LL hides behind the TOS.
I still feel shafted owning an openspace. In fact, Not only do I feel shafted now, but I will feel it again in January, then once again in July.
The herald has become crap in the last year. You writers have no idea what is going on, unless it involves W-hats or the PN’s or whatever griefer gossip you can come up with.
Get real.
Signed,
Disgusted with LL and in particular tired of watching things go downhill (including the Herald).
LOL
Nov 7th, 2008
Looks like LL is still going to charge 66% more, just not right away…. so Protests just delayed the price increase, not stop it.
Sutibu
Nov 7th, 2008
Nothing has changed. You’ve proven yourself to be gullible enough to be fooled by a simple trick of language. Public relations Judo. Business speak. They re-branded things so they “sound” better, but in reality nothing has actually changed at all. The closest thing to “progress” in all of this is that they’re spacing the price increase out a little more temporally.
markbyrn
Nov 7th, 2008
No We Didn’t – Openspace Price Hike Now 500% – Take that you ungrateful customers!
First Linden attempts to swindle us with a 67% price hike. Than in what can only be described as a vindictive response for embarrassing the company with bad media, the terms of Openspaces have been changed to retain the price while reducing the capability of Openspaces by by a factor of 5 (3750 prims to 750 prims), not counting the TBD borking of the sim to limit script, CPU avatars, and advertising. So whereas we are currently paying 2 cent a prim currently, we will instead get to pay 10 cents a prim – an obscene 500% hike.
Of course Linden has magnanimously retained the first offer to raise us 67% by offering a Homestead sim (the current openspace with a different name) and we’re suppose to fall to our knees in tearful thanks to the corporate junta, and salute their generosity. Indeed, I’m sure many will salute this latest ‘offer’ with a single digit.
Sinden Lucks
Nov 7th, 2008
I read over the Linden Blog. They didn’t fix anything. They still have the gall to claim that the space they upped the prims to 3750 is still the same void space that they started out with 1800 prims on. They still claim that people over used the space. I swear, more prims, more scripts. What did they expect? They are simply lying about the void space and the open space being the same. They have made changes and increased the usage. They get you suckered in, then raise the price and claim that people over used the service. It’s fraud.
No matter what is said now, you can take a good look at what they are claiming to do. Nothing is really being done, they baffle you with new jargon and increase the price anyhow. The fact is, you still cannot use the open space and the prim allotment for 75USD as they created it to be.
It’s simply Linden doing as they always have. Well, at least for the last 3 years. They baffle you with bullshit and expect you to accept the decisions.
They are the ones whom chose to lease VOID sims. VOID sims were never used at all. None. You had to purchase 4 void ocean sims at one point and each had 1800 prim allowance. But you had to lease a whole sim space to take advantage of the purchase of the 4 voids. Then they change it again, again, and.. finally, 75USD for 3750 prims. Correct?
Now who made all the decisions to create the 75USD ocean space sim and then turn around and up the prim allotment to 3750? I do believe that was Linden. Now, they decide it’s too much and being over used. Well my question is, if all it was supposed to be was a fucking ocean, why did they up the prim allotment from 1800 prim to 3750? I’m quite sure they have another bullshit answer for that as well.
No matter how you look at it, the only reason they are changing anything at all is to calm the waters. Unfortunately they haven’t fixed anything.
If you want the truth of the matter, check out Linden Lab at the BBB.
Anonymous
Nov 8th, 2008
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
COME ON, I LOVE THIS SHIT, keep shooting yourselves in the foot Linden Lab, next, start banning private sim owners, and certain undesirable groups, control content creation, etc. Come on! let’s see some more foot shooting. This is hilarious.
Baron Frampton Von Higglesworth, MD Esqu.
Nov 9th, 2008
Hahahaha this “article” is sarcastic, right? Read M’s letter again, including the “knowledge base” article: https://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=5650
What’s going on here is the most blatant linguistic ball-and-cup game I’ve ever seen, and an outright insult to Second Life’s customers. It isn’t a concession; it’s the same exact thing as the original post. If you don’t see this then perhaps you have completely e-fucked your brains out on poseballs.
What’s going on here is that they are trying to say they are introducing a new product called “Homesteads” that in every function are identical to what openspaces are now, except for the price increases described in the first blog, and the “to be determined” limits on scripts and CPU ratios, and a hard 20 avatar limit. The actual new product is an overpriced 750 prim, 10 avatar sim that they are now calling “openspaces.” This is an obvious non-product (who in their right mind would pay $75 for such a thing?) and intended to simply confuse and distract.
Reality
Nov 9th, 2008
Try actually reading the blog post people: Instead of getting hit with the price increase all at once, it is coming in two stages.
Frankly – that is actually more than some of you fucks deserve.
The logic some of you have used to trash Linden Lab over this increase can only be described as the worst kind of conspiracy theory bullshit that has ever been aimed at a private company.
Never before have I seen so many people LOOKING for an excuse to pin all of this on the company itself. Christ, there isn’t a single Linden who could have cooked up half the shit that is being spewed, let alone the plans for an elaborate ‘bait and switch’.
Here is what you SHOULD have thought of: If the Lindens had intended the Open space sim types to be used as some have been using them – They would have offered them individually, at an increased prim count and as cheaply as they had been FROM THE START. They saw how they were being used and decided to give a trial run to see if there might be a new market for them. They saw the new market and acted accordingly.
The only thing these ‘protesters’ have done is to fuck it all up for those who COULD have benefited from the original type of Open Space.
NOW, Open Spaces are being reduced to Voids, the current version of the Open Space is being renamed, restricted in Avatar count with future restrictions planned … and the price is going up in stages.
Nice going you god damn idiots. Next time, shut the fuck up, think clearly and MOVE THE FUCK ON.
Jessica Holyoke
Nov 10th, 2008
Baron Von Higglesworth, congratulations on recognizing sarcasm when you see it. I know its hard to tell with text and such accumen should be applauded when performed. Bravo.
I was more bothered by the fact that OpenSpace and Homestead land would have limits on events and classifieds, but no one seems to have picked up on that point.