Artist’s Voice: STOP!
Posted on 30. Oct, 2009 by Tenshi Vielle in Announcements/Events, Digital Life
On November 5th, let’s band together as a community and just STOP! We can show Linden Lab how much pull we actually do have in Second Life by pulling together and STOPPING for just 48 hours!
On the 5th of November, the Artist’s Voice will be encouraging its members and the community to STOP. Stop buying L$, stop selling L$, stop uploading, stop creating, stop shopping, stop selling, stop blogging! Just STOP!
The effect of the content creation community in Second Life is huge. If we all banded together for 48 hours and just STOPPED – we could really send a message to Linden Lab that we will NO LONGER tolerate content theft, and show them – and ourselves – how much of an effect we have on the SL community. This will only work, however, if we ALL work together.
If you want to participate, you will be doing a great service for yourself and the community. If you don’t, please notecard me with one idea for a campaign you would be willing to participate in. Of course, this is completely voluntary, but we would really like it if you participated.
We have several solutions for creators who may find “STOP SELLING” a major task.
CREATORS:
1) Put ban lines around your land after first warning your groups of your intentions and putting it on your blog. Then set up prim signs for “Artist’s Voice” around, so that people know why. You can even set it up to give a notecard with an explanation.
2) Put prims up in front of your items with the texture provided below. Most people stop at the first road block – this will be as effective. If you rent at a mall, please clear this with your mall’s landlord first.
3) Block your shop’s doorways with prims that show the 5th of November texture. Set the prim to give a notecard explanation and a copy of the texture.
4) Please note there is a loophole in all of this – you may still sell $0L freebies! It’s not making the economy any money.
Texture to use on prims for this campaign:
SHOPPERS: STOP buying for 48 hours! You may start again on November 7th. This includes ALL L$ transactions. NO L$ TRANSACTIONS.
BLOGGERS: STOP blogging for 48 hours! On November 4th, post a message on your blog saying you are STOPPING for 48 hours and then don’t post again until Nov. 7th!
TELL YOUR FRIENDS! This movement will be NOTHING unless YOU get involved!
Please encourage your customers, your friends, your colleagues, your fellow designers, to STOP this November 5th for 48 hours! Pass them this notecard!
ADDITIONALLY, if you want to contact LL with a statement about HOW MUCH you HATE content theft,
NOTECARD them:
M Linden and any other Lindens you can find! WE WILL NOT STAND FOR CONTENT THEFT ANY LONGER. It’s ruining the economy and our shops! Tell them how content theft has PERSONALLY affected YOU!**KEEP AN EYE on http://www.theartistsvoice.org for more information and activities to participate in on the 5th & 6th of November! **
We’re talking about organizing an inventory sorting party and some other events - want to create one? Let us know! Contact any Artist’s Voice council member for more info.
Make sure you check out the Artist’s Voice on Rezzed.tv! See SCD’s Main Page for more info: http://www.shoppingcartdisco.com
An Artist
Oct 30th, 2009
Awesome!! 2 days of no sales and I just might not be able to pay my bills that week!
I'm sorry. My finances can't support this. 24 hours maybe. 48? no.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
Then do 24 hours!
Man_In_A_Skirt
Oct 30th, 2009
Only 48 hours? They still get money from our land fees.
AfraidOfLLSpies
Oct 30th, 2009
LL is only interested in what they call "enterprise customers". And quite proud of it too. They don't need you, me, or anyone that made SL what it is. Now we can't be suggesting anyone quit or anything negative like that because LL has sedition rules now. But good luck. Hopefully LL won't consider your actions as sedition and begin banning you.
Man_In_A_Skirt
Oct 30th, 2009
A more effective boycott would be to make everybody ban profiles with 'no payment info' which would render Second Life basically unusable and unattractive to new people. That will make LL think.
3blahs1whatever
Oct 30th, 2009
I think all the major stores in SL should change their land to disallow access to "no payment info" on file for 2 weeks and see the response. Other stores should join in as well.
Checking both of my ban lists, 98% of the names (That were still active) had no payment information on file. Most of them were brazilian/gangster type profiles.
Im not a fan of punishing innocent people, but most of the damage seems to be coming from people who sign up using bogus information and thus have no payment info on file.
True, there are some honest loyal customers spending good money in shops who do not have payment information, but I think we are at the point where we have to say, "Sorry, the thievery is out of hand" and try the no payment method.
People are too worried about losing money NOW, but if this keeps up, there wont be a good future for them to make money. Either because of thievery, or LLs new content "roadmap" bull shit. Whichever gets them first.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
How would LL be able to see that?
Mockba_the_Borg
Oct 30th, 2009
Ahhnn… sorry to interrupt but … all the avatars I used to copy stuff in the past (I don't do it anymore, promise) DID have payment info.
AfraidOfLLSpies
Oct 30th, 2009
Oh and here is LL's quasi nonofficial propaganda mouthpiece response to your plans: http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/10/content-theft-ch... I.e.; LL is basically saying content theft is not a problem at all. So make sure you add to your plans a statement saying not to transfer L$ around. (No paying of rents, no tipping, no nothing) because all those avatar to avatar transactions are counted as purchases by LL.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
I'm fairly sure that's in my OP. "This includes ALL L$ transactions. NO L$ TRANSACTIONS."
3blahs1whatever
Oct 30th, 2009
Hi.
I am in full support of legit IP rights and getting LLs attention. I however, am not in support of this. And let me tell you why.
Its faulty, and the only people it will hurt are the people who close their doors. Those people will lose income for 48 hours, and LL loses nothing.
I think what everyone needs to realize is that like in the real world, your country (Ahem, americans), are not the only country that exists. There are MANY other human beings, cultures, and nations out there. Same with here in SL. All of us who are aware of SCD and this group and the so called "in crowds", are only a small fraction of the whole of Second Life. Us closing down shop and stop buying will only cause a small dent to LL, a dent that will go away in 48 hours when those same people rush out to buy up everything they couldnt get for 2 days. So who does this hurt? It huts the content creators who close down, not Linden Lab.
We are only a very small group of people, there is more SLife on the other side of the river. Avatars who know nothing about us, avatars who will never get this "STOP" message. In order for LL to take notice, a MASS amount of people would have to do something drastic. Like I dont know…. all the THOUSANDS of people in SL (not only in our little group), but EVERYONE, abandon land. And that isnt going to happen.
Selonna Torok
Oct 30th, 2009
Just curious, what was the point of your intimating that Americans are inconsiderate of the other denizens of this world and only think of themselves? It didn't add to your response. However true it may be, it just made you sound bigoted when I think that was likely not the intended result. And, you know, some of us "Ahem, americans" take offense to shit like that. <3 Otherwise, your response was spot on.
Artist’s Voice: STOP! | Shopping Cart Disco | Portal site of Second Life and metaverse"MetaLog-meta log"
Oct 30th, 2009
[...] On November 5th, let’s band together as a community and just STOP! We can show Linden Lab how … [...]
Artist’s Voice: STOP! | Shopping Cart Disco | CBLO.IN 投稿一覧
Oct 30th, 2009
[...] On November 5th, let’s band together as a community and just STOP! We can show Linden Lab how … [...]
LourdesDenimore
Oct 30th, 2009
Hmm 24 hours of income vs the income you lose through content theft. The person who doesn't buy on Friday will buy on Saturday. The content thief will never buy.
Freyja Nemeth
Oct 30th, 2009
"The content thief will never buy."
And given that this is very probably true for most who obtain content illegally, how much is the economy actually hurt by what they do? They were, in most cases, never potential consumers anyway.
That it hurts individual creators emotionally is unquestionable, and that is plenty bad in itself. Its wrong, it shouldn't be done, but it probably has very little to do with lost income. So throwing away income by closing down for a period of time is pointless in so many ways.
LourdesDenimore
Oct 30th, 2009
How is it throwing away income? Customer comes to the store. Its closed for the demostration. Customer comes back after the demonstration and buys. OR have a sale afterward to recoup the losses.
At some point there comes a time to stop wringing your hands and whining and stand up and make a statement. Those that want to continue to whine.. carry on with your whining.
Those that want to make a statement lets get going.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
I propose that content creators set out $0L freebies at their shops, put prims over the normal vendors, and then release on the 7th or have a sale on the 7th to recoup if they need.
Fray Jigsaw
Oct 31st, 2009
So…let's boycott for 2 whole days and then we'll spend everything we would've spent on those 2 days as soon as it's over? Basically, you're going to give LL that money, just make them wait 2 days for it? No one's going to take notice of this except you Artist's Voice people who will surely be busy congratulating yourselves for being so revolutionary.
Put it like this: If you went into a RL business, were unhappy with something and told them you were gonna boycott them along with all your friends and then you and all your friends showed up 2 days later with unspent cash in hands ready to buy, would that really change their minds? Prolly not.
If you're truly committed to standing up and making a statement, then stop spending your L altogether, make this boycott a long-standing thing, because in the end you're no better than the people you accuse of being "whiners," you've just managed to trick yourself into thinking you're doing something important.
Don
Oct 30th, 2009
I believe that the music and software industry have learned (hopefully) that fighting piracy is not an easy task. They have been fighting piracy for decades with little success.
From that perspective I do not think that much can be do in terms of stopping content theft in itself. The next approach would be to target the perpetrators, and that in a platform as SL is meant to fail.
I see this proposition as awareness, and that could help some, but not in so short notice.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
Yay, Lourdes gets it!
Bunnie
Oct 30th, 2009
Awesome idea!
(that was sarcasm if you didn’t already figure it out.)
Desidelia
Oct 30th, 2009
LOL New World Notes made me laugh. Arguing that copybot helped economy? They dont think maybe that the amount of users in 2006 was not the same as 2009…
In any case this 48h of not buying i think is a bad idea, what would be better is some campaign that hurts linden lab image. Like give free t-shirts with anoying messages like your world our money and lidnen lab logo, or even offer a template like robin and make a contest for peple design their own shirts and then give them all free. Or make a picture contest through koin up. I dont knwo some idea like these and then covered by bloggers, will really hurt linden lab image and make them react.
The problem of all this is that again the action rely on designers, its the same mistake as the failed past campaings against content theft, I think the weight of the campaign and leaders of it should be the comunity.So the action should be initiate by comunity like the examples i said then followed by designers and not viceversa. Cos that way will prove that is not designers that cares for content theft, is also the people that uses SL and wouldnt be designers against LL, would be people against LL.
Amaranthim
Oct 30th, 2009
….. It’s ruining the economy and our shops! …" Because of course NO SALEs is just what the econom needs… Of all the idiotic, brain-dead nonsense anone could possibly come up wiht. What's your solution to ending World Hunger, Kill the hungry????
Insane -
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
Sometimes, when the bridge of your thoughts stop, it's best to stop walking lest you fall off the edge. I think you may have forgotten to stop walking here.
Ysanne_Korpov
Oct 30th, 2009
I see no point in this action? What exactly do you want to achieve? Making people aware of content theft, sounds nice. But what is it exactly?
Most of your customers do not know that something like the copybot even exist. But almost all of them do not even care.
Your customers are coming to your shops because of the quality or for example a nice blog entry on SCD.
They are coming to your shop because they know that you offer them something and that your name stands for quality and service.
I do not like" primitive design" or :sey because of low prices but because I love walking into their well designed shop and just look around and buy stuff I did not plan to buy before.
Such actions like these hurt your customers and yourself. The problem is not LL. The problem is a bunch of ashats who abuse something which works very good for 99% of the other SL residents.
Why making 99% suffer because of 1% who will just laugh about any action you make?
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
"Most of your customers do not know that something like the copybot even exist."
So let's educate them.
"But almost all of them do not even care. " Can you back this statement up? How can they not care if they don't know about it, according to your other sentence?
Doing this is easy. It's all the arguing that's making it hard.
Ysanne_Korpov
Oct 30th, 2009
These who know do not care. Almost all who write here know about it and do not run around stealing stuff.
Your education will achive only a shrug and a "And what should I do about it?"
You are addressing the wrong audience, in my opinion, very much like annoying commercials with forbidden fast forward on bought DVDs, which of course are not visible on stolen versions avaiable in the internet.
Sorry I sometimes have difficulties to express myself in english since it is only my third language ;o)
Don Mill
Oct 30th, 2009
I believe that any type of boycott activity will only work if the response to it is major, that means 90%+ of the population agreeing to the same thing. I am not convinced that Artist's Voice will be able to raise the level of awareness needed in such a short term.
At the same time, this type of boycott means more with tangible goods that with intangibles. I am not sure how much impact will this ban cause on LL's economy as a whole.
Anyway, good luck with that
Man_In_A_Skirt
Oct 30th, 2009
I say that the best type of grid boycott would be to get everybody to make their land no access for 'no payment info on profile.
Mockba_the_Borg
Oct 30th, 2009
I do agree that the content keeps the thing going, but be aware that the first 4 things a "noob" looks after when joining Second Life (at present day) is:
1 – A place full of freebies (which look all the same and boring, not like that awesome skin he saw that avatar wearing)
2 – A camping place (where he will be able to make like 10 lindens a day… to buy that awesome skin he will need only 1699 days of slavery, not bad)
3 – A job (which won't pay much, or will demand so much time from your RL that he may lose his real job, and end up without the skin anyway, and SL, AND the computer)
4 – A copybot, because someone told him the with that he can get that skin for free.
Darkley
Oct 30th, 2009
People don't have to do it, its their choice to take part or not, if they don't they won't be shunned/blacklisted, everyone needs to just calm down, stop using hyperbole and contribute something constructive instead.
Darkley
Oct 30th, 2009
Come up with an idea to get LL attention, or to help educate, or stop copybot, something, anything
Don
Oct 30th, 2009
I am not sure that content theft can be stopped (check my reply to Lourdes' s comment). In regards to education, a long campaign featuring majot blogs, forums and in-world events can be used.
On the subject of getting LL's attention, I imagine that they are well aware of the problem, they just don't have a solution to it.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
AV operates on ideas. Anyone who has an idea is more than welcome to holler at us and let the group know!
AfraidOfLLSpies
Oct 30th, 2009
Even if all content creators and all actual humans quit SL linden lab would keep reporting constant increases in resident to resident transactions. It is nothing to program bots to transfer L$ in a circle. LL wants you out. Why not take them up on their proposal and take your money elsewhere? Like to real world where you actually get something for your money. And if someone rips you off you can call the cops or deal with it yourself. In SL if you accuse the wrong person it is your ass that will get banned.
Ran Garrigus
Oct 30th, 2009
Instead of this ineffectual scheme, which will be a blip on the radar at best, far more bark than bite which I fear a few designers can't really afford to even bother with because they're already on the financial edge, I'll take up Darkley on suggesting an alternative:
Organize all interested content creators in flooding all relevant LL public meetings/office hours to bring up your concerns. Agitate to have M Linden show up while you're at it, if enough Linden's tell him this, he really can't hide. Drop by Philip's pad at pigeonhole him on this topic as well, get him to let M know how serious you are.
If 4-5 meetings are packed for a couple of weeks with a rotating group of content creators, each who share their concerns, each who discusses their issues with a preface indicating how much they contribute to LL's bottom line (via tier) and to the economy (via sales and purchases), this will get noticed.
Right now, meetings might have 7-8 SL grognards discussing the important issues that face SL. Make it 50 for a couple of weeks running, and LL will see (if they haven't seen already) that:
1) You're serious.
2) You're organized.
3) You're an important part of Second Life.
4) Your contributions, in terms of content, community-building, and ideas, are important.
Bonus: No one needs to lose a penny. Just an hour or two out of your day, for a couple of weeks (although really, maybe do it indefinitely until they start providing solid responses).
To help it along, you an find the list of Linden office hours at http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Office_Hours
Some Lindens certainly have discussion topics relevant to the issue, and would certainly pass word up on the chain of command if an organized group of angry content creators were making their concerns heard on a one-to-one basis.
Far as I know, no one's tried this. But if Artist's Voice believes it's sufficiently organized to get some portion of content creators to close their shops for 48 hours, it ought to be more than able to achieve this.
Sileny
Oct 30th, 2009
I think this is a great idea! I would give up some of my time to go and sit in for sure.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
So hey Ran, why aren't you in Artists' Voice again? Sounds like we could use your ideas.
Ran Garrigus
Oct 30th, 2009
Never heard of it before today, actually, so I expect that's why. I'll have to read more about it before I'd do something like that. But really, that's my idea — an alternative approach to raising awareness and impressing on LL the importance of this issue.
Ran Garrigus
Oct 30th, 2009
Instead of this ineffectual scheme, which will be a blip on the radar at best, far more bark than bite which I fear a few designers can't really afford to even bother with because they're already on the financial edge, I'll take up Darkley on suggesting an alternative:
Organize all interested content creators in flooding all relevant LL public meetings/office hours to bring up your concerns. Agitate to have M Linden show up while you're at it, if enough Linden's tell him this, he really can't hide. Drop by Philip's pad at pigeonhole him on this topic as well, get him to let M know how serious you are.
If 4-5 meetings are packed for a couple of weeks with a rotating group of content creators, each who share their concerns, each who discusses their issues with a preface indicating how much they contribute to LL's bottom line (via tier) and to the economy (via sales and purchases), this will get noticed.
Right now, meetings might have 7-8 SL grognards discussing the important issues that face SL. Make it 50 for a couple of weeks running, and LL will see (if they haven't seen already) that:
1) You're serious.
2) You're organized.
3) You're an important part of Second Life.
4) Your contributions, in terms of content, community-building, and ideas, are important.
Bonus: No one needs to lose a penny. Just an hour or two out of your day, for a couple of weeks (although really, maybe do it indefinitely until they start providing solid responses).
To help it along, you an find the list of Linden office hours at http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Office_Hours
Some Lindens certainly have discussion topics relevant to the issue, and would certainly pass word up on the chain of command if an organized group of angry content creators were making their concerns heard on a one-to-one basis.
Far as I know, no one's tried this. But if Artist's Voice believes it's sufficiently organized to get some portion of content creators to close their shops for 48 hours, it ought to be more than able to achieve this.
AfraidOfLLSpies
Oct 30th, 2009
You can get 40 max in a linden sim. Will never see 50 at any office hour. Besides… nobody at LL is in charge of content theft. That would look bad if they had to assign someone. So they have their boy hamlet out with a dog&pony show hawking numbers that cannot be independently validated suggesting content theft is not a problem. (where is third quarter?) All the linden at the meeting will say is that it is not their job so they can't address it. I.e.; content theft is not anyone's area of responsibility at LL. Not even on their radar. It doesn't exist as a problem. Nobody is assigned, etc. etc.
But it might make for interesting blog pictures and the transcripts would certainly be walls of text. And blogs are indexed by google. Unlike where LL puts any less than attractive threads on their awful thing they call their new forum where they will ban you if you don't talk pretty about SL and LL. So in that regard it might not be a bad idea at all. People just need to steel themselves up for being ignored and talked over.
Smart people are minimizing their SL liabilities. Whoever comes along next with 3D User Generated Content gets all the money because everyone would rather hear LL went on a company cruise and the ship vanished in the Bermuda triangle because the aliens repo'd them and took them back to Emperor Ming's palace.
Sileny
Oct 30th, 2009
Maybe we need to find an SL user with sway in the RL media to go visit them at these meetings then
Maybe then they wouldn't be so likely to "ignore" hehe. So devious.
Ran Garrigus
Oct 30th, 2009
Thanks for the correction — 40 it is. Makes it easier to organize.
They can't really claim it's not their place to discuss the issues when their office hours relate, for example, to SL architecture, the SL client, the business side of things — all of these things connect to copyright infringement, whether it's various bugs that NeilLife has been exploiting or whether it's generally a matter of policy as it relates to business in SL.
It's true that in general individual Lindens prefer to stick to a very close script. But if everyone there is contributing meaningfully (and respectfully, so you can't be painted as overly-aggressive kooks), it will certainly cause more of a stir than this 48 hour business.
Sansarya
Oct 30th, 2009
It's not going to kill me to not spend money in SL for 48 hours. I'll support this no matter how little economic impact it has because it has at its heart something I believe in, which is PROTECTING THE RIGHTS of content creators. I'll still be a loyal customer AFTER this event is over.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
Ditto here.
GM Nikolaidis
Oct 30th, 2009
This hurts content creators and shops. The Lindens will have a collective yawn.
Amaranthim
Oct 30th, 2009
Agreed with GM- this does nothing to raise awareness – al it does is hurt business owners – Protect all my Rights thank you very much, but shop- what the hell am i selling anything for if it's not to actually sell it? If all I was interested in was the art of it I would give it away (not that I don't give away a lot of my products). To boycott the very people this is SUPPOSED to help is so dimwitted – so inane – so damn utterly STUPID it defies logic.
scd
Oct 30th, 2009
"I think what everyone needs to realize is that like in the real world, your country (Ahem, americans), are not the only country that exists. There are MANY other human beings, cultures, and nations out there."
What? What the heck does this have to do with your country of origin?
3blahs1whatever
Oct 30th, 2009
@ Selonna – Alright, im sorry. Im American too, if that makes it at least a little better. I do realize not all Americans are like that, but I also realize that many are and in schools we are usually never made aware of other countries and their important and relevant current events, yet they are made very aware of ours.
So with that said, I can go on to reply to SCDs question, as it ties in:
@ SCD – Easy… Just like some americans are oblivious to the rest of the world, it seems like this group of people here are not taking into consideration that they are only a SMALL sliver of the SL population, so pulling something like this wont work. I feel we are so inside of our so called "in crowd" box, we forget about everyone else and we forget there are thousands of SL users who have never heard about us. So, I made the comparison of how sometimes some Americans are the same way in terms of their place in the world in regards to other countries, etc.
Im not against Artists voice or IP rights at all. But being how only a VERYYYYYYYY small percentage of the SL user base would be even hearing about this "boycott" of sorts, its not going to have any impact on LL. At least in my opinion its not. Does that make sense? Im all for getting LLs attention and pushing them to respect us, but I dont think this will achieve it. What about the other 95% of SL users who will be uploading, building, buying, and selling?
Ghosty Kips
Oct 30th, 2009
I think the step goes too far. I have nothing against non-uploading for a couple of days, but I'll certainly not close my shop or my gallery. How is not spending my lindens on the works of other Residents – or other Residents not spending money on mine – proving anything to LL? It's short-sighted at best.
Mimicat
Oct 30th, 2009
I hate to say it but this is a horrible idea. Some of us use SL as a source of RL income. Why hurt the content creators of SL?
I am for stopping content theft. It harms us all. But this is not the way to do it. Let's think of something else.
LourdesDenimore
Oct 30th, 2009
I don't think the idea is to stop content theft the idea is to make LL aware that content theft is a serious issue and that they need to do a better job of how they handle content theft.
It benefits every content creator in the long run for LL to do a better job at address content theft.
One day of lost sales isn't going to get anyone evicted from their house, nor will their kids starve.
Mockba_the_Borg
Oct 30th, 2009
Mimicat, the only way I can think of is having a closed-source viewer, running over a SSL encripted data stream and having encipted cache also.
This way no one would be able to tamper with the viewer to make it save other people's stuff, neither proxy the data stream and rip out things from there.
Of course that there would be still the bugs in the systems, caused by LL themselves. And there's always a chance that people would still be able to decript de stream someday, but this would give the creators some time to figure out that SL economy is dead anyways. It was killed long ago by LL themselves.
Mockba_the_Borg
Oct 30th, 2009
I meant encrypted, not encipted… sorry.
anon
Oct 30th, 2009
ran's right. i have a friend that goes to LL meetings & he asks them all the time about content theft. but he says it's usually just him & one other person there demanding the issue be addressed.
if you want LL to notice you & your cause, you have to get up in their face about it & let them know you won't rest till they do something. and from what i hear, the Lindens are almost always stumped when confronted. take your frustration out on them, not on innocent shop owners.
this idea about closing our stores & encouraging people not to shop at all… sorry, i'd love to support you, but my business can't afford it. i'm sure the bigger shops can do it, but us smaller ones (the majority of sl businesses)…. this is going to kill us. please don't go through with it.
Mockba_the_Borg
Oct 30th, 2009
I spoke with an Ex-Linden friend of mine, and he only sent me one word back: "lol!, nou you know why I left the company".
The fact is that the Lindens don't care. They have been making from land, and as long as there is land they will be making money (and it is coming from corporation, not from the small seller who rents a 64×64 parcel.
This small seller (and even the big one) are taking the money OUT of Second Life. And LL does not want that… LL wants the money getting IN, not OUT.
If you make a viewer that exploits the system and multiplies your lindes, then they will be coming after you with the SWAT and the FBI, but if you steal a few shapes and objects? no way… they don't give a sh!t.
You who call yourselfs small sellers or big sellers, are just pennies for them, and they don't care about you.
You and your L$10000 inventory (what is that? 25 dollars?) are worth nothing for them.
You should start seeing this video-game as a video-game by now.
Mockba_the_Borg
Oct 30th, 2009
I am seeing lots of forums around where people is complaining about content theft, and complaining that it is hurting the SL economy.
Then, while sipping on my whisky, and smoking my cigar on the porch of my house in front of the lake, looking down at my brand new red 2010 camaro by the pool, I was wondering:
How much can someone make out of SL these days?
One dollar is about 260 lindens, so I was doing a quick calculation here:
To pay the bills, pay the rent and feed the kids in real life, one should be making at least one million lindens month in Second Life. Is that possible? Is any of you willing to share your expereiences on this field? Any thoughts about this?
BubbleGum
Oct 30th, 2009
After taxes and whatnot my family brings home the equivalent of about 500,000L$ and we have a nice apartment and raise a kid and all that. A "famous" skin creator selling their skins at 10K a fat pack, or 1K each…I could see them making that much and more very easily. It is certainly not living the high life, but I can see how someone could make enough to get by (if they live in an affordable country/state/province, of course.)
Mockba_the_Borg
Nov 5th, 2009
It is nice to know that, because until now I only saw people claiming they're "rich" in SL because they make 10000L (?!?).
It is good to know the real market behind all this.
Now, the question is, how much of this money does LL sees? because depending of this amount, only then, any movement like this will make them do anything.
RebelWithACause
Oct 31st, 2009
As someone who makes at least half that, without trying (and much more when I *do* try), I guarantee it is possible – and there are many more who do much better than I.
An Artist
Oct 31st, 2009
Lourdes, I think you need to read the notice again. 48 hours = 2 full days, not one day. 2 full days of lost sales = too much squeeze on an already squeezed income.
When I first saw this idea floated, it was 24 hours. Somewhere along the line it changed. This will only hurt the people who close.
I am not boycotting myself for 2 full days, thanks very much. I will remain open, and I will keep doing what I do, because I fail to see how this will alert LL to anything they don't already know about.
Sasy Scarborough
Oct 31st, 2009
When I heard about the texture uploading boycott for 24 hours from Step Up, I wondered how that would make a difference, as most would upload the day before and day after, so it wouldn't change the figures for LL's weekly income in any way.
Then I discussed closing sims, as a way of making a stir, because many would wonder and talk about in groups 'Why is such and such closed? " and it might spread the message.
Then I thought that the main way to get LL's attention would be to not show up at all.
Keep the stores open, upload the day before or after, but do not log in for a full 24 hours, not your mains, not your alts, nothing.
Spend the week before organising meeting places
Plurk
WoW
Yahoo
Twitter
anywhere that you can gather as residents of Second Life that don't log in. There are trials for many games, WoW has one for ten days, so everyone could make a new account if they don't have one and just meet at designated areas.
If WoWs online status went up by 40K and LL's went down by that same number, well that would surely take some notice.
Just a thought..
swaffette Firefly
Nov 1st, 2009
i think this sounds a good idea Sasy – im quite happy not to log in for 2 days – no uploading , no buying. I really want to support the Artists Voice
but closing my stores proves a problem – not so much because of the lost money but the logistics – i can close my sim but not the mainland stores – with hundreds of prims to cover plus over 80 satellite stores some with 100 prims each to cover – and what about xstreet? – I really want to do something and i will definitely not upload – ive suffered from content theft my self – but Sasy's idea i think will make more of an impact on LL if we can get enough people not logging on.
Intellectual Property Protests? What? « NexisONLINE Status Blog
Nov 1st, 2009
[...] Life (where the Lindens don’t give a flying fuck). According to the reasoning set forth in the thread, LL will care if 5 people stop selling stuff and lose money for two [...]
redgiantess
Nov 1st, 2009
As much solidarity as I have with content creators and all they put in, I just feel that this won't amount to much. For those like myself who work by the job and don't necessarily maintain stores, two days sans income can really hurt. I am reminded suddenly of the 'Screwed By LL' people, who felt they could actually reason with the Lab re: asset server issues, grid stability, etc. Stroker Serpentine, as we all know, took the only course of action it will have to take to make the Lab finally get serious: he dragged them to court! What happens afterward is what I'm keeping an eye out for.
Baily
Nov 1st, 2009
Whose harebrain scheme was this ffs, what a ridiculous notion. Here’s what will happen. Customer goes to shop, shop is closed with big ugly signs all over it. Customer doesn’t give a toss about boycott, doesn’t understand it or even know about content theft, customer goes to another shop that isn’t boycotting and spends their money there. YOU LOSE, EPIC FAIL
Baily
Nov 1st, 2009
Who is in this group anyway, is there anyone with any influence in it?
Confused
Nov 2nd, 2009
Yeah, I’m not really seeing the benefit of this at all. I agree with Baily, all this protest will accomplish is that the customers who would have shopped at your store are going to go shop at someone else’s store instead for those two days.
Let’s help content creators lose money! That’ll teach LL!
FAIL
Nov 2nd, 2009
You are all EPIC FAIL !!!
Shattered Howlett
Nov 5th, 2009
I could spend my time writing a thoughtful response to this, but in the end it could be summed up quite simply:
This is bass-ackwards. You're going about this all wrong. Fail.
This is only going to hurt content creators. This won't even *touch* Linden Lab. I'm tempted to shop my butt off for the next 2 days just to spite this, because all the designers I love need to pay their bills.
ppfffff
Nov 5th, 2009
OMG!!!! PLEASE THIS IS SO ******* STUPID! REALLY ur guys are all going mental. this is just a game come on. Everyone copies everyone even in rl but noone stops producing or buying things. The biggest idiot is the one who created this thing. I hope im not gona lose sales and ill buy even more!!!! looool
anonymous
Nov 5th, 2009
Have you ever made anything in sl???? do u know that some us live from sl income??? why hurt us? this is so stupid. really u should close down this group. Im gona contact lindens
05486
Nov 5th, 2009
all i hear is oh he copied that, shes used copybot blah blah!! im sick of it really. i know its bad, but people will always find a way to copy. ur not gona stop it, especialy with this stupid group
amelia
Nov 5th, 2009
DOES IT MEAN THERE WILL BE NO 50L FRIDNAY?
SRS BSNSS
Nov 5th, 2009
i seriously hope not
they might hear us
Nov 5th, 2009
What a load of crap guys you really think LL cares if they did they would of said something by now , i for one wont change what i do tomorrow ill upload as much as i can due to my business in SL , your only hurting yourselves and just wait and see what LL comes up with , with its spies remember the Homestead issues how many people left the scene never to return????????
Mockba_the_Borg
Nov 5th, 2009
Cash out all your money, this MAY make LL think about it.
Is you just "freeze" your commercial relations, you will just keep the money "frozen" at LL accounts, so they can use it to invest. They will be VERY happy about it … lol.
Now, if you all cash out … then they will be aware of something.
But remember, whoever is doing 500.000L a month, is getting much less than the amount of money LL spends in electricity (or office supplies) for example.
Man_In_A_Skirt
Nov 5th, 2009
If everyone cashed out at the same time it would make LL bankrupt.
Mockba_the_Borg
Nov 5th, 2009
Well … that would be a message.
First of all, we would never be able to make everyone adhere to that… so they would not be bankrupt… but this would prove a point: if they're going to let content be stolen, or ban people just because someone cried "wolf!"… well … so why don't we go to other MMO then? why should I stay in SL if there's nothing to differentiate it from the other ones?
Just cash out and let them "read the message"… I bet the next week they would be doing something about it. (like banning everyone who started the movement, to prevent them from being bankrupt … lol … "DOON'T MESS WITH MA MONEY … BIIIATCH" …. lol)
H_Wheel
Nov 6th, 2009
As a budding creator (and a RL IP attorney) myself, I fully support the awareness campaign. However I can’t get behind physically blocking customers from shops. This sounds like an unbelievably rude way to get your point across. I can’t imagine doing such a thing to my customers.