I suppose this is an attempt to circumvent and have greater control over assets in SL, to contain content theft to something the Lindens can chew on. Do any of these proposed solutions appeal to you?
Concept 1:
Second Life-Certified Vending Machines
Unified store management, premium support and a delivery guarantee
Usage of the vending machine will allow the merchant to receive premium support for merchant activities, enable automatic listing on XStreet SL, and ensure that all items are delivered…. guaranteed. Additionally, the vending machines provide rich data reporting and business metrics.
In exchange for the use of the vending machines, Linden Lab will assess a 10-15% surcharge on all purchases.
How likely would you be to request a vending machine?
Overall, do you like the idea of the Second Life-certified vending machine?
Would this vending machine change the way you do business? Why or why not?
In exchange for the vending machine and service, Linden Lab would assess a 10-15% surcharge on all purchases. How would you rate the value of the service provided compared to the cost?
Concept 2:
Listing and Promotional Program
Cross-promote your items on XStreetSL and get Premium Classified Listings
By joining this program, any item you list for sale in-world can also be auto-listed on XStreetSL. Cross-posted items will automatically be displayed, in rotation, in a premium position as a sponsored listing in on the Classifieds page.
To participate in this program, a small surcharge will be assessed a fee 5-10 $USD for each item cross posted.
Concept 3:
Merchant Marketing Program
Tools to help you grow your business
The program would provide exclusive use of branding systems, customized store systems (such as a custom URL/SLURL and web storefront), and automatic consideration for large scale promotions. Also included is a data dashboard to enable you to track purchases in real-time. Customer service tools such as AvaLine mean that you are always able to talk with your customers.
Membership in the merchant marketing program would be available at a cost of $10-100 USD monthly, depending on sales volume.
Concept 4:
The Mall of Second Life
Free land for Second Life merchants
Linden Lab has developed an Island in Second Life that enables merchants to create their own stores as large or small as they desire. Display your creative works from shoes to houses.
In exchange for the free land and promotion of the Mall, Linden Lab will assess a 30% surcharge on all purchases.
More:
Have you placed a Classified ad (in-world) or a featured listing (xStreetSL) supporting your business?
Please indicate the approximate percentage for each of these of items that you sell in-world.
- Complete Avatars
- Hair
- Skins
- Other Avatar Parts
- Clothes, Jewelery, or Other Avatar Accessories
- Animations & Poses
- Animals
- Art
- Media or Media Tools (Audio, Video, Pictures)
- Buildings, Building Components, or Building Tools
- Furniture and Other Indoor Items
- Landscaping and Other Outdoor Items
- Scripts
- Bots or Bot Tools
- Games
- Vehicles
- Weapons
- Other Entertainment Items
- Other: (please specify)
Total
What percentage of your sales are items that you personally create?
Approximately what percentage of your sales are adult-oriented? (ie. sexual animations, scripted sex toys, sexual avatar organs, etc.)
Adult-oriented
Non adult-orientedWhat percentage of your household income are you making selling items in-world?
Approximately how many US DOLLARS in sales do you do on in-world on a MONTHLY basis
Do you own land?
- Yes, a private region
- Yes, mainland
- Yes, I lease a parcel
- No
What is your primary reason for being in Second Life? (choose only one)
- Socialize – hang out with friends, make new friends, attend events
- Play Games
- Role Play
- Build or Design objects
- Run my own business
- Attend meetings, seminars
- Other (please specify)
How much time do you spend in-world in an average week?
Where do you live?
- North America
- English-speaking non-American country (UK, Australia, etc.)
- Non-English speaking Europe (France, Spain, etc.)
- Asia
- Central/South America
- Africa
- Middle East
- Other
What is your gender?
Which of following broad ranges includes your age?
What is your education level?
- Some high school (Secondary School)
- High School (Secondary School) graduate
- Some College/University
- College/University graduate
- Post-graduate (law, medicine, MBA)
From the Herald — note the bolded, underlined, ZOMG TEXT:
Pixeleen Mistral: so this is just testing out the ideas and not a firm plan
Pixeleen Mistral: I guess we have to expect people to be a bit concerned given the history
Pixeleen Mistral: you guys are in a tough spot – if you ask people what they think it raises concerns
Pixeleen Mistral: if you *don’t* ask you are flying blind
Pink Linden: exactly
Pink Linden: and we tried to be clear this was not on our roadmap
Pixeleen Mistral: well – some of the people doing the survey are worried that it is your roadmap
Pink Linden and we fully understand the history. To that I would say that I was not part of that regime.
Pink Linden: and the commerce team did not participate in that way of thinking.
Pink Linden: I can assure you that we are in no way ready to move on any of these concepts.
Pixeleen Mistrall: but some of them are what your competition is already doing
Pink Linden: for example Apple charges 30% of iPhone Apps
Pixeleen Mistral: true
Pink Linden: we want to work with the community to evolve the business
Pink Linden: and it has to start somewhere.
PS – Sorry for the down time today and yesterday guys 
Apparently something REALLY BIG went “Boom” over at our hosts.
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I don’t mind something like concept 3. I’ve been hoping they’d introduce customized storefronts for xstreet since they bought it. Not too crazy about the other options. (and just how big is this infinite mall island gonna be anyway?)
It all looks a bit like overkill to me though. I just want them to improve the way Xstreet works. Make it easier to list, add Amazon type features to make it easier to find items, customized storefronts, sublistings, etc. No need to totally reinvent commerce in SL to make it better.
I knew it! Somehow they will make a racket out of all the craziness.
As most of what comes from the mind of some very unaware (to be nice) lindens, most of this is utter rubbish. Now linden labs wants to try and directly compete against residents?
Moreover it’s unfair competition, given that LL has access to plenty back-end tools that the residents don’t have.
Now it’s mall owners (concept 4) and scripters that sell vendor systems (concept 1).
Shall we expect Linden Labs to start selling clothes, or skins, or accessories, using 2048X2048 textures or complex 3D models (that residents cannot use)? Because the concept is exactly the same.
The other concepts are just absolutely stupid, and follow the trend of all the stupid ideas i’ve seen in 5 years. Designers and content creators that can afford spending more than the average in marketing and advertisement ALREADY have plenty ways to gain an edge whether from the system or from resident-run marketing outlets. Initiatives like concept 2 and 3 just increase the divide between veteran content creators and new ones, that would find it even more difficult to show their products while choked by the spam of others that can afford throwing more money into the system.
LL is behaving like the typical elephant in a china shop. In 5 years i’ve seen em break more than what they fixed, and i’m really starting to be disappointed.
“30% surcharge in their mall”
That’s just rediculous, for this money i could rent a whole sim. So these malls will end up as reseller/crap malls for people who try to make a random buck with dropping their buisness-in-a-box there.
All the prices for their services are just too damned high. And there is nothing mentioned about quality-control or content theft. Actually as they get more involved into inworld buisness they will look away even more to not hurt their revenues.
I have yet in my 5 years of playing 2L to see anything LL dips their hands in…to be an improvement. This sounds like they just want a chance at competing agains the business end of 2L. So much for it being “Our” world that residents created!
Considering LL owns the data pathways and the data storage and every single aspect of the service it is rather amusing to see they are so comfortable in their ways as to begin suggesting people need to pay them to guarantee delivery of products. I say we should allow them to put this protection scheme into place. It could be handily leveraged in the future to make some much needed changes.
Waves , funny just got the survey, too.
lol LL is a lille bit late i think, the system i sell is able to do most of what they think ( want ) to do.
LL “Usage of the vending machine will allow the merchant to receive premium support for merchant activities, enable automatic listing on XStreet SL, and ensure that all items are delivered…. guaranteed.”
LooK-BooK System allready out: Vending machine out delivers 100percent including Redeliver Funktion, Statistics – automatic listing on a own merchant website /beta) includig Crosseling with other system users;:)
The use is free of charge (1time small payment, req. basic or premium LB. Book System)
LL”Cross-promote your items ”
L.B.System: Cross promote working , Crosseling between spec. L.B.System users allready possible open release Dec.
LL”The program would provide exclusive use of branding systems, customized store systems (such as a custom URL/SLURL and web storefront), and automatic consideration for large scale promotions. Also included is a data dashboard to enable you to track purchases in real-time”
L.B. System – allready has a branding system store front – items listed in the system LooK-BooK gets shown optional on the vendors and optional on the website for each merchant own url own adress. Stats live sale tracking.
LL”Linden Lab has developed an Island in Second Life that enables merchants to create their own stores”
L.B. System: currently building a special sim including a running ! reward system.
so bottom line for me – funny to see so many similar conceps from LL and i have 90 percent running allready of that what they have only in concepts –
will see whats happen next.
Gretz V.McMillan
LooK-BooK Virtual Home Shopping System
LooK BooK LooK BooK Reward System
iPhone Apps. It all makes sense now.