June 22, 2008 by Ciaran Laval
Posted in
I have next to one of my plots the mysterious land parcel extortion. They aren't running ads, they just throw up ban lines and set their plots for sale for something ridiculous like L$9999. They're hoping I'll buy those plots, there's no other explanation for it, but they're going to have to wait for hell to freeze over before I'll give in to such practices. Of course as they aren't running ads, Linden Lab won't do anything about them but the ban lines are up to cause harassment, there's no need for a ban line on a 16m parcel.
I've asked Linden Lab to take a look, I'm assuming they did and decided "There's nothing to see here, move along". However my land is devalued by the existence of these plots. The ban lines mean they are going to be intrusive if I put up certain kinds of builds. Of course I can go and buy screens, I have some somewhere, but why should I have to? This is clear land parcel abuse and I shouldn't need to put screens around my land.
I'm not sure what can be done here, if Linden Lab refuse to recognise why ban lines are being used on these parcels then I can't AR them, but the reason for the use of ban lines on 16M parcels is damn obvious, especially when the said parcel is for sale for L$9,999.
I could of course sell my parcel, but I have other neighbouring parcels in that sim and these gits would probably snap or more land and go about ruining the state of the sim even further, so for the foreseeable future I'm stuck with this nonsense.
I've been looking at buying more land lately, not sure why as rentals are on a downard spiral right now, but if I land at a parcel with 16M parcels around it, then I won't buy. I've even seen bigger parcels such as 32 or 64M but I know the people who own them run ads and I don't want land right next to a spiralling tower of adverts. Who does?
In a recent blog Jack Linden made the amazing quote of:
"At Linden Lab, we respect the investments you make in Second Life land"
Has he forgotten what happened to estate pricing earlier in the year? There was no respect at all given to people's investments there. However, you can fix something now, deal with these 16M plots and their ban lines, at the very least get someone to put an option in the viewer to turn ban lines off and take away this tool of harassment.
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OK, let's look at what you're saying...
The SL-RL translator has read your post and says what you're saying is:
"OK, the rules aren't clear. And someone might be taking advantage of them. And LL either doesn't care or agrees that someone hasn't broken the new rules"
The SL to blogpost parser says what you're saying is:
"Someone's sliced a 16m2 off one of the plots near me and that's bad cos it affects me and I have a blog! waaah!"
Get *over* it. The real world works this way too. To the rules. Not how you believe the rules should be.
BTW, screenshotted in case you think your world also includes deleting snarky comments. I'm prepared to cope with this full comment being public if you decide dissent is acceptable :)
Close but no cigar
First of all it's not "Someone" it's several people.
Secondly you'll note I wasn't complaining about 16M parcels per se, indeed I didn't complain about the advert for the gay beach.
Thirdly land parcel extortion is against the rules.
Fourthly I have no objection to people having a different view, it would be damn boring if everyone agreed with me ;)
If it's against the rules,
If it's against the rules, raise a complaint to find out whether the powers that be think your specific example is against the rules. If they say "nop, sorry, inside the rules" I'm perfectly confident you'll post a blog entry saying you were wrong, yes?
I already said this
I mentioned in the blog that Linden Lab probably decided "Nothing to see here, move along".
However that won't stop me complaining about deliberate griefing by using ban lines on 16M parcels and land extortion by setting them for sale for L$9999, which is parcel extortion, whether Linden Lab do anything about it or not and I'll deal with it a different way if Linden Lab won't act upon it.
If people just merrily put up with everything, nothing would change, there would never have been an ad farm policy introduced in the first place if people hadn't complained.
ooh
Want to add to this, Ciaran, hope you won't mind =)
Here's an example of the real world for you:
8.04.100 of the Sacramento City Code:
I'm aware we aren't in Sacramento. But the city of Sacramento is compelled to have this ordinance because they want people to live in Sacramento. LL wants people to use Second Life. Buy land. Pay tier.
So in the real world, people(with and without blogs) make a big fuss about it and take action.
Whoops
Posted twice.
Heh.
I take it you're someone who doesn't mind imposing ban lines on other people for no purpose other than extortion?
Second Life Consultant
Of course not.
But you're forgetting that you own *nothing* you bought in SL except the ground you're standing on. Especially not the view or access to your plot. That should be the *first* FAQ in the lands sales FAQ.
To complain is to forget that.
try 50K for a 3000 sq m parcel
Yes thats right folks....Sippy Sands is trying that land extortion on us also. She has a 3000+ piece of land where my partners and I own most of the sim. The parcel she has is L shaped and it makes my store a bit more difficult to access. She was asked if she would trade for another piece so that it would be easier for her to sell and would help us out too. She was even offered a larger piece. She said no, she didn't want to trade anything. She could wait. On top of that her parcel is a water lot. It is all water. We aren't paying it either.
She said she just wanted to make a little profit. A LITTLE?
Jez Bailey