Let's talk business

I've just received an email from Linden Lab informing me of the Openspace price rise. The mail starts with:

"If you are already aware of the changes to Openspaces recently announced in the Linden Lab blog, please disregard this email".

No no no, a thousand times no. FFS this is important information, don't tell people to disregard it, tell them that it has already been blogged but that people should keep the email for their own records. Good grief, what sort of customer service credentials do these guys have? If I had the time, money and inclination I'd go there and teach them some basic bloody customer service skills, they're obviously in need of customer service training.

The email also talks of a twist in Openspace usage, the only twist was Linden Lab shafting everyone with a whopping increase, even the most cynical amongst us didn't see that coming.

However I don't want to dwell on heinous management decisions, I wat to talk about business. More to the point, why are people so aghast at the idea of corporates having a presence in Second Life? There's more venom aimed at the idea of corporates having a presence than there is at evil land barons and I simply don't see why people have this attitude.

Corporates bring with them some baggage, they also bring money. Advertising is one of the key growth areas on the internet, I don't see why people are so worried about advertising as long as it's done tastefully......hmmm yes it's Linden Lab who'd have to organise this and they demonstrate all too often that they don't know their arse from their elbow but it can be done tastefully.

I've said before that sponsoring sims or builds could be a goer. Certainly putting their name on something like the SL Shakespeare company productions should be safe for corporates. How about doing deals with Rezzable? I know some deals have been done with Rezzable, Greenies was free to visit last month because of some sponsorship deal.

Certainly on some well done builds they could advertise where advertising is welcome. This means not on 16M parcels where even when they are within the new guidelines they still stick out like a sore thumb and annoy rather than engage residents. We have adverts here on this blog, many other blogs do too, I'm used to seeing adverts on blogs these days and don't mind them, some of you may find them intrusive.

What would be wrong with a Coca Cola sign in a sci fi based sim, I'd say like the Blade Runner sim but I'm not sure if that's got official backing but a sim in that style, helping to pay residents to keep open compelling and nice to view sims.

Heck if a corporate offered me some advertising revenue I wouldn't send them packing with a flea in their ear that's for sure. I don't really have the sort of builds that would attract corporates mind you.

In terms of business, Terry Pratchett's appearance inworld generated good publicity. Proof that the Second Life world extends beyond the insular inworld experience and out into the blogsphere where it reaches an even wider audience. This touches upon something I've heard residents comment on about Second Life. Residents create the world, they generate the publicity, they devote reams of pages of blogs and newspapers to the product all for no cost to Linden Lab. What do residents get back? A 67% price rise....ooh I said I wasn't going to talk about that! However it's true, the promotion of this platform by residents has been wonderful and part of the reason the platform has grown so popular, this is something Linden Lab need to be aware of.

So why don't people want RL business and corporates here? I really don't see the big objection as long as their presence doesn't come at our expense I'm all for it.