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Key: MISC-1777
Type: Meta Issue Meta Issue
Status: Open Open
Priority: Major Major
Assignee: Unassigned
Reporter: hermit barber
Votes: 139
Watchers: 11
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4. Second Life Misc Issues - MISC

Non-profits do not typically rent out or abuse open space sims. They also generally work on annual funding cycles. Why is the non-profit open space sim tier removed?

Created: 28/Oct/08 11:41 AM   Updated: 01/Nov/08 08:11 PM
Component/s: Miscellaneous
Affects Version/s: None
Fix Version/s: None

Time Tracking:
Not Specified

Environment: Removal of Non Profit Tier for Open Space Sims : http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/10/27/openspace-pricing-and-policy-changes/
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 Description  « Hide
Non-profits provide a major draw for second life and tend to be extremely responsible land-owners. They typically do not rent out sims and seldom have high user loads.

In the announcement Linden Labs states: "We will no longer offer an educational or non-profit discount for new Openspaces. As mentioned earlier, this is due to the increased back end resource required for us to support Openspaces in the way that they are now being used. For the small number of Educators that already have Openspaces, we will be contacting you directly to discuss this change." but provides no substantiation that non-profits are in fact contributing in any substantial fashion to this problem.

This ought to raise the question why non-profits have been singled out for the most draconian action, when the action is allegedly intended only to prevent abuse? The removal of the ability for non-profits to use land as allegedly intended, "for light use countryside or ocean," tends to strongly support the impression that this entire process is exclusively about wrongfully transferring wealth from a "captive audience" of previous clients to Linden Labs.

Is Linden Labs able to provide any information supporting the fact that the "small number of Educators that already have Openspaces" are in fact "abusing them" or that non-profits which have modelled and budgeted the incorporation of open space sims are in fact likely to "abuse them"? Given that non-profits have a long planning and funding cycle the unannounced removal of this option is extremely onerous.



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Nikolai Kidd added a comment - 28/Oct/08 04:04 PM
One would assume that Linden labs has the resources to be able to discern what each Sim is being used for by the number and type of objects present. it would be relatively simple to then go to the suspect Sims and demand the owner comply with the intended purpose, or the sim will be reverted or the Rate increased to reflect the actual use.
I do know there is abuse going on from what i have seen personally, and it makes me angry that I can not do the same thing on a personal open Sim as they are doing, which is building a residence for an avatar. Just the fact that the Sim isn't being used to make a profit does not make it a non-profit by definition. If it did then my FULL Sim would be one because i have not made a profit there since I bought it over a year ago. LOL

reddot99 Republic added a comment - 28/Oct/08 05:03 PM
reverted to original priority, as this is as important as it was when originally posted

FreeSpirit Vaher added a comment - 28/Oct/08 05:38 PM
I support this move to rescind the upcoming tier fee raise to OpenSpace Sims.
I just bought an island on an open space sim. I will only lose 5000L if I have to move before Jan 1. My vested interest is low in that regard. However, such a huge raise in tier to open space sims is going to be passed on to residents. Thousands of us will have to move.
We all say, 'SL is just a virtual place' but it is my real money buying the Lindens to have a virtual life in SL'
In an economy where our real life homes and lives are threatened, I protest Linden Labs incredibly high raise in tier to open space sims. That's my opinion. I will not leave SL, no, but I will give up my island and live free in SL if this raise is not changed considerably or reversed.

Wallace McAllister added a comment - 28/Oct/08 10:54 PM
This is not entirely true, I know of many NP's using the land for more than just water or land. One estate currently is running 15 sims (5 of which are full sims) the other 10 all OS each with residences, or businesses on them. According to LL this is not light use. My argument is what constitutes heavy use. Is it the avatars on the sim, scripts, dilation time, or amount of prims used, or a combination there of.

I think overall they should work like a hosting company would, as that is what they are doing here. Set the limits, if you go over for a set period of time then set a penalty fee. This of course would not apply to temporary spikes for avies entering the sims or rezzing objects unless it exceeded x amount of time.


Josephina Bonetto added a comment - 29/Oct/08 04:27 PM
I do not see why prices on OS islands had to go up by that much. I think the OS bubble was always going to burst, too much too soon.

I think a Non-Profit helping hand is a good thing. My full private island has never made a profit either and houses a refuge but I pay full everything. I agree with FreeSpirit, if price hikes get passed on to private island owners like me I will sell up & live free. It puts you off making a contribution to the SL experience if people reward you by bleeding you dry.


Gordon Wendt added a comment - 29/Oct/08 11:10 PM - edited
A major issue but not a showstopper by the definition of shostopper. Changing it as such. Just because it is important doesn't make it a showstopper issue. I'll spare you the quoting of what a showstopper is unless you want me to but being emotional isn't an excuse to miscategorize an issue.

Gordon Wendt added a comment - 29/Oct/08 11:13 PM
I agree it makes no sense for them to end the educational discount especially since they have not given any reason to do so which is probably because they have no reason to do so.

LoriVonne Lustre added a comment - 01/Nov/08 08:11 PM
As the manager of an education island (full) with an attached OS, I am entirely supportive of this. The raise for the OS will come into effect at about the same time as the spending report for this year and the budget for next year is due. It will not pass with this increase – which is beyond exhorbitant for educational and non-profit groups. We will therefore be abandoning our OS unless there is a change in policy.

If we have indeed been an 'abuser', we have never been notified. Nor have we been invited for a discussion regarding this change – regardless of what Jack stated in the blog about the educational and non-profits who own OS sims.