SL Bloggers Wonder About Blogging for SL on an Unpaid Basis

Update, 2/10: Linden Lab replied to this controversy here.

Linden Lab is looking for SLers who want to blog for their community site, evidently on an unpaid basis, which is an opportunity that makes SL blogger Chestnut Rau only huff: "Linden Lab is making millions of dollars from us so I wonder why we should donate our content, and give editorial and exclusivity rights to them for free." She is right to be non-plussed: When Chestnut covered Second Life events for this blog for a couple years, I paid her in Linden Dollars.

In fact, I've paid every New World Notes contributor (maybe ten in all) in Linden Dollars (and some in real cash), at rates generally ranging from the Linden Dollar equivalent of USD$5-30 per post, depending on post size and the blog's current revenue stream. Wish I could pay more (and do, during plush months), but then, there are some top blogs which pay about the same rates.

Mainly this is out of self-interest: If you expect high quality content, you should offer at least some relatively decent compensation in return. But it's also the right thing to do: I make money from this blog, so people who help me out should get a cut. I'd expect the same principle to apply to the owner of a for-profit online world. Especially when they're making money on the very people they are now asking to give them free labor.

All that said, it's quite possible the Lindens who initiated this project aren't aware how large the SL/virtual world blogosphere is, or just how much revenue it's making from SL and RL ads. So hopefully they come around to see the wisdom of dipping into their massive Linden Dollar bank. If they pay enough, they might even get more traffic than New World Notes.

Update, 2/10: Linden Lab replied to this controversy here.

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Comments

[Chestnut Rau]

Thanks for covering this story. The conversation today has been interesting and informative. There certainly are a lot of perspectives and I have very much enjoyed hearing what people think.

Also, I loved writing for NWN. It was a great experience and I miss it!

[shockwave yareach]

I simply replied to the forum post with a terse but polite "No."

[Metacam Oh]

I think SL bloggers should take a cue from Linden Lab tier pricing and charge them 3x the worth of their articles.

[Ziki Questi]

Maybe I'll ask the Lab to help write entries for my blog. ^^

[Deoridhe Quandry]

I have to admit, when I scanned this last night I missed the "right to edit" and "exclusive ability to publish" aspects of the deal - which now seems a whole lot less sweet. I has assumed it was like whatever weird Linden thing led them to link to one of my Flickr pictures a few months back - a link to MY actual content which brought eyeballs to my photostream as well as highlighted awesome creations in Second Life.

I'm really disappointed they're asking us to sign our rights away and we might to even be published. I do a fairly knock-down simple blog, but it takes time and energy that I have no interest in sending into some sort of void of Second Life, possibly to never see the light of day.

[Ciaran Laval]

The exclusive content limitation is a big mistake. I'm not as against this idea as others, it's not something I'd personally participate in but that's not because of it being unpaid.

Facebook, Twitter and Google + are full of unpaid content, there's potential via this suggestion for people to extend their reach, that can be worth a lot to people.

LL do need to at least get hold of someone who will blog about the community, or communities inworld and that should be someone employed by Linden Lab but I don't think this is such a bad idea by Linden Lab, although it does need tweaking, particularly as I said, with regards to the exclusive content aspect.

[Ann Otoole InSL]

There is no shortage of not-SL-famous bloggers that will provide content as per the terms in order to become better known. If you want money then don't write for LL on this deal. Plenty of people probably will for the exposure and to gain name recognition. Then when they are all famous and stuff then they can get pissy about it too.

[Quan Lavender]

I suspect them now to see us much more stupid as already expected. And I wonder how lousy the unpaid content will be, which would prove their meaning about us. :(

[Melissa Yeuxdoux]

Hmmm.... they at best don't mention payment for articles. They at least want first publication rights, and don't explicitly say what rights the blogger would have after that. They reserve the right to review and edit.

I tend to ramble a bit, with subject matter that is sometimes loosely tied to SL at best, and a good part of the time is about the products of a particular store, which I do want to mention--anyone supporting SL's busty community merits my honor, respect, and support--immediately tripping over one of their constraints... and given the subject matter I sometimes include an NSFW photo (always behind a page break, but still violating yet another constraint).

Nice idea, but I will have to turn it down.

[Uccello]

I'm on the fence about this. On the one side, I think back to the pleasant experience I had working with Zed Linden on the "Best of SL Halloween" project last year (http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Inworld/Best-of-SL-Halloween-Host-Uccello-Poultry/ba-p/1187069). Further, being a Resident stopped being a for-profit exercise long ago so pay isn't a huge issue (I'm dirt poor but I get by). After all, most anyone who reads my blog probably thinks of me as something akin to an SL Fangurl with my frequent defenses of the official viewers and positive comments about most things in-world. Blogging for The Lab wouldn't be that big of a shift.

Then pops up the "exclusivity" aspects. At this time, that is a show-stopper for content that likely would show up on my own blog. I might not rule out special pieces for the official blog, however, because the occasional post might draw an audience to my usual writing. And I'd like to be a team player, so to speak, by working with all aspects of the Community, resident and government alike.

Give me a few days. Maybe I'll submit a test post. But as of right now I don't see any effort becoming regular until rights are more favorable.

[Kim]

If LL had any decency with regards to nonprofit and educational pricing, I would maybe understand.

They won't give a helping hand to those least able to afford their exorbitant land fees, but they're perfectly comfortable asking their paying customers for a free handout.

[Orca Flotta]

When I read the post I immediately thought SHOW STOPPER!

No Pay and heavy censorship don't go down well with me. Apart from that my goofy English skills won't secure me a "job" as guest blogger for the lab anyway.

We all know what they want and expect: some fanbois and -gurlz shouting HOO! and screaming in glee about all the friggin wonders you can find in SL. They do this expecting to achieve a quasi legitimate unbiased journalistic credibility without really having to deal with exactly that.

Write a blog for LL:
Mention lag, mention borked sim crossings, mention banlines, fugly builds, deserted sims, griefer attacks, bad content, mention the sim deathwatch, mention anything about the not so good sides of SL and its inhabitants and you'll see what they understand as editing.

I surely hope this new initiative will backfire on the lab!

[Wizard Gynoid]

Besides these issues, there is the issue of the comments to the blog that were censored by Linden Lab and then comments were totally locked down. The best comments deleted were those by Crap Mariner and Botgirl Questi, two of SL's more esteemed bloggers.
Both comments were exquisite examples of the art form they excel at. Crap had the foresight to do a screen grab before the comment was deleted. It is here: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6841245253_fe23f8a926_o.jpg
Botgirl's deleted comment is here: http://botgirl.blogspot.com/2012/02/richie-rich-lindens-opportunity-for.html

[bobo]

cheap geeks.

[Lukemary Slade aka Luca Spoldi]

There's simply no reason to work for free, for Linden Lab or any other. If your work is valued zero, it value zero in my opinion, no matter if we are talking of blogging about SL or copywriting for Coca-Cola or doing any other work in the universe.

I write on a regular basis about Second Life and other virtual worlds since 2007 for my own site, I write a lot on social networks about SL and virtual worlds and about my "real" work (i.e. about financial markets), I sell my contents (financial ones) for clients on the web and on press everyday and you know? It's what pays my mortgage at the end of the month.

If LL would like to have my (as your, as those of everyone) work, they have to pay for it. In Us dollars preferebly (or at least in that silly linden dollars should they provide a way to transform them in real money without leaving 4% or 5% of them to Paypal...). Or giving me the possibility to gain throgh advertising, or giving me visibility and traffic for my site too (every one of these is a form of giving me value, even if at the end money is always the clearest and simplest way).

Even Huffingtong (and I don't like too much Huffington's model) pay its main contributors and offers visibility (i.e. value) to the others. Free means nothing, free means "ok guys, it's a joke and you can pretend to be a journalist or a blogger even if we know you are not).

I simply haven't much time to play this game and I can't figure who and how can play it, especially in a period which is not so good for "real" economy (but ok, maybe this is because I live in Italy and you know we suffer a bit of restraints at the moment). But who knows, it's just my opinion so maybe someone is willing to play the game of "pretend to be a blogger/journalist/writers for LL"....

[Joshy Pakula]

Hi! I have a second life blog in spanish, i don't know if i could send my posts to this call.
Is only for english bloggers?

Second Life Data

[DD Ra]

Once upon a time, there was a big SL blogging community...

... then Linden Lad insisted that such terms as SL, second life, their logos... or even URL with SL in it should only be used by LL.

... a very long time after that, just when non-profit sims have to pay the same as any other sim, they come to us and ask us to give them free content (the content we make in SL is already theirs) for them to use exclusively and as they see fit.

This was written for Lindens who are new in SL and do not to understand why such a proposal is not very welcomed.

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

No thank you, LL. I'd like to see this as a gesture to the insulted community of SL enthusiasts by LL's CEO, who inherited M's mess and Philip's fractured dream of a better world online. As with bringing back "your world, your imagination," I could be a step back toward goodwill.

It would be a more meaningful gesture if the company offered the bloggers something.

If my local alternative weekly, with a staff and budget far smaller than Linden Lab's, can shell out $100US for one my columns, the Lab can at least toss $2500L or so at its bloggers.

[Pappy Enoch]

Dadgum it, Iggy. I done moseyed over to Linden Lab's blob site after you done telled me they needs folks to make blobs for them.

But it are all locked down and they ain't lettin' in no more comments.

I works for cheap, as you well knows (you don't pay yo' guest writers' nuffin' either), and were a-hopin' to cover that-there romance angle, which am my area o' experience. I are a reg'lar Count o' Monty Crisco when It comes to lovin' and so forth with pretty gals.

Mistopher Au, I are ready to blob rite here at New Fake World notes, too. All I needs am a hot date on the fashion circuit wif Miss Iris Ofeelya.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

I'll be happy to write glowing press releases for Linden Lab. The price will be a very reasonable $1000 up front and $295 monthly royalty thereafter.

Cheaper articles are available, but only 10-20 people can read them, and they will have fewer adjectives and punctuation marks. In addition, you must be paying royalties on a full article before you can purchase a cheap one.

Short blurbs can be purchased for as little as $10 a month, but are restricted to 512 characters, and I reserve the right at any time to buy up the space around the blurb and post obscene, disgusting or harassing messages. No enforcement action shall be taken against these messages, even if they're clearly illegal and make the original text completely unusable.

How about it, Linden Lab? Does this sound like a good deal to you?

[shockwave yareach]

If I am expected to write something that LL gets to use for free, then the following are reasonable:

1) LL gets first publication rights and the rights to keep their version on the website for eternity. After one week on LL's site, I get to do anything I want to with my copy.

2) LL may not republish the post or collect it for sale in any form known or unknown. It may only exist as a web blog for free access.

3) LL may edit their copy for their forum as they see fit. My version on my blog will not follow LL's lead and will be published as I desire for MY forums.

4) LL's lack of payment means LL cannot claim any portion of my writing as "work for hire". I retain full authorship and all copyrights.

5) LL's use of my work is by my permission, and once given it may not be revoked -- once on the blog it can stay on the blog. This does not grant LL ownership of my material nor copyright; their use of my copyrighted material is by my gracious permission only.

6) LL's failure to pay for material means that no deadlines or requirements shall exist. What I give, I give, and on my personal schedule. If LL wants more professional writing then they shall have to pay a professional writing wage for it. I'll write what I feel like, when I feel like writing it and all LL "requirements" will be ignored.

I don't mind writing for free for the entertainment of my friends. But I won't write for free to make a company wealthy. And I certainly won't give up all the rights to use MY property in any way I see fit in order to make a company wealthier while I get absolutely nothing for my labors. The above are the guidelines for my writing for you for free -- they are not negotiable. If you want to own my stories, then you must pay for them. If you don't pay then I keep all ownership and I'll do anything I want with my works, thank you.

[Pathfinder]

I've always been impressed by the wealth of bloggers writing about virtual worlds. Everyone offers a different perspective, and they're all passionate in their beliefs.

Ignore the locked greenhouses, Let a thousand flowers bloom across the countryside.

[Pappy Enoch]

Mistopher Au, I needs to clear up sum'fin I writ up here.

I knows you pays yo' guest writers. It am Iggy who am the cheapskate.

Now if'n you wants me to cover the fashion beat wif Miss Iris, I'll work for free like I done said.

Otherwise, we kin negotiate a fair price on the human-interest stories I kin bring to run up your search results at ol' Barney Google's company.

[Ener Hax]

too bad they simply don't acknowledge bloggers who already blog nicely about SL!!!

rather than doing crap like sending a take Down notice to Jokay's SL education site two years ago

what a joke . . .

[Breen Whitman]

Linden Labs views content like some Chinese administrators view human organs - its their right to get for free, no questions of payment. Its an entitlement view.

then...profit.

Blog posts is content. Expecting LL to pay? You silly.

LL = Content Harvesters.

[Ezra]

Not surprised to see how many bloggers are upset with the idea of this. I've always felt the same about Snowstorm.

Snowstorm is almost an exact parallel infact; craft content for free, sign a rights sharing agreement (though not exclusive), and go uncompensated.

Where is Phil's type of thinking in all this? His whole deal the last few years have been Love Machine's "Work List" and "Coffee & Power". Both products at their core are all about compensating micro-work with micro-pay.

Phil's other products understand that money motivates and gets things done, and that its only right that well...labor goes compensated with more than a thank you.

I know Phil isn't involved at Linden Lab beyond being on the board, but how has that understanding not trickled down? Who is it constantly thinking up new ways for customers to do things for their corporation for free?

I'm glad Linden Lab has asked for something for free from those who can best be vocal about it.

[Pussycat Catnap]

This would make a lot more sense if SL was WoW.
- in a subscription based game where the company provided all the content and we just played with their toys.

But SL has a thriving economy in addition to games to play. Most of those games - be they social or action - are user made. The SL economy feeds into that. Both the monetary economy -AND- the social economy of various networks and interconnections.

We are paying them for access to our own content.

Put another way, LLs is really just a 'server farm', or slumlord in the projects. The vibrant community is ours, all the lawn chairs are ours, the boom box is ours, everything at the house party is us - they just own the building (and yeah slumlord is the ripe analogy... cause anybody who's called the landlord about the broken heating and waited, waited, and waited can relate... and we've even got roaches infesting the place (griefers)). :)

So it seems a little odd that the landlord wants us to write about the house party for the apartment newsletter in an effort to bring in more tenants, under these terms.

But at the same time... it really just is the apartment newsletter, and not say, the open mic night down at the yard.

Is this really getting marketing on the cheap, or just promotion of fanzine space?

Since its our neighborhood, but in their apartment complex - I'm not sure how I feel on the issue.

[shockwave yareach]

@Pussycat - anyone who has been published or dreams of being published should look at those terms very very carefully. LL claims that you are not permitted to show YOUR work anyplace else after it's on their blog. By what right and contract do they claim all copyright to your work? Did they buy those rights? No they did not, and anyone in SFWA would put LL here in the same boat as a number of POD companies who promise you great exposure all for nothing more than letting them own your stories outright and selling them for any amount they wish.

It's your writing, and your product to use however you see fit. It does not belong to LL, and their offer of "free exposure" is as crooked as every company trying to get free artwork for its tshirts telling newcomers how great it will be for their portfolio.

If LL wants a community blog, I'll write for a community blog. If LL wants legal ownership of my works then they have to pay for it like everyone else has to do. I'm sure the lindens are quite surprised at the venom they've gotten over this latest gaff. My reply is to ask them the last time they put in a few days of work for free up there at the lab. They get paid for their labors -- writers have the same burning need to eat and pay the mortgage as anyone else. And if our words are good enough to show off as company property, then they are good enough to pay for in one way or the other.

A company so crooked and greedy as LL asking me for freebies deserves every bit of contempt that it receives.

[Hitomi Tiponi]

looks like they closed comments on it - presumably because the same points being made here where being made there.

[Kim Anubis]

So essentially they are attempting to get someone to do Hamlet's old job -- the one that he, like, paid his bills with and lived on -- for free. Doubleplusungood.

[Masami Kuramoto]

You guys are just not looking far enough. Second Life's economy is a Ponzi scheme. Every noob that acquires enough skills to become a merchant needs a noob following after him to buy his stuff. Unfortunately there are now too many merchants competing for the L$$ of too few noobs. That's not a good thing.

If you are a merchant, it's in your own best interest to help the Lab get more noobs into the boat for a healthy Ponzi economy. The best way to do that is by emphasizing Second Life's community participation aspects. Don't fool yourself into believing that Linden Lab's call for blog posts be directed at the "pro bloggers" who already run their own sites. The pro bloggers are too critical of SL anyway. Instead it is directed at merchants who want to sell stuff! Note the submission guideline: "Selected posts must not include marketing-related links and must not be entirely self-promotional."

Not _entirely_ self-promotional, wink wink. You got it?

[Nanu]

this is Hamlet's old job at the Lab we are talking about here, right? ... just for free now.
astonishing how cool you stay about that, Hamlet >.<

[Stone Semyorka]

Like any government, LL has a huge printing press. It can print all the linden dollars it needs at any time, so it could pay writers for their works at no cost to LL.

[Bryony C.]

Joshy has a point there...the Lindens seem to be only interested in blogs from English speakers.

Second Life has a huge number of residents that speak other languages!

Linden Lab are more than happy to taken non-English speakers' cash for land and premium accounts but ignore them as members of the Second Life community.

What a shame.

[foneco zuzu]

Linden Lab is so not into its own product!