Survey: Do the New SL Land & Premium Costs & Upgrades Interest You?

Linden Lab just announced new region prices (slightly cheaper) and Premium subscription offer (slightly more but for more benefits) -- but do they interest SL users in paying/continue paying? Please take this survey and share with other SLers!

Results reported next week! Summary of these new offers below:

It’s happening again! As Second Life begins its 16th birthday next month, we’re celebrating by reducing Full Region prices by as much as $20/month! That’s more savings than ever to build, create and design your own home, business or experience in Second Life.

We’re also increasing the value of Premium Membership with higher limits on Group memberships and increasing caps on offline Instant Messages (IMs). These changes are coming just a few weeks after the debut of new themes and larger options for Linden Homes, which are available exclusively to Premium Members (who may alternatively opt to use their 1024m² tier allotment towards a parcel on the Mainland). Other Premium benefits remain unchanged, including the weekly L$300 stipend, Premium virtual gifts, expanded live-chat customer support, exclusive access to Premium areas, priority access to nearly full regions and experiences, and more.

Read the rest here and discuss in Comments below.

Comments

[Pulsar]

Besides "more interested" or "no changed", the sudden price increase of about 30% for premium may have a discouraging effect too to someone who isn't so interested in extra groups and offline IMs.

[Stuart]

Feels like they've tried to get users between a rock and a hard place, if you're already premium and get hammered with the new price, think about the amount of groups you will have to lose if you have to drop down to basic again, let alone the groups the basic accounts are gonna lose, only reason I'm staying premium is because I use my land allotment for my in-world store, and if I wasn't the new homes, while nice, and the new group spaces (which wont be handy) would not be incentive enough to make me go premium.

If they had plans to do something like this they should have staggered it at least, it's like they did the new houses etc to get people hooked and then when they had a couple hundred new subscribers they slapped the increase on them all, I get the increase, but I don't agree with how they have gone about it, it feels cheap.

As for the basic accounts drop in group slots, they should at least grandfather the current rates for anyone who was joined before a certain date, rather than cutting what they have, that's just nasty.

[Jenny Eight six seven five three oh nine]

Heard on the streets that Tempura Japan will be shutting down soon. largely due to the owner having to fight daily against overwhelming copybotting of his MP store.

[Mah Inc.]

Ewww!!!....more for mainland with those ugly 20yr old ground textures?..I'll just pass!

[Dawne]

Honestly the groups I use and the stipend. I loved the new houses but I don't need one. I am okay with the price increase, however.... I feel awful for basic.... I also wish I could buy a homestead.. I would, however I can not afford a full prim. I think you are going to hurt commerce more than ever. Creators raising prices and people won't be able to afford much like they do now. I have put in thousands of dollars on a game, I do not mind doing so.. however if i have too, to just get my groups to keep, that I paid to get into, makes me want to go the other way and just stop playing. I do not like to be backed into a corner.

[Exxxquisite]

What they are doing to creators by upping the fees to cash out is absolutely horrible. I'm sure we will see several leave. It's sad.

[Rosalie]

Total bull. I’m beyond pissed. I want to sell my tier and try to get a linden home out of it but they don’t even have nearly enough of the new ones available!!!

[Erebus]

I go to SL to be solitary and explore and shop and go the clubs for the "new to me" music (set my AV dancing and then minimize SL). I do not use groups, chat, voice, sandboxes, buy an entire sim, create, upload, etc. I am a premium member (and have been for about 13 years) and, right now, have a Linden home. Usually I do own mainland but, still, I don't use most of the premium "services". I wish there was "tier" levels to premium membership. For example, one for content creators, one for sim rental business, one for social people, etc. Or something like where you can pick and choose which services are included in your membership. Tier 1 would be 3 services, Tier 2 would be 6 services, etc. In the past, I've had times where I was on SL for every spare minute every day, building or creating or tending my breeding animals. Right now, I go to SL about once a week for a few hours. For currently casual users like me, the only thing keeping my premium membership active is, otherwise, I'd have to pay rent to someone every month/week and I don't go to SL every day so that would not be worth it for me. If premium gets too expensive, I will gladly cancel and set my home to a HUB area or something for my once a week check-in. I think it will be too expensive the next time I'm up for renewal.

[Amanda]

I can use the extra group slots. This article is a bit out of date since LL has decided to leave Basic groups at 42. I guess they listened to the complaints. Another $20 off my sim tier is welcome too so these changes are all good for me.

[Clara Seller]

I didn't grow up with alcoholic parents, but being a resident of SL for 12 years has made me feel like an adult child of an alcoholic. Up until the last service charge increase for buying Lindens, me and my husband were dropping in excess of $5000.00 per year in SL. That was primarily for land and being paid directly to LL on our bill. That petty service charge inspired us to drop premium accounts, property, and scale back our spending 50%. We're still paying LL $2500.00 a year and we just lost 7 groups each because we're not valued customers. We've never cashed a penny out because earning money in SL isn't our thing.

We know we're not special or valued. If LL hasn't been clear about that through their actions, then they have plenty of co-dependents to drive that point home in various blogs, forums, and social media. A $2500 dollar household is to be shamed, spit on, and driven into the mud.

How insane and reckless is the management of this business? God knows $2500 a year for a game shouldn't earn us a gold star or a thank-you for 12 years of loyalty, but does it really deserve a smack in the face over 7 petty groups?

There are tons of "basic" customers who outspend "premium" customers X 10 or more. LL just hocked a loogie on every one of them.

[Marion r.]

I feel like it's a strain on basic member as myself where most of my groups I pay for. And for premium members u only paying for more groups . I feel like they should keep the basic as it is . For premium member they should go up on the weekly payments its been 300 linden a week and it's not worth it . I rather just stay a basic member

[Stuart]

Power to the People

https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/2559-group-limits-update-no-changes-for-basic-members/

[Dusky]

I don't think I can be interested anymore. I used to care about SL. I had a premium membership for years until the first week of last April. I had invested in land for a decade. It was coincidental that I missed the new changes. I am not going to renew. LL has shown us many times that they are only interested in doing tweaks here and there to keep the wheel turning until we all eventually jump off. It's also insulting that the land tier fees still do not reflect the age and limitations of the platform.

[sirhc desantis]

Not answering the survey thing as the goal posts moved :) Bit of a bummer as my comptroller (is that still a thing?) informs me that the plan to put me back on premium is shelved due to the taking away of quarterlies - they say going to go for 1 or 2 annual at the current rate. Bummer eh... there again this is the first raise in what 12 years? Way back I paid 72 bucks... now for existing its.. 72 bucks. Hell the Lab do make some erm ill thought out decisions but have top admit this is actually rather - fair. By accident as its the Lab =^^=

Much wailing and gnashing of teeth over on the forums by the usual suspects of course. Then again there is Ser Inara.

Anyway as on dit - je suis j'y reste

[Clara Seller]

Yep, apparently they pulled back. Group Membership limits for Basic Residents will NOT be reduced. Smart move. Offline IM's will still be capped at -10 to 15. Whatever. Since they still feel the need to take something away from my account, why don't they reduce the Sansar staff by 10? Seriously. We all need to start chipping in and making sacrifices. Times are tough.

[Rip Van Winkle]

I believe everyone here owes Linden Lab a very big apology! after all who pays to host your inventory, pays for all the years of upgrades to the grid. They do, so please go thank all the lindens you see inworld today.

[Jammy Serendipity]

The increased cost being levied on store owners cashing out is atrocious. It's like they're trying to drive away all the creatives. What a bunch of nitwits.

[Me]

The higher chaege for premium should get us more than 300L. Like seriously, for 12.00 we should get 1k and we should het more peims in our linden homes. I dont use messaging outside of i world. The added grouos are nice but thats all I see that may be some good from these changes. The rest is just another way to say screw your users.

[Jane]

The ONE thing that actually made me interested in getting a Premium account was the same thing mentioned by Jo Yardley -- "24 hours a day chat support". They USED to have that, but removed it. Now they have "Expanded live-chat customer support". What does that mean? Is that only text, or phone calls?

[Jenny8675309 Resident]

I think Rip Van Winkle is right. All of us need to start apologizing to the Lindens. They need more money to continue research into how to stop the last name crisis that is affecting millions of SL residents each year. For only $11.99 per month and maybe $229.00 for a sim, less than the price of most health insurance, you can help put a smile back on an avatar's face and give them the dignity they deserve. Teams of dedicated engineers and groundbreaking exploration in Sansar have put us on the edge of finding the miracle code or the right button to push to stop this horrible affliction. Please don't give up now. All major credit cards accepted. VAT, accessories, upload fees, transfer fees, and processing fees not included.

[The Coffeehouse]

In 5 years LL will close SL once it's replacement is mature enough, as long as they can get at least half the residents to make the switch then it will be business as usual. for the last few years all the promises has been nothing but stall tactics.

Maybe opensim is still viable, they have the kitely marketplace.

[Alazarin Mobius]

The fact that it's been possible to recycle premium stipend to pay for the following years' subscription has allowed me to have some land of my own where I have a small venue that I use for live streaming my live music performances [actually home studio rehearsals...] on to Facebook and YouTube.

My RL financial circumstances are such that I would otherwise be a landless drifter in SL and would most likely have left years ago. I hope they don't put their prices up any more as it would price me out of SL. I understand that LL need to stay in business, etc., etc. Much as I'd love to, I would never be able to afford a full or even a homestead sim. Loads of offline IM's means nothing to me as no-one ever talks to me or messages me in SL. And the last thing I want is yet more spam clogging up my inbox.

I've had a good run of things in SL and I'll miss it when I have to go. I can only hope that the next adventure in my life will open up new pages in my creativity.

[So Many Prims]

Disingenuous changes. They could simply offer more groups and offline IM's to those that want them for the additional cost instead of slugging everyone. Capacity for groups and IM's should cost next to nothing in this day and age.

They really have mismanaged their platform over the years and now they want us to fund their exit strategy.

[moggs oceanlane]

Meh. Being an Aussie with our currently garbage dollar rate, I have to think hard about all subscriptions in USD.

I use my allocation toward group land.

I seldom collect premium gifts.

The option to change ground textures on mainland land you own would be an awesome premium benefit - so I vote for that no option.

Group slots are welcomed.

[Angel Tungsten]

I wouldn't mind the change in Premium pricing so much as I do understand inflation. For that same reason, I think there should at least be a raise in the number of lindens given each week. More groups would be great also, but in my case and maybe others, those groups would probably be dedicated to something other than stores as the rise in fees will affect how many lindens I will be using to shop.

There has been talk of having to get jobs in sl just to be able to afford to shop and for some this will take away from other things, including the fun and relaxation that many come to second life for in the first place.

[Karen Rombeck]

instead of placing the extra costs on the shoulders of the paying customers, charge everyone a monthly fee to log onto the grid. Then the costs should be lower for everyone that was already paying and the basic accounts can help pay for the resources that they are using.