On a lighter note....Prad Prathivi has fun with Linden email

Prad Prathivi actually managed to get into a top Lindens gmail account? Seriously you have to read this, see it full size HERE. Well done Prad this is absolutely genius just at a time when everyone needs a little lightening up!

M is listening - honestly!

Instead of dealing with the growing frustration caused by lack of communication in the FORUM lets all go down to the blog today we know we'll get a big surprise - Sorry if I seem a little jaded but what the H***
Since the open spaces announcement and charade of a forum *discussion all we see is the good news touting Lindens obviously trying to mask the true state of Secondlife with pep talks that hopefully fool no-one.
Luckily I am of the opinion that ANY outside company looking for a solution in SL will also look at Resident run blogs and real life press about the poor way Linden treat their PAYING customers, I am optimistic that NO corporation would want to deal with a company with so little respect for its customers.
Its great Secondlife is so transparent with its 'Q3 closed on a high note with an unusually strong September' and the mainland cleanup goes on - 'Progress Update regarding the recent Advertising Policy' I just wonder if Linden realises none of this matters? Real companies research before they invest, maybe Linden Lab need to realise public relations are one of the first things corporate businesses look at.
The Solution Providers Update from Glenn Linden just makes Linden Lab look even more desperate for money (sorry Glen, but timing is everything) - bleeding the residents is not enough.
I have always tried to remain objective but it's getting much harder to do. I read with interest Zee Lindens forum and have to admit he did a great job of actually responding and answering many questions, we may disagree on his numbers but at least he bothered to engage with the residents. He is a shining example of a Linden, not perfect but willing to admit Linden Lab messed it up!
"A better way to say it would have been to say that its our fault because we didn't put the proper restrictions on them and then they were naturally used for more than they were intended. Its our mistake. Really. I mean it. Completely our mistake." Zee Linden

The communications officer? You can read for yourself how she dealt with frustrated residents and I will say she needs to take a look at her condescending attitude and remember the residents are not children playing a game but adults many of whom make a real living out of SL and run businesses in the real world also.

The long awaited reply from M Linden finally happened after 2600+ posts, short and not so sweet;
Everybody,
This has been a very robust thread with a lot of dialog and back and forth. I've kept up with all the posts as you've shared them. Since most were specific to the price change, I thought Jack -- the person responsible for Land here at Linden Lab -- would be the best person to answer them. In addition to the posts here, I have gotten a lot of emails and note cards from residents with many thoughts, ideas, concerns, some anger and frustration but also messages of hope and support. Thank you all for sharing your views so profusely!
There is a lot of feedback that will be very useful as we evolve our land product further.
Thank you again for sharing your thinking and your feelings.
Best,
M Linden.

I find it amazing that if he was reading the forum and thought Jack "would be the best person to answer" that he didn't ask Jack to do exactly that, but nobody got the chance to reply as the forum thread was closed just 4 posts later.

In the meantime the SOS movement grows stronger, SOS is no longer simply a group in Second Life, but rather a legally formed non-profit organizaton known as “The Grid Representation Foundation” doing business as SOS.

I will leave this for now as I just find it pathetic and hope that RL companies properly research before thinking of investing in SL the way many residents have done.
Dana Vanmoer

M(ark) Lindens letter to residents:

In A Letter to Second Life Residents M Linden outlines the new plans for Openspaces and some at least can breath a little easier.
Places like the sailing communities that use the openspaces the way they were originally intended.
But on the whole adding the new homesteads is not much of a change you will still have to pay more for your home but this charge will be stepped - going to $95 in January and then to $125 by July and scripts and avatars will also be limited on these sims - so although you will be paying more for your current openspace you will be getting less for your money.

I zipped around the grid to get immediate reactions:
IntLibber BnT: "I am deeply offended to see M Linden speaking at a breast cancer convention on the same day he released this rapacious policy, when so many residents of SL started their businesses in SL because they or a family member was homebound due to having to cope with cancer striking their lives. Linden Lab policy has steadily been destroying the businesses that these people depend upon for their livings. This is the worst sort of predation upon the most fragile members of our society.I launched my own business in SL to help pay for my fathers cancer treatments, as I was homebound to care for him and my disabled mother. His cancer may be returning to strike his colon. If LL continues these policies, his blood is on their hands.
While the real world has elected new leadership with Hope For Change, the best we can do in SL is hope for spare change after LL robs us of everything we earn and drives our residents away from our businesses."

Other residents on the D'Alliez estate are confused and looking for answers which of course will take some explaining - renters are, of course, harder to sort out especially on an estate as large as Alliez Mysterios'
Alliez Mysterio: I still have to go over it again but it seem like LL is trying. They have given options but overall not much has changed for renters the price will still go up and they will be more limited in what they can do on the openspaces they have and if you rent them out you will be homesteaded.

I also Spoke to Charlene Trudeau of Skybeam Estates and asked for her reaction:
Charlene Trudeau: The slower increase is good for people needing to adjust to the new pricing. It will still force some large scale changes in structure on the new Homestead product, however, especially for those who rented them out to more than one tenant per region. For my own estates, I am glad that my moves to adjust to the initial changes have not be negated, they are still prudent decisions for a long term outlook. Short term, more of my OS regions might have been retained for a time by their occupants, but this gets the painful adjustments over with sooner
dana Vanmoer: so it is still going to be a painful experience, what could LL have done to negate this and is there anything you would have liked to have seen?
Charlene Trudeau: I would have liked the plan that is in place now to have been thought out thoroughly from the beginning. And the only thing I would have liked to see in addition to the current is a willingness to also waive *move* fees in situations where a region is left floating remote from areas that were part of the contiguous estate before. Other than that, the new changes solve most of my major concerns. The pain comes far more from watching residents who have built so much have to tear down because they can't afford the increases.
I was heartsick as I helped everyone tear apart their lives. I've moved on into a 'looking towards tomorrow' mindset now. In fact, I've named my two newest regions based on that theme :)

At first glance the post looks positive and in the short term it is a change for the better BUT overall nothing has changed except the timescale for most openspace owners.

The best place to find out whether you are affected and what you will have to pay is in the SUPPORT PORTAL where a detailed explanation and table are shown BUT again although it say scripts will be limited on homesteads it does not say how much.
Hopefully we can expect more technical details in the near future.
More responses can be seen in the FORUM created for this purpose.
Dana Vanmoer

Does M making the announcement make it more official?

Openspace Announcement Due Tomorrow

Over the last week we have been listening to your feedback and working hard to revisit the original announcement. This blog post is just a short message to let everyone know that we’re now close to being able to share our thinking more fully with you.
Tomorrow M will post to the blog. The post will be our response to all of the great feedback you have provided and will include details about how we intend to proceed regarding Openspaces.
Immediately after the post tomorrow, we will open another forum thread where we will do our best to answer your questions. We understand that many of you are anxious for news, and so I wanted to be sure to let you know that the waiting is almost over.

source:http://blog.secondlife.com/

SL5B opens with speeches from Phillip Linden and M

Philip Linden opened the birthday celebrations with a speech that reflected on his amazement at how much secondlife has grown:

"I feel I have lived a lifetime in that 5 years, it feels almost like 50 years"

He also surprisingly addressed the problems surrounding the celebration itself:
"I know there has been tension, protest and stress around this event and I think its great, its emblematic of what secondlife is all about and why it's special. To attempt to make a celebration of what secondlife is about is bound to fail"

I wonder if those excluded think its 'great'?

He goes on to talk about the progress that has been made on the grid itself and notes that Linden Lab are 'working hard on stability' thats it is a 'big focus' for LL to work towards.

M(ark) Linden also touched on a tender subject that of IP rights:

"One of the fundamental elements is on IP rights. Its really really important that people who create great content are able to enjoy it and protect it, its one of the things philip put in place and which has underpinned the economy today."

But although he did mention the topic and admit that creative content is the backbone of the economy there were no answers as to how this was to be achieved or even if Linden Lab were doing anything about content theft.
There was a lot of corporate bolstering and obviously the speeches were tailored to boost that image but on the whole I felt the speeches were aimed at the residents without actually solving any of the present resident concerns, both speeches taken together did acknowledge those issues exist and let everyone know that Lindenn Lab have been listening and they are aware of the problems facing ordinary residents.
I can't say there was any reassurance that these issues would be fixed, just that the Lab is aware. To me that was a reassurance in itself an acknowledgement of the work they still need to do.
The speeches felt to me like a placification for those that have issues and concentrated on the creative content to be seen over the 20 sim exhibition.
There is some incredible content to be seen over there and I urge everyone to take the time to 'wade through the honey', as the lag has been labled, and have a look at what is now possible in Secondlife.
I hope there are some hair displays around too as M pointed out to Philip 'its been 4 years since his avatar was updated and although his hair is the best in SL it is also the oldest' showing perhaps the human side of the Lab. I wonder if some of the hair creators out there could send him some prim hair based on the newbie style he is wont to use.
M Linden himself has obviously been shopping and looks a good deal better than his newbie CEO pictures :)
Happy Birthday Secondlife

If you want to watch the entire speech see the blog HERE