It’s fun to see how a simple marketing trick can cause a whole lot of drama. Unless we have in mind that anything can cause drama in second life. Freebies are a nice idea in theory. They were supposed to make noobs look less bad, to give promotion to the creators, bring extra traffic to the shops, get new customers and make the old ones happy. In short, everybody was supposed to benefit from them.
But in the aftermath, it seems that everybody is pissed about them.
Long ago, I tried to understand the tricky craft of setting prices in second life. I quit even before I started. It is a weird game. Market is too big, with too many players, with too many motives for what they do. But it was easy for me to quit. I don't make my second living by my vendors. But for somebody that actually has a shop in second life, setting prices is a huge puzzle. Read more »
I stole the title from Beg, Borrow or Steal? What can brands do in virtual worlds? a nice analysis of company's behavior in the virtual worlds. So, let's see what those three approaches are. Read more »
You should check Gwyn's writing about future of the metaverse and Intergrid. It deals mostly with the current state of and what big companies wish and plan with our little toy:
Instead of an “unified metaverse”, they’re using the name ambiguously as a more fancy synonym of “virtual world”. The industry players wish to address a different target — games for teens — and are reluctant in accepting an “unified” environment. Each company wishes to have their own virtual universe and aggressively compete with the others.
It is about those skins again. Quick reminder:
I know I am a bitch sometimes and I love a good rant when it is appropriate, but this a clear case of misunderstanding. Read more »
