SL-ice.net

Content creators and land owners are closing stores and removing their builds as a result of the CopyBot issue (discussed without naming it in the previous post here).

I am suprised about these knee-jerk reactions. More suprising is that these content creators only now realize that it is possible to copy prims since it has been possible to copy prims since SL came online.

Prims are just a representation of an object, so it can still be copied manually regardless of whether you have permission to modify it or even own the object. Granted, copying manually takes time and skill; however, it has always been possible.

The shop closures and disappearing builds, including some that are not likely to return, are in fact creating new opportunities for those that stay open. Business is booming since there is suddenly a lot less choice available.

Content creators, you are creating your own problems by making a lot of people aware of CopyBot and by assuming that your customers and people that pass by are thieves. Granted, there are people that will copy your creations and try to sell them. So what? The number of people doing that is far smaller than the number of your current and future customers.

• Worried about people stealing from your shop? Set your land to no build.
• Worried about people stealing what they have bought from you? Add value through customer support, scripting, and documentation.
• Worried about your completely unique build getting into the wrong hands? Keep your completely unique build in your inventory, wake up, realize that nothing in SL is completely unique, and come to terms with the fact that copying is not a problem - it is an opportunity.

 

This is not a big deal. Most consumers (more than 80% I think) don’t care to copy creations - they like things for what they are and prefer to buy them. 

Your responses here paint your customers as thieves.

Remember when you started hearing about the RIAA going after grandmothers and babies? Most of the people here are advocating similar responses - these are the same people that were disgusted by the RIAA’s approach.  Copying has always been possible. It is just easier now. Get over it.

Increase your quality, make your customers feel more like customers rather than Linden$ spewing purses and wallets that fill your vendors and L$ balances. Give them a reason to buy from you and they will - even if there are cheaper or free knock-offs available.  SL is becoming more like RL every day now. Embrace the change and we will survive this, just as we survived easy texture theft.

Except for the land, Linen water, and Linden trees, the content you see in SL is entirely created by its users. While the SL experience is, in and of itself, great it is the content — the people, buildings, decorations, vehicles - that brings SL to life.

A group of independent developers has been working for months to understand and mimic the communications that occur as people ‘play’ SecondLife. They have been doing this because the understanding of how SL works can lead to new ways of using SL as a platform for not only business, but also enjoyment. Imagine animating your avatar based on your hand gestures, or automating certain operations of your SL-based business while you are offline.

The group of independent developers have been instrumental in discovering and reporting exploits -  security vulnerabilities - to Linden Labs. One such exploit was the ability to bypass the L$10 upload fee when uploading a texture, image, or animation. Imagine the unfair advantage a user has over others if she were exempt from the upload fee. In addition, imagine the havoc that a user could create by uploading millions of textures or other assets (SL refers to textures, objects, pictures, animations and other content as assets) - imagine the strain that would put in SL servers, possibly denying others from logging in or getting anything done in SL.

Your view of the world changes as you walk, fly, or otherwise move through SL. Your view changes because the SL servers download information about the land, prims, and avatars around you - they download that information to your SL client that is running on your computer - it works in a way that is similar to viewing web pages in the Internet.

The SL servers have always sent this information to your computer and the ability to read that information has always been present. It just has been hidden from most users.

SL changed a few days ago with the availability of a convenient way to capture the information that gets downloaded to your system as you move throughout the world. This method acquires the information that gets downloaded and then uploads that information back into SL on your behalf. This means that people can now easily copy everything they see in SL - they can make an exact copy of just about anything in a couple of minutes and need very little skill to do so.

There is a catch. Remember the group of independent developers I mentioned? They created a test application that performs capture and upload and made it available among themselves. Someone, or some people got a hold of the program and made it freely available and are selling it on a popular SL web site.

Looking through the Linden blog, content creators are upset and want various things done to address this issue including banning the independent developers. Content creators are also discontinuing from selling their items in-world out of fear that anyone can copy them and resell them.

The reality is that the ability to copy things in SL has always been present. When you look at a great building, sculpture, article of clothing, or someone’s hair you are seeing textures and prims. Textures have been easy to acquire for more than 8 months now. Prims have always been relatively easy to copy - manually - even if you don’t own the items you want to copy. It just takes time and patience.

There are scripted solutions available too. It is possible to take an object you own and create an exact copy of it using some simple scripting.

As I said earlier, the newly available method for copying makes it simple to copy anything that is made up of prims or textures using a couple of simple steps.

So, what’s the problem? SL survived texture theft and it will survive prim duplication.

People are discussing copyright violations, filing DMCA-related complaints, and fair use. The fact is that if someone really wants to copy something you have made, they are going to get it - end of story.
We, the content creators of SL, have a great advantage over those who copy - we can create new things. We have customers that appreciate our work.

Moreover, seeing how others make their things is great since it helps make our creations better. When I started SL, I looked at all the freebie items to get an idea of how things are made. Freebie things are often high-prim and it took me a while to realize that there are very efficient ways to make things using only a few prims. I taught myself to learn the art of making low prim buildings and furniture. Now, that knowledge is broadly available and can only work to increase the quality of our creations since the black art of building is now ‘open source’(granted it is forced, but it is forced for everyone now so people no longer have a competitive edge by making their things no modify).

This could impact sales, like sales of music when services like Napster started. However, the fact remains that, today, recordings and movies still sell, rent, and make people rich. A small fraction of consumers go to the trouble of locating, downloading, and using pirated content. The rest still buy, and buy willingly since they appreciate the quality of what they are purchasing.

Am I concerned about people ripping off my creations? Yes, of course! At the same time, I am excited to see what new opportunities this will create and the overall increase in quality that will come to our world.

Sky Mark properties recently expanded when we acquired more land in the Cristat sim. There are now a total of 60 condos that are barely visible to most people.

With the exception of a total of 21 condos, all condos are located in the sky and are at least 30m apart thereby providing a great deal of privacy (regular chat travels less than 30m, so chatting in the open while inside a condo reduces the chance of someone else in the area overhearing you).

In addition, with the exception of the ten condos at Sky Mark Six, all condos are completely customizable inside. We provide a scaled down version of the customizable condo capability found in our Heavenly Condos project. Sky Mark condos contain at least 30 textures you can use to customize the floor, windows, and even the outside railing! Changing textures is as simple as clicking the floor, window, or railing.

With the exception of Sky Mark Two, all other Sky Mark condos feature a locking door. When a guest first rents a condo, the rental system locks the door and makes the guest a door administrator. The guest can add and remove friends from the door’s access list from the moment the lease for the condo begins - the process of adding the leasor to the door’s access list is completely automated.

Here is an overview of the condos:

Sky Mark One: The original Sky Mark condo. This building is 11 stories high and offers two types of condos: single level and loft. The single level condo is a great starter and the loft is perfect for people that want some more space. Both condos are completely customizable and have the locking door capability. Prices start at L$50 per week.

Sky Mark Two: Offers a completely furnished condo and customizable interior. The condo allows residents to temporarily place their items (things get returned every five hours). This building was an experiment in minimalism - a great starter without having to be concerned about prim limits. All condos at Sky Mark Two are L$50 per week.

Sky Mark Three: Offers a great deal of privacy since each condo is spaced at least 30m apart. Sky Mark Three  condos are completely customizable and have the locking door capability. All condos at Sky Mark Three are only L$60 per week.

Sky Mark Four: Very similar to Sky Mark Three; the lease for the condos at Sky Mark Four start at L$75/week - lofts are also available.

Sky Mark Five: Larger (10×14m with a private patio), singe-level condos  All condos at Sky Mark Five at L$150/week.

Sky Mark Six: Offers a completely redesigned condo with several living spaces and a private patio. The lease for the condos at Sky Mark Six is L$200/week.

Photos to follow.

 

SL-ice enhances yours and your customers’ virtual experience though thoughtful design and effective solution delivery.
Our background is technology but our passion is people - we articulate our passion and background in our community, business, and custom solutions.

Some interesting SecondLife demographics data:

• 26% Female users
• Median age 26, average age 32
• 59% International
• 47%  North America
• 37% Europe (from 28%)
• 7% Asia
• 8%   Latin America

(I wonder how the total user base can add to 106%…maybe a typo)

Top 10 Countries

• United States   448,731 
• United Kingdom  88,372
• Canada  43,610
• Australia   31,501
• Netherlands 19,401
• Argentina   15,317
• Germany 15,219
• Spain   14,990
• Brazil  14,615
• Italy   10,357

 

I was accepted as a Mentor on October 13, 2006

Mentors are available to Residents on Help Island, the mainland Welcome Areas, sandboxes and a wide variety of public places. Mentors help all Second Life Residents old and new, from their first steps in Second Life through to the oldest Residents. Mentors help anyone who needs help or has questions.

I wanted to become a mentor since I was already helping a lot of new residents through my Sky Mark condos. Sky Mark condos have always been targted at newer residents, so I often ended up helping out people on a one-to-one basis.

Being a Mentor allows me to access the Help Islands - the second stop new people make on their way into SL (the first stop is Orientation Island; however, most new people are self-sufficient when on the Orientation Islands, so Mentors and other volunteers don’t usually hng out there).

Being on Help Island allows me to learn, first hand, about problems people have when they start SL and gives me an opportunity to help in a very direct way.

Although I have been an Instructor since May 15,2006 - I did not feel comfortable teaching people when I did not understand what they wanted to learn in first place. Meeting a lot of new people and following through with them after they go to the mainland has really boosted my understanding of common problems tht new people encounter.

All of this will only help to make SL-ice better and more relevant

Formerly known as Reckoned Second, we have moved to our new home at SL-ice.net!

Our new home uses WordPress, the same blog software used at the Official Linden Blog.

This move greatly enhances the services we can provide to you to enhance your SecondLife!