Yes, I'm still around...and it's damn cold here in Switzerland, that is why I use my tail to keep my warm..
I took some holidays from SL over the last 10 months but couldn't resist to have a glimpse into the new viewer and all other changes within SL which happened during 2010. I rejoined SL just a few weeks ago.
I reckon now that my friendship list shrank almost 90% as most of those avatars have left the game. The same for my favorite landmarks...it's incredible how fast things are changing here. Just my inventory is as chaotic as I had left it..
More worrying is that LL integrated Xstreet with its shop and now even their currency exchange. Personally, I always prefer variability and competition over putting everything into the same pot if I can. The fact that LL is now a direct competitor to all small businesses and only one currency exchange is existing, is somehow alarming to me. The monopolist against all other whackos. But I don't want to give evil eyes to LL, I'm not long enough in SL again to make a substantial judgement....
Real gambling is gone, banks are gone, betting is gone, virtual stock exchanges are gone (mostly), land business is apparently in constant change on the back of the land owners ...thats seems to me like quite a big loss of activities...it's almost a miracle that SL still can keep a serious amount of active avatars as the statistical data is showing.
LL has possibly found a way to keep an average number of active avatars which generate enough return to run the place from a financial point of view. They just have to make sure that the number of joining avatars is balanced with the one leaving the grid. However, I doubt that this is a prospective business model. Unless, well Brett Linden brought up some other thoughts, also to be considered of course.
SL will possibly move more and more into direction of a 3D social networking system with limited boundaries. Innovation and the free spirit which created so much activity and dramas in the beginning of SL will slowly die then ...something tells me that I will miss those dramas..;-)..I don't say that such development is a bad thing. It's surely an advantage if they seek to integrate more RL business. And there are quite a few companies and organisations in SL using it for education and information purposes. Anyway, I don't want to become philisophical towards the end of the year.
LEM retook some “business” activities which generate a small revenu. I take this is a constellation to spend some limited time inworld as I'm curious where all those policies of LL will lead to..There are even some RL projects which have a link to SL. So that is reason enough for me to stay. If that is of interest for you then just follow this blog and stay posted.
Happy New Year 2011 to all of you...and hopefully I see you again inworld some time.
Greetz
Cas
