Thank you for those who have read this blog and reached out to me. I wish you the best in your own endeavors.

-Todd

I must admit that I’ve been losing interest in Second Life. This is probably not someone who’s running a virtual world business should say, but it is the honest truth. I’m not a hype machine that can pretend this is the best thing since sliced bread when it clearly isn’t.

These days, I only log in to Second Life only because I have to, not because I want to. The wonders and possibilities it once held are fading away. In its place is a slow build up of disappointment, cynicism, and boredom.

This is not how it should be.

After all, if this simply becomes another thing I loath then I might as well go get a job.

I don’t want to talk about the negatives because that will accomplish nothing. Instead, I’m only going to focus simply on the actions I can take. When it comes down to it, my options are pretty clear cut.

My available actions are either reconnect or leave.

I’m going to give reconnecting a shot. Making an effort to find things that appeals to me personally. I’ll be spend a lot more time in Second Life in the next few weeks exploring, building, and generally immerse myself again.

Unfortunately, this also means the articles on this blog will slow down a bit. It just doesn’t make sense to keep posting if this part isn’t straighten out. I’ll keep writing when it strikes me, but probably not as regularly as before. On the flip side, it’ll be much easier to get a hold of me in-world during this period. Feel free to suggest things to do, places to visit, or simply IM just to say hello.

I don’t know where this road leads. I only know that it’s one that I must take…

-Todd

Photo by Brain Farts / Joschua

Understanding Virtual World Business

• 3 Undeniably Awesome Reasons to be in Second Life
• Seven Ways to Make Money in Second Life
• Five Reasons to Start a Virtual Business
• How to Start a Business in Second Life
• What Sells in a Virtual World

Tools and Resources

• Essential Free Help for Second Life Startups
• Quick Tip: Scripting Made Easy
• Second Life Business Resource List
• How Do Your Customers Find Your Shop?
• Insider Trading with Virtual Money

Marketing and Generating Traffic

• Affordable Second Life Marketing
• Are Top Classifieds Worth Your Money? (Part 1) (Part 2)
• Ad Analysis – XStreetSL.com
• Tips For Measuring Your Marketing Efforts
• Know Your Customers: Second Life Demographics
• What Are People Making and Buying in Second Life?

Warnings and Pitfalls

• How to Beat the Freebie Culture
• 10 Ways Your Store is Pissing Off Customers
• How to Handle Content Theft in Second Life
• Does Your Profile Description Repel Customers?
• Six Ways to Cripple Your Second Life Business
• Avoiding the Virtual Land Trap
• Two Myths About Second Life Income

Motivation and Self-Discipline

• Secrets of Success from Richard St. John
• Do You Have A Release Schedule?
• 7 Cures for a Dying Virtual Business
• Finding Your Motivation

Product Design Tips

• Recipe for Creating a “Must Buy” Product
• How to Choose Between Copy VS Transfer
• Create Originality By Using Other People’s Ideas
• How to Write Product Descriptions That Sell

Customer Service

• Improving Customer Service by Ignoring Requests
• Fool Proof Instructions to Reduce Dumb Questions
• Five Ways To Say No Without Being An Ass

Personal Introduction

• My Initial Inspirations
• Hi, I’m Todd. What’s Your Name?
• Why I Quit My Job to Start a Virtual World Business

Many Second Life businesses do have blogs to help promote their products. Some are very product focused containing only posts about new products. Others are more personal with occasional mentions of their in-world happenings. Regardless of which style you choose, here are a few reasons for you to give it a try.
 

Benefits of a Blog

Extra visibility – It helps to have another way people can find you. Having a blog will make it easier for Google to find your items and even link to it. You never know when you’re going to catch a link from another popular site. Here’s to hoping
Gather feedback – Unless you purposely turn off comments, your website can be another way for people to share their thoughts.
Low cost – There are plenty of site like wordpress.com and blogger.com for people to start a blog for free. The only real cost is time. This is something you can choose to put in as little or as much as you want.
Public accountability – As the blog grows, hopefully, so does your desire not to disappoint your audience. It’s another method to help you stay on track.

 
Challenges

Hard to promote – People don’t usually like to read products blogs. It’s like going out of one’s way to watch commercials. You can’t just build it and expect people to come.
Difficult to measure impact – Some days it won’t even feel like the blog is helping at all. Hopefully, if you’re having fun writing, it won’t feel like a chore.

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Do you have a blog? Feel free to share the link and your thoughts on whether it is helping your virtual world business.

-Todd

P.S. Does anyone know how to get their blog added to worldofsl.com’s aggregate feed?

Most of us believe we have a some skill advantage when compared to our competition, but are we right?

I began this article with a poll because I wanted to know the general self-evaluation of one’s talent. For the record, I voted with the majority as well. I really have no idea what the results would be, but it seems to demand some analysis.

Does it make sense for most people to be better than most people? That sentence doesn’t even sound right…

There are two possible scenarios for this:

Scenario 1: I am better than most.

It is quite possible that you are quite talented. After all, by reading this blog you are showing an interest in improve your virtual world business. =D

However, I think it’s more likely that we are simply sticking to the fields we feel comfortable. I suck at making particles but I’m decent at writing scripts. Therefore, I don’t have a particle shop but a pet and gadgets shop. It only makes sense to take advantage of one’s skill and talents.

So What?

So you are pretty good at what you do, but is what you are doing profitable? The problem with specialization is that we unknowingly pigeon-hold ourselves. We focus on what we’re good at, but nothing else. What would happen if we improved our weakness rather than avoid it? It may significantly improve our products.

Imagine an artist that only paints with two colors suddenly acquires new buckets of paint with colors he has never used before. What new possibilities awaits us?

 
Scenario 2: I not only suck, but I’m also ignorant!

As Graham Mills alludes to when he shared the Unskilled and unaware article, there is a high possibility that we are being too generous in our self-assessment.

Participants were asked if they believed they were gifted or talented in high school. Sixty-six percent of respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. replied “yes”, 30% replied “no”, and 4% replied that they were unsure. – Self-perception study

Ever saw a competitive product that’s clearly crappier than yours but sells way better? It sure is mind boggling and frustrating when it happens.

This is a reminder to pause and reflect.

There are many times where my pride would not let me see the flaw in my own design or lack of skill. It is very easy to come up with excuses to dismiss others’ success.

For the longest time, I dismissed the need to release products regularly. I’ve learned my lessons now thanks to the people here as well as examples from fellow colleges.

If we cling on to our superiority, than we miss out on valuable opportunities to improve.

–

No matter which scenario is true, we should always strive to improve. We need to improve not only the skills we already have, but also the ones we’ve yet to acquire. Until our hearts stop beating and our lungs stop pumping air, we can always get better.

May this article serve as a reminder and an encouragement to you.

-Todd

Original photo by sabeth718 / Ray

I’m going to leave out discussions about the Modify permission because it’s typically a matter of preference. You can have Modify on or off regardless of whether you choose to have Copy or Transfer permission. Whenever possible, it’s better to allow customers Modify permission. Turning it off doesn’t really offer much protection these days, except for scripts.

Benefits of Copy Permission

User convenience – By far the biggest benefit of having copy permission. I won’t even consider purchasing items such as furniture if they do not have copy permission.
Inventory backups – Second Life is a work in progress. Sometimes, things just randomly go missing. This is where a copyable item is far more resilient since you can make backups.
Less re-delivery abuse – Unlike transferable products, giving a customer another copy of the purchased product can’t really be abused.

Copy permissions are generally suited for furnitures, houses, and tools. Basically stuff for personal use.

Workarounds
A gift vendor is needed if you want to automate the gift giving process. Unfortunately, gift vendors often depend on external sources to look up avatar keys for delivery. It’s not always easy to use or reliable.

Benefits of Transfer Permission

Gift friendly – Gift vendors are no substitute for the convenience of dropping an item into a friend’s profile. Transfer item can also be re-gifted multiple times.
Repeated sales – Non-copyable items have a higher potential for repeated purchase, if it’s priced reasonably. Price it too high, it’ll just look like a rip off.
Less refund abuse – Refunds are very straight forward with transferable items. Offering a refund is the quickest way to end the conversation with any disgruntle customer.

Transfer permissions are generally suited for toys, pets, and humorous items. Basically anything social or of temporal value.

Workarounds
When selling transfer only items, it helps to include multiple copies or variations to add convenience. Some store owners allow exchanges from transferable to copyable version by request.

 
Offering Both Versions

You can certainly offer two versions of your product side-by-side: one copyable, one transferable. Personally, I recommend picking one or the other. Offering both versions is creating more work and adding unnecessary decisions for your customer.

 
Which is Better?

The cop-out answer is, it depends.

I’m not going to leave you with such a crappy answer. My shop contains items that are copyable only as well as transferable only. Whenever possible, I prefer Transfer permission over Copy permission. You can get almost the same convenience of copyable versions by simply adding extra copies.

Second Life is very much a social environment. Items sell better when it flows easily in this social context. From my experience, the demand for sending gifts out weights the demand for copyable backups. Your mileage may vary.

What permissions do you use for your products? Why?

-Todd

The Problem – Moving at the Speed of Lazy

I am horrible when it comes to self-discipline. The last time I released a new product was in Febuary 2009. That’s five months ago!

See the Scottish-Fold Kitten to the right? It’s my next creation. When it’s done, it’ll be very lively and animated. You’ll be able to customize it by adding your own prims, like a hat, glasses, bow tie, etc. It’s going to be nifty! That’s if, I ever get around to release it…

Unfortunately, I’ve been working on this kitten for over two months. Well, working on is not exactly accurate. Putting off is more like it. There’s no excuse for this. I’m terrible at writing, yet I manage to update this blog twice a week. So I have some level of discipline…

It finally dawned on me what was the missing ingredient: Accountability!

If I don’t update this blog bi-weekly, hopefully, someone will take notice and nudge me a bit. However, if I don’t release a new product, no one complains! I’m accountable to no one, except myself. That hasn’t proved to work very well.

 
The Solution – Declare Your Release Schedule!

So I’ve decided to post my release schedule in my shop. It’s just a simple sign saying how often I will release new updates and the date of the next release.

I’m not sure if anyone will even notice. Yet now that it’s publicly visible, I feel obligated to keep this promise. I don’t want to end up a liar, especially to my customers.

This is not a fool proof solution. Nothing is. I’m simply trying whatever I can to make it harder for me to procrastinate.

If you haven’t declared your release schedule publicly, I invite you to join this challenge. Simply pick a reasonable schedule and make it public. To make things easier, I’ve created a free Release Schedule Declaration sign you can grab from my shop. It’s just a texture with a changeable date. Nothing fancy.

I shall finish this kitten by next Monday even if it kills me!
[Update] I was able to finish the kitten and meet my first release date! Hope to keep it going in the future.

Feel free to declare your release schedule in the comments as well. Let’s help keep each other accountable.

-Todd

Photo by Marjie Kennedy

The Prerequisites

Before we start, there are two things you should already know about your shop:
1. Number of daily visitors to your shop – If you don’t know this number, just get yourself free visitor counter.
2. Average spending per visitor – Divide your daily L$ earnings by the number of daily visitors and there you have it.

You have to know your baseline performance in order to measure any sort of improvement.

 
The Stupid Simple Method – free

This method is so simple that it might seem like I’m insulting your intelligence. Please bare with me.

Use only one marketing campaign at a time.

Whether it’s banner ads, blog ads, promotional events etc, just use one at a time. When it’s done, run the next one. Don’t have more than one going at the same time. That’s it.

This way, all you need to measure is the influx of traffic against your normal traffic. In all honesty, this is the method I use. I’m on the lazy side of things so I rarely have more than one major marketing effort going on at once. It works for me. It’s how I measured the top classifies’ performance.

Throw in an answering machine with gifts to ask visitors where they come from, and you’ll have a decent picture of your traffic sources.

There are obvious downsides to this method. So if you want something better…

 
The Somewhat Sophisticated Method – not free

You’ve probably gotten your fair share of email advertisements. Ever notice that the links in the ads always seem to lead to some funky address? Those address are unique landing URLs to let the sender know which ad you came from.

This is basically how the Visitor Source Tracker tool works. It allows you to create unique landing point for each of your marketing campaigns. Depending on which landing point the visitors land on, you can then figure out which ad drew them in.

Since I personally use the stupid simple method above, I must disclose that I haven’t used this tool. It was, however, recommended by a friend. It is definitely a good concept. If I ever need better analysis, this would be the kind of tool that I would purchase or write up myself.

—

Personally, one of my biggest challenges is fighting my own bias. We’ve all been there. You’ve put in so much blood and sweat into a new creation, surely people should be lining up to get them. Maybe they’re just saving up their lindens to buy it tomorrow. Unfortunately, things aren’t always so hopeful.

This is why I’m learning to rely on hard numbers to help set me straight. If something’s not working, try something else. Pretending that it’s going to work only slows us down.

Feel free to share your own tips and thoughts on this subject in the comments.

-Todd

Original Photo by M Kuhn

The goal of this article is not to get you to say no to everything. Saying no in the wrong situations can have dire consequences. I don’t want to get blamed for getting people fired or divorced. I’m only tackling the “how” not the “when”. So pick your battles carefully…

Ways To Say No Politely

1. Pay attention – One sure way to leave a bad taste is to say no before someone even finishes asking. Don’t jump the gun. When listening to a request, it often shows if you are already trying to think of ways to reject it. Listen to the request with an open mind. Who knows, it might turn out to be something worth your while.

2. Offer alternatives – If you listen closely and understand the intent of the request, there might be alternative solutions you can suggest. Perhaps you can provide a better counter offer. You can even pass-the-buck, I mean recommend someone else who is more suitable for the task.

3. Show sympathy – Showing that you genuinely wanted to help can take some stings off the rejection. However, only do this if you really mean it. Be sincere. Fake sympathy might make you appear more like an ass.

4. Be clear and firm – Don’t say “maybe” when you really mean “no”. Providing false hope only delays the inevitable. It’s better to be upfront with your intentions and take out the guess work.

5. Avoid long reasons – Sometimes the less you say the better. Providing lengthy explanations can make you appear uncertain. It may also encourage the requester to push harder. Remember: you don’t always have to explain yourself. A simple “Thank you, but I’m not interested.” or “I can’t do this due to personal reasons.” might be sufficient.

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As much as you may try, there’s no pleasing everybody. Don’t feel bad or guilty. You’ve given the request an honest evaluation and responded politely. That’s all anyone can ask from you.

I’ll end with a reminder for authenticity:

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss

Did you ever had a request you wished you turned down? Do you have more tips on saying no politely? Share it in the comments.

-Todd

p.s. Thank you for taking the time to answer the survey. I’m already finding the results quite interesting and useful. =]
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