Someone just asked me what I thought about the freebie issue. I asked, “What freebie issue?” And she said, “Go to Metaversally Speaking and then we talk.” I was “Ok”, as if one person’s opinion would determine the faith of the world. Well, actually, that’s mostly the case, but hell, every time it’s a matter of opinion. But well, I went there, read the story and the comments, and returned to her. Then I replied, “And?”
I don’t think there is a “freebie issue” here because nothing of what has been said has anything to do with that stuff. Once again, the real issue is money, especially the one you can convert to dollars or pounds or euros over at Linden Dollar Exchange (a very legitimate point I should say).
There are some content creators that expect to profit from what they do. That implies getting some money for their work and the hours they spend on creating it (let’s hope with non-pirated software). But not because I create something it means people have to rush and make me rich. The issue exacerbates when there comes another creator, offers something for free, and people turn that way. That means, the one expecting money in return will get less. And the more freebies out there, the greater the chance the demand for that non-freebie item will decrease.
What to do to counterbalance that? The content creator that expects to get people’s money for what s/he does must raise the quality or uniqueness of his/her product. Failing to do that means bankruptcy.
And then there’s the concept of competition. There are two people trying to get the consumer’s attention toward their products (let’s assume same quality, to make it fair). One of them put a price tag of 25L. Noticing this, the competitor goes and lowers the price of his/her product to 23L. The consumer sees both, and which one do you think s/he will choose?
There are two other points I will simply mention without getting into any arguments. Why? Because I think none of them need any explanation. First, because something is offered for free, it doesn’t mean it has to be low quality so those trying to profit can offer theirs at higher prices. Is that fair or appropriate? If that was the case in the past, it doesn’t have to be so now. Second, those freebie whores complaining about free stuff should stop crying and bullying content creators. Be thankful all of that is given out for your benefit and learn how to create your own. Content creators aren’t here to please your desires or fill your shortages.
Are freebies hurting SL economy? Nope, they are not. They’re damaging the economy of those that can’t compete. At least that’s the way I see it.
I preferred Bone Mosten’s approach to this so called issue. If there’s something you should read, head to his blog: Boned.