I agree with what Tatiana said aboutbalance:
What is harder to balance is the written content and this is where I would really appreciate everyone's help. Onediscussion a week about your .... (new puppy/ latest merchandise /duck / fairy wings / coronation/ you name it) ... will probably be enjoyed by all. Fifteen post a week about that same thing and the site is unbalanced and people start mumbling. Of course, I'm exaggerating to make a point but this isa place where common sense & courtesycanbe applied.
Good post Maria,
I think we all need to take a deep breath, step back away from the role play drama, get back into our rl skins and take a look at the behavior as rl people. I have been administrator of several forums for many years and it's not an easy job. One one hand you want people to be able to express themselves on the other hand you can't allow flaming or let discussions get out of hand or everyone gets upset.
While I don't agree with some of the things posted here on RC I recognize that this is a community of many different people with different ideas of what is funny or rude or obscene and I think we all need to practice some tolerance rather than be at each other's throats over some things that are really silly to begin with. What a waste of time to come to RC read something that you know will make you upset and then post something that will make other people upset.
I think this forum should be geared to any similar court community not just European. I think we should discuss anything that can impact our communities or businesses. I think role play posts should be allowed and the content be kept to historical realism or historical romantic fiction not pure fantasy. We are not a fantasy forum with fairies and unicorns other impossible characters flying around. While I do find the humor in such things I am not ready to say that they belong in RC.
That's my two cents...:)
Tiamat, Unfortunately it's just human nature...Some people are more caring than others of things like this. Some just don't think or are unaware of how prims effect a region's use or performance. Region owners have to expect to police their lands on a regular basis for wayward prims.
Anne, I agree with you.If people want these places to continue to exist they need to support them by paying rents on time and not going over prim limits. Since LL chargesUS every month... every day without rental payments counts.
I agree Desireme, One thing about managing a business; you can't always be MR. or Mrs Popular. Too manymerchants and landlordshere get too involved in wanting to please people and be popular. Nothing wrong with pleasing your renters and customers, it's very important. But...you also have to not be afraid to draw the line and run a tight ship where Rl finances are concerned. Failure to do that is where many fail. I am sure that every lame-duck renter dislikes me. That's fine, I can handle it.
I can't count the times when i have been lambasted by a disgruntled renter who is upset because I didn't understand why they were late or didn't reply or whatever. Problem is, EVERYONE thinks their excuse is excusable and if a landlord caves then they end up out of business. So yes, I may not be Miss Popularity but I am stillaround and now I have people who I respect and who respect me renting from me. People who really know me know that I am a nice person ( I hope!), I just separate business from the rest of my Sl relationships. 
Also, when you aren't a push-over you attract people around you who aren't users.
Contessa, I am like this in Rl too! I speak my mind. Sometimes we pussy-foot around too much here in Sl when there are things that NEED to be said. Yes Stormy, I agree that people take liberties here they wouldn't in RL,but whenSL behavior effects RLfinances or our livesthen a line has to be drawn.
As both a renter and a landowner I am always astounded by the behavior of other renters in Second Life. I have several outlets, (8-9) for my main store and approach renting as seriously as I would if I were in real life because we are dealing with real money, real debt and real income-loss potential. I keep a list of when the rent is due on each of my shops. Landlords have tier to pay each month and the bottom line is if they can't pay, then regions/communities disappear. I personally have over $1000.00 USD a month tier to pay here in SL. I am not rich in RL. Yet, I have observed some renters in our community that seem to have a sense of entitlement that they are owed a free ride. They take it for granted that the landlord somehow is a bottomless pit of money and can afford the loss. When a renter stalls payments at the end of rental periods for several days they are stealing from the landlord plain and simple. When they constantly go over prim limits it's the same thing..theft. Prims are 'goods' in SL. When you don't pay for them you are stealing. You can sugar-coat it if you like, but when I see the same individuals do it over and over again I call it theft. I am not referring to the occasional mistake, we all do that from time to time. We may accidently go over limit a prim or two or we may forget to pay rent now and then right on time. That's understandable. I am referring to those who do it all the time. These same people will not respond to inquiries from the landlord about whether they intend to stay or not which makes it even more difficult for the landlord to make the decision about whether to return their items or give them the benefit of the doubt. They will also ignore requests to lower their prims when over limit.
The bottom line is this...be honest, have integrity. If you don't know what that is, look it up. IN-TE-GRI-TY, you will like yourself better if you have it. If you are one of those renters, you know who you are...what you may not realize is that we know who you are also, we know you cheat and we will not continue to buy your goods when you treat us so poorly. We will not support your business when you disappear without notice, go over limit constantly, don't respond to ims and notecards and drag the end of your rental period up to a week or more past the due date. You waste our time and money. So yes, you have gained a few free days (whoopie!) but you have lost the respect of the community region owners...not a smart thing to do. As landlords we have a lot of influence, more than you may realize, it's not wise to bite the hand that feeds you. We are the ones who tell others to support your store, we pass the word, buy, display and wear your creations. We also create the themed regions that provide the places for you to display your creations in a proper setting; give us a little respect back.
So yes, I have been very direct here. Sorry about that but this has been going on ever since I came to Second Life and someone has to say something.
So here are some Renter Suggestions:
Stop thinking about rent cheating as something you can get away with...how self serving is that? Think instead about supporting the community and your business will thrive too. I will be glad to help and support those who are honest.
If you plan on leaving, let your landlord know prior to the rental ending. No this isn't a requirement but it's really considerate...now there's a thought! You don't need to provide a reason just let them know so they can plan ahead.
Don't lie to your landlord and say you want to expand or need more prims or plan to stay then simply disappear. This happened to me several times with one individual... I'm done with you.
If your landlord contacts you about being over limit or past your due date, give them the respect of a reply. Offer to pay for lost days or the additional prims. Gosh, what a concept! They may or may not take you up on it, but will it kill you to be honest?
If your landlord returns your items after notifying you, don't blame them, blame yourself. Take personal responsibility for your lack of care for your business. Yes, I realize some landlords maybe let you get away with murder on their sim...and that's exactly why those sims are no longer there or are struggling to survive...get it? Landlords can't keep putting band-aids on a gaping wound of mismanagement and expect to survive. I am not a 'meany' because I don't let you do the same.
If you can't afford to rent then don't. Look for places that offer free rent. Build up your business by devoting TIME and EFFORT to it then rent in the more expensive places. You can also offer to rent on commission rather than actual lindens. Not all landlords will do this but some will. If that fails then maybe don't be in business in Second Life? There's a thought....
So there you have it; my opinion. I have been here for almost 4 years and have seen so much mismanagement and plain old rudeness going on it has left me speechless. I have watched sim after sim fail and it doesn't need to be that way. Landlords need to be math smart (stop giving things away to get renters, you just attract freeloaders), and be organized, fair and firm. Renters need to be honest and realize that the rent they pay supports their community. Both in RL and here in SL I run successful businesses. It doesn't come without effort. Our community has so much potential but only if everyone carries their weight. Let's get rid of the deadwood and support those who are here for us all.
In closing, I want to thank those who have been wonderful renters in our communities. You know who you are also...and so do I. I will do everything I can to support your businesses.
Skye
