Open the box - Touching a nerve

It seems last week I touched a nerve with a lot of people saying that we, the Residents, were nothing more than guinea pigs for Linden Lab. A lot of people have contacted me about that comment saying it is exactly how they feel.
I think its sad that Linden have treated PEOPLE I mean real PEOPLE the way that they have and really the main problem is that they just don't 'get it'.
They are hurting people that are already hurting in a worldwide financial low point and Linden does what? Raises prices so we can no longer even afford to enjoy our secondlives!
The old feeling 'Your World, Your imagination' disappeared a long time ago and if most hear it now they would just laugh it is 'Lindens World, OUR imagination' now.
Do the Lab listen?
There have been times over the last few months I have actually thought they have but those times are few and far between. Take a quick look at the Jira or the forums and see how many questions go completely ignored, we are asked for our opinions but then not answered.
Is it just bad PR handling?
Well that is a big part of it and the company that handles Lindens PR needs to be fired! BUT no PR company could prevent the change in the Lindens attitude to its Residents that takes work and Linden collaboration which is obviously not happening anywhere.
Sure we have office hours, when the Lindens turn up to them. Recently I have been to many office hours and seen how the important questions are ignored simply because the Linden sets the topic and ignores anything not relevant to that topic. Other issues raised can be just as important but there are no answers forthcoming from anywhere.
SOS is the big issue and although some may think, in time, it will go away if everyone else just gets on with it or ignores it that is not the case. Linden have hurt people where it hurts most and even if everyone moves forward or leaves, the problem is not the price hike, it is the way Linden Lab treated PEOPLE that has caused the most damage.
Quite simply the way Linden Lab have acted is intolerable to almost everyone.
From the Labs point of view there may always be others to replace those that leave, there will always be people coming into SL but what they cannot replace is the loss of faith and trust. That is gone forever.
Linden Lab needs to look closely at the fallout from their choices, how many people/businesses did Sarah Nerd bring to SL? She was a formidable ally, she brought businesses here she advocated Secondlife to all she met, but will she now? I very much doubt it.
In the last year Linden Lab have changed a virtual second life into nothing more than a game, it is hard to take it seriously as a business platform if Linden Lab changes the laws overnight.
Can Secondlife continue without the trust of the Residents?
Yes it can and will but it will become something a lot less than it was. It is now just a practice ground until there are other viable alternatives. Residents are already looking around for alternatives and one day Linden Lab are going to wake up and find there are no content creators left, no inworld investment, no TRUST!
Then Secondlife will die and the reason will be linden Labs treat their CUSTOMERS.
Dana Vanmoer