Surge in high-end Second Life business profits
By Adam Reuters
SECOND LIFE, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The number of Second Life residents making profits over US$5,000 a month surged more than 40 percent in November, according to data released on Tuesday by Linden Lab, while the total number of profitable residents rose 11.5 percent from the prior month.
There were 58 residents earning more than US$5,000 a month in November, according to the data, and about 13,800 profitable residents overall. The figures, displayed at right in U.S. dollars, exclude the buying and selling of real estate, Linden Lab fees, and non-Second Life payment systems like PayPal.
The majority of profitable business owners made less than US$10 per month, and about 90 percent made less than US$200 a month.
The sharp increase in resident earnings at the top of the scale comes in the wake of an announcement by real estate magnate Anshe Chung last week that she had accumulated US$1 million in Second Life assets through her China-based business, Anshe Chung Studios.
In the broader real estate market, the total amount of land sold by residents in November rose 10 percent to 9,099 acres, while the average price climbed 17 percent to L$6.67 per square meter (One acre in Second Life = 4096 square meters).
The number of islands climbed by 27.8 percent to 2,564, compared with a 23.2 percent increase in October. Midway through November, Linden Lab announced that it would raise prices for private islands.
Amid the increasing economic activity and overall popularity of the virtual world, Linden Lab stepped up its efforts to keep inflation under check in the Second Life economy. Linden Lab’s net inflows to the economy were L$916.9 million, compared with L$1.212 billion in the previous month, due mostly to increased classified and upload charges, decreased stipend payments, and the cancellation of lapsed accounts.
The company also sold L$77.3 million worth of Linden dollars on the Lindex to meet increased demand and prevent the currency from appreciating against the U.S. dollar, compared with sales of L$49.7 million the previous month.
