Freebie Culture... Good or bad?

Hihi. Steffy in the zone. :] So I'm alive and enjoying some vacay at Canada but, missing SL so much!! My internet connection is blaaaah... and also forgot the thing to charge the computer... so maybe only next week I will be able to keep blogging on freebies.
So was travelling around the SL blogs and found some post about SL freebies, the discussion was if the freebies (also freebies blogs) were a good or bad thing. As a (proud) freebie blogger I sure have a positive opinion on this theme. But before I will tell how I was dragged to the freebie world.

I stared my SL and didnt even know what was a freebie. I stayed with my Appearence made hair, skin and clothing until the day I got a SL job (how awful I was). When I got my job I finally had a chance to get some good skin and hair from designers (don't remmember the names but will put it up soon) and also some good clothing (I owned a lot of clothing from Rockerswear and Fierce Designs). Unfortunally, I was never able to put some Lindens to my account, 1st I don't like to use my visa online and 2nd I never figured out how to put up some money on a paypal account without the need of Visa. (now call me blonde). Once I started spending more time away from SL and job was getting a bit down I couldn't keep buying as I always did, but I confess I am a big lover of shopping and needed some alternative to this passion. Was shopping around at some mall and saw some good looking avie, opened her profile and there was a link to her blog, that lady on that day made a blog post about the 3 group gift gowns from LeLutka and so I rushed to get them for me also. I fell in love with it and that way I got to know a new store. In that blog (that Lady wasn't a freebie blogger) I found some link to a freebies blog and was amazed to see so many good looking stuff for free. *_* My inicial passion in SL was photography, I wanted to that as some kinda job and learn more and more about photoshop. So as I got more freebies (and good ones) my photos would be me dressing something freebie and when people saw them they would ask what I was wearing and prices and so on... that made my way to create Art of Freebies. Art of freebies is not about blogging a free item, I blog looks, and not normal looks I like looks that make come out my imagination... a freebie that can have a story behind. That's why I proudly use photoshop on my photos. If I wanted to to create looks for myself I would do it in SL and be some hours looking at my avie, but I want to share it and also show my passion... I don't blog what is a trend but what means something to me. :] So those bloggers who know how to use photoshop well go for it, really shouldn't care about those ''old-school'' bloggers who claim to be loyal and show the items how they should be... and if they are free doesnt matter if in the pic it looks good or not, is up to each one of us to go check out and see if we like it or not. I've seen stuff on some avies that I love and then try on my own and hate it... it's not because it's not well done, but yes because it was not made for you. And if you dont like it delete and go on... don't complain with the creator! It was free! Period! - But about this aspect, we are dealing with RL people... and as in RL there's some silly people who love being rude...
Freebies can let new stores coming out. There's lot of small and good stores that don't even come up on search. Freebies got me to know stores I love these days, stores like: GATO, Petunia, Autre, Tik Tok, Willow, etc, wouldn't be know by me if there wasn't some freebie or hunt that attrected me in there. And no, I did not went there just to get the freebies, I sure walked around all the store and get a non free item everytime I can. So I guess, even if in a lil away I try to contribute to the SL economy... If I have some linden goodies I love buying some item I love or leaving some tip on the designers. Guess that's what is fair to do... but even if I couldnt buy anything I would prefer hunting for freebies then using stolen content. :] And I've been several times taken to buy stolen stuff in SL... That's why sometimes is hard to trust your Lindens in some store that you don't know if is selling you something free for lots of money.
Freebies promote the stores. And I am also not against review copies. Blogging is not that easy... for example me I like to put a complete look together, getting poses, a nice place, having a good computer, taking the snapshots, edition on photoshop (that sometimes may take a hour) , sharing my thoughts and then putting up the names of the items, prices and all the right SLURL's... and with this I might have lost some time that I could be flirting with avies on SL (joking). But do it as a passion. So is mutual. The designer get promotion (that will only cost its items) and the blogger gets something to do... when I receive review copies I see it as a challenge... So I like to make justice to the good stuff I get.
Other thing I hate in SL is when I have people begging me for money. There's no excuse to beg for money when you have so many good stuff for free around.

1) Go against stolen content
2)Look good without begging for money
3)Get to know new stores(don't just go and grab the freebie... look all over the store)
4) Is a way of promotion
5) If you like the store help the lil you can. Leave in some tip or buy some item (remmember they need to keep up the rent costs and uploads arent's cheap either)
6)IF IS FREE DON'T COMPLAIN!! - don't like it? Just delete it and go on... it was free.
7)Desingers (in my opinion) give out freebies because they want/enjoy
8)Be thankfull with it. Making stuff in SL takes time, work and skills

If you have any opinion on this post just leave a comment. Pros and cons are accepted,.,, it's a free world. But I am always Steffy, the one who likes to show freebie goodies and is proud of it. :]