Ahern Welcome Area blues? What's been happening?

I, for one, haven't accused you of rating newbies for the ratings in return. I've just said that systematically rating anybody you came into contact with was, in and of itself, an abuse of the system and acts such as that have led LL to make the changes it did recently, making rating a more expensive thing. Thus it's now something that should be done with more justification, rather than just rating anybody when you first meet them, which was never the system's intention.

What you used to do is a great example of why rating needed to be more expensive, as it cheapened the whole ratings system immensely by allowing people to rate at will for pocket change, without actually having any reason to give them. It's why newbies have huge building ratings, for instance, when they probably don't even know what a prim is or how to create one.

possibly, but I felt it in other areas first. I don't visit the WA much until recently and it felt just the same as everywhere else.

I hang around the Welcoming Area a lot these days. Most of the time, I sit and observe, if someone says hello I say hello back. I did have a very strange feeling last night, but it had nothing to do with the Welcoming Area. I felt it everywhere. RL, and SL. People are on edge.

Honestly there's not much to do about it, except if something happens just keep your chin up.

Also, on another note, I won't be naming names, but a lot of "UNNECESSARY DRAMA" had been circulating within the Welcoming Area itself. I feel that spreading unnecessary rumors, uncalled for claims, etc and what not cause the Welcoming Area to become a hostile place. Mainly that's why I don't get involved with the discussions there. Unless someone wishes it. If someone needs help I do help.

But honestly, the UNNECESSARY drama that gets caused there, needs to stop.

I agree with Torley that the Welcome Area has become a most unwelcome place. I haven't really seen an increase in complaining and whining as much as I have seen an increase in people with very bitter attitudes towards others and an increase in the number of some pretty lame griefers.

I have been insulted and threatened by some not so new people there as well as from the new grifers who seem to pop up on a regular basis. I won't even mention the new crop of racists who have recently shown up.

Back when I started I loved Second Life based on the warm welcome and help I got in the Welcome Area. As a result I have been going there for months offering new people free gifts and answering their questions. Now, with all the griefing and mindless babbling going on, it is almost impossible to help new people as they take a look at what is going on and run for their lives.

I remember seeing a thread about how LL is probably getting us prepared to eliminate the rating system with all the steps they have taken (raising the rate fees, erasing old rates and setting a process of decay for rates). If this is true, the people that are still rate mining are just throwing away they're Linden cash. I still rate people when they deserve it and have re-rated some as well. I remember being rate-mined when I first joined and honestly, it didn't leave any fuzzy feelings. While I appreciated the rates, I knew that they were not based on merit, since I hadn't built anything yet, I had my first avatar (which looked like hell) and they didn't know me enough, or actually at all, to be able to rate me on my behavior.

I like Shadow's idea on the whole buddy system. I am no longer a Mentor, but I tell new players to IM me if they need anything that I can help them with (building tips, sites to see, etc.). I am mostly a hermit (I stay on my land creating) and haven't been social in a long time (except for that time in L'Utopie recently), but I might visit the WA soon and see if there's any way to lighten things up... at least a bit.

Were there any Liasons there at the time? Has anyone reported the players that are griefing and making it an Unwelcome Area?

Yeah, the welcome area has turned into a hangout for people to air their grievances. A total turn off for newbies, if you ask me.

Or as I have also seen a few of lately, nasty arguments between people with very nasty mouths and attitudes.

I used to like hanging out helping out new players with tips or clothes, but now it is painful to sit there and listen to some of the conversations going on.

Maybe it is just me, but I have noticed major changes in SL since I came back from my month's vacation.

Oh well, just my opinion.

- T -

I know what you mean...

I used to hang out there as much as I could, I loved meeting new people, making friends, helping out, etc.

After a week or two of absence from the WA, I return to find that people are snapping at each other and being rude for no reason. Honestly one of the people in that scenerio was one of my friends, but I dare not interfered. Didn't want to be caught up in it. The argument was so "unnecessary".

I tried to lighten it up by saying, "Fighting makes me sad." lol. But of course it didn't work.

It really does make me sad though...

Torley. I have never gone to the welcome area, although when I find a newb wandering around, I always try to help them with any questions they have. It sounds as though I should just pop over there from time to time to help newbs on their way with an optimistic, cheerful outlook. Thank you for bringing this to everyone's attention.

I rarely go to the welcome area, but I dropped by there for a while today. Aside from one doofus in a KKK outfit spouting ignorance, (who soon mysteriously vanished and didn't return, thank you Lindens) things were good. People were joking, talking about movies, asking and answering questions..

I usually kick a fair bit of ass on behalf of the newbies when I'm at the WA (i.e. welcoming, explaining, answering FAQs with legendary patience, etc), but I've been looking for work and/or working recently, so I haven't even been online much. What I need is a job where I can do that sort of crap and get paid for it. LL, are you listening?

I must say that, as corny as it sounds, my initial inclination to stay was swayed heavily by the first few incoming +behaviour rates (after some conversation, making them legit), and by others' willingness to help out. Yes, the ratings can be abused, but they are also a bit of a socializer.

So perhaps LL can replace the standard "+3 because I want you to like me" with an official "friendship gesture" thingy. Like a little messagebox that pops up with "Gene Poole thinks you're the cat's pajamas!" or something.

i can only guess that the WA is being used this way for two reasons:

1. it is a general hang out place that crosses all communities

2. people imagine that this is a way to "strike back" at LL for the changes ... hurting the company by hurting their ability to bring on new members.

I hope the latter isn't the case. I would hate to see the welcome area being closed off to everyone but newbies and "approved" attendees... which will be the inevitable result if people don't start "playing nice" again



I'm starting to realize why US congressmen refuse to cut entitlements and subsidies. If it's this hard in SL...

I hang out at Ahern with the mentor flag up whenever I get the chance...however, I have noticed a distinct falloff in the need for anybody to stand there.

For the most part, I generally see people who have been in game forever showing off new bling scripts or just chattin' it up. In fact I usually see the same people.

Arguments also happen a lot. People will send a Mentor tells about how they shouldn't let it continue. We don't work for LL and have no rights or authority in excess of anything else anybody has ("file report" or send a Linden a tell). I've found the best thing to do is just wait until a Linden shows up, then port out.

I've actually been considering haunting other welcome areas (since Ahern is really the only one I hang out in). The other night I spent at least two hours there and answered one actual noob question, and there have been nights when there was nothing at all in the way of helping noobs to do.

The Lindens need to move to the new Welcome Area in Waterhead, and offer more intro classes there at the stage inside the WA structure. Plus, they need to staff the area with a Liaison or someone paid to welcome new users.

I am only one person. At most I rated people 3 times for 3 slots. If they got more other people rated them. What I remember is that people said I was very nice. They thanked me for welcoming them and for lifting up their day with a positive rating.

I have also felt a wave of sadness or depression or something sweeping Second Life. In my case I believe 50% of it is my heart and back medication.

And I hate to say it. but there may be nothing that can be done to stop it. And there is probably a billion reasons for the wave of sadness or whatever it is.

Kats I only report people for one reason and that is for making racists remarks in Second Life. I have no use for such trash in real life and I will do my best to see they are removed from Second Life. Yes there was a Linden present one time and he advised me to me to file a complaint which I did. The racists have strangely disappeared. This was not a one time occurance. It had been going on for at least a week.

I never spent much time at the WA because I tend to want to explore on my own before I start talking. But I did have a few nice conversations with people there before I got myself a new "home." I guess I should try stopping by there at least once a week to see if I can be friendly. I've picked up enough free stuff by now that I've got a bunch to share.

From this and other posts I gather that the current welcome area has the class and ambiance of the Star Wars Cantina with a handful of disgruntled Jerry Springer guests thrown into the mix. Do the Lindens have to place a permanant babysiter/cop nearby to deal with obnoxious behavior?

I've been taking care of a sick dependent all of this week, so I have had lots of time sitting around at home to try out SL. Even after the last 4-5 days of membership I still feel like an outsider. I think the experience at Orientation Island was too brief, and there should be more education occuring there. I expected there would be more at the Welcome Area.

The welcome area hasn't been very welcoming. I feel excluded by the chat room atmosphere amoung old buddies. While I think the creativity shown in most of the unusual AV costumes is marvelous, they also make me feel even more like I don't fit in with my obviously NOOB outfit.

The pyrotechnics and light show costumes make it even more disorienting and difficult for NOOBs to get there bearings, and cause lagging on my machine. I have encountered two people who seemed friendly, at least they gave me lots of free stuff, but they were in a hurry to move on. One person "Mentor" was helpful in answering my questions and tried to help me understand and deal with my death (see below).

Not only did I not feel welcomed my first day (last Monday), but I was murdered near the welcome area later that day. I've started a seperate post describing that experience.
http://forums.secondlife.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=390738

Nevertheless, I'm very impressed by the creativity I see on SL and as an Architect I'm looking forward to contributing to it. But I have a lot to learn first.

ArchTx Edo

I came to SL about a month and a half ago, and even then, the Welcome Area was a lot nicer than it is now. A certain someone, who is apparently a Welcome Area regular, seems to go there only to complain and bait, and then when people ignore/neg them, they laugh and bait even more. And there are lots of other people like that, too. Why aren't more people banned from Ahern/Morris?

But I digress.

When I was fresh off Orientation Island, a lot of people did their best to help me, which I really appreciated, since I was having severe graphics card issues and couldn't see anything. Then, a few days later, I was searching for free things, and this girl came and gave me, like, a million clothing items. These helpful people were a large part of the reason I stayed in SL. But not the full reason.

I used to hang out at the Welcome Area like most new people seem to before they have many friends in-world. And most of the people there were really nice to me. Which was really great. But the one thing I remember the most vividly was Torley showing up and dancing around. XD I haven't actually seen her in-world since then, but I have always wanted to thank her for being completely awesome. She is another reason I decided to stay. Because, while most people were really nice to me, there is really something to be said for showing new people the full range of SL's capabilities. And that includes the ability to put on electric watermelon clothing and dance in circles around people typing on pantomime keyboards.

Being nice to everyone at the Welcome Area is good and needed, but the most important thing, in my mind, is showing people during their 7-day trial all the best parts of SL. You can get all your questions answered by the helpful people, and some people will give you clothes and items, and that's great! But... Where's the pull? You have to give people a reason to want to become addicted.

People with default anim overrides sitting around complaining about the Lindens is going to hurt the growth of the SL community, obviously. But I've also tried to bring people into SL and they left because they were bored. THE THING IS, SL ISN'T BORING. WE all know that. What we need to do is show the newbies that. And, if we give them a reason to want to stay, that is, for the positive aspects, maybe they will look past all the negativity and join in the fun.

Right now, all the Welcome Area is teaching people is that SL is a place for teen angst and a place where you can get popular by being a gigantic ass to everyone who doesn't worship you. Maybe that's true. But I don't think that's the message we want to send, in any case. And definitely not the type of people we want to attract.

I propose that if you want to hang out with your kewl friendz and show off your L$5000, 200 prim club shoes, you do so elsewhere. The Welcome Area is for people FRESH OFF THE ISLAND. And you're not going to attract anyone with your sour rantings about decreased stipends and how Live Help doesn't buy into your angst-fest. Woe is you. Okay. Now find somewhere else to hang out, plz. If you frequently find yourself at the Welcome Area, you are more than 3 months old, and you have yet to start a conversation with or in any way help a newbie, then why are you there? If you go to the Welcome Area because you like baiting and you get a cheap high off neg-rates and being the center of attention, then you are taking attention away from the people who ACTUALLY NEED IT. And you should be ashamed of yourself.

If, however, you are a good-natured, fun person who likes to help new people and show them why SL is such a great place to be, then you are an asset to the community and are making SL a better place for everyone. I applaud you.

One thing, though. Has anyone ever thought of making the Welcome Area a group-owned area? You could have one arrow pointing towards the actual Welcome Area, saying, "Go here for Help and Assistance from friendly community members!" and another arrow pointing to another area nearby, saying, "Go here to meet up with in-world friends!" The Help side would only be accessable by people belonging to the group and people under, say, 1 month old. And if anyone in the group started being an ass, you could hold a vote to eject them. So if they wanted to start drama, they would have to do it safely away from fresh, impressionable newbies.

Anyway, it's an idea.

Some good ideas on the thread.

Well, if you are interested in making the WA friendlier again, I've created a focus group called WABE (Welcome Area Blues Exterminators); members are called "WABEsters". If that's not too stupid a title for you, join the group (it's free), and seeing others with the title will help us remind each other to spread the love.

I really miss the old welcome area crowd.

I've not been logging on as regularly as I used to -- maybe once or twice a week. Usually when I log in, I still spend a good chunk of my time in the welcome area. I've noticed that things there have been going downhill dramatically over the past six months or so.

The last time I was in the welcome area, the Ahern simulator was having some significant technical problems with retrieving assets. This was probably compounded by the fact that there were probably well over 20 people standing on the Ahern side of the Ahern/Morris border (though only 2-3 on the Morris side).

It was only getting worse as time went on, so I figured I'd mention that it might help with the lag and make room for the new residents arriving if anyone wanted to volunteer to move just a little bit south across the sim border into Morris.

It was then that I met the most vile person I've ever encountered in SL so far. She immediately responded to my comment with "shut up kex" and then walked over to me, stood right in my face, and let loose with a torrent of insults.

I was quite stunned at her bordering-on-sociopathic anti-social behavior, so I responded with with I figured was a very well justified behaviorial neg rating, which is VERY rare for me. She of course returned with the classic triple neg, and continued with the insults (including an instance of profanity) until I ignored her.

Where are these people coming from? This one incident has greatly diminished my motivation to help people in the welcome area anymore, if this is typical behavior there now.

I really miss the positive SL community. This kind of negativeity (that continues to grow more ubiquitous every time I log in) is making SL a worse place to be than RL. So I ask myself, why log on at all anymore?

wow i just realized i've been back to the welcome area one time since my very first (other than bouncing off the telehub to some place). i'd be all about welcoming newbies except i'm kinda still a newbie myself plus i'm the worst teacher in the world hehe. might be worth dropping by just to be friendly tho.

why do i even bother drinking and reading the forums? i need a paper towel dispenser by the monitor.

make one! if you don't i will.

These are great points about the Welcome Area and intial interactions with new people. I''ve only visited it a few times since I first arrived and didn't notice a lot of drama. But if that's happening there it can't be a good thing. When I first came to SL, no one was particularly friendly (but they weren't annoying either). The whole experience was fun but very disorienting. I remember trying some vehicles and not understanding why i couldn't use them, tried a few of the shooting games and then wandered off into the wilderness... Later i met some friends and people helped me along the way.

Maybe we should have periodic "welcome wagon events" during peak sign up hours, if that exists. I'll be happy to lead an Event geared around that. We won't be able to hit all the newbies of course, but at least we'll be doing something. We'd preferably not take newbies to our own land or associated friends land (with commercial intentions). I know that might be tough to do given the nature of much of SL. Maybe we can all agree on some kind of guidelines (i'm not thinking very clearly tonight).

However, if the Lindens are serious about creating a more positive initial experience I feel that it needs more constant policing (this area is special) and frankly a paid person(s) to man it. I'm familiar with the new Greeter program but as in many things "you get what you pay for". If a newbie is trying to decide whether to stay or convert to a premium account i'd think their first impressions go quite a way towards influencing that decision.

I've done what others have remarked on in this thread, by seeing a newbie and asking them if they have questions, giving them clothes and handing out some SL Advice Notecards (one of which was very helpful to me initially when i got here by Yadni).

However, someone said something which made an impression on me, namely, instead of just showing someone the ropes, show them where they lead and all the fun experiences that can follow from there and why we love and are addicted to SL. As the dealers are wont to say "first one's free...!" hehe.