Greeter Program

I think the idea of a formal greeting system is a good one. Not everyone will want the service, but I assume it will be opt-in rather than compulsory. I hope that new people will be able to opt in to the scheme at any time in their first couple of weeks in game, as some may not think they need the service until they find themselves overwhelmed with information in the first couple of days. It would be great if there were help terminals in the main places where people could find a greeter if they need one.

I am wondering rather about the Lindens rather ambivalent attitude to mature subjects. In my experience of helping dozens of new people find their feet in SL, there are three subjects which are at the forefront of their minds: how does the land thing work? how do I earn money? what's this I hear about attachments and how does the sex thing work?

As any fule knowe, learning about your appearance in SL includes a decision about whether to remain Barbie and Ken, or to purchase additional features for one's avatar. For many people this is secondary and unimportant, but just as in RL, I think sex education is an important part of the process. At the very least, unsuspecting people ought to realise that sex and associated products are part of SL, and that they HAVE a choice.

I think there ought to be some sort of official place to go to get information, and if that requires greeters who are prepared to fill in the gaps in a player's SL sex education, without embarrassment, they should be allowed. It would not require X-rated information on the website to be able to offer this.

People are disorientated in their first few days in SL, and often misjudge the level of intimacy and openness which other players are prepared to give them. I think giving them a contact with whom it is OK to ask their questions might be an important way of avoiding offence to those who find the whole idea of sex in SL repugnant.

I think that having a longer orientation period, within which greeting is available, and a player may not rate or be rated would be very helpful - and should extend beyond the seven-day free period. Maybe the reward for the greeter could be that the new person may positive rate their greeter free of charge, but if they wish not to positive rate, may only give written feedback to LL? Having had a friend neg rated by a newbie whose reason was: "I bought a chair but got a box from your vendor", I think that ratings should wait for people to settle down in SL.

Thanks
Cali

I'm problably the only dissenter here, but...here goes...

The greeter idea sounds like a good one, but perhaps it needs to be triggered by an option when one first signs up. Speaking for myself, I like to learn things at my own place and in my own way. I remember my first few minutes when I test-drove There; almost immediately got messaged by a greeter, who I really wasn't ready to talk to, and interrupted my reading up on the material. It ended up being one of the big (although not the only) reasons I didn't bother to sign up with There.

Rather than just assuming everyone would appreciate being approached by a greeter, how about they are given the option?

Having an official way to teach SL sex is like having an official way to be a "furry", a store owner, a teacher, etc.

It's an advanced topic with a limitless methods of execution that each person will make their own decision on and be more than able to ask other's help on.

I think we are loosing sight that a "Greeter" program is to start people out into discovery, not to hand them things on silver plates.

I can just see greeters going "ok now click on on F_BJ and watch what happens!"

I think many of these comments in the thread are due to forgotten memories of what it's like to be new.

We need to focus on things like inventory sorting and camera work. SL sex is basically "animation".

Hi Blueman,
I remember perfectly what it was like to be new...and I keep myself updated by helping new people as often as I can with orientation and acclimatisation.

When I talked about sex ed I wasn't thinking of animations etc particularly, just the idea that there ARE genital attachments, that there ARE places where you may find pornography and animations etc.

It isn't something that is mentioned really except in passing in the official entrance information. Most avs I have helped were curious to know what they had under their clothes, especially when given the option of small medium and lare crotch (I can't remember what the options are lol). Most don't know where they can go to do a basic thing like taking off their clothes and looking at what they came equipped with - and most are curious about it.

It isn't easy to know what is acceptable and what isn't. If you start off in an X-rated club where there is swearing and nudity and quite possibly pornographic images, it is a bit of a shock to be shouted at if you change in public in a PG area and reveal a very unshocking linden breast....

I am in favour of allowing people to find things at their own speed, but in this area in particular, the first few weeks are often difficult because there are so many unwritten codes of conduct which are difficult to navigate. I am by no means in favour of foisting information upon people who don't want or need it. I am in favour of there being someone it is safe and appropriate to ask.
thanks
Cali

I think a greeter program would be an excellet idea!

I think this is a great idea

Newfie, I agree. I'm very shy. I tend to want to get a feel of the place before I start interacting with others. And I too tried There and was a bit disconcerted by the greeter. I had no way to know if this person is trying to take advantage of me in someway.

A real world analogy is the smalltown teenager arriving in the big city bus station, and being approached by a slick, fast-talking scammer who "just wants to help". Without knowing the rules of a place, there's no way to evaluate the behavior or intentions of the people you meet. It's just plain scary for some of us to be approached before we know which way is up.

Caliandris. I completely agree. Sex is what some people will be curious and interested in right away. There's some technical issues to deal with in SL that are not intuitive. And there are unwritten codes of behavior that can get a new person into some awkward situations. The places where its ok to be naked, and the places its completely unacceptable are good examples of something that we tend to learn as we go, (sometimes after an embarassing incident). However, I dont see the ambivalence of LL changing in anyway. It's frustrated me for 2 years, and it seems to be the nature of the beast. Soooo....i think this is an opportunity waiting for someone willing to step up and create a mini-class, orientation, notecard, what have you, that will explain some of the basics to newcomers.

This seems like a farily harmless venture so why not roll it out.

The cynic in me sees the abuse coming. Limiting the number of greeters means little in the way of limiting abuse. If I am a greeter and have a captive audience I would steer them to my store, my friends stores, my friends clubs. And it wouldn't be abusing the system. Afterall, when a newbie sees someone in nice clothes, he/she is going to ask, "Where can I get some clothes?" And when they see a fisting table, they'll ask, "Where can I get a fisting table?"

I believe most of the people in this thread who have offered to volunteer are doing so with pure hearts. But the cynic in me also feels that some will take advantage of this as they do everything else and six months down the road when we are on our second or third set of greeters, half will be the usual collection of people trying to make a buck by taking advantage of some dumb yokel new to the game.

I hope this program works out well. If someone volunteers and is accepted it would be nice to hear how things are going with the program once in awhile.

Where do we sign up? I've been waiting for the roll-out on this too, I think it's a great idea. Especially considering the things people have been complaining about in the WA lately, and the adopt-a-newb ideas that have been popping up, this sounds like an idea whose time has come.

As a operator of two free apartment buildings for new players, I help a lot of them settle into Second Life. I've held a lot of informal (non-event) classes. I've given impromptu tours. I've been a Live Helper. I've been around for a long time in Second Life. I'm always willing to help new players, and guess this takes up more than half of my interactive time in Second Life.

Here's how I'd lke to see this implemented:

I click some checkboxes about various topics.
I write a short description of myself (sorta like the first paragraph here, but friendlier).
I provide a head-shot so I can be reccognised.
I list times/days I'm more available.
I turn on "Greetability"

New player is presented an in-game window asking if they'd like to select a Greeter.
If they choose yes, they see four randomly selected head shots and descriptions.
As they pick topics in checkboxes, the four head-shots change to match the requirements.
The head shots include online status and an IM button.
This window should be easily opened in case they can not contact the chosen Greeter.

Offline compatability of in-game IMs with a stand-alone chat client would help this system.

Haney, is this at all close to what is being planned?

This is a great idea - I should read this forum more often - I would definitely like to help.

I agree - I recently became a mentor but I have not held events - I'm more of a creator than an event holder. One of the things that I have done frequently is work with people on creating things one on one. It would be great if a Greeter refered people interested in building to me.

OTOH - I would also love to be a Greeter now and then.

So count me in.

I've been helping Noobs on and off since i came to SL.... I think it's a great idea that we can set it up via the website. I definately would like to sign up when it is implemented.

I would love to be a greeter! I have been visiting the WA more often these days and enjoy chatting with the recent arrivals. I can remember those first few days when I walked into everything and constantly wore boxes and items on my head. Having helped many a new SLer I am comfortable with the limitations of IM help. I have also applied for live helper but never heard back from LL. I would really like to become a greeter or helper; you have a very willing candidate here.

I suppose everyone else has already lost interest about this. I just found the topic

I would be happy to Greet, as well. I don't like the idea of specializing, since I don't think new folks should be put in the position of making choices based on an obviously ill-informed, overly intuitive guess. They may think they want to be introduced to SL by a builder, since that's the part that seemed so intriguing, but they would be best served - in most cases - by having someone who can give them a general introduction with questions answered and with good advice on how best to find more info on building, texturing, buying land, etc. Having a greeted who has never seen the need to move out of the sand box, or who loves the default textures, is probably not the best way to give the new person "Building" advice. And there's no way the new person could know this.

A good generalist - with at least the skill set listed about - would be the best approach from everyone's perspective.

I think it would be best for the Greeter to actually meet the new person on the Prelude Island. Mostly, this is because a new person can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days on Prelude. I think a Greeter should greet the person before they lunge face-first into the maelstrom. I'm not sure how exactly you can reliably schedule the meeting unless you actually make an appointment for the very first arrival in Second Life - and that's on Prelude.

I'm not sure you have the stats for how many come to Prelude and then never get to the mainland, but I bet there's a few. And I bet a few of those could have used a hand acclimating.

There does have to be more classes, and a good Mentor program, and a good Live Help program. There is room for specialization in all of these. For a Greeter, a representative of Second Life in all its potential, we need strong generalists. People who may not be able to build a Victorian Mansion, but experienced enough to know WHY they can't build it, old enough to have seen a few built, and entrenched enough to know who can build one. They should be able to give a general description of how to get the necessary textures into this world, and know about how much land might be required. They should have a good understanding of how someone can come up with the dosh to get the project done, and also be able to support them spiritually if they think they might prefer sloth to artistry for the first few weeks.

The Greeter should also be able to server tea, coffee, or light alcoholic beverages while answering these questions.

So, I think it's a better idea to hire extremely well-rounded and well-traveled people for this. Especially if the have patience and a sense of humor.

I would expect to spend at least 30-60 minutes with each client. I would likely give most of them my card so they could ask follow up questions or request a quick "show-me" session. At least that's been my habit in the past.

Is this the level of engagement you had in mind? This was they way things ran in the earliest days of AOL - back before the PCs were allowed in. After that, the greeter (Guide) became nothing more than a worn-out, harried, smiley machine who spent as little time talking to each person as possible. That's when I quit working there.

I would absolutely love to be in a program that took this first step seriously.

Oh, Kathy, I don't believe this has been forgotten. Most likely undergoing serious consideration and development as the new Welcome Area is set up and we travel onwards to the future. In any case, GREAT post and good to spark up the discussion again.

Certainly amenable, accomodating, and adorable.



Yeah!

Yeah, me too Thanks for bumping the thread though!

I'd like to be a Greeter as well.

I applied to be a greeter almost 2 months ago... Sadly... I've recieved no response...I think they are convinced I'm going to eat all the guests as they come in...

Kathy I think that is a great Idea how do you apply to be a greeter/ mentor?

YES.

I am always trying to convert friends to SL, but when I give them the website URL, I always get, "...Okay, so what IS it?" to which I get to go into the little song and dance of "Well, it's basically just a virtual world. You can do anything you want there; explore, interact, shop, build, script, anything!" to which I get, "Oh... Sounds boring."

...

...

...

No! Not boring! >_< So I have to start giving them snapshots and telling them about fun times I've had, etc.

I don't mind doing that, of course, but it'd be a lot nicer if the -ACTUAL SITE- explained all this. I mean... that's what it's supposed to do... right? I go to the site now and see RPG whatnot. People are going to go there and think we're another WoW or something. And we're not.

Also, I know people pay to get their stores/land/services advertised on the main page, but.. Alright, you're advertising to people who aren't even in the game yet. And when they do get there, I don't think they're going to remember the people on the main page, let ALONE have the money for some of these places. And, not to be a h8r or anything, but Anshe Chung has three different ads up... I just don't see the point of that. I mean, people will go to the site and think SL is being partial; not that she actually paid to have those up there. And the whole thing behind LL is that they just made the land and have no particular affiliations.

Whatever happens with this Greeter program, PLEASE change the website. ;_;

And now, getting to the REAL point of this thread, I'd like to say that I just don't think that the Greeter program is needed. It sounds like Mentors Lite. I'd much rather just hang around the Welcome Area as "one of the boys" than wave some official flag. That seems to scare the new people, I think. The more you throw at them, the more overwhelmed they're going to be. When I was new, I was happy for just some ordinary person to say, "Hey, Nikolaii. ". I wouldn't have wanted to deal with some whole Official Greeter Thing. And I was scared when people just started IMing me.

Right now, I enjoy going to the WA to answer any questions anyone might have. And if I can't answer someone's questions, then I ask someone who would know. I wouldn't ever refer a [very] new person to multiple people unless I knew I couldn't personally do justice to the information. The more people you bring in, the more confusing it gets. I'd like to be a One-Stop Shop for new people. I have very organized Landmarks and I give them out when requested, I can answer questions about clothing, building, exploring, shopping, Preference settings.. And I very frequently offer my card if I think people might need any more help in the future. And I do all of that already. I don't see why I need an Official Sanction to do that, unless, of course, you've taken my suggestion to split the WA into sections and only let Helper groups into the part dealing directly with the newbies.

....Nahhhh.

I would help if we have extra space for groups!!! right now.. I am a designer and community leader that has the max of groups occupied....

"Residents who visit the website can also view the Greeters. Selecting one will offer instructions how to IM the Greeter in-world"

Much of this implies that greeters accept an open-ended obligation to halp at any time, regardless of what they are doing, or even if they are online.

A newbie preselecting who will be their helper is obviously a lovely idea, but surely that is all it is. I certainly could not undertake to drop everything at a moment's notice. I could be deeply into the intricacies of a new script, have something complex part-built, or be involved in some complex social interaction.

In WorldWar 2 online there is a system where experienced people who wish to advance to full "mentor" type status have to serve a minimum number of hours on the help channel, and log each hour of duty on a special forum, including a description of who they helped and how, at what time and for how long. As well as people serving this "apprenticeship" there were other "professionals" who did stints on the channel because they wanted to help.

Time on channel was not pre-assigned, or by rota. The idea was, you would log on to the channel, then ask to see what other helpers were listening. If three or four, you wouldn't bother. When logging off you would again enquire, and if the channel was going to be left empty, there were a couple of supervisors you could IM who might be able to conjure someone up.

Not foolproof of course, and presumably our help channel is meant to work a bit like this, but is there any logging of duty time? Is anything earned, like the formal recognition of good help given.

It seems to me that a hybrid system would be best, with the newbie calling first on a special "Greeter" channel for someone currently monitoring and ready . Then if no-one answered, they could be put in contact by im with a "supervisor" working a shift (a linden?) who would find them someone from a list.

I just don't see it as practical for them to choose someone in advance from a website, who may not be available or free when the moment comes.

Unless the website had access to a list of people online and logged into the greeter system "right now" and the click thru was immediate, with the greeter notified someone was on the way, so they didnt log off in the 10-20 minutes or so it might take to enteer credit card - choose name etc.

If this level of sophistication is possible and proposed it might meet the bill, but anything less would need very careful thought, in my opinion.

Yes, that's the way it's proposed to work. You can already get the list of your current friends who are online at the site - so it'll be easy to do the same for a list of Greeters. And you could pick one up just at the end of the whole account creation process.

I'd love to be a greeter too! Great idea!

Well in that case, Gwyneth, it seems a grand idea. I think many of us with a bit of experience behind us would be very happy to help out in this way occasionally.