Oh no, Infohubs

Infohub literaly means a place to get INFORMATION. I see suggestions on making them Live music spots and adding film and other forms of entertainment to entice new players to stay there until the end of time. This was never the intended purpose of these areas - and its just not possible to allow EVERYONE that ever rezzed in a infohub to remain there (please note Moose Beach). A infohub is a GATEWAY into Second Life. Not the intended destination.

The only activity that should be going on in a infohub is free classes. Use the Mentor Educators Group and start a volunteer teaching program. Offer these classes in many languages. Now you have responsible people in the Infohub around the clock and a formal way to put a positive first spin on SL for new players. Period. Problem solved.

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On this I definitely agree. I think that using them (and I mean the full sim Info Hub, not the ones within otherwise Residential sims) for entertainment should be very limited -- perhaps as a rare special event, not as a regular recurring thing. The key is to provide education there, in easy to digest ways. I would love to see Hubs have objects to attach, wear, and purchase (for L$0), some places for avatars to interact with the environment, in order to learn to sit, to socialize, and to move around in a space. Ultimately, though, they should be very easy to leave from -- and with ways to entice Residents to explore the world beyond the ::cough:: safety of the Info Hub.

One of the ideas I heard on the Bay City Info Hub (which is airport themed), is a "travel agency" type area, with brochures, posters, etc touting "touristy" like places such as Chalet Linden, etc. as well as educational locations like the Ivory Tower. This seems great to me. Definitely encourages the idea that there is a much bigger world to explore than just staying in the terminal!

I'm with Lias and Mari on this one - InfoHubs are for people to get in, get their Info, get their help, and get out. There are 50 million clubs out there with space for people to gather; that's what they're FOR. Adding live music, shows, etc would only compound the problem.

That's why we need some sort of supervision at the existing InfoHubs. Like Carl said, they could be adopted by groups, manned by Mentors, whatever. The point is to keep the InfoHubs flowing smoothly, not backing up like a bad drain.

This is the link to have groups become eligible to offer organized services in a Infohub http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Introduction_to_Endorsed_Resident_Help_Groups
Of course this was abandoned when they kicked half the Mentors out of the volunteer program last year.

The defined activities allowed in an infohub by the groups needs to re-defined in this wiki. But if some Linden insists that community groups should have any involvement in infohubs then this is the portal to make that happen. I do believe involving outside groups without having Approved Mentors supervising would be creating empowered vigilante groups across the grid. There must be a clearly defined chain of command: Linden->Mentor Assigned->Volunteer Group Leader(s). And this information must be posted in each Infohub so there is no 'passing the buck' if someone has a complaint. Hiding behind red tape is the standard operational procedure around here and that has got to stop.

Make the learning area completely in the middle of the Hub with no walls - so even if they dont want to - the noobs get exposed to the information.

Also, it will take only one prim to set up a learning area in the infohub. I asked Jim Gustafson to adjust his presentation screen and make it to hold multiple presentation. He now has one that holds 100 multi-image presentations. The approved users can access any presentation in the device. So just load all of the Class Presentations in this and volunteer teachers can teach by joining the group assigned and aquiring a HUD. Perhaps if someone asks nice Jim can make this a networked device and the classes can be made available in every Infohub without loading each screen individually. Make the constantly updated appproved list of presentations available to all approved groups (use the volunteer website for this or the volunteer wiki).

Class presentation slides and curriculum should be submitted for review before being added to the presentation system.

Does any of this appeal to you Blondin?

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All the places where newbies come are best places for griefers and ALL welcome areas are full with LOTS of .... *peep*

Stop free accounts! Close all Info Hubs!
Stop free accounts! Close all Info Hubs!

Was at the office hours of Blondin today. Someone asked for more seats in the Korea Welcome area and Blondin quickly responded with an affirmative. So it is a New Linden-Different Day. The hubs will continue to be slacker hang-outs supported by Lindens making new seats for avatars to be planted and do nothing.

It seems as if the infohub issue is a 'look busy' project random Lindens grab out of the hopper once a year.

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Stop free accounts! Close all Info Hubs!

I find it hard to understand why some infohubs are full of avatars and other ones seem deserted. I went to the InfoHub on Periwinkle today - and for all I know I may have been the only visitor it has had in days! I liked the little tram car there though - the ride was interesting as the tram went faster than my system could rez the track!... and the sim crossings were a very up and down experience.

Periwinkle was one of the first places I went in SL, so I get nostalgic and drop by every now and then. It seems the prim that marks it as an infohub has been deleted, which explains why it's deserted.

https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/MISC-2391

I would suspect that Periwinkle, much like Murray, is an ex-hub at this point.

I'm gonna really badger Blondin about that!

It's the same unexplainable phenomena that occurs in towns where the slacker townies all gather in a parking lot or a dead end abandoned lot to just stand around and look cool. Cops may come and break it up when the gathering gets too large - but they always gravitate back to that spot. Then the few desperate for attention see a idle crowd and act out. That's when the trouble starts.

Could you imagine the cops coming and distributing lawn chairs to all of these loiterers? And then allowing them to erect a structure in the lot that they don't own? Brilliant plan.

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I wish they would just age verify before anyone sets foot into SL.

When I finally got to check out Moosehead Beach after it went "blue eye," the chat was cheap A potty mouth crap any all-age site has to tolerate from 14-year olds.

I see how much care is going into Hau Koda and think of the THINGS which will just bring all that masterful work down.

Stop free accounts - close all Infohubbys

We all heard you the first two times.

There is definitely an imbalance in the hub load right now, and I know that Lindens are looking into it. For example, Moose beach is getting more Residents through it than all four sims in the Ahern Welcome Area, than Waterhead, than the four sims in the Hanja Welcome Area, and even Help Island Public. A huge imbalance in traffic that I hope gets fixed soon.

Moose Beach *is* a good spot for a hub and it can handle a good crowd, don't get me wrong. It just points out there is a serious load imbalance when that one sim is pulling in four times as many new accounts as, say, Ichelus or Degrand, and twice what all of Ahern is getting.

I would hope there is some way to "weigh" this so that the full sim hubs (Korea, Ahern, Hanja, Moose Beach, DeGrand, Ichelus, Violet, Castle Valeria, Plum, Hyannisport, Helfell, Wengen, Bay City (coming soon), Boardroom (is this a temporary hub?) get an equal "bite" of the load, while the mixed Residential/Hub ones (Ambat, Anzere, Bear, Braunworth, Clementina, Pooley, Waterhead, Isabel, Iris, Luna, Hanson, Mahulu, Mauve, Nova Albion, Ross, Periwinkle, Hyles, Caletta, and Warmouth, get an equal and largely reduced load from the others.

Peeking at Help Island Public, I note that the "SL Mainland Kiosk" (the thing under the big exit sign) has links to the following places:

Ahern
All four Hanja sims
Hyles
Iris
Isabel
Korea 1 and Korea 4
Wengen
Luna Oaks
Mahulu
Ross
Miramare
Plum
Violet

So I would assume these are the ones currently taking new comers -- at least from Help Islands.

Anyway... back to the original question.

I've been glad to see some of what is going into the Bay City hub, including LM givers encouraging people to explore elsewhere on the grid, some informational notecards, some local (Bay City Area) content, and free items that are attachable or wearable. Is this the right stuff? Should there be more? What should be there for new folks coming onto the grid?

No, I was just indicating the need for some sort of "load balancing" method to direct people across available infohubs. Sort of - you want to go to an infohub, so go to one which is not busy.

There is absolutely no way to control the population of an idle mob in a parking lot. The noobs directed to infohubs does not usual equal the amount of older avatars that make up the 'regulars' that loiter there. And the amount of 'regulars' that gather cannot be controlled in any way.

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Marianne, what they're doing in Hau Koda is perfect for new people. Lots of sitting, clicking, lots of learning to wear and animate then detach, places to check appearance, and so on. And wisely nothing boxed. Even the hangar coveralls come in a folder.

They could use a place for rezzing of course, but that's supposedly coming soon.

Re the imbalance: Hellfell isn't getting a lot, and Hyannisport (which is similar to Mooshead Beach in theme) is deadsville. Hoping they resolve that bug soon.

My friend said when she first joined, there was a choice of Infohub theme after the Help Island. That was some time ago.

People. You really need experienced residents to help those that need it.

I agree. It's very different compared to, say, Helfell which has a couple of the basic kiosks and not much else, or Ahern with broken games and an empty "information" pavilion. Very smartly done.

In a perfect world, I'd love to see each of the hubs have similar levels of useful content such as at the Bay City hub, but themed for each area. Say, a "ski outfit" in Wengen, period beachwear and food (off that grill) at Moose Beach, etc.



As of 8:50 a.m. SLT:
Moose Beach 54 avatars
Korea (all four regions) 41 avatars
Ahern (all four regions) 31 avatars
Waterhead 17 avatars
Hanja (all four regions 11 avatars
Helfell 11 avatars
Hyannisport 10 avatars
Castle Valeria 9 avatars
Violet 4 Avatars
(etc.)

A full sim infohub like Violet, Helfell, Hanja, and Castle Valeria should, I believe, be getting as much traffic as Moose Beach. The four sim hubs should be getting more than them



I recall something like that from the old, old OI as well. I was TPed off by a friend, though.

I wonder if LL couldn't impose a lower avatar limit on InfoHub PARCELS. Not sims. Parcels. Take, for example, the almighty Bear sim. If that InfoHub parcel was limited to say 15 avatars, that would be enough to let other sim residents hold small parties/meetings, etc. If the Bear InfoHub stays packed with 15 avatars, it automatically is removed from the list of where to send new folks, and the lesser used InfoHubs would move up in rank of available spots.

That would even out the load, I think. If someone tries to TP into a full InfoHub, they could get a popup message saying "The InfoHub you have chosen is full. TP to the next available InfoHub?" with Yes/No buttons. If they choose No, the TP is canceled, and the person remains at the original spot. Any newbie is going to think "Huh? Oh well sure, I don't care WHICH InfoHub I get, as long as I can find my information" and click the yes button. Slackers will just give up and go somewhere else.

Sounds like a plan Oryx. If Linden Lab would even actually acknowledge that the overcrowding and loitering in these mainland infohubs causes a negative experience for the tier payers in the sim - then they could begin to consider such a plan as you suggested.

By the time Blondin is badgered into acknowledging this he will be off to another project and the next un-informed Linden will make infohubs their pet-project. And it starts all over again.

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