Waterhead - Linden Village

A week-ish ago, I posted about my experiment in bringing an alt into SL to check out what the current experience for newbies was.
/327/48/230382/2.html#post1804724

As it happens, the "Welcome" area into which my alt was dumped as Home was......... Ta da!!! Waterhead.

I went back about a week ago and got promptly shot around (no 'at' as the moron seemed more concerned at filling the place with physical rod bullets than actually aiming at anyone.
Then another moron start driving a car at me. That was definitely targeted.

I (alt) went back yesterday. There was no griefing going on, but it was still not a very welcoming place to be in. (I'm trying to RP a non-tech Jane Doe here!)

I'm deeply suspicious of avatars who clearly are not noobs but hang out here. There's something unclean about it - a bit like adults trying to get on the Teen Grid.
I'm not talking about people who are there to actively help people - not that I noticed any of that. I'm talking of the avatars who are so obviously 'with-it' appearance-wise that any recent birth-dates scream "I am Alt. I am not a noob".

That's Waterhead.
1) Real noobs
2) Griefy morons
3) Sad people who don't have what it takes to go out and make their own SL, so they hang where they can pose and be patronising to noobs who might actually have 10 times their IQ.
EDIT: (4) Occasional concerned avatars who are there to check the place out. Sheeeesh!!!


If LL ever do anything to clean the place up, they should be imaginative and deal with (3) as the first priority.
Griefers might toughen up a noob's act and get them moving on (inwards hopefully), but the sad people will make them stick around only while their souls get sucked out of them.



Thinking about it:

Any Linden manufactured "Welcome" area is doomed to failure. LL don't have the resources to do it properly. That's the reality that we have to live with.

LL should fund people like NCI and Shelter (and other unsung heroes) with free tier and hotline support - and task a series of anonymous Linden alts to keep a structured tab on what the actual experience is.

I can just see the thread posted here...


Followed by fifteen posts explaining that if you set to sell to anybody...

One might surmise they already have: But, this all does sound like a call-to-action. I know I intend to spend some time in the Welcome Areas (instead of Help Island Public, which always seems to have plenty of helpers anyway), at least as long as my presence doesn't add to avatar-induced lag. Or maybe I'll send an alt, taking into account some of the other comments in this thread.

But really, it's important to all of us that the new user experience isn't welcoming exclusively to jerks, or else our own in-world experience (and commerce) will continue to degrade.

I strongly suggest using a *male* alt. I visited that place recently using a female disguise. Within a few seconds I was approached by a 1 day old male noob (quoted verbatim):

Noob: I like you
Me: Thanks. Welcome to SL. Is there anything where I could help you?
Noob: yes, anything. clothes, walk, sex
Me: Have you been to NCI (New Citizens Incorporated)? It's a great place. They have a set of freebie clothes. As for the walk, better wait a few days until you address that. You will need money.
Noob: can we do sex now?
Me: Not really, sorry. Want a landmark to NCI?
Noob: (walks away silently, never to be seen again)
/me sighs sadly and TPs away.

Here is my special art blog tribute to Gaybot just one bot trying to help.
It is created humorously but not met to offend, more of playful way
of saying Good Job a Bot who actually helps....

http://fdspark.blogspot.com/
"Bot out to help one Info hub at time"
Info hubs at one served a purpose in Second Life.
In my early days of Dagon Grimm
I was told to go there to find information, help
and even connect with others.
Yet Info hubs have become a cesspoll for Griever
attacks and general unfriendliness
towards new players "Newbies"
One of worse these days reported by Forum friend,
Gaybot is Waterhead.
Instead of focusing on business pursuits he spends his
free time visiting Waterhead
and aiding new players in spite of homophobic attacks by
Mentors and Grievers.
As reward for his kindness to help others in spite of
facing verbal and orbiting
attacks for having the name "Gay" in his nickname I
thought I would turn him
into comic book Hero to say in my own way...
"It is Good thing! Be out, be Gay, be a bot and proud!"
"Thank you for trying to make the world bit friendlier for
all, especially lonely, lost Newbies everywhere!"

Nicely Done FD.

Thanks. I had some issues with his hands. Hands are one of my weak areas.

So cool. Easily the best post I have ever seen on these Forums! Thanks FD!

Every once a while there are people who inspire me here even though I have never met
them in world.
I figured it be fun every now and then turn people into Comic book heroes.
I hope Gaybot isn't offended since I did ask his permission first.
Anyone who knows someone or wants to be Super Hero just let me know.
I start a Gallery thread with you or whomever as Comic book super hero.
I have been thinking next one should be Strife, the unappreciated ResMod but
not sure how to do it yet. Any suggestions?

hehe, cool FD! I like super heroes! by the way....I don't go to Waterhead as Gaybot, but instead Robot, the people attack because I had brought friends there who sounded too gay for some of the basement dwellers there. It's ok, I can hold my own in text and voice.

Then sounded too gay? *mutters under her breath and just tries to keep quiet*

Its a huge job taking on a place filled with griefers, I dont know how you got through it with your bot (ro or otherwise) intact!

Oh darn I was imagining you off as Gaybot being Gay and bot helping the world one info hub at time. Oh well let's just say you did

I had someone approach my black avatar in orientation island I wasn't talking was just making him back pack and some idiot came up and asked me something I don't remember what I told him I didn't know then he says are you gay? cause you look pretty gay because I had plaid jacket on.

I have a radical suggestion.

What does everyone think about The Forum Cartel adopting Waterhead the way some municipalities have local companies "Adopt-A-Highway" and see what we can do about it?

I suspect the problem is a handful of idiots who are online at some times and not others and hang out in Waterhead when they are on because there is no-one there who deals with them. Suppose there are people who turn up who can and will deal with them - by coming to the newbies' rescue and helping the latter out? Suppose a group of 217 people (the current count of The Forum You-know-what) could arrange to post folks there when things are busy and figure out when the griefers are there because they are not preoccupied in RL doing their homework or getting their diapers changed?

Already we have people who have gone there on a voluntary but hit-or-miss basis and have gotten some personal satisfaction out of it. A few more, and a little organization, and I suspect Waterhead could become a basically griefer-free zone and some Cartel folks can get even more satisfaction.

Sounds like pvp to me.

Sounds like idea because Lindens won't be doing anything unless their is enough complaints about those there who are violating rules.
I personally don't really have lot of experience dealing with grievers.
What type of things would need to know how to deal with to deal with them there or worse case scenario are we facing?

Well they dumped greeter program ( or merge mentor and greeters to solve problems. still not working.




Frankly speaking.................This is already happening why you think they still exist? Doesnt take a high school level thinking to see its occuring in these places. They are sipported already...........Why ? well who in the right minds even think about supporting places like these anymore? They failed then and resulting in commerical newbie islands...... there most be a better way then either of these two. Unsung heros no, drama filled BS yes...................

Doesn't need to be pvp at all. In fact, shouldn't be.

Advising newbies, especially when people are trying to take advantage of them, and filing ARs when appropriate should be the main activities. The station area, where the Linden signs are, is no-script, no-push, which severely limits what griefers can actually do if you stand there, aside from put on a light-and-sound show. The Lindens do react to multiple ARs, even if not right away. There just have to be witnesses present who can and do file them. It would involve doing pretty much what mentors do on Help Island, which is hang around the safe area there and give advice and send ARs when needed.


Last thing you want to do is violate the TOS yourself, which gives a clever griefer the chance to AR you.

Hanging in the no-script area by the signs would leave you exposed to very little beyond verbal harrassment - which is ARable too. And seems to me most folks who file here can take care of themselves in a verbal duel. : )

Worst case? I guess clicking on an unexpected "offer" menu, which could allow a prankster to mess around with your avatar - and is easily defeated by not clicking on anything. In any case, whatever happens, you can tp or log out at any time. Relogging will undo anything a prankster might do. Griefers feed on their annoyance factor, not on any real damage they can do - because they can't really do any - except mess with a newbie's head, which is reason enough to be there and help out.

That's a great idea, Har. I went there today myself, and saw Brenda just as she was logging out. So the Cartel is, in fact, in evidence at Waterhead.

A good activity for all, when just hanging out at the Hangout gets to be a little old.

Going to welcome areas, helping people with questions, and filing abuse reports against folks that break the rules. What a novel idea. Guess I'll have to try that some time.

There's a Nazi imagery and sound display going on at the moment, 5:59 pst.

Abuse reporter not working.

any sort of anti griefer "griefing" is self defeating in SL they will either nail you with an AR or think of it as a worthy challenge and return with friends and more expensive/cleverly scripted toys to throw back at you. cause SL is a lot like Star Trek you know and those griefers are the Borg.. or something silly like that..

i would just pass out note cards to every newbie you see there with a LM pointing them to some place safe and maybe some nice helpful tips on dealing with griefers in SL.