is introduction island pointless? discuss.

YAY!!!

Interesting ideas.


RE: "adult" level education for new residents...

...If you talked to private gateway owners, they might happily put up a sign that said "Looking for naughty? click here to go to THAT tutorial" or some such... just to get those types to move on.

You'd have to speak to the owners one by one. The Linden in charge of the community gateway program is well aware of these sorts of issues and may have thoughts on the matter herself. Send me a PM if serious about doing something constructive.

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Regarding "real info" found at gateways, or potential lack thereof...

Not finding any? Search "Oxbridge" inworld. Several thousand dollars were spent to ensure that you'll find some, and you will.

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RE: Mandatory 'tests' before leaving the island...

...as fabulous as this might sound, it's going to be fairly shaky in practise. There used to be such a thing with the official signup, sort of, but it depends upon the degree of annoyance really. Must the new resident understand how to create a group, create and assign roles, and assign group chat moderators too? The big question is: how far must one go. Not an easy question.


RE: "paying for passing the tests"...

...sure, great idea. Anyone willing to donate $L to this? You might need several million $L, though, to even dip your toe in these waters.

Once people figure out they get *paid* ten cents to create an account and run it through the tutorial, it's just begging online gold farmers, bots, campers and so forth to drain the paying people dry.

A land baron might consider it just for the incredible traffic it would bring. I've considered a lot of things myself, and if you add business advertising into the mix it could be quite a runaway situation.

But I shudder in horror to consider the logical evolutionary endpoint of such a scenario. Welcome to Respublika Blingtardia! Get Paid to Read These Ads!!!111 (sparkle, sparkle, flash, bling~bling from the beckoning, spinning billboards).

Heh, no thanks. Pass Oxbridge's tests and you get a graduation hat and robes, that's it. Be glad it's free (to you) and that you didn't need a student loan.

In the end I think a clean, no nonsense, easy, nonmandatory, nonpaying, non traffic~pimping, friendly approach is the right way to go.

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The most important thing is that residents understand that they can return to the gateway at any time to learn, and that is more than enough. It takes conscious effort to still not understand basic functions, after a month or two.

NCI and a brief description (that people are likely to actually read) is mentioned among the community gateway signups ~ I made sure of it.

Both right and wrong.

Very little in SL is hard to learn but there's a whole bunch of little things you need to function. It's the 1000 little things you have to learn that make the whole seem like there's a steep curve.

Hair, for example, couldn't be easier once you know the trick. Explaining to a total newbie about the 'bald base' and the difference between 'real' and prim hair takes a bit of doing.

All those things still can be learned on the go if the right resources are available...that's the problem. LL has been absolutely horrible in giving new users essential information ia an easy to find and understand format. I was not particularly computer savvy when I joined SL....I just found quiet spots and pecked away at the interface over a couple of day, and asked some questions of people I met. This isn't rocket science, some people like to think it is out of some self serving smugness I guess, but it really isn't that difficult to grasp the basics.

One of my alts either came into SL through Oxbridge or went there shortly after being created. My hat's off to you, Desmond - brilliantly done.

Nic
(Haven't been there in ages, but Orientation Station was another good one.)

Oxbridge has TESTS?! I've been a professor there for months now, and never knew! Probably lose my tenure over that.

Seriously, Caledon Oxbridge has most of what people in this thread have suggested. Clear, concise instruction on the basics of SL, both the technical and the social aspects.

Even so, there are a lot of people who can't be bothered. They pop in, look around, run through the buildings so fast that the tutorials must blur past, and pop out.

People don't all learn in the same way. Some like reading signs. Some would rather talk to a person. Others want to watch videos. And a lot just want to skip the darn tutorials and get on with SL, not realizing the pitfalls they face. Nothing is going to work for 100% of the newcomers.

If you do some of the suggested practise exercises in the tutorial you get an item or two on the spot.

Oh, THOSE. Whew. I thought you meant a final exam or something, what with the mention of a cap and gown and all.

The Community Gateways were past my time, but I've already been planning to send my next alt through Oxbridge.

Although, ooh, there's a Faery one now too. How come neither me nor my alt got any of the cool places?