Volunteers Mission Statement

I was working with Tateru on the following......... We thought that it would be good to have a Mission Statement for the volunteers.

I like this Sky. A few questions/suggestions:

As I recall, the term “Resident” is more commonly used in SL than citizen. Shouldn’t we say “New Residents?”

I would pluralize the word “question” and make it “questions.” Seldom does a new resident/citizen have only one question.

Are there written “Community Standards?” If so, where are they and if not, how can one follow them?

Lastly, I would place the word “present” with “conduct”, as in, We will conduct ourselves...”

Thank you for stepping forward and offering a solution. However, be prepared for criticism from those that do little and grip a lot. One thing I think I have inferred correctly about many volunteers in SL is that many of us are individuals who like to do it “our” way. Anyone changing the status quo or suggesting “standards” will be stricken from out friends list.

Ok, I am off to delete your name from my friends list....

LOL

NOT

Jen

I like it Sky

However, it might get a little grey with the Instructor groups - as classes are for everyone, not just new residents. And for Live Help especially, their efforts are less focused squarely on new residents, and instead more on broad questions from the community as a whole.

Perhaps "leaders" would be better replaced with "helpers" ? I don't feel like I've led anyone, I've tried to help people; and it would also reduce the "lording over them" syndrome that I think is prevelent in the helper program of late?

<shrug>

ALL: I'm having some issues with this first part. Specifically what I have highlighted in purple above. I think the word "transition" implies the New Citizen and not the seasoned one. The, "to provide a positive" I think should stay, but I can't seem to find a word that would be inclusive of all citizens to replace transition. How about, "to provide a positive role to all Residents by providing"?

what about

Lord, grant me patience to bear the noobs I cannot change, courage to change the noobs I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Please try to not make the writing bloated and inflated, using overly big words and needlessly complex sentence structures for small ideas.

A mission statement that reads like it came from a grant proposal is an embarrassment.

If there absolutely has to be a stilted, overblown mission statement produced, please get someone well versed in the language to make sure all the big words are used and spelled correctly and that it doesn't have errors such as using "for" in place of "to".

How about replacing transition with experience, since I totally agree that transition is focussed on the new residents, and therfore on Mentors and Greeters, rather than Live Helpers and Instructors.

what about

Lord, grant me patience to bear the noobs I cannot change, courage to change the noobs I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

You might find the following text from Jeska (posted on Robin's blog) interesting for further discussion: http://secondlife.blogs.com/change/2006/05/volunteers_work.html

Oh God, Second Life is clearly going down the drain if we've started writing mission statements!

Oh God, Second Life is clearly going down the drain if we've started writing mission statements!

Guys, while you have all the right in the world to make such comments, doing so makes you look awful small and petty.

Sky, is attempting to improve the quality of life for all of Second Life’s residents. Why is the idea of a mission statement so onerous and horrible?

It reminds us why we have volunteered to help out in SL.

It offers guidance to those of us who may not have months and years of SL experience but, only the desire and energy to help.

Rather than act like little children who feel that they didn’t get as big a piece of cake or cookie as the next child, offer something constructive and positive. If you have a better idea, let’s hear it. If not... I think I will just stop here. I am sure both of you are better and nicer than I inferred from your post.

Jen

Rather than act like little children who feel that they didn’t get as big a piece of cake or cookie as the next child, offer something constructive and positive. If you have a better idea, let’s hear it. If not... I think I will just stop here. /QUOTE]

I volunteered to be a mentor for one reason: I thought it might be quite nice, and quite fun to help out new residents who may be suffering some of the same problems and confusion that I had when I was new. Thats it.

I believe that this can be done quite adequately without going down the road of becoming like some vast multinational company with strap lines, mission statements, and corporate guidelines.

If Linden Labs want to go that route, that is up to them. The volunteers are NOT employees of Linden Labs, they are not on the pay roll, and I do not believe that they need to be rubber stamped and regulated to death. Mission statements? I have written plenty of them, and in my experience they have never benefitted anyone with the possible exception of the careers of the marketing managers who support them.

Offer something constructive and positive? You mean like helping people? Yes, I was doing that quite happily until we had to turn into "Mentors Group plc".