Mentors & Greeters - Help Island idea thread....

It would probably be a good idea for us to start collecting our thoughts, ideas and impressions from this beta period of HI so we can let LL know what we are finding and how to start refining this idea. I think so far that our challenge is in getting people over to HI, rather than the content of HI.

Some thoughts I had last night...

I noticed that some newbies are open to being welcomed at the exit and some move very fast to get past us. I suspect this may be from uncertainty as to our intentions and bad experiences of being harassed at other games/MMORPGs. It may be that we should greet them right at the start gate and say a quick hello, let them know that there are Greeters and Mentors wandering about and that Help Island is a quick flight away if they need assistance, then leave them alone.

Any thoughts?


Another thing I’ve noticed over time is that a lot of people seem to join SL without having any clue what they are signing up for. “What do I do here” is one of them most common things we hear at the WA. How can we adjust the sign up and OI experience so that we catch those who didn’t bother to read the website first? I am assuming these people just followed a link to the sign up page from someplace and failed to do any reading first.

Thoughts?


I also think the signs at the exits should be changed to be clearer: Go Directly to SL and Need More Help?

Thoughts?

Some more thoughts...

After reading this transcript and particularly this section:

Babbage Linden: ok, the big discussion that drove all this was about making SL easier to use
Babbage Linden: at the moment loads of people are turning up, becoming bewildere
Babbage Linden: d
Babbage Linden: and never coming back


Led me to thinking about newbie behavior I've observed over the past week of the Help Island beta. I wonder if there is any way to track retention based on Mentor/Greeter contact on HI or OI? Are those who've gotten a hello or had lots of interaction with a helper more likely to stay? Is there any way for us to "tag" newbies as they come through OI so that we know which newbies were met by a official helper, which ones blew through OI, skipped most of the stations, failed to grasp flying and were unresponsive to a greeting? How does this effect retention? I know I leave notes on profiles about what I observe during interactions, but how can we use this type of information to improve what we are doing and find out if it is even working?

So far, it seems to me like the end of OI is the critical juncture that needs coverage. This also seems to me to be the best place for a "Greeter Request" kiosk.

I know at the spawn point you can click a box to skip orientation, in that there is an email script, so if that emails out some stats who have skipped orientation im guessing linden have some stats, the next will be who take the welcome area vs help island

I've not personally kept track of anybody i think a greeter is more likely to be able to answer that if they met them on help island, but i think help island has made it much easier, i've helped a few out but alot vary from having a quick wander around then off to the welcome area then some have stayed days, but average is probably 30mins-1hr in the island we have, the grab some clothes freebies, teach them to unpack, make sure their configuration is ok, they have a bit of fiddling with rezzing some cubes etc then they fancy going somewhere so teach them to use the find places, and some said they were going fishing and other went clubbing feeling quite comfy with how things worked

Another thing that would be kinda cool...if we could have a leaderboard or some kind of detail listing that tells us which OI's are open and how many newbies are on each. It would help us to know where to deploy ourselves best...

I think I can provide some insight that might help you.

I was certainly a newbie at this game for a few days (I’ve already given it up) and think I can give you some insight. I’ve been playing MMORPGs since Blackdragon on Compuserve (that’d be 300 baud dumb-modem ascii graphic time).

I had almost no information (the website is worse than useless) when I came into the game and went to the island.

The total experience could be summed up as: “How to get treated like an idiot and patronized for free.”

Whatever the island is supposed to do doesn’t work. It didn’t teach me anything I needed to know or experience in game. In fact, I found the tasks at each station silly and without explanation. I was even more annoyed by this when I was shoved into the “real-world” and found that nothing I had been doing was what I needed to know.

This, coupled with the patronizing greeter babble (no one that I saw spoke with them) made for an unpleasant experience. They stood around speaking about our toons as if we were children.

“Look at how they all start out looking like robots.” And so on.

The entire 20 minutes that I was there (uselessly working on my toon as I didn’t realize you could change looks as often as you wanted later) we got not another word. They stood looking at I guess 5 of us.

The directions to the exit weren’t clear (if they had been, I’d probably just have clicked that) and the island provided irritation and a waste of time instead of anything pleasant or educational.

At some point, without a word, someone handed me some items. I had no idea what they were. Were they some useless trash they were getting rid of? Was it something I was supposed to pay for? Could I even use it? Was it detrimental or a trick? Who knows.

I certainly wasn’t going to ask these people. I didn't like them and didn't trust them at all.

The irritating thing about this entire experience from a newbie’s standpoint isn’t moving around inside the game. It is the legion of useable information masked from the players.

Now that I’ve explained how badly I felt my experience began (it didn’t get any better), lets add some things I feel would be easy improvements:

Put a sandbox there. I helped a few people find these as they're pretty much first stop destinations but aren't listed and are very hard for a newbie to find. Let them understand how the building system works.

Let people play a couple of games. Maybe dance a bit & chat some to get an idea how the system works.

Show them a cool scene or a nice house.

Give them an example of how the purchase system is supposed to work.

Show them the map system and how to set waypoints (or whatever you call them).

Show them how to attach and remove things from their avatars.

Work with people’s psychology, not against it. For example: May I help you? No. (Trained response in western society. No one likes to be pestered by salespeople.)

Instead try the opposite: Hi, my name’s <blah blah> and I’m here to help you get a handle on all the fun you’re going to have in Second Life! There is a lot to learn and I don’t want to bug you, so look around and have fun. If you need anything just shout. Oh! And here are some free clothes and goodies to get you started!

The simulation (it isn't a game in my mind) has such potential that you're wasting it by not wowing them when they step in the door.

There are at least 20 additional easy things I could think of to tweak this to make it a positive experience and not like someone is trying to sell me Amway while snickering behind their hand.

I could certainly help you fix your game (my company does customer flow and business process engineering) and increase retention by at least 400%, guaranteed.

Oh well. I hope this helps you some on your beta island.

Johann Faust (retired already)

Hi Johann I'm sorry your experience was sour. After reading your thread though I have to think you are speaking of Orientation Island and straight on to the main grid. The new Help Island is in between all of the Orientation Islands and you have to walk over the bridge or fly to it. I certainly wish someone had been at the exit point of Orientation Island to guide you over. This is really new (2 maybe 3 weeks) so maybe we missed you somehow. What you described certainly sounds like what goes on at the Welcome Area where one spawns after leaving Orientation Island.

Your suggestions are good and is exactly what we are trying to do on Help Island before folks jet off onto the main grid (Welcome Area). This is a beta program and new improvements are hopefully being launched on or around the 29th. Maybe you could give us a second chance and see where we may be of assistance.
Regards.

Johann, I cannot express how sad I am that we failed so miserably and lost you. Thank you for your honest appraisal; it is feedback like yours that will guide us into making the new resident experience better.

You most likely didn’t see it, but what SL is testing now is something called “Help Island” which is an entire sim reached from the Orientation Island sims to fill in the gaps that you noted. Help Island does have a sandbox and while we have yet to see the final design, it is clear that it has to be compelling enough to draw people over so that we can teach them how to use SL. There are building tutorials and hopefully games as well. There are boxes of freebies to purchase for 0$, which teaches people how to buy and unpack items.

The orientation process as it stands now, is failing and many people are working very hard to try and fix it. We do have some problems, no doubt, with a consistent set of procedures for Mentors and Greeters. These are resident volunteer programs and there are no standards beyond having been in SL for two months and not having gotten into trouble. We have no training and I completely agree with you that this is a mistake. It is pretty clear that both groups need to formalize their structure and start training those who are going to participate. It was inexcusable that we continued to chat amongst ourselves with new users wandering around in chat range; you should have had our full, undivided attention.

I agree with you about working with people’s psychology and this is where our biggest challenges come from. As you know, there are technologically advanced “early adopters” and these people have vastly different needs than the mass market who are not as nimble with technology. Providing an introduction that will work with all levels of intellectual ability is SL’s biggest hurdle right now. As you noted, orientation is a fairly dumbed-down experience, which is unfortunately somewhat necessary (if you will take my word.) Some people figure things out very fast, others take 20 minutes of coaching to get them to fly. My personal experience is that it takes a minimum of one hour, working on one-on-one with a new resident to get them truly oriented so that they teleport in-world ready to go. Some nights I spend a good 3 hours with a single newbie bringing them up to speed. In reverse of what you might think, the quicker and smarter the new resident is, the more they get out of the personal attention. They ask a lot more questions, progress to building much faster and are ready for advanced techniques and concepts faster.

It would also appear that you opted not ask for a Greeter when you signed up, the Greeter program is there to take new residents through SL and give them the personalized attention that is what frequently makes the difference between someone who gives up after a few hours and someone who falls in love with SL. In short, we know there are problems and a lot of people, both Linden Lab employees and resident volunteers, are investing huge amounts of time into improving the new user experience. Hopefully you will come back at a later point when the distaste has left your mouth and give us another chance…

Lecktor Hannibal & Isablan Neva,

You're both right it seems...

I never noticed any signs nor anything else to get to the place you're describing. It'd have helped a good deal probably.

I would've taken the time to absorb everything I could.

As for the greeter... I remember that checkbox. My mouse hovered over it for a second or two...

Me: "Hm. Greeter. Show me around. Like training wheels? Nurse maid? No way. I can figure it out on my own. This is bound to be another player. What if he's an idiot or a pain in the ass? No way. They're bound to have lots of help or online tutorials or something..."

My own mind got me on that one. I'd be curious how many people choose to have a greeter. For me it's like looking for a trainer in a gym. I don't (think I) need one. I don't (think I) want one.

Also, having to make that choice when you're first logging in or whatever is probably the wrong time, as you couldn't know if you'd want one until after you've walked around a bit. (If there is a way to get a greeter or whatever afterwards I missed that as well.) Also that information thing rears its ugly head. WHAT is a greeter, HOW can I lose them if I don't like them, and WHY do I want one?

When given a choice between a "greater risk" (with greeter as you OPT IN to this so it might have some penalty) and a "lesser risk" (the check box isn't checked so default is without greeter), +80% of the time a person will go with what appears to be less risk.

Isablan Neva: I think most people would get quite a bit out of someone genuinely trying to help them learn the simulation. I would've personally been reluctant because as soon as real money enters the equation I go into business mode. I would have constantly been listening for your pitch or angle.

Lecktor Hannibal: Love that name!

Even if the beginning were better, I don't believe I would've lasted any longer than I did.

I started to list all the reasons I felt this way but I don't really think it would be constructive.

I think it is sufficient to say I will be canceling my free account (because I worry that at some time in the future they will change the TOS to start billing, and I do NOT trust the company even a little), and advising people in my gaming group and friends not to try it.

I am, however, interested intensely that what they're doing is legal. Getting away with what amounts to legalized gambling in Texas (where I live) is an awesome concept.

By allowing people to exchange L$ or whatever to knock down their monthly dollar rental payments and encouraging an exchange between real and L$, they have valued and admitted value to the game’s currency.

Allowing someone to exchange dollars for chips or L$ and then gamble in an uncontrolled and unregulated private casino and cash out is fascinating.

It is also interesting they haven’t run afoul of the new money laundering and reporting statutes. It seems their exchange would be a perfect money laundering scheme for moving money in and out of countries. The online casinos got the mush kicked out of them for this reason.

Have a good one,

J.F.

If you go to the help menu in world, and choose livehelp, you can ask any questions you have.

I understand Orientation Island is patronising.. But a lot of people who come in have never been into a "game" (I use the term loosely), like this.. And don't know their way around their PC, let alone a platform like SL..

Greeters are usually screened, and you can pick one that can teach you different things.. I think they have to have been in world for more than 6 months (not sure), and they're all volenteers, so very few will be idiots or such..

I can understand you wanting to avoid people, out of bad prior experience.. But the majority of players do just want to help.. Most volenteer helpers have "Mentor" or "LiveHelper" above their head, as a group tag..

If you would like a greeter, but missed or chose not to use one when you signed up.. You can IM LiveHelp asking if you can get a greeter, and usually a Linden will hook you up with one, or one of the players will volenteer..

If you personally would like a greeter I'm willing and ready, just let me know when you'll be in game.. (through Private Message would help (forum message)).. Or am IM in world..

Anyway, I hope you choose to stay, becuase theres a lot to do and see.. And a lot of fun to be had..

Johann, Help Island went live the evening of the 16th and you came through orientation the next day...before there were any signs up or the bridges had been built, so if you had been a day or two later it all may have turned out different.

I understand your Greeter reluctance, I probably would have done the same thing and I would bet it is probably fairly common that is exactly what happens. We have told LL that the Greeter option needs to move to the end of orientation or to the Welcome Area (WA) and this will hopefully be in the works at some point.

I can also understand that SL just wasn't what you were into, we like to think that there is "something for everyone" here but that often times isn't true. But I do want to say that there wasn't ever a "pitch" coming. Haven't you ever found something so cool that so much captures your imagination and enthusiasm that you tell all your friends? That is how a lot of us feel about SL. At the end of the day, it is just another option competing for your entertainment dollar. When I add up the number of hours I spend in SL and compare it to number of hours I spend in front of a TV, SL is clearly giving me more gratification for the dollar. Not everyone is here for gambling or business, many are here just for creativity and entertainment. If we can cover our tier through sales, all the better. There is a lot of light to go with the darkness you see.

As a Greeter, Johann Faust’s comments stirred up some thoughts. I am still young, game wise, having been around for a little over three months. However, over two of those months have been as the SL girl friend of Xylo Hasp, an experienced Greeter. I feel like I have learned a lot from him about SL and greeting. In fact, he has been my primary source for greeting knowledge.

I became a Greeter because I worked with him in greeting new residents and enjoyed the experience. As a brand new Newbie, I was helped by Xylo and others and wanted, in turn, to help others. I applied shortly after my one month anniversary and started bugging Jeska before my second month eligibility requirement was met. At the ripe young age of two months I was an official Greeter. I say official because, like many would be Greeter/Mentors I unofficially visited the WA before.

I mention the above because I believe I fall in-between Johnn’s situation and that of a long time Mentor or Greeter, who was around “when…” I see SL through the eyes of an experienced Newbie. I am not encumbered with any “we always did it this way attitudes” or an object lack of experience in the ways of SL.

I agree completely that the selection of a Greeter should be done at the end of orientation. There have been times when I have gotten four or five requests within a 15-30 minute period. Four out of five Greeter requesters never show. As a Greeter, I have to balance my time between personal and greeting. When I get four Newbies in a row, I am swamped and don’t have any time to spend with friends or Xylo. If I turn off my Greeter button after four requests and none show, I still have wasted time and maybe put off doing something else, thinking I had to greet someone.

I have never received any formal training. I far as I know neither has anyone else. My training came from Xylo, whom, I assume, figured it out on his own. I have never even been able to discern the real difference between a Mentor and a Greeter. There is a blurring between the two that I haven’t figured out. They will also greet and I will mentor.

I was at first in awe of Mentors, figuring they new everything. Now, I know that they know more than I but not EVERYTHING. I find myself doing as much mentoring as greeting. If, I am at Help Island, I will often hand off a Newbie to a Mentor, if he/she seems to be interested in the technical aspects, such as building or scripting. Most often the Newbie is so overwhelmed that he/she doesn’t know enough to express what he is really interested in doing, while at Help Island or the WA.

Especially at the WA, I offer to bring the Newbie to my home. There it is less intimidating and laggie. He/she gets to see a real home and get an idea what of what is possible within SL. I will also work with them on the basics and answer questions, as they emerge. Often, based on their responses, I will then take them to a couple of places they might enjoy or give them landmarks.

If Xylo is around, we will team up. He will work more with the males and I with the females, often answering girlie questions via IM. Sometimes, I will take the females into the house for more privacy.

Since Help Island has opened, I have started going to Orientation Island to look for a requester or to observe Newbies as they spawn. I agree with Johann that most don’t request a Greeter. Based on his comments, I am thinking of making a note card to give out at spawning, welcoming them and offering to help, if they request it.

At first, I felt like some goddess on Orientation Island, looking down on the earth and poor humans below. I was careful to not let them see me. How, I think it is better otherwise. I will sometimes, position myself, where a Newbie can see me standing or sitting near a station and respond, if they make first contact. I think that this might be an unobtrusive and non-intimidating way to help.

Maybe as Greeters, we should spend more time on Orientation Island and/or the temple meeting the Newbies. We could then direct them to Help Island and the Mentors. You can tell by observing how fast they move through the stations and walk the paths, which ones have played these games before. We could guide the experience players to what we think would be most helpful to them and help the less experience and more intimidated ones with basic questions.

Lastly, I think it would be helpful for Jeska to add to her long todo list a basic manual for Greeters and Mentors. One of the good things about SL is the freedom. So, please don’t make it some policy manual. However, a brief rundown of the goals, a description of the two helping groups and guidelines to help provided some consistency would be helpful to Newbies and volunteers alike.

Jen

I read Johann's post with tears in my eyes. I know that's silly, but it's true.

Johann is precisely the right kind of person SL should be attracting: very intelligent, able to understand its workings so quickly, very keen in finding out its weaknesses and immediately offering suggestions of improvement, just only after a few days.

I could foresee Johann's involvement in SL, if it weren't for such a bad first experience. In a week or so, he would be joining Thinker's, and very likely start hosting his own discussion events on what needs to be done to improve SL. He'd set up a blog with critiques and suggestions, which would quickly rise to become one of the most read ones. After two months, he would become a Mentor/Greeter himself, and apply his RL skills to enhance all new users' experiences — and participate in these forums with excellent suggestions. He would start working with Jeska to organise Volunteer Workshops for new Mentors/Greeters and hold Volunteer Meetings regularly. He'd apply to Live Help and work on new notecards and manuals for new users — as well as on how to convey them that knowledge. He'd be inspiring others on how to redesign future Help Islands. And by the summer of '06, he'd most likely be working for Linden Lab.

How different was my own experience! The Orientation Island was basically spent in tweaking my avatar for about 90 minutes. I went to the many stations, carefully trying to learn something from them, but, like Johann said, most of the knowledge there (like putting a physics-enabled ball on top of the table) is really of not much use. When I appeared at the Welcome Area, it was almost empty — just a handful of residents, busily IMing each other and cybering (I had no idea at that time, of course). After a brief and friendly welcome from Nova Linden, I was off to the Morris Sandbox. For some strange reason, it was during the night, and everything had an eerie look — people in isolated spots (most of them newbies like I was) building amazing things in silence (there was no constant warfare as you find nowadays). Most did answer to simple questions when I asked them, and I soon started to join them in the building (since it was night, my first object was a lamp post ).

This was almost what Johann was expecting SL to be. And I can now imagine that if I had just joined right now, and went through Johann's experience — well, I'd left as well. (Or probably not — I'm still intrigued enough about SL and stubborn enough to stay )

The only thing that might change this trend is the Help Island — even the Beta one has a few of the elements that Johann mentioned: a way to get more valuable documentation and information and friendly people, seasoned residents, who are used to greet newbies (ie. be friendly enough to help you out if you wish any help, but let you roam freely around Help Island if that's what you wish). I have seen many — not just one or two — almost afraid to go to the mainland and never return to the Help Island. Thus, they stayed around for several hours, just to be able to exchange information at HI with the older users. For me, that was a big success of the HI in captivating people's interests — but what will they think of the mainland after they leave the HI? I'm afraid that the more intelligent ones could very easily follow Johann's steps.

Well, we're the lucky ones, the ones who stay and who can still read Johann's last words and think a bit about them. I certainly learned something already.

Fare thee well, Johann — I think you could have been a "kindred spirit", as Anne of the Green Gables would have said. It's really so sad to see you go.

I as thinking last night that we really need to have a Help Island meeting and discuss some basic rules of conduct and maybe bat around a few ideas about our mission.

In a perfect SL world, I think newbies would never teleport onto the mainland without a grasp of 6 basic concepts. The rest is easy to figure out or get help on in-game.

The critical 6 (IMHO)


1) You stuff is in your Inventory

2) Meet the SL Map, sims are rated PG or M

3) Meet the Find Menu

4) How to buy things (with examples of vendors and buy/pay)

5) How to deal with SL lag/settings

6) How to rez a cube, rotate, stretch and texture


Personally, I think everything else is gravy once you have these 6 things explained to you. These open up SL for anyone to experience. Sure there are hundreds more things to learn, but I genuinely think this is the primary skill set a new resident needs to walk in world with and should be mission #1 on Help Island.

Over the past week I have spent a good amount of time at Orientation Island. I just stand there and hand out the note card I made, using Johnn’s suggestions, soon after they pop out of the Linden womb.

I will talk to them if they talk to me first. Otherwise I just watch. (Actually, I spent a lot of time reorganizing my inventory for the umpteen time.) Based on my observations, I think Linden should do away with the option to skip orientation. Force them to continue to Help Island. This way they will all be exposed to what is available and get to meet a mentor.

Jen

You know, Jen, I've had that same thought and go back and forth about the reality of human nature. I geniunely think that nobody should get to mainland without grasping the basics. However, as I watch people on OI from a distance, they will spend 40 minutes on appearance and then fail to compete the "looking at things" station to get the camera controls down, walk right past the "move the ball" station, and never figure out how to fly because it is possible to get to the exit by continuing to walk forward if you are determined enough not to read.

Some people are just unteachable. And some just assume, like Johann did, that they are plenty smart enough to figure this out without any help. Which is true to a degree. Most of us in SL today figured it out without much help or found someone early on that became our mentor.

All of which leads to the inevitable discussion of intellectual capabilities and SL. As SL goes more mainstream, it is a given that it has to become simpler to use which is why we are seeing changes in the UI and p2p. I think forcing people onto HI is probably not the answer, but maybe homing them on HI for their first week might be. Let them get onto the mainland, discover that they want some more help on their own and then give them the option to get back. Of the many people we've helped on HI, almost everyone is disappointed that they can't come back once they've gone to the mainland.

This strikes me as a more sensible solution than forcing everyone through HI - set their home to HI for the first 7 days and they can TP directly to the mainland if they want or they can work further with a helper.

I second you all, even when you have contradicting opinions, lol

1) Yes, I agree on the "6-step" approach.
2) Yes, I think that a trip through HI should be as "mandatory" as possible (in the sense that only alts should go directly through to the mainland). Notice that people will still be able to take a look at the HI, mumble "oh no, self-styled teachers trying to 'help' me, let's skip that" and go on to the OI. But at least they would make a choice. The ones that go directly to the WA most likely never had a choice, they didn't know the difference, and just clicked somewhere.
3) Yes, it's incredible how much people love the HI (even with its sandboxy look). I've told Jeska already that some newbies stay there for hours and hours, well beyond what would be "reasonable" to get their first steps. Well, today I was utterly amazed. A 5-day-old newbie was still on the HI, and what was he doing? Helping other newbies around, specially when there wasn't a Mentor.

I find this ultimately impressive, but perhaps, like Isablan says, not so surprising. What is now their first impression? People volunteering their time to help others. It's only natural that if that is your first idea of SL — how different from the Welcome Area!!! — that's what they feel natural to do after a while.

I certainly agree with the "return to HI" option during the first week or so. If this new generation of newbies is as helpful as that 5-day-resident of HI, the Mentors won't have any work to do in a few weeks, lol. Jokes beside, it's a completely different experience. These guys will jump to the Welcome Area and see a completely different world there. But at least now they know that the WA is an aberration — not the norm.

I think that this is very, very important to them.

Isablan – I don’t think would lose many people if they had to at least walk though a longer course, one that included HI stages. However, we all think that we do lose many because of their inability to function within SL society.

Right now there is a sign at the womb that allows someone to skip the orientation. There is another at the temple allowing them to proceed to the WA. How painful would it be for some trechie to walk or fly the course before reaching the exit sign?

I still think that if someone was forced to walk through HI to reach the exit he/she might just find something of interest that would peek their attention.

Jen

Jen, I agree with you about the skip orientation sign at the spawn point, I think it should be removed. Anyone creating an alt account already knows how to fly and get around, so they will just fly to the exit and head into SL. Allowing the option for all and sundry just results in people wandering around the WA totally lost and unable to function.

The more I think about it, making the exit be on HI does make sense. They don't have to stop and talk to anyone if they don't want, but they at least know it's there for them. All that needs be done is a big EXIT sign with an arrow over the Telehub and remove the exit temples from the islands. It's worth grabbing Jeska and talking about it.

So you would think, and yet there are people who do not understand little things like 'No Mod,' how to apply textures (tattoos) to their AV (and no one around them seems to know), etcetera. I've only been playing since mid November, and already have started a shop based around avatar textures, but I find that I spend more time explaining how to apply them than anything else. Using the Appearance menu might be a good idea, as well, in this case, since there seems to be a lot of confusion and frustration around that particular item. Don't ask me why that should be, but instead look at the people that skip OI entirely, or don't have the desire to sit around and play with all the neat little buttons and sliders like I do.

That said, I want to thank the Helpers, Greeters and Mentors out there for spending their own personal time on what can be a thankless job. I know that I skipped out on a Greeter, but that is because I wanted to spend my first few days figuring things out on my own and only asking questions where I failed to grasp concepts.

Luci

I havent been to help island only a few times to check it out and every time I went it was pretty empty, but... I have mentored a lot and I think Johann is perhaps not the saint that everyone is making out here.

He does make some excellent points and the idea of having mock purchasing scenrios and especailly something joyfull like dancing would be excellent! Sometimes one can learn by having fun (dancing for example) far more easily than being lectured by a mentor.

I often get locked into what I call "lecture cycles" with newbies (and I see other mentors doing the same thing), where the newbie asks a question and you give a full answer, then they ask another point, and another, and before you konw it you are explaining all sorts of things in great detail, but the information is literally going in one ear and out the other. You keep doing it because they keep asking, but both of you are really quite lost and the actual information imparted is very low indeed.

It all can come off as rather boring and painfull to the newbie and having fun experiences (like dancing) that are also learning tools is key IMO and could turn that experience around.

That being said though, this Johann seems to me to be kind of the sullen "dont talk to me" type that later curses the lack of information. He says several times that he doesn't like to be "patronised" (helped), yet derides us for leaving him alone. Like as not the person that dropped the items on him did it as a method of communication and to show him something about clothes or attachments, yet he claims to be offended by that a bit (although he did not communicate that to anyone at the time?) and then later wishes he was told about attachments. He claims not to want to be pestered and then later complains of being left to "stand around."

He doesnt seem to be a bad guy to me, and some of his ideas for imporvement are great, but all this effusive praise and sadness that we "lost" him is a bit over the top IMO.

People were polite to him and tried to help him as best as they could and he was unresponsive. That's the way I see it.

I think we need a unified channel for communication between the volunteers who are on the entry islands and new users.

At present the new user can, if they can figure it out, ask Live Help. There may not be any Live Helpers on the entry islands, and none who want to go there. Of course, they may all be busy answering questions from other people. I asked Live Help a simple question the other and received no response, not even from a Linden staff member, one of which is said to be listening in at all times.

There could be a volunteer a short distance away but the new user won't know that, or how to contact them.

----- on another matter ---------

Gee, it would be mighty nice if the minimap would show help island and all the adjacent sims all the time without having to fly around.

And the big map - I have snapshots of it showing Help Island and the Orientation Islands - with varying numbers on the O.I.s, but now I don't ever see the Orientation Islands at all, just Help Island.

---- And -----------

Perhaps some pictures of different places to enter at, like the sandboxes, or Waterhead, or the Linden offices, or the balloon tour place?

I finally twigged that if I extend my draw distance I can see them all. Mind you anything over 64 usually means impossible lag for me elsewhere so I soon learned to adjust on the way out!

Yes - the big map needs the OIs visible too.

p.s. what happened to OI 13? ITWSBT!

I use 128 as my default draw distance, and sometimes one OI shows on the minimap, sometimes 2,3, or 4.

The minimap ought to show the adjacent sims, regardless of draw distance. That would make it useful. Rather essential for Help Island volunteers since we have no other way to locate n00bs than dots on the minimap. Of course if we had a Entry Island Chat Channel that would produce a system message of "New User Firstname Lastname has just arrived on Orientation Island 3" sort of message then we wouldn't have to hunt them down. Then we could just find them in the channel member list and say hi, if you need help just click the entry island chat channel button. IF they did click that button for help then all the volunteers on the entry islands, regardless of what group they are in, would get the message.

My machine does 512 on relatively uncrowded, low prim, low texture places like the entry islands just fine, but if I forget and go to a the WA, a club, or the more developed areas with 512 set, then I get to file a grey loading texture bug report , so I guess that's an extra bonus!

The big map though - it just doesn't make sense for the O.I.s not to show.