The New Entry Points and Mentors

I think the charter may have been updated recently, or maybe my memory is off, but the description of the Mentors group on the volunteers page on the secondlife.com website still singles out the Welcome Area as the place where mentors go to help new arrivals.



Having new members arrive at 4 places of unknown probability makes it sort of difficult to be in the right place at the right time to help the new members, right?

Presumably the Mentor's role at at the privately owned new entry points will be filled by people the owner selects?

What are the implications of the new entry points for Mentors?

The Shelter is one of those entry points; allow me to detail our situation:

Although it's physically located in a Mature simulator, the Shelter is a G-rated environment, and most of our regulars are older in RL age. We've always been non-profit, and our 'hosts' work on a volunteer basis. We survive off a combination of Dev Incentive, Metadverse, and community donations - the latter of which have always seemed to be generous when money gets tight.

The majority of our expenses are tier, prizes for the trivia events we hold, and a small money machine - which gives out the equivalent of a free texture upload on a random basis.

My biggest concern right now is coverage. Between the hours of 2pm-11pm there's typically a decent amount of activity, and usually more than enough folks there ready and waiting to greet & help out.

8am-2pm is light, but often there's often at least *someone* there hanging out to say hello & help. There's a few folks that tend to hang out around the freebie table and script or create in the relative peace. (It’s been a standing rule that anyone is welcome to rez or work on anything they like, providing it’s not disruptive to others).

11pm-8am, however - is a huge black hole. I am worried about coverage during this time, and have expressed this concern to Linden. I've asked some of the regulars at the Shelter to keep an eye on their map for activity if they're online during this time - but it’s a rough time to cover.

If you are around during that time, and aren't allergic to this type of environment (I respect that if you are) - you'd help out immensely by stopping by, or just keeping an eye on the map for a lone green dot in northern Isabel.

If you haven't been there before, the Shelter is located in the northern strip of Isabel - It’s a white building with a pool out back. The spawn point for New Residents that select this location is inside the entryway between the pool and main area - near the infoNet terminal.


Thanks in advance for any assistance you're willing to give!

Are people appearing at the Shelter yet, Travis? Is there a sign at the OI for the Shelter yet?

I pretty sure I was told this change was already in effect, for over a day; the signs for The Edge and Abbotts Aerodrome are already at OI, but, as of this morning there weren't signs for any other private establishments, and Robin now says things are still being set up instead of already being in operation.

I cant be sure on that. We get a fair amount of newbies as it is, so its hard to tell if its just the normal pattern, or they're actually rezzing there. I can say that none of us have actually *seen* someone rez at the spot I was told folks would appear, but its only a few seconds walk inside, so it'd be easy to miss when there's a lot of activity going on.

What I do know: Robin & Dan stopped by at about 4pm yesterday for the regular scheduled newbie party. I was swamped, so I was dividing my time between getting the lowdown from them, and making sure everyone was attended to. Frankly, I was so shocked by the whole thing - I didn't have the clear head to ask all the questions I should have.

Robin informed me that the change from Edge to Shelter was effective immediately, and left me with Dan to work out where the spawn point should be. The rest - such as any sign placements at OI - are just assumptions on my part.

The next couple days should be very telling as to what this change really means.

hey travis. i'm still a newbie myself, but am quickly learning the ropes. i'm on the east coast, so that's a tough time period for me. but, if i am online during those times, i'd be happy to hang out at the shelter. you guys are the only place i felt welcome as a newbie!

I'll hang out down there.

Frankly, the WA has become a wretched hive of scum and villainy. I've had about enough of being there, and the times that I visited the Shelter were usually quite decent in comparison, despite not having been there for some time.

Until somethign is done about the WA, I'd say to anyone considering joining: The Welcome Area..... is not very welcoming. Been there a year. It was better before they did the revamp, though not a whole lot....

Weex! I wasn't even aware of that, but will now keep it in mind.



And no offense to the probably awesome bastion of clubbing goodness that is The Edge, but what sort of tea were those Lindens drinking when they first designated that as an SL entry point? The Shelter makes so much more sense.

I just wanted to give a big Thank You to all the Mentors that have stopped by to help at the Shelter!

I'm speechless from all the support we've received from everyone - you all absolutely, positively, rock!


We had a little landing point snafu yesterday, causing new folks to rez at the wrong entrance where they couldn't be seen. Hopefully today, Linden will take care of that - making greeting folks that much easier.

In the mean time, I have some signs & a temporary collision detect script setup that gives folks a quick instant message when they land telling them where they are, and how to walk inside.

I got it covered! I was at The Shelter last night from 11pm to 11am and we had many nice Mentors stop in to help like Lo Jacbos, Psyra, and Usagi Musashi. I would say we had around 15 true new residents spawn during that time and all seemed to make it up the ramp fine.

I know I am not a Mentor or Greeter but you can rest assured the graveyard shift is accounted for!

I think this is great that the Shelter is a part of this change, (it should have been from the start).

BUT...

No one is answering Suezannes very interesting question.

If newbies are going to be arriving at "private" locations from now on, it seems to me that this seriously affects the Second Life Mentoring program in general. I cant see that anyone has thought about that or planned for it.

I can see the potential for lots of clashes in the future. What if an official SL Mentor wants to mentor but the "private club" kicks them out? Also some of the Mentors like to hang in the WA all the time, if it's a club instead of the WA, will the club owner want a permanent house guest on the edge of the dance floor? What if the Mentors (who in my experience tend to be nicer more moral folks than average), have a problem with things happening at said club?

I am not saying these are unsolvable problems, but they are valid questions to ask.

For starters I would guess that these private locations will make much less use of SL mentors, if they use them at all. This might actually increase the load on the live help folks, as the mentors fade into oblivion to be replaced by bouncers and club owners.

.

Let me offer a completely, utterly biased comment....

-Make sure that all of the 'private' locations selected have as their primary mission - to give a postive experience to new residents.

Ok, maybe that's unrealistic if you want to provide an 'array of choices' for folks.

Personally, I think a venue operator would be *foolish* to shun the mentors group in any way. But, it's a valid concern. There's a wide range of clubs out there, with a varying degree of 'openness'. I'm in a unique position because my primary focus is trying to be a haven for new residents. The venues which have profits as a primary focus likely have a mixture of priorites where I could see might cause a contention.

I don't go out much, So I can only speak for myself & the Shelter. I recognize that it's impossible to please every individual, and personality conflicts happen from time to time - but if Mentors can't feel comfortable there, how can I expect to make New Residents feel comfortable?

From my vantage point, I need the help of Mentors, and will do whatever I can to accomodate them. If that means putting a 'house' up by the dancefloor, so be it (Although the chairs around the freebie table tend to be our 'house' as it is)

In fact, if anyone has any constructive suggestions on how I could improve the experience at the Shelter for new residents - even if its painful, negative feedback - I welcome the criticism - IM/PM me, or talk to me in-world.

I'd consider any mentor that chose to help us out with the new folks no different from any of the other volunteers, and just as important. At least with me, any mentor is welcome to consider the Shelter their 2nd home as much as they do the welcome area.

None!

Mentor's role is not limited by "private" entry points - and our mission is Grid wide.

Mentors won't be fading anywhere anytime soon...

My best early learning experiences were at The Shelter even if Travis and Lars were barely older than me. No offense guys but your attitude was what inspired me and I would still be there mentoring but I feel kind of like a third wheel. I try not to promote my SL knowledge (as vast as it is) but if I encounter a newbie there and try to deal with his/her concerns I am immediately overwhelmed by some who can talk louder than me. I suspect part of it is that they are males while I am a lowly female.

Maybe I should be a Greeter instead of a Mentor.

Travis.. I well remember your welcoming.

I would love to help with the "graveyard shift" as you termed it and which for me is my breakfast and coffee time.

Let me know and *smiles* i would love to drop in the Shelter and help

Huh? wha? Newbie appearing from Orientation Island, directly into the shelter?

Well not exactly. Info can be found here. /3/78/57782/1.html *Note the only difference is The Shelter replaced The Edge for the time being.

So, sorry to be rather dense, but is there a list of where mentors can go to support these private places that are now spawning points? Other than casual discussion of them, I am afraid I won't know where to hang out to greet newcomers and support the folks who've allowed themselves to be those points of entry.

Thanks.

I'm becoming concerned, just thinking about things. I LIKE the new choice system for the incoming kids, even if it makes it a little more difficult to provide coverage.

But looking at the slide in behaviour in the WA this week....

Well, there have always been bad elements in the WA, I understand. And you don't have to glance too hard at the police blotter to see that it's an ongoing low-level noise, most often drowned out by the presence of friendly, helpful, responsible residents...greeters and mentors and welcomers, oh my.

When they aren't around, the WA can go downhill pretty quickly, and become an awfully unpleasant place to stick around. That happens in cycles, days and timezones being what they are.

However, now they're being drawn away by the need to provide coverage at other sites. Those nasty periods are getting longer, and more unpleasant, straddling the edge of what's acceptable, and not really the sort of environment that is...welll...welcoming. If puts ME off, and I bet it puts others off too.

Does the rotation system now mean the WA is past it's time? If the experiment proves a success, will it be time to retire the old WA? What will happen to Video Linden? We were planning to elope! (He's such a good listener, and we never ever fight)

A few things...

First would be more Resident-run WAs in the future. The central nature of the WA is a familiar comfort but the expanding nature of the world known as Second Life lends itself to viable, fun alternatives. The currrent WA is beautiful, but as noted, laggy compared to the sticks-and-rails design of the retro one (which is now, more or less, at Lime sans benches).

A MATURE WA might be a YUGE (as Trump would say) step. Some sort of sleazy, okeymoke location filled with trash and graffiti like a rundown busstop. Maybe some big XXX signs, a fight club nearby, you could even have a Lament Configuration you can solve and be ripped apart by chains. Somewhat exaggerated, but honestly, if you're gonna swear... it's a legitimate alternative given what often goes on in Mature sims, and would help those who want to come in to SL and immediately get aquainted with the adult side of things.

From a marketing perspective, is it safe? No, but neither is the GTA series (although that is quite differently marketed as it's not so much a creative medium). But repressing the sleazy side of SL instead of giving it its own space is just gonna choke things up in the future, especially for new arrivals who crave it. From a marketing perspective, is it sound? Decidedly yes, because since this is an adult community, I believe each of us has a right to informed consensual choices. I've been to many places in SL, ruling none of them out but appreciating the experiences and lessons learned, even if I didn't personally relate to what was happening.

Also—

I've seen all sorts of new Residents. One was very self-conscious and expressed he was terribly hurt when another Resident was using a laugh gesture. The first Resident felt he was being mocked for being new, and was quite sensitive. I've also seen new Residents who want to get deep into gunplay on their first day, and are frustrated at not finding more readily-available venues to shoot (this is another thoughtline I will speak on greater length of in the future). And, many other flavors than that.

My own experience: when I was new, I was greeted at the WA by so many helpful Residents. Some had weird, wild, you might even say disturbing avatars. Back when we had a Stage 4 (that sounds so oddly OLD now), I felt it was like a gigantic amphitheatre. Several months down the line I realized how small it actually was and in spite of how the world has grown, it doesn't overwhelm me. I did always appreciate the particle shows and other colorful displays in the WA, although some of them, according to the guidelines, decidedly have a better place elsewhere.

And oh yeah, speaking of the guidelines, they're currently stuck on a pretty sign where they're kinda out of the way and hard to see. Doesn't seem to me to be as much of a control issue as just finding alternative outlets to let all the feistiness flow.

Does "bad" behavior in the WA (that doesn't cross the rules of SL like the Community Standards) bother me? Not so much as it being in an inappropriate place.

Recently, I dropped into The Shelter to see if anyone was needed to help with newcomers - it was a cheerful group of residents helping newly spawned people, and the atmosphere was incredibly welcoming. Nothing seemed rushed or worrisome, and people were making real connections with one another. Not surprising, given that this is the primary goal of The Shelter.

So, with that observation, I think that The Shelter is doing its usual fabulous job, and I will continue to haunt the WA as my primary mentor perch. Given the battlezone environment it can take on sometimes, I think the more positivity-jiggity I can offer is good for the new soul.

~N

I have a questeb about this new points. It does appear greeters are not being used as offen because LL seems to using the shelter as a LEARN ALL one stop location for newbies. Are greeters on the way out because of these new changes?

I hope not. I think the greeters do an important (and very tough job). The new folk are unoriented (orientation isle - I think - shows people just how much they don't know), bewildered and confused, and you've got to give them their experience, AND teach them enough to be able to do it, and enjoy it all at once.

I don't envy you that task. It's *got* to be hard, but I'm very glad it's being done. People who get greeted, IMO, are much better off than the folks who didn't (on average...there are always exceptions).

What surprizes me these days is people thinks the more time you play in the game gives you more understanding. You don`t this game in a matter of week playing 20 hours a day like some are stressing in their egos. A second life understanding is build in time and is not a rushed to defeat the bad guys in this game like others shoot them up games.

Greeters and mentors ( good ones) work every day with little asked in return. resently i getting the feeling LL is losing their focus on some issues on greeters and mentors.
Greeting is a hard job and i love it! I will keep doing it forever. There seems to be a lack of caring in the support services of LL. They add mentors and greeters but do they monitor them?