Mentors and mature content

How is mature content in a help station regarded here?

I recently became a mentor and spent most of my helping time in my own german help station. Since sex is a part of SL for me, I offer body parts, sex toys and texts about escorting and BDSM in my help station as well as non mature texts and items. In the LM collection, there are LMs to mature places and PG places. My help station is on mature land and flagged as containing mature content, so you will only find it in search, if you include mature content.

So if I see it right, I'd better not wear the mentor tag in my station but better my own tag, correct?

Are there any objections on using mentor materials in my station when not wearing the LL mentor tag?

cu
Aleco

There's nothing that says you can't have your own help station...just that you can't sell things or endorse commercial products while wearing the Mentor tag.

The LL VTeam is working on ways to "certify" the various unofficial helper organizations who are doing such good work in SL. Organizations like Help People, NCI, and GQ Start.

As for the mature content, all I can pass on to you is the consensus of posts that recently hit the Volunteer email list, regarding whether or not "Newbie Kits" handed out by Mentors should include mature items. The vast majority of responses were against it. People felt that newbies who were interested in the sex aspects of SL would find them on their own soon enough, and that promoting that aspect of SL was not the "first impression" they wanted to make.

I'm not saying what you should or should not do. My own newbie kit contains a couple of notes on SL sex, although it does not contain any toys or attachments.

Lindal - do you have any further information on this? I'm thinking the Shelter might benefit from this as well

Travis, I'm not at my home machine where I have a Favorites link to the Volunteer part of the web page, or I would get you some more detailed information. For now, the best I can tell you is to drop a note to Blue Linden.

What about mature stuff such as telling people you are looking for slave girls in your inworld profile? I found that slightly disturbing in Aleco's profile...newbies might not exactly understand what that means.

When did you read that? I'm not looking since I am a mentor and I will surely not wear the Mentor tag when I look for a new girl.

Yes, my girls are listed there, that's quite normal for a master. It would be a sign of disrespect not to list them. In my help station people from the BDSM scene are welcome as well. There are english and german texts about BDSM and information about Gor.

I find it safer for the new subs to know a bit about BDSM in SL before they get cought by an irresponsible master or mistress. There are LMs for BDSM communities like Roissy or Burg Stein and sex places too.

But that is just one aspect of the station. Others come for the textures, the script collection, the artists section...

Sex and BDSM are a part of SL, in terms of business even a big part. Why not to talk about them and offer information?

cu
Aleco

Why not? Simple... Gor is not mainstream, Gor isnt even mainstream BDSM.... If its in your profile thats fine as long as it isnt when you wear Mentor tags.

Lets use some common sense here. If you have slaves listed in your profile when acting as a Mentor. A new person will shy away from asking for help in the fear of being approached to be a slave. The as far as teaching those who wish to learn more? As far as I know all the help and training hasnt dried up in the BDSM community. Please stop using the Mentor program for recruiting. Get a small bit of decensy. LL has even given us the option to not show some groups in our profiles.
Correct me if Im wrong, isnt Gor mainly about Honor? If so, please show some.

Before you ask... yes I know enough about Gor to have taught Gorean philosophy.

First of all, I am not a gorean. My girls are not goreans.



I don't really think, there is one regarding this topic.



Simply: No. I run my help station for quite a few months now and had my girls in my profile before I even built it. Noone ever was offended by that or was threatened not to ask me for help. I'm still not even wearing the SL Mentor tag in my station, I wear my own SL Hilfestation tag.



That implies that I used the mentor program for recuiting. Well I'm sure you have evindence for this?



So you know more about Gor than I do. Talking about respect, as long as there is no official LL rule that says that listing your girls in your profile is not allowed when wearing the SL Mentor tag, please show me the respect to allow me to live my life the way I chose.

cu
Aleco

Lets face it, is the mentor tag ever gone as long as your in the group? Nope your always in Mentors. Its a 24/7 thing and its why I was soo very careful what was in my profile at all times. Now if I understand you, if LL doesnt specifically say something is wrong its fine to do so? This is not the case and it is where common sense must enter the picture. Lacking common sense is ignoring others, and doing as one damn well feels.

BTW respect is earned. What I talked about is honor.

I wont discuss this further, enjoy you slanted SL life.

[OT]



You misunderstood something, respecting other opinions and life styles is already mentioned in the community standards. Someone who has a different liefe style than you does not have to earn your respect, you should show it.

Honour is a word without any real meaning. It was introduced to glorify War. Ask a soldier who was in war about honour and be prepared to hear answers you won't like.

[/OT]



Well, this is normally a sign of running out of real arguments. What do you know about my SL life to call it slanted?

cu
Aleco

Many people have become Mentors recently only to further themselves. There's many yet that dont do this. I applaud those who still realize the true meaning of being a Mentor. Until LL is willing to clean its own backyard there will be those who use being a Mentor as a tool.

Many questions asked here shouldnt require an answer. It's common sense.

Once again, I do thank those of you who do know the meaning of Mentor.

So what is the meaning of being a mentor in your eyes?

I invest my own money in the german help station. I invest my free time for helping others. Isn't that what makes up a mentor? I spare LL money for their support, I make their business more attractive. Isn't that what makes up a mentor too?

Well, I did all this before becomming a mentor. The reason for becomming a mentor was, to gain access to additional ressources that can help me in helping others and maybe to be able to bug LL a bit to do more for the german speaking users like for example taking more care of the german part of the LL forum.

The commom sense you insist on talking about is an illusion.

Read the community standards, think about the word tolerance.

cu
Aleco

You can simply hide your sexual lifestyle groups when you are a mentor. (Or just hide the mentor group if its only purpose is to "gain access to resources" anyway.) Being a mentor doesn't stop when you don't wear your tag. IMHO it's a trivial requirement to keep a neutral and friendly profile as soon as you are an official mentor. Sex and especially BDSM/slave RP might be part of SL for some people but certainly not for everyone. There is a reason why ALL official newbie areas are strictly PG and why mentors are not supposed to give out mature things or LMs there but to give newbies hints on how to the search function. Some newbies might be offended by mature content, especially if it's about female slavery and other rather highly mature things. As mentors we should act according to the needs of those that need our help and set our personal preferences aside.

Mona, you say that mentors are not supposed to give out mature things or LMs. Is this supposed by LL? If so, where do I find that rule?

Users that are offended by mature content will not find my station, since it is on mature land and flagged as containing mature content. As soon as LL introduces the age verification system only verified users will have access.

cu
Aleco

The question whether mature items are supposed to be given out to newbies or not was discussed on the volunteers mailing list. Amber eventually posted a statement about it. Mature items should rather not be given to newbies when wearing the mentor tag. If someone specifically asks for mature content it is advised to teach the newbie about using the search function so they will be able to find anything they want on their own. Keep in mind that SL is much more than a chat, or a RL dating site or a sexual RP game. Many newbies come here for business or educational purposes and do not want to be exposed to mature content.

O.K. Mona, I will hide the mentor group in my profile.

I will continue my work my way though.

cu
Aleco

When you do active mentoring, you can instead hide, the, erm, un-PG stuff. I'd say it's better safe than sorry.

What are you talking about? Did yu even read this thread? I do not mentor in LL places and I hide the LL mentor group as suggested here.

cu
Aleco

Ive read the whole of this thread and Ive also read your profile and I can tell you without confusion or ambiguity that as a noob had I read this profile the very very last thing I would have done is ask you for help. The very 1st thing I would have done is to get away from you as quickly as possible.

Well, type "hilfe" in search, include mature content. There seem to be a few people that agree with my work. If you don't include mature content, you won't find my station. So if you're offended by mature content, don't come. It's my land, my work, my money, my rules. Very easy.

When I'm in my station newbies and older users do ask me if they have questions. So where's the problem? Besides, a totally newbie doesn't read profiles.

cu
Aleco

So why stay in the official mentor group, if you don't need anything else than your land your work your money and your rules? You can help people without being an official mentor. There are many other ways to help. There *are* additional rules you agreed to abide by upon completing the mentor intro, even when the tag is off.

I saw your profile now. I know about RP sims so I know what slave RP is all about. But keep in mind your role as a SL mentor! If I was 1 week old though, being a female Resident, I would be extremely offended by your profile.

Mona, according to your proposal, I hide the mentor group. As said before, the mentor group gives me access to additional ressources for knowledge. In return I answer other mentors questions whenever I have an answer in IM. I do help people, so why shouldn't I use the sources provided by LL?

Sorry to correct you, but I'm not a member of a RP sim. Don't forget that different people do have different liefstyles. As long as it's sane, safe and consensual, there is nothing to say against it. There are other lifestyles, specially some with a strict religeous orientation, I personally would have more problems with.

cu
Aleco

I personally don't have problems with ANY SL lifestyle, as long as consenting adults are involved, be it violent sexual RP, enactments of religious dark cults or any other thing. Live your dreams - that's what SL is all about! Noone should judge anyone for their second lives.

The only issue is the fact that we as *mentors* deal with newbies who cannot differentiate between roleplay and actual RL lifestyles portrayed in a person's profile. That's why I think it is important to hide sensitive groups and content as soon as you present yourself as a mentor or a newbie helper in general. Better safe than sorry. We have the option to chose which groups to show.

Well, wich groups in special should I hide in your eyes then?

Or should I better close the whole station, since it contains mature material and texts as well?

cu
Aleco

Don't start pi$$ing me off again like you do in the German forums, will you? Had you actually LOOKED at who replied to your post you would have seen that I have even answered you before. What do you think "an alternate Alyx Sands" means? Heck, scare newbies away for all it's worth, but I can't stand this "I'm a mentor to get all the cool resources and don't care about anything else" attitude. And you seriously want to apply as a moderator for the German forums?
I fully support what Monalisa said. I don't care about your lifestyle, but guess what-what you do with your help station might be your money and your rules, but being an SL mentor is SOMETHING OFFICIAL. And your "I don't care" attitude WILL give other mentors a bad name if you keep it up.

Oh, and the same applies to your "if you don't want my help station, ha! I'll close it" attitude. That's a small child stomping his foot. You have repeatedly complained about LL's lack of support for inofficial help stations, but I don't think your current way of dealing with this will help.