From the looks of things, someone comes in with their first glance of the grid with the concept that they've joined some sort of isloated portion of it in which they have no escape. (>_<
My own entry into SL was rezzing in the Hanja welcome area with a 128Meter draw distance, seeing the never-ending grass on the horizon and thinking "This is it?" Currently, it looks like the gateways are inadvertently limiting the peripheral vision of new residents in the same way. (T_T)
Maybe, some ideas from your little loli-Mentor:
* Cross-polinate portals: At the telehub drop point of your portal, keep a simple-click LM giver for other portal sites. Particularly of those with different languages. Make every effort to be sure it consists of fast loading textures. (^_^)
* Portal staff helper kits: Give all the members of your staff a folder of notecards and landmarks to address people with varying needs. Let the staff communally arrange the supplies using a couple of meeting events and keep a freebie box rezzed with the latest collection. (^_^)
* Announce your build theme: Oxbridge is already doing this with their "This is steampunk" signs and such. Announce to the new residents in some way the style and culture of the region used as the gateway portal. Let them know that it's one of many facets SL offers. (^_^)
I dunno... Just a stream of thoughts really. How about anyone else? Any ideas? If you're running a portal, what are you doing to aid upstarts in finding their "place" in SL? What else can we do to prevent people from feeling as though they've entered an isolated realm of SL? (^_^)
You can usually tell the ones who wish to learn things and I guide them to places they can learn at. They have a very small concept of what SL is, for instance, one at Oxbridge had to be told to not have weapons in their hands and he replied "what if Im attacked?" this cant be covered well in a notecard so mainly take your time and explain