One less instructor

Well it has come to it. Time to pull the group from my list and let others hold the tourch. The instructors group which should be for helping people learn is a mess with people teaching how have no idea of what they are doing.

The SPAM in IM is the reason that I take it no more. Other Instructors say I am rude when I complain that the question in group IM is spam. So complain no more and enjoy the questions that should have been answered in the help island. My favorite is still the "How do I see my self walk"

Linden labs needs to ensure some quality but I guess it is words falling on deaf ears.

Enjoy the Teaching and the spam.
Jamie

Tnx for your hard work , and eeh your favorite now has become mine aswel

Jamie, it's always a pity to see someone so dedicated to SL to go, when the issue is a technicality that has nothing to do with your dedication!

The new group tools in 1.12 will allow you to "mute" the IM chat channel if it bothers you. Surely it's worth waiting for a few more weeks until you have that technical feature implemented?

There have been some "experimental tutoring" for some volunteers. The idea behind this is that volunteers shold be trained — either by LL or "older" volunteers — so that they learn the basics of becoming instructors/mentors/greeters, and know where they can get access to more information, so that they don't really need to ask questions in IM.

But right now, this "volunteer tutoring" project is still on its infancy. It'll take some time until it has an impact. It's unfair to say that LL "is doing nothing". They definitely are:

- providing a form to mute the IM Group Chat (technical solution)
- providing tutoring to new volunteers, so that they don't need to ask so many questions
- making sure the new volunteers get access to a wealth of information before they start their duties

All these are being addressed. Patience! Rome wasn't built in a day (RL Rome, that is). We'll get there.

In the mean time, volunteers to fill up the SL Help Wiki, the volunteer-run information database and repository of How-Tos and Guides created by volunteers for volunteers, always needs a hand or three

The point is that the Instructor group has become worse than a dance club chat group. What is needed is a Volunteer Q&A group that is optional to join for those who like to spam the group for scripts, devices, landmarks etc.

The spam is bad enough - but the arguments that occur about the spam are getting out of hand. And when the Linden listening to the argument only says 'play nice' and then closes their group chat window - one can only suffer through constant daily spats.

To tell us to mute the Instructor group permanently isn't showing us that LL is doing anything to make this better for the community volunteers. This is a on-going issue that is effectively dividing the Instructor group. The Lindens that are members of the Instructor group could adjust the charter and make the Q&A group. But they just close their group chat windows and do nothing as we loose good instructors over this easily solved issue.

Hi... Just wanted to say that I also left the Instuctors group last week. The spam and people having normal chit chats was too annoying on the screen all the t ime while i eas trying to design and create. With huds and menus and chat etc all the things in this program there is not much room left to work , let alone watching someone else flirt or talk about non - important issues in the group.


Well that is my 2 L .... Lacy

I have thought this for some time and, never spoke out, maybe from fear or timidity. However, the time has come. I am not trying to flame, ridicule or criticize someone else. I am not in your avatar and don’t know your tolerance for spam. Still, I can’t help but think, many of the people complaining about and quitting volunteer groups over channel span are missing the forest for the trees, to use a cliche.

I am a member of three out of the four volunteer groups. I think I have seen my share of spam. I can recall only one time when I got angry at the spam. I was trying to teach a clothing class where: I have to C&P a script, change clothing and change slides. I was already having problems with lag so, I didn’t need the continuing spam rolling up my screen. The rest of the time, I just ignore it.

Guys, you are quite capable of ignoring, children, wives and girlfriends when you want to. Ladies, we are suppose to be the multitasking gender. Able to deal with children, cell phones and shopping at the same time. Then, why can’t we ignore useless script rolling up the screen? Are we slaves to reading it? Does is enthrall us to the point where we are forced to read its dose of spam, much as the smoker can’t pass up an opportunity to smoke a cigarette?

Again, I am not trying to blame anyone but, trying to get us all to think. Those who have quit the Mentors, Greeters or Instructors because of spam, how much was it because of spam or something else? If you really are into mentoring or teaching for the sake of helping others will a little spam drive you away?

I teach in RL. I know about all the nonsense and obstacles that people can throw in the way of teaching. There are times when I get frustrated at all the government and school board BS. It only takes the eyes of one child to light up when they understand something to make me forget the BS and realize why I enjoy teaching. Having someone in SL thank me for helping them does must the same to me.

I agree that many of the questions in the mentor and instructor channels seem trite and elementary. I am all for educating the educators and mentoring new people into the groups. However, it would do all of us to remember that each of us at one time was a brand new mentor or instructor and had lots of questions. After being here a year there is still a lot that I don’t know. I have found the channels to be helpful in getting information to help others. One person’s spam is another’s answer.

I am glad for the enthusiasm and energy these new people bring into the volunteer groups. I feel that a little spam, which I believe we can usually ignore, is the price we pay for growth. Gwyneth Llewelyn, who has seen more, and done more than most of us combined, is right in saying that LL is trying to help. If she can still be enthusiastic about the SL volunteer groups, maybe, so should we. Maybe if we each took it on ourselves to mentor a new mentor, greeter or instructor rather then complaining, we would all see less span in the future.

Jen

I'm not a mentor yet but I can understand the problem that unrelated chat causes on a themed channel. When I see the "NCI Group IM" pop up I expect a resident having a serious question. So I turn my attention to this IM window and focus on the problem at hand. But if it turns out that there was just unrelated chat going on, all the attention was in vain. Do that five times in a row you get annoyed. Ten times, you ignore the IMs, probably leaving people in need out in the cold without any answer.

This is the reason why help lines should be free of normal chat. It takes away precious time and resources better used to actually solve problems or giving advice.

And yes, Instructors, Mentors, Greeters ect. should have at least a good understanding of how SL works. They shouldn't need to ask how cam-scanning works, how to open a package or what "Edit Linked Parts" means. Since there is no "entrance examination" a volunteer should ask themselves if they are ready to join the group or not. If they have doubts, they should ask another member of the volunteer groups to check up on their knowledge.

Of course, even an unskilled resident can be a great helper, but in this case they should not ask basic questions on the mentor / instructor / other volunteers' IM channels but on one of the regular help channels available to all the other residents. And when they earned their skills, by all means, let them join the volunteers.

I don't agree. Just a few minutes ago someone was selling scripting services in the Instructor group. Some officers of the group were online and said nothing while these four individuals discussed making a touch-script door that they would sell. This had absolutely nothing to do with Instructing a Class. This object was for personal use.

Easily Solved - make a Q&A group for volunteers to join if they like and get answers and product info from other volunteers. Leave the Instructor group for what it has traditionally been used for; to announce activities that Instructors should be aware of. There is absolutely no reason for Instructors to have to be subjected to this on-going, ever worsening nonsense. If a Instructor wants a touch-script door made they should post in the employement forums or the scripters forum.

I couldn't agree with you more on this incident. That was just plain rude, inconsiderate and a misuse of the channel. However, this is entirely different from a new instructor asking for help which, as I understood it, to be the OPs complaint on why he quit..

Jen

Excuse me but if you don't know how to see yourself walk you have no business being an instructor. Unless you think that someone who doesn't know how to get out of mouselook should be an instructor????

The spam is ridiculous. The channel is not for asking for scripts or learning how to script. The channel is not to 'help each other' in that way that anyone needing help for anything should be using it for such. The group is for being paid for doing classes and getting help on teaching an actual class. 99% of the posts on that channel have nothing to do with instructing or classes.

I can see posts like "hey I want to teach X class, what do I do?" or "hey I have this idea for a class and am wondering if someone could look over my curriculum to see if I'm whacked or if this is a good idea" or "I want to teach X class, but lack this tiny bit of knowledge -- can someone help off channel" or things along those lines. But it is NEVER, I repeat NEVER like that. Not once have I ever seen a topic of conversation on that channel started along those lines. As a matter of fact, I've never actually seen chat on that channel related to instructing or classes at all!

The spam is out of hand and people are abusing the channel. Yes the spam is the reason many people are leaving. I cannot count the amount of times I've been trying to have a quiet conversation wth someone or help someone in the store I work at when all of a sudden my screen fills up with lines and lines of spam from that channel. Something needs to be done. Perhaps another way of being paid so that we don't have to belong to the group. Perhaps a way of having groups that gives a title only so that students know you are a Linden-approved instructor. But we need help. The abuse of this channel has spiralled out of control.

That is it exactly. Vivian; people who do not know how to find the anwers to the basic kinds of questions that are being asked in IM have no business being instructors.

Of course we are not going to know the answer to every question that we get; but an instructor ought to know how to look up a function in the Wiki or search the forums for a poofer script, for crying out loud.

If someone is teaching scripting, building, texturing, or anything else, they ought to know something about it, not just be reading the class notes written by someone else.

Ya know....i see you all bitching about all this. But isn't an instructor group for teaching and learning? Half of you i see bitching about spam....your never actually teaching. I've followed a few of you and seen nothing, bad examples mostly. A good instructor is one who is patient and actually does what they joined to do. I dont' teach classes and stuff like that. I help those one on one. And about group spam, it's barely noticeable. Is it so hard for you to go over and exit outa it. Are you SOOOO busy you can't do that. I giggle at your incopitance(sp) to have patience with the group. That just tells me you SHOULD leave the group because if you dont' have patience with the group, how in the hell are you going to have patience with those your supposedly trying to teach.

Altho I agree with a few of you I dont think the harsheness of it was necessary. I am NOT an instructor but I am a mentor and a greeter. Not to mention countless ohter groups lol so I am aware of how bad spam is and yes it does get annoying BUT I love this game, and I want others to love it just as much THAT is why I joined the voulenteer groups so that I could help others learn how to learn so that they can love this place as much as me. I would hope that is why the rest have joined too. IF not then you should leave. but for those that did join for that reason, so be it. Exit out of the spam. Wait for the mute. Do whatever. BUT KEEP HELPING OTHERS. There are too many willing to complain and not enough willing to help. I feel sad that there's not the same ppl available to the new players that were for me when I joined. I asked countless stupid questions and never once did someone have a fit. TO YOU I SAY THANK YOU. C'mon guys buck up suck it up and lets kick so newb question butt . I admire all voulenteers and am proud of those that work so hard. Thanks for your time and dedication *hugs*

And this is a example of the blather we have to endure daily in the instructor group chat.

Blather? is that even a word? oiy and i thought i had issues. Atleast i'm out there helping people instead of bitching about the spam.

blath·er (blăTH'ər) pronunciation also bleth·er (blĕTH'-)
intr.v., -ered also -ered, -er·ing -er·ing, -ers -ers.

To talk nonsensically.
n.

I had been watching the Instuctor channel after receiving complaints and it really didn't seem too out of hand to me. Since I am a member of the group I get the messages as well. It usually seems to be people asking for help on a particular issue. Certainly using the channel for selling is inappropriate, however. One thing we've been considering is setting up an opt-in instructors mailing list similar to the RL Educators list. Would that be a more effective communication channel?

YES! Some sort of official Linden participation would be wonderful.

I tend to bail on noisy groups, it's hard enough to keep up with my personal IM's!

Down with SPIM! - Moderated Group IM's?

A Question and Answer group for volunteers only is a good idea. Its a nice perk for dedicated volunteers to have access to such a channel and it can be optional. Need to find a way for us to wear our tags and register for the group using a device on Linden land somewhere.

And adjust the Instructor Group Charter to strongly discourage spam.

As I said before: For a group of teachers I think it's a bit shameful we can't help answer questions of our peers, let alone our much more ignorant students. I'm a builder, I know nothing at all of scripting, but if I wanted to change a script a bit for a class, I would expect I could "spam" the instructor channel and get that assistance from an instructor that does teach scripting. And I don't feel it would be right to quiz me relentlessly to see if it is for a class. At the moment it wouldn't be for a class, but if I don't get my answers it will never be for one. One has to figure out how to build it and write it down before one can teach it and if the building doesn't work out what do you do then?

Quite frankly, I'm glad I didn't have to depend on the instructor's group for learning when I first became an instructor, I'd have been discouraged quite quickly and given up. Thank goodness where I teach provided someone who was patient with my stupid questions and help me become a teacher that students actively look for when they choose classes.

You should stop and think of that. I was quite ignorant when I started, but now I'm a teacher in demand...we could have more of those with the right attitudes.

There is a scripting forum thread for such questions. Another answer is to have a webpage of all of the instructors and what they specialize in so folks like you can contact the person with the answer you want INDIVIUALLY and not through a group channel.

Quite frankly, I find it very odd that people who do not know how to teach the subject they volunteered to teach were ever accepted into this group in the first place.

And you educated yourself without spamming the Instructor's group. Thank you.

No I didn't educate myself, if you'd read the whole thing the place I teach at provided me a mentor who answered all the stupid questions you don't like. SHE helped me become a wonderful teacher. And while I didn't know a ton to teach, the teaching them has taught me as well. If the rule was know everything before you teach it then we wouldn't have teachers anywhere, let alone SL.

Teaching is supposed to be something you enjoy, I doubt very seriously an instructor in computers (actually I know, having actually been one) knows all there is to know about computers, I know 10-12 people who aren't instructors that know more than I. That didn't keep me from teaching it in college. And they sure weren't offended when I called them up with a "stupid" question because one of the students turned out to be smarter than me. I know my college instructor knew a lot less than I did about it, however they knew a couple of tricks I didn't. And she had a better degree than I do. I teach because I love it, yes I teach pre-made classes,but I do it in a way the students understand and can relate to and they enjoy my form of teaching even if I'm not the end all be all of the building field. All well and good to know the goods as a teacher if you're students can't stand to listen to you. I fill a niche, and you may feel that I'm not good enough to be an instructor, but they do and when they say thank you, well, then that's all that matters to me.

I love teaching, this is the best thing I've done at SL and while everyone else may get mad, well, I'm happy and my students are happy.

Isn't that what this FORUM is for? This is where you should ask questions. Asking them in the instructor group is completely and utterly selfish.

Here's the scenario; You want to know something. SO you walk out into the street at 3AM with a bullhorn and ask all your neighbors. Please try this and get back to me with the results.