From: Gwyneth Llewelyn
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?
That is a thing we are all waiting on and waiting on. But that is not the solution I am looking for it is putting up walls. There have been questions and issues in the group that are worth knowing about or helping.
I am looking for better care by lindens on who is teaching. Some better documentation on what instructors are to do. How and where.
I still teach and pass on information. Just do it at a local level. Those around me.
From: Jennifer McLuhan
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
It is the new and old users. Those who see it as a way of makeing 500l and have no idea of what they are doing. Those who saw it as a way of looking cool and thinking "Well they are all instructors they should have the solution I am looking for". When I did complain nothing happened save I got told off for spamming the group.
From: Jesse Linden
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.
I guess as I am in Asia our times must be different. There have been three times where it got very nasty and not a peep from a moderator. All it would have taken would have been a few visible comments from a monderator/linden and this would be a mute issue. There is very little information given to a new instructor on how to behave so their first instinct is to say Hi to to the group. All are polite and friendly and it goes from there.
I have a group with over 350 members and with some helpful encouragement no one IM's the group unless it is an announcement. All are happy.
From: Jesse Linden
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?
A mailing list is a great idea but how would that differ from this forum? Will the new trimming of the Forums also remove this one? The Group IM is for instructors to ask a quick question which I agree is a needed thing. We don't know everything about SL and there are times when genuine questions need asking and answers in a timely fashion.
From: Jesse Linden
One thing that might help is that we are trying to include an option to opt-out of IM group chat in version 1.12, tentatively scheduled for release within the next few weeks. I can't promise this feature will be included but it should solve this problem, no?
It then means that when help is needed for a real reason no one will hear because the annoying spam has caused those whit the answer to mute the group. Might as well get rid of the group IM all together. It is not that I didn't want any group IM it was the content of the IM's.
Thank you how ever for your endevors to find a solution. At the end of the day what is needed is a simple Notecard that gives the guidelines. Some a few comments in Group when the sillies come out and maybe a few more lindens helping you out to give 24/7 coverage for a week every now and then.