One less instructor

The problem seems not to be answering questions. We love to answer questions, otherwise we wouldn't be (applicants for) mentors, instructors ect. The real problem is people asking questions who 1) should know better and 2) asking them on a group channel, while the question itself would be better asked on a specialized on-topic channel or person.

As an instructor you should know your subject. If there's a question outside of your subject, ask others about it, but do it on the appropriate communication channels. Basic questions just have no place on an instructor's channel. But if you are stuck on a really tricky problem, I'm pretty sure nobody will complain about you asking there.

It would be nice for those of us who have the tag to actually instruct be able to somehow not have to 'hear' the chatter on the channel. If an opt-in mailing list would do the trick, I'm all for it. Does this mean that there'd be two groups or what? I guess I'm unclear on what you are proposing.

I love answering questions. Just not in group chat!

And not questions like , "does anyone know anything about textures?"

Yeah but you know what? You called people you know who specialize in the area. You didn't walk out into the street with a bullhorn and say "hey anyone know anything about computers?" And if you had, your neighbors would have been annoyed.

The Second Life correlary is that if you want to know something about a script, you go to the scripters group or the scripters forums. You don't step into the instructor's group with a bullhorn and disturb everyone -- scripter or no.

I'm not saying the questions are stupid. I'm saying they are inappropriate to this group. There is a difference.

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?

An Opt-Out of group IMs, settable on a group-by-group basis would certainly help those who wanted to avoid chat from a particular group alltogether, without leaving the group. However, if this were a global setting for all groups, it would be less than useful.

What would be most useful for *all* groups - is to have a Group tools permission for "User is allowed to begin a group IM session."

This would allow those designated to still send out group announcements, and folks could still reply - but noisy IMs from random folks that start with "How is everyone???" could be culled by the group owners, if they so choose.

Yes Jesse that would solve this problem completely. Then those of us who keep the instructor tag so that we can get paid, or simply to add some officialness to our classes (I know I've never charged LL for any of the classes I teach but then again I didn't have to submit my curriculum for approval either ) would be able to do so but we wouldn't have to listen to the spam. Thank you.

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.


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.



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.



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.



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.