Outsourcing Orientation
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SuezanneC Baskerville
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Join date: 22 Dec 2003
Posts: 14,229
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05-12-2007 19:48
My word it's hard to keep up with the news. http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/05/04/new-orientation-islands-take-off/ From: someone Linden to outsource Second Life orientation
Fri May 4, 2007 6:05am PDT
By Eric Reuters
SECOND LIFE, May 4 (Reuters) - Linden Lab plans to revamp the way it processes new residents by offering users their choice of several privately-owned orientation islands, in an attempt to flatten Second Life’s notoriously steep learning curve.
A list of alternate starting points and privately developed orientations is scheduled to be available for new users within the next month, said Ryan Downe, director of product development at Linden Lab.
“Years down the road, if Linden Lab is still the primary supplier of OI’s [Orientation Islands], we have failed,” he said.
The move comes as Linden Lab is increasingly ceding control over Second Life’s infrastructure, making the software client open-source and laying the groundwork to open-source Second Life servers as well. Customized orientation islands may bolster Linden Lab’s ability to convert culture-shocked and inexperienced users into regular visitors.
The virtual world’s current retention rate is only about 12 percent, according to Linden Lab estimates.
[...]
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Isablan Neva
Mystic
Join date: 27 Nov 2004
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05-12-2007 20:12
This is an incredibly smart move.
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Cocoanut Koala
Coco's Cottages
Join date: 7 Feb 2005
Posts: 7,903
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05-12-2007 20:14
Corporate World, Corporate Imagination.
coco
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Sindy Tsure
Will script for shoes
Join date: 18 Sep 2006
Posts: 4,103
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05-12-2007 20:21
12% isn't a really good number. Sounds like they're doing the right thing.
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Peggy Paperdoll
A Brat
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 4,383
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05-12-2007 20:31
hahahahah...........by my math that 12% says a lot about the much talked about 6,000,000 residents. 720,000.  |
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Susie Boffin
Certified Nutcase
Join date: 15 Sep 2004
Posts: 2,151
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05-12-2007 20:31
I really have no opinion on this except to say is that if Linden Labs expression on how they feel about the many volunteers who have given zillions of hours to help newbies for free then they are showing their true colors. It is always nice to be told that you were ineffective.
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Annabelle Vandeverre
Heading back to Real Life
Join date: 30 Nov 2006
Posts: 609
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05-12-2007 20:38
From: Susie Boffin I really have no opinion on this except to say is that if Linden Labs expression on how they feel about the many volunteers who have given zillions of hours to help newbies for free then they are showing their true colors. It is always nice to be told that you were ineffective. Oh, it's probably nothing personal - why would LL keep using its residents to do the dirty work for free, when they can get the corporations to PAY LL for the privilege of doing it? Mega-corporation: Ooooh me, me! I'll pay you a gazillion jillion dollars so our company can help out the newbies!! LL execs: Hmm... they'll pay us tons of money, AND do the work of orienting new residents for us? How can we go wrong?
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Livinda Goodliffe
Squeaky Wheel
Join date: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 215
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05-12-2007 20:56
From: Susie Boffin I really have no opinion on this except to say is that if Linden Labs expression on how they feel about the many volunteers who have given zillions of hours to help newbies for free then they are showing their true colors. It is always nice to be told that you were ineffective. Oh yes, the we volunteers were ineffective and worthless. Didn't you get the memo? |
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Usagi Musashi
UM ™®
Join date: 24 Oct 2004
Posts: 6,083
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05-12-2007 21:07
From: Annabelle Vandeverre Oh, it's probably nothing personal - why would LL keep using its residents to do the dirty work for free, when they can get the corporations to PAY LL for the privilege of doing it? You can say that again  Its was 25% before and it nows drops to 12%? From: Originally Posted by Susie Boffin
I really have no opinion on this except to say is that if Linden Labs expression on how they feel about the many volunteers who have given zillions of hours to help newbies for free then they are showing their true colors. It is always nice to be told that you were ineffective.
Those that servered in this roles at time have been told we eitehr don`t fit the role anymore. You know how many time i seen inworld mentors afk or just sitting hours without any reactions? There is no more friendlyness or even helpfulness these days. Those that did give hours of their play time to LLABS to help new people were rewarded with with LLABS of interal Drama and it still continues occur today. I never understood how LLABS can just go out of their way to cause internal problems for those that gave "ZILLIONS" of hours of help to newbie plays. Maybe its their way to say " We are bord of you" and you don`t fix the current trends of game ( sex, gambling, gaming, dancing etc) LLABS fianally figured out that everything they tried to do has failed because the leaders either had no time or careless about this guilding newbies and the mentor/greeters. why you think there were so many changing of leader roles 6 over the course of 1 year alone. |
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Dnali Anabuki
Still Crazy
Join date: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 1,633
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05-12-2007 21:09
There is already a separate orientation done by the L Word people and I hear that its great. Well organized and with volunteers. So if there are more, it looks like it will work well from this precedent.
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Rockwell Ginsberg
Boss
Join date: 3 Oct 2006
Posts: 560
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05-12-2007 21:12
From: Isablan Neva This is an incredibly smart move. What Isablan said. Saves money for LL. Will surely give the noob a better first impression. Expands the network. The network is key.
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Tybalt Brando
Catalyst
Join date: 25 Dec 2006
Posts: 347
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05-12-2007 21:13
How about they outsource Support? With employees that are more helpful and available that the ones currently? Like oh say Trained Chimps. We could have Trained Chimps working Support. It'll go better.
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Usagi Musashi
UM ™®
Join date: 24 Oct 2004
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05-12-2007 21:17
From: Rockwell Ginsberg What Isablan said.
Will surely give the noob a better first impression. Expands the network. You know how many time i heard this over the course of 2 years? |
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Hydra Zenovka
Font of Wisdom
Join date: 13 Mar 2007
Posts: 97
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05-12-2007 21:21
From: Tybalt Brando How about they outsource Support? With employees that are more helpful and available that the ones currently? Like oh say Trained Chimps. We could have Trained Chimps working Support. It'll go better. Outsource everything except taking a profit  |
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Brenda Connolly
Un United Avatar
Join date: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 25,000
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05-12-2007 21:28
Maybe it's me, but I just don't find the learnibg curve that big a deal. A couple of hours is all I spent on the island, practiced the basics and went on my way. You're gonna make mistakes. So what? You have a box on your head every so often.. What coporate Sponsor is going to get this deal?
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Yumi Murakami
DoIt!AttachTheEarOfACat!
Join date: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 6,860
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05-12-2007 21:32
Judging the new user experience based on the retention rate is a bad idea in my opinion anyway.
It doesn't allow for users who:
a) believed SL was totally free, and don't like the idea of paying for things;
b) don't mind paying for things, but do mind constantly paying whenever they want something new, as opposed to the "single recurring fee=all you can eat" model;
c) believed SL was an MMORPG and are expecting MMORPG style experiences and rewards;
d) didn't know what SL was, and on finding out, didn't like it;
etc.
It's difficult to think how new user helpers could do anything about these without actually lying about the nature of SL.
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Usagi Musashi
UM ™®
Join date: 24 Oct 2004
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05-12-2007 21:41
From: Brenda Connolly Maybe it's me, ------->but I just don't find the learnibg curve that big a deal<-------. A couple of hours is all I spent on the island, practiced the basics and went on my way. You're gonna make mistakes. So what? You have a box on your head every so often.. ------->What coporate Sponsor is going to get this deal?<------- And you correct but LLABS needs to add big terms to make those that are in the helper groups feel special Corp Sponsor is going to be scary we just don`t know. |
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Isablan Neva
Mystic
Join date: 27 Nov 2004
Posts: 2,907
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05-12-2007 22:07
Well, I'm going to say this as a Mentor who gave just as many hours to the cause as anyone else: Orientation into SL has sucked big wind for a long time. I don't think this is any slight on any volunteers, I think it is an admission that LL knows their product too well and takes too much for granted that a new user will know or be able to figure out walking in the door. I don't ever recall a retention rate of 25% - it has hovered around 10% as long as I can remember. It is a steep learning curve for an average person. Less steep if you are really quick with games or other online worlds, but a normal person is going to find it challenging. Putting people into an environment that they feel immediately comfortable with will make a huge difference. Why can't there be a cyberpunk orientation island? Why can't there be fantasy sword & sorcery orientation island? If somebody out there is finding a way to double the retention, then what are we waiting for?
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Cocoanut Koala
Coco's Cottages
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05-12-2007 22:26
Well, that's what I'm wondering, Isablan.
Can just regular people get together and do this? Or do you have to be a corporation before you can?
I'm fuzzy on just how it gets decided who gets to do this.
coco
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Sindy Tsure
Will script for shoes
Join date: 18 Sep 2006
Posts: 4,103
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05-12-2007 22:35
From: Susie Boffin I really have no opinion on this except to say is that if Linden Labs expression on how they feel about the many volunteers who have given zillions of hours to help newbies for free then they are showing their true colors. It is always nice to be told that you were ineffective. That or y'all were the ones that kept it over 10%.. |
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SuezanneC Baskerville
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05-12-2007 22:51
I got told, in response to my re-application for the mentor group, that I might expect to get back in the mentor group in a few months. Given the way things go, I expect it would be on the day the last SL orientation locations close and the mentors are disbanded.
Then I could have two group slots occupied with disbanded SL groups, mentors and instructors.
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Winter Ventura
Eclectic Randomness
Join date: 18 Jul 2006
Posts: 2,579
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05-12-2007 22:51
and will these new Orientation islands be free at LEAST (or gods-forbid, do the owners get paid?) or are they "outsourcing" this the same way they "outsource" beta testing and general education?
P.S. Usagi.. what FONT is that in your quote of Brenda?
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SuezanneC Baskerville
Forums Rock!
Join date: 22 Dec 2003
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05-12-2007 22:58
From: Winter Ventura what FONT Impact is what it's supposed to be in.
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So long to these forums, the vBulletin forums that used to be at forums.secondlife.com. I will miss them.
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Members: Ben, Catherine, Colin, Cory, Dan, Doug, Jim, Philip, Phoenix, Richard,
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Wilhelm Neumann
Runs with Crayons
Join date: 20 Apr 2006
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05-12-2007 23:51
From: Susie Boffin I really have no opinion on this except to say is that if Linden Labs expression on how they feel about the many volunteers who have given zillions of hours to help newbies for free then they are showing their true colors. It is always nice to be told that you were ineffective. Way too much reading between lines here hehe wowie  |
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Oryx Tempel
Registered User
Join date: 8 Nov 2006
Posts: 7,663
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05-13-2007 00:19
Hmmm...
been thinking about Orientation Island... I think, honestly, that they should have 2 separate sections of Orientation.
1) learn to walk, talk, fly, move objects
2) customize your avatar
IN THAT ORDER
people get so tired after 2 hours of messing with their cheek bones, musculature, etc, that they sort of skip over the walking and talking part, which is the important stuff.
I think that they should offer the avatar customization part as a secondary "if you really want to go indepth, go here" sort of thing. I've tried to bring friends into SL and they just don't have the patience to deal with avatar customization 5 minutes after they first login.
Also, the Lindens need to beef up their human resources dept. I've applied to both volunteer and liaison, and I'm told that they're backed up about 12 weeks. Pathetic!
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