Teaching New Residents

[Lindal Kidd]

Last night I was hanging out at Welcome Island 2 as I often do, handing out my Freebies notecard full of helpful landmarks to every passing newcomer. One of them IM'd me and asked a question.

Well of course, this is the reaction I live for. So many people never so much as return a friendly "hello". So we got into a discussion about what she was looking for (supernatural roleplay) and I used Search to find a likely place, teleported there, and dragged her along after me.

We arrived in the lobby of this rather Gothic resort hotel. There were, for a wonder, actually people there, so I greeted them, told them frankly what my friend was looking for, asked them to tell us about the place. We got directed to a notecard of background and roleplay rules, and were permitted to explore the facility.

We wound up in the hotel bar, sitting and chatting. Then @Madelaine McMasters called up in my other ear, and I invited her to join us. So now there were three of us, sitting around, just laughing and joking the way we often do right here in the Forums, while dropping major How To Use SL Tips on my newcomer friend. Things like how to open a box, how to use a landmark, how to fix an inadvertent Wardrobe Malfunction, how to use furniture with animations in it, and so on.

Then I took my protege to Oxbridge, got her in the Student Group, showed her how to set a Home spot there and showed her the changing room. I left her with a few tips on changing clothes, encouraged her to experiment, and logged off.

My point is, I think this person learned more about SL...not only the mechanics, but the subtler lessons of how to interact with others, and what SL is really all about...than she would have in any more formal tutorial setting, whether created by LL or by residents. When I think back over the hour or so we spent together, I'm amazed at the breadth of topics we covered, or at least touched on.

It helped that my newcomer friend was bright, and a quick study, and outgoing enough to actually ask for help. This is definitely not the norm. Nineteen times out of twenty, the newbie is shy, or is only interested in one thing (cough*sex*cough), or too impatient, or thinks they already know it all.

Maybe there should be a huge banner on the signup page, and another at Welcome Island that say something like: FIND YOU A FRIEND TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! Second Life is best taught one on one.

[belindacarson]

so you were doing what most users do anyway but we don;t feel a need to boast about it.

[Lindal Kidd]

[MAJORLY EDITED]

I wasn't boasting.

In fact, I was trying to convey a revelation. You see, I normally teach using the formal methods. I've created or updated the tutorials at Oxbridge, led people through tutorial builds there and at many other places, taught group classes, made informational notecards. I was amazed at how this informal encounter worked so much better than all those other things.

Not that I have never done that before, but this particular exchange really brought it home.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Lindal Kidd

[animats]

Yes. An hour with an experienced user will get most new users un-stuck. I do that now and then. Usually because I see a new user struggling with a wardrobe malfunction. Once that's straightened out, I show them a few freebie stores, a good high-end clothing store, one or two good new user areas, and one or two really nice builds in SL depending on their interests.

Useful info for new users nobody seems to tell them:

• Once you have an outfit that works, open the T-shirt menu and use "Save As" to save it. Then easily recover from clothing mistakes by going back to a known good outfit.
• Entering SL is like moving to a new city. This place is indifferent to you, like a big city. The world won't make you do anything. You have to find interesting places. There are destination guides and search engines. (Some people never get that, and stay stuck at the entry social islands.)
• SL is about the size of Los Angeles, and at any time there are 30,000 to 55,000 people in that huge area. That's why it looks so empty. The people are really spread out.
• You don't need money or a house to have fun. Don't spend much money at first. The 2500 Lindens for US$10 deal offered at welcome areas is a reasonable way to get some spending money. You can rent a small living space for $50L - $100L per week.

[Rowan Amore]

Your experience is exactly how I learned when I was new.  A woman saw me and asked if I had any questions or needed any help.  She did all the things you did, hitting all the basics that I'll admit, I was too impatient to learn through the tutorials available where I rezzed in.  The personal touch is something I remember to this day.

About 10 years later, I decided to look her up (took some doing since chat logs were on an old laptop) and sent her a note explaining who I was and expressing my thanks for the help all those years ago.  THOSE are the encounters most people remember.  

 

[Ayashe Ninetails]

That's super sweet, Lindal! I wish my adventures with newbies turned out that successful, but unfortunately, they often end in frustration and exasperated logouts (not my fault, I swear!).

99.999999999% of the time, though, that's because I typically run across them in a skin store where they're standing around naked and hopelessly lost, so our conversations usually consist of bizarre terms like "Evo X," "BOM," "unpack HUD," and "appliers." Some do pick things up quickly, but for others, it's just an overwhelming amount of info to learn in one go.

I can't wait until NUX avies are released - maybe that'll ease some of the "how do I even make an avatar?" confusion and newbies will actually be able to enjoy their first shopping outings.

[Nick0678]

36 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

FIND YOU A FRIEND TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! Second Life is best taught one on one.

Yes. i remember when i first registered in second life back in 2009.

I was a noob , had no clue where to go or what to do in this game until somehow i clicked search and found myself in some beach.

There i saw a black skinned Amazonian Queen sunbathing so i introduced myself and asked her where she was from and what i could do in Second Life.

She told me was German and explained the game controls etc. A few minutes later she was kind enough to call me on voice and took me out for some shopping.

Made me look like a Persian Prince and bought me The Thirst HUD, we returned to her castle and with a nice ritual she took my avatar soul..

Told me to join her at bed. "Is it truly your 1st ride.." she asked, "Ja mein fraulein" i replied and ....

[Rolig Loon]

Newcomers like the one you described, @Lindal Kidd, are the rare ones, in my experience.  Over the years, I have met a couple dozen who were interested and eager enough to enjoy an immersive welcoming experience like you just had. As you said, many of them others are too shy or too self-confident to seek out help or to respond when you offer it. There are also many who are easily embarrassed when they make common newbie mistakes or simply flail around with new, unfamiliar tools. They'd rather stumble and face plant for hours in private than look clumsy for a few minutes  in public. 

Anyone who has taught in RL has had the same experience. If you're lucky, there may be one or two students in a class that you can connect with easily. Others learn best on their own or from each other, needing you only to get past an occasional tough spot. And then there are the very rare timid ones who have a spark of interest that might burst into a passion for the subject if you pay attention and coax them gently. Teaching is mostly about recognizing the many ways that people learn, and then helping them find the best pathways into what you have to offer. When you and a student discover the the right path together, it's exciting for both of you.

[HeathcliffMontague]

1 hour ago, belindacarson said:

so you were doing what most users do anyway but we don;t feel a need to boast about it.

Why the negativity? Honest question, don't mean no harm, I come in peace  What's wrong with posting new user experiences?

[belindacarson]

1 hour ago, HeathcliffMontague said:

Why the negativity? Honest question, don't mean no harm, I come in peace  What's wrong with posting new user experiences?

No negativity from me.  Just pointing out, that many users including myself, take time to help new users, but don't need feel an urge to run posting threads saying "hey hey look at me and what I've done".

 

[Ceka Cianci]

7 minutes ago, belindacarson said:

No negativity from me.  Just pointing out, that many users including myself, take time to help new users, but don't need feel an urge to run posting threads saying "hey hey look at me and what I've done".

 

I think it was more sharing how she went about it, like sharing a technique.. There are many that want to help but also want to know good ways of going about it..

That's what it felt like being presented as to me.. I'm always up for learning how someone else does it, because it's easy to miss some steps or learn some new one.

 

[Stephanie Misfit]

8 minutes ago, belindacarson said:

No negativity from me.  Just pointing out, that many users including myself, take time to help new users, but don't need feel an urge to run posting threads saying "hey hey look at me and what I've done".

 

It's an opportunity for discussion. For others to share similar experiences in helping newcomers, or how they were helped when they first arrived.

[Kathlen Onyx]

10 minutes ago, belindacarson said:

No negativity from me.  Just pointing out, that many users including myself, take time to help new users, but don't need feel an urge to run posting threads saying "hey hey look at me and what I've done".

 

This has got to be the most ridiculous statement I've read on the forum. That's exactly what forums are for - but you know that right? 

[HeathcliffMontague]

54 minutes ago, belindacarson said:

No negativity from me.  Just pointing out, that many users including myself, take time to help new users, but don't need feel an urge to run posting threads saying "hey hey look at me and what I've done".

 

I get where you're coming from, and my post certainly wasn't intented for folks to bash on you. I just found the OP to be a rather positive one.

[Nick0678]

5 hours ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I wasn't boasting.

In fact, I was trying to convey a revelation. You see, I normally teach using the formal methods. I've created or updated the tutorials at Oxbridge, led people through tutorial builds there and at many other places, taught group classes, made informational notecards. I was amazed at how this informal encounter worked so much better than all those other things.

Not that I have never done that before, but this particular exchange really brought it home.

Personally i liked the way you helped that newcomer and also how you shared it with us.

Makes me want to register a new Alt account and come find you to experience it first hand.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Nick0678

[PheebyKatz]

My mom used to do renegade Mentoring, in response to the Mentorship program being done away with. You basically friend a new person (or more) and teach them to SL, by doing things like hiding on a sim and making them find you and TP to you, navigate mountains and other terrain, learn to high-jump, get unstuck from holes and poorly-made builds, etc.

Heavy-duty dress-up sessions, shopping trips and demoing things, going to clubs and helper spots, learning to meet people, learning to UN-MEET people, how to deal with various forms of griefing, how to avoid scammers, etc., all of it was part of the training program in my family.

I pay it forward by doing this for anyone I meet who thinks they're up for it. I think everyone should mentor at least one other person, at least once. It's like boot camp for SL, and prevents a LOT of frustration and "n00b questions" having to be asked here and elsewhere.

Edited November 21, 2022 by PheebyKatz

[Lewis Luminos]

I didn't really have help from a mentor in the very beginning but a friend and I joined together on the same day and even that was better than nothing.

But it was a week or two later, when I was hunting for a rental place to live, that I stumbled upon a group of rental houses on mainland. The owner and her friend were there and they were both super-helpful. As well as explaining how land and rental worked, he took me for a ride in a helicopter and taught me the basics of building. My first thing was a chair.  After that I was hooked.

My favourite experience from the other side, with me being a helper, was one day when I was in my house, and I could see in local chat a "Sorry you don't have permission..." message coming from my boat which was moored outside. Someone was on my land, trying to steal it. I noticed it was a newbie (my home is just down the road from Braunworth which was, at the time, a newbie infohub) so instead of kicking him out I went to say hello. He said he wanted to try the boat. I decided that a Trudeau One would be far too difficult for a newbie to tackle but I had a full perm freebie in my inventory, so I gave him a copy, showed him how to rez it and steer it, and off he went. About thirty minutes later he came back to thank me for the boat and the experience. 

I hope it had the same effect on him as that first helicopter ride had for me.

I don't think I would be as successful helping newbies these days though. Avatars are getting more complex and people getting more impatient; nobody wants to take the time needed to learn any more like they used to. If they can't get from zero to perfect in 10 minutes or less, they ragequit.

 

[PheebyKatz]

15 hours ago, HeathcliffMontague said:

Why the negativity? Honest question, don't mean no harm, I come in peace  What's wrong with posting new user experiences?

You'll find it's a trend. Some people just don't understand that if all they can see is poop, their head might be in the wrong place. Hard to hear them through the buttcheeks, but when you can, it just sounds like so much angry farting.

And yeah, some new people can actually be a major hassle to deal with. It taught me a lot of patience when I was helping newcomers on the regular.

Some are awesome and relax once you tell them that we all screw up and look silly sometimes, and it's easier to teach them when they aren't freaking out over being a n00b. Some are harder to teach, and end up bitter. I think most of the ones who aren't okay with learning anything really only stick around for the occasional person who doesn't know any better than to date them, and to spew venom at everyone on the forums about how awful SL is and how stupid all of the people in it are. Except themselves, of course.

Edited November 21, 2022 by PheebyKatz

[Phil Deakins]

18 hours ago, belindacarson said:

so you were doing what most users do anyway but we don;t feel a need to boast about it.

Your negative response was wrong on two counts.

(1) "Most users" do not go to anywhere near the lengths that Lindal went to to help the person. Most people will spend a minute or two answering a question, and some will spend a little longer, but Lindal spent an hour with the person. Very few people will do anything like like.

(2)  Lindal wasn't boasting. I won't explain why because it becomes self-explanatory by reading to the end of her post.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Phil Deakins

[Theresa Tennyson]

14 hours ago, belindacarson said:

No negativity from me.  Just pointing out, that many users including myself, take time to help new users, but don't need feel an urge to run posting threads saying "hey hey look at me and what I've done".

 

Don't your posts in this thread amount to saying, "hey hey look at me and what I've done"?

[Phil Deakins]

They also subtly reduce the original statement from "most users" to "many users"

 

[PheebyKatz]

Hey, we all do SL, so why talk about SL? Shouldn't we be teaching new residents to act like they're better than everyone else instead?

It might be a poor translation, but the original was a bit muffled.

Here's a lesson for newbies. Get used to the fact that many users are bitter, have no sense of humor, no desire to actually help anyone at all, and just want everyone in the world to shut up and let them take a dump in peace.

In SL.

Edited November 21, 2022 by PheebyKatz

[Nick0678]

11 minutes ago, PheebyKatz said:

Here's a lesson for newbies...

RUN

 

[PheebyKatz]

They could run. They could also accept my free gift of a machinegun that fires nuclear missiles, and shoot back.

Helps if they get some mentoring in combat first. The first lesson, ironically, is how to run. XD

First person to offer tankery classes to new people in here will earn the official nickname of Katyusha.

Just saying.

Edited November 21, 2022 by PheebyKatz

[Lindal Kidd]

Y'all are so VIOLENT today!

Of course, I do have a couple of wearable tanks that don't require rezzing. I've been known to drive one around newcomer areas when someone has ticked me off. And now I want a machine gun that fires nuclear missiles, too.

I'm not ALL sweetness n' light, y'know.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Lindal Kidd