Is this new round of mentors a good idea?

[Istelathis]

7 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

I thought it was Bellisaria

I only remember because I always think for some reason Bell is serial, like super serial guys.  But not serial enough for the "l" at the end of serial, and not quite serious enough to be considered cereal.  

[Rowan Amore]

Just now, Istelathis said:

I only remember because I always think for some reason Bell is serial, like super serial guys.  But not serial enough for the "l" at the end of serial, and not quite serious enough to be considered cereal.  

Oh great.  Now I'll be calling it Bellicereal.  😆

[Marigold Devin]

1 minute ago, Istelathis said:

I only remember because I always think for some reason Bell is serial, like super serial guys.  But not serial enough for the "l" at the end of serial, and not quite serious enough to be considered cereal.  

Now I feel as stoned as if I were really stoned! 

(but I'm laughing so that's a good thing) 

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

11 hours ago, Istelathis said:

I was not here when there were mentors, so I'm not sure what happened.  As far as being a mentor, I can only assume it would require some sort of hierarchy structure, regular meetings that are mandatory, and a lot of rules that involve not throwing noobies into volcanoes which is an absolute no for me.  

 

SL used to have official Mentors at Help Island sim. And elsewhere.  But despite the name of the sim, the mentors were often not much or of any help, to me at least.

The old Mentors sometimes lacked the proper communication skills, patience, the attention span, the technical knowledge of the SL Viewer or an ability to help multiple people, as it was often a very busy place. Sometimes there were very few or no Mentors available either.

Help Island also unfortunately acquired the feel of a public hangout area too, cliques or groups of "gatekeeping" residents congregated there and sometimes interfered with advice given from the official Mentors.

In my earliest days in SL, I went there quite often, hoping to learn to fix problems that I encountered.  But most times I did not get any or fully the help that I needed.

So through trial and error, I taught myself to fix my own viewer issues instead.

Edited June 9, 2023 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[Nika Talaj]

2 hours ago, colleen Criss said:

I applied because I loved my time @ NCI.Inc. I'm not sure why Bellisario needs its own group but ok. I will need to relearn the viewer but, ok. Voice will be a hard no for me because of my RL home. I like the mentoring program coming back.

I think you have a great attitude.  NCI is a terrific institution, but you may want to observe some different beginner courses at, say, Builder's Brewery or Caledon University to get a different spin on helping newbies. 

Belli needs mentors  to staff the new BelliHub/BelliDemo regions.  The Hub region has general SL tutorials, and the demo regions are a showroom for all the different LH themes and models available in Bell.  I think these regions were created because at some point LL will be closing the old LH continents (which on the map still show many active residents), and presumably there will be a big influx of Premium members to Belli at that time.

New Belli residents tend to have a lot of questions about parcel & home security, how to set the parcel up so group members can rez items, usage of the various house controllers etc.  The house controllers and land menus do not work at BelliDemo (I'm not really clear why demo house controllers can't be used, actually.  It would be a help), and of course none of LL's security orbs are installed.  It will be great if knowledgable helpers are just hanging out there, so Belli newbies know where to find someone to come to their new parcel and help them set it up, or tell them where the piano music is coming from, lalala.  I, and others, have often done that for folks who ask for help in Belli Citizens Chat.

1 hour ago, Marigold Devin said:

I thought it was Bellisaria

Easy enough mistake to make, since that's the way Patch pronounces it!

Edited June 9, 2023 by Nika Talaj

[Ceka Cianci]

9 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

Didn't the last round of mentors ended because of the tons of drama and self importance by a chunk of mentors involved back then?
It has been a while, so I might be mistaking.

I thought it happened around the time where there was a lot of changes going on..I might be mistaken, but wasn't it around the time M was CEO?

I just remember a few things getting downsized  around that time period.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Ceka Cianci

[Akane Nacht]

I do my mentoring by answering questions in this forum.

My compensation is posting awful dad jokes I don't dare associate with my real name.

You could say I pay it one step forward, two steps back.

[Arielle Popstar]

@Linden Lab I thought this requirement interesting:

Quote

8. Mentors are required to use the Second Life viewer. Most Newcomers will be logging in with the Second Life Viewer. The Newcomer tutorials at the Welcome area are also provided with the official Second Life viewer in mind. We ask that our Mentors use the Official Second Life Viewer and have intimate knowledge of it so they may be more efficient and able to help them. We do not ask Newcomers to download any Third Party Viewer.

I have to wonder if you are aware that part of the reason that some TPV viewers are more popular then the "official" one is not just because they are more user friendly or have better features but also in a large part because they provide much better inworld support than you do. 

Great to see you looking for mentors for the guidance of new people but might I suggest that you yourselves also get involved by starting an official inworld SL Viewer group  like Firestorm has, to help both new and old residents with ongoing support for your own viewer. It could result in a greater adoption of the SL viewer when there is some actual live help easily accessible through the inworld group function. Like Firestorm does or did, the resident can be automatically enrolled in the group by the use of your viewer and have help available at their fingertips instead of having to find a Mentor to help them through whatever viewer problem they are having.

The tools and technology are already built in so might be an idea to utilize the most efficient and effective means available imo.

[belindacarson]

At first I thought this was a joke post until I read the application.

Commit to 2 hour shifts???!!!!???

Unpaid roles, ie we'd be doing ll job for them

Use the ll viewer? That'd be like going from using a NASA super computer to a zx81

Given the amount of frozen water and chocolate confectionery we see on the forums and welcome areas this is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

 

[Coffee Pancake]

They will find TPVs about 5 minutes after they meet any other person.

Having a grounding in the official viewer first actually makes that transition easier. Firestorm is an overwhelming pig for a brand new user.

I might help work on Catznip, but I honestly don't care what viewer people use. So long as they use something and log in and have fun.

[belindacarson]

19 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

They will find TPVs about 5 minutes after they meet any other person.

Having a grounding in the official viewer first actually makes that transition easier. Firestorm is an overwhelming pig for a brand new user.

I might help work on Catznip, but I honestly don't care what viewer people use. So long as they use something and log in and have fun.

I'll disagree with you on that one coffee.  Firestorm in its phoenix mode is so easy to use as based on the old v1

[Persephone Emerald]

LL needs to hire more Moles to do this work - for a support group with inworld helpers. This "SL New User Help" group should be included in the groups for every new user, giving a tag like "New User" to those who have it active. 

[belindacarson]

And on the bright side when you read the application forms, ll have admitted at last that inworld group chat is kaputt.

"If your application is successful we'll invite you to our discord channels"

 

[Alwin Alcott]

even when i would make the efford to go back to the LL viewer, the demand for comitting to be online for  some hours on days you have to sign up, i expect something commiting for some hours back. 
LL never commits to users when its about money, for their rates it's always we start "tomorrow or next week".. never  "soon". as it's with promesses.

[Alwin Alcott]

adding ...

people on the forums that help others already, and for quite some years(  the previous forum advisors earning their points in the old QA section but got ditched , should be invited to be mentor/helpers. They provived proof of their knowledge .
Let them flow around in the newbie centers, like they also fly around on the forums át théir available time.
That would also help the mix USA and rest of the world timezones being covered. (as that's since the pull back from the offices and support lines in the EU still not covered)

And i still would like to know why and how there are still advisors here but the majoriy lost that, just some of those those still being advisors because they copy paste rewrite already given answers so well?

Edited June 9, 2023 by Alwin Alcott

[Jaylinbridges]

After reading the application conditions, I wonder how well this really works.  Many newbies first question is, "Can you show me sexy time?"  Not sure operating as G-rated will keep them around.  

Quote

7. To be easily recognized by Residents, you need to wear your group tag. Your Mentor tag should only be worn while actively mentoring at your designated location. Also remember your appearance, profile and behavior need to reflect a General (G) maturity rating.

Does this mean mentoring must all be done at a designated G rated location?  Is this for underage teenagers?

Quote

6. Please remember Mentors cannot solicit for tips.

Well there goes my plan to teach them how to tip by going to my DJ sets...

Quote

8. Mentors are required to use the Second Life viewer. Most Newcomers will be logging in with the Second Life Viewer

That is understandable.  But why waste all their effort to figure out the SL Viewer, when that time could be spent learning a viewer everyone uses.  You can't even be a hostess at our club using the SL Viewer - no one knows how it works and its features for a hostess are horrible.  I take it suggesting they download another TPV viewer is grounds for firing.

Are more than one 2 hour sessions allowed for the same newbie? 

The 2nd most answered questions are,

How do I find a friend?

And how do I make lindens, since I have no real money to put into this game I can't figure out.  Sending them to fishing holes isn't the best way to introduce all that SL offers...

Many end up thinking the mentor is their friend.  This does not always work out well.  Will the rules allow after hour socialization, or even alts?  Some will think this is also wrong, since it might result in non G-rated activity.

Quote

Also remember your appearance, profile and behavior need to reflect a General (G) maturity rating.

Well that's no problem - I am always fully clothed, with no skin showing except my cute pink tongue.  I do have some bigger friends who I can't vouch for:

Edited June 9, 2023 by Jaylinbridges

[Ceka Cianci]

They are probably bringing this back because it's been ask for and asked  about in quite a few thread over the years.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Ceka Cianci

[belindacarson]

15 minutes ago, Alwin Alcott said:

ople on the forums that help others already, and for quite some years(  the previous forum advisors earning their points in the old QA section but got ditched , should be invited to be mentor/helpers. They provived proof of their knowledge .

Given that the majority of users on the forum post consistently incorrect information, letting them loose as helpers inworld would be like letting a monkey loose in a nuclear reactor ie a total disaster.

[Alwin Alcott]

2 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

They are probably bring this back because it's been ask for and asked  about in quite in quite a few thread over the years.

yes but never well overthought HOW .. because this plan will end again as the previous. Weird slogans don't attrackt the right people. And non committing helpers can be excellent mentors, but they rake them out before they can apply.
You have to this, you have to that, and we ... eh.. oh yes we forgot that part. If  new army of mentors get newbies to log in a second time, there should be something comming in exchange for that, because for years, 90% doesn't even come back after their first horror experience.

If you take the previous mentors back, you also take their previous mindset back : power, and  "look at me being so good".

[Alwin Alcott]

2 minutes ago, belindacarson said:

Given that the majority of users on the forum post consistently incorrect information, letting them loose as helpers inworld would be like letting a monkey loose in a nuclear reactor ie a total disaster.

that's why i pointed at the older QA set up, that has, and had, a lot higher quality and huge higher amount of advisors, they ruined that themself. Not to forget the quite obvious prefered residents .. but thats a normal thing in human interactions.

[animats]

9 hours ago, CronoCloud Creeggan said:

I took a look at the applications and the hard requirement to use the official viewer would prevent me from being one because....Linux.

You can run the LL viewer under Wine on Linux. The Python-based script that nags you about updating to the latest version will crash every time, but the actual viewer works well. Even voice works.

[animats]

1 hour ago, belindacarson said:

Unpaid roles, ie we'd be doing ll job for them

50 minutes ago, Alwin Alcott said:

the demand for committing to be online for  some hours on days you have to sign up, i expect something commiting for some hours back. 

This has come up before. See AOL Community Leader Program. The question was whether, under US labor law, the "community leaders" were employees and had to be paid at least minimum wage. AOL had to pay out $15 million.That's been a problem for other system operators.

The official IRS position:

Under common-law rules, anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done. This is so even when you give the employee freedom of action. What matters is that you have the right to control the details of how the services are performed.

If you have an employer-employee relationship, it makes no difference how it is labeled. The substance of the relationship, not the label, governs the worker’s status. It doesn’t matter whether the individual is employed full time or part time.

This looks like a problem.

I like the idea of volunteer helpers, and it seems to work for Firestorm, which is a nonprofit, and for Caledon Oxbridge. But when a for-profit company does it directly, they run into US labor law.

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

13 minutes ago, animats said:

This has come up before. See AOL Community Leader Program. The question was whether, under US labor law, the "community leaders" were employees and had to be paid at least minimum wage. AOL had to pay out $15 million.That's been a problem for other system operators.

The official IRS position:

Under common-law rules, anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done. This is so even when you give the employee freedom of action. What matters is that you have the right to control the details of how the services are performed.

If you have an employer-employee relationship, it makes no difference how it is labeled. The substance of the relationship, not the label, governs the worker’s status. It doesn’t matter whether the individual is employed full time or part time.

This looks like a problem.

I like the idea of volunteer helpers, and it seems to work for Firestorm, which is a nonprofit, and for Caledon Oxbridge. But when a for-profit company does it directly, they run into US labor law.

I remember that with the AOL. Not sure if someone not employed by the Lab could make a group for a mentor type thing not under the control of LL could skirt around that issue.  The Lab could send a guide or post one somewhere on how established Residents can assist new people with onboarding.

I was a volunteer for the original XOOM clip art thing in the late 90s for their message board.  The IRS got on their rear and they closed the boards.  A staff did make a board on DelphiForums for a short  time until that was eliminated.

[Ceka Cianci]

54 minutes ago, Alwin Alcott said:

yes but never well overthought HOW .. because this plan will end again as the previous. Weird slogans don't attrackt the right people. And non committing helpers can be excellent mentors, but they rake them out before they can apply.
You have to this, you have to that, and we ... eh.. oh yes we forgot that part. If  new army of mentors get newbies to log in a second time, there should be something comming in exchange for that, because for years, 90% doesn't even come back after their first horror experience.

If you take the previous mentors back, you also take their previous mindset back : power, and  "look at me being so good".

I think if it isn't for someone they won't do it and just keep doing what they do now to help..

But, there are some they may not have a problem with what they are asking.. Like most things, I don't think it will be for everyone, But there are people that want to be more involved I would think.. So maybe they will answer..

We'll find out soon enough I guess.. hehehe

[Jaylinbridges]

The Belli-Hub mentor seems like a sales representative position at a time-share convention.  Is selling Premium and Premium Plus accounts the goal?  If my houseboat sinks, can I get help at the Belli-Hub?