Notes on the WelcomeHub

[Istelathis]

I've enjoyed the new Welcome Area, and usually visit it daily to roam around.  I think LL did a good job on it all, there are a mishmash of different ways people use SL put in a confined area to give new residents an idea of what is possible in SL, while also giving those of us who have been here for a while a place to play around in so that noobies are not made to feel they are inhabiting a wasteland.  I don't think they can fit everything into such an area though, because it would likely just spread that ratio of residents far and wide. 

I think in general, people get the idea that SL is dead, because they don't see activity in every region, all of the time.  What I observe while exploring, is mostly empty regions; but that is not a true measure of Second Life,  many of the empty places I come across will jump to life at certain times when they are hosting events. 

I view it as an illusion of inactivity in SL, which can be attributed to the platform being a jack of all trades, but an expert of none.  It appeals to a wide demographic of people.  We all have our interests, and would like to see those better represented in SL, and at times on the forums it can be interesting to watch us all squabble over them.  

SL is a FPS, TPS, MOBA, sandbox, RPG, Single Player, racing, etc, etc platform.   

Anyway, back to the Welcome Area.  I think to maintain the perception of the active world it actually is, perhaps there should be a region designated specifically for events of active groups, where they can host those events much like we see in the Bellisseria Fairgrounds.  The sole intent being, giving existing residents of SL a time to welcome new residents into their groups and showcasing what they like to do, giving new residents a preview of what is in SL.  

[Missy Starchild]

I have had exactly one experience with the WelcomeHub, and it was a Mentor coming over to join in on me and my sister's conversation, then halfway through he starts deliberately targeting and vaguely threatening her in particular because she said... "my butt itches"... once.

Didn't seem very welcoming to me, more like false advertising!

[Persephone Emerald]

9 hours ago, Zalificent Corvinus said:

A chat for 32 players in NyteFart Ripped off Teens Royale:

"over25lamepervodude69: Any ladeeesse I can haz the sex with?

31 other players: Ewww weird sad pathetic loser pervo over with teh gay, everyone pawn his over 25 ass!

System message: All 15 of your team mates have voted to enable Friendly Fire mode so they can pawn your over 25 ass"

 

Meanwhile In SL

In 20 IM boxes belonging to female avatars:

"Over25lamepervodude69 Resident: Can I has the SLEX!

18 female aviatars: auto hit mute/derender/AR buttons

1 female avatar: [censored torrent of humiliating anti overentitled incel sex pest IM spammer personal abuse]

1 female avatar: Erm... OK!"

 

Meanwhile on the forums:

Over25 lamepervodude69 wrote:

"I am shocked and outraged, that as late as 2023, LL still permit Lesbians to BLATANTLY discriminate against overentitled incel sex-pest IM spammers by REFUSING to have SLex with them. LL must act immediately to end this travesty of justice because SL is supposed to be a SOCIAL PLATFORM!"

 

/me coughs

Does that answer your question?

I'm still confused. Which scenario do you prefer?

[Zalificent Corvinus]

14 hours ago, Persephone Emerald said:

I'm still confused. Which scenario do you prefer?

They are not alternatives, but three scenes from the life of the same incel, why they are here. Try and keep up.

Somebody logged into the forum, parked afk in world, and playing their fav "game". 

They get mocked in the game, turned down in SL, and whine about it here.. A whole posting history of complaining that female avatars in SL don't respond positively, or at all, to incel sex-pest IM spammers, who claim NyteFart is "so much better that SL" but who never quit SL.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Zalificent Corvinus

[Love Zhaoying]

9 hours ago, Zalificent Corvinus said:

They are not alternatives, but three scenes from the life of the same incel, why they are here. Try and keep up.

Somebody logged into the forum, parked afk in world, and playing their fav "game". 

They get mocked in the game, turned down in SL, and whine about it here.. A whole posting history of complaining that female avatars in SL don't respond positively, or at all, to incel ex-pest IM spammers, who claim NyteFart is "so much better that SL" but who never quit SL.

Idea for T-Shirt: "Shills Get More SLex!" as WelcomeHub casual wear.

[Gabriele Graves]

I spent a few hours at the Welcome Hub again today and played the drawing game where you guess the word from the picture that they've installed there with a handful of other people.

One of them was about a month old and I asked them if this was their first time or whether they were returning on a new account?  They indicated that this was their first time.  So I asked them how they were finding it.

They answered that it had been a trip and that they were utterly addicted.

It reminded me so much of how I felt when I was new.

It also made me feel very encouraged that some people are making it through the gauntlet still and finding value here.

[Silent Mistwalker]

3 hours ago, Gabriele Graves said:

the gauntlet

So, it did catch on a little bit. I was beginning to think there were only two of us. Now there are three. 🤸🏽‍♀️

[Rolig Loon]

3 hours ago, Gabriele Graves said:

It also made me feel very encouraged that some people are making it through the gauntlet still and finding value here.

You probably meant "gantlet", a former military punishment in which the offender had to run between two rows of men who struck him with clubs, etc. as he passed.  A gauntlet is a glove.

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

You probably meant "gantlet", a former military punishment in which the offender had to run between two rows of men who struck him with clubs, etc. as he passed.  A gauntlet is a glove.

Thank you, in (US) school I was taught that "gauntlet" was for both! ("Running the gauntlet", "wearing a gauntlet".)

Unless it's a "Mandela Effect" applied to spelling..!

[Orwar]

4 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

You probably meant "gantlet", a former military punishment in which the offender had to run between two rows of men who struck him with clubs, etc. as he passed.  A gauntlet is a glove.

   "Gantlet was the preferred spelling in early use of the phrase run the gauntlet—meaning to suffer punishment by gantlet or to endure an onslaught or ordeal—but gauntlet prevailed by the 18th century. Today, most writers use gauntlet, though gantlet, which is especially common in American English, is not incorrect."

[Love Zhaoying]

Just now, Orwar said:

   "Gantlet was the preferred spelling in early use of the phrase run the gauntlet—meaning to suffer punishment by gantlet or to endure an onslaught or ordeal—but gauntlet prevailed by the 18th century. Today, most writers use gauntlet, though gantlet, which is especially common in American English, is not incorrect."

As I just replied to Rolig, I don't remember being taught "gantlet" in the US, this is interesting! 

[Gabriele Graves]

3 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

You probably meant "gantlet", a former military punishment in which the offender had to run between two rows of men who struck him with clubs, etc. as he passed.  A gauntlet is a glove.

Well, I meant this:

https://grammarist.com/usage/gantlet-gauntlet/

However the difference seems to be an extremely small spelling preference.

[Katherine Heartsong]

16 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   "Gantlet was the preferred spelling in early use of the phrase run the gauntlet—meaning to suffer punishment by gantlet or to endure an onslaught or ordeal—but gauntlet prevailed by the 18th century. Today, most writers use gauntlet, though gantlet, which is especially common in American English, is not incorrect."

Now that we have that cleared up, can we use decimate with it's original meaning too? Every time I hear someone say "We were decimated!" I think to myself, "That's not bad, only 10% losses. Good work."

[Lindal Kidd]

...comes out of retirement long enough to vote for "gantlet", then scoots her overly grammatical self back to RL.

...oh yeah, and gives Katherine a big warm gooey cookie for using "decimate" correctly.

*Poof!*

[Orwar]

4 minutes ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

Now that we have that cleared up, can we use decimate with it's original meaning too? Every time I hear someone say "We were decimated!" I think to myself, "That's not bad, only 10% losses. Good work."

   Decimate literally means 'remove one tenth'. I shall have no sympathies for anyone who missuses the word!

[Gabriele Graves]

*evil laugh* Didn't you all know, this is all part of my master plan to make the eyes of pedants twitch.

[Orwar]

2 hours ago, Gabriele Graves said:

*evil laugh* Didn't you all know, this is all part of my master plan to make the eyes of pedants twitch.

   Don't forget, some of us pedants bite.

[Love Zhaoying]

So, paying tithes is decimating!

[Silent Mistwalker]

They predicted rain today. It decimated all over the place.

[Orwar]

1 hour ago, Love Zhaoying said:

So, paying tithes is decimating!

   Well, yes. If you pay a tithe, you decimate your income!

   Not that most tithes these days are 10% anymore. There's no order anywhere! 

[BilliJo Aldrin]

I dropped by to check the place out. I had to remove my spanker when someone touched it in case it would be considered inappropriate on general . After 10 minutes of standing around totally bored, the place made me want to quit Second Life.

I wont be going back. 😁

 

[Orwar]

   So I went and had a peek, and one thing that I find a little confusing is the sandbox rules.

   What on earth does "Keep any scripts simple" mean, exactly? Dare I rez a vehicle that needs repainting? Judging by the sign, it kind of feels like 'this is a sandbox, don't use it as a sandbox, here are other sandboxes where you can go to. Also permaban threat!'.

   .. And is the permaban for the sandbox, or SL 'cause it's an official LL place? If I were a newbie I wouldn't dare do anything in a sandbox with a sign like that.

   Wouldn't it be better if the sign distributed a notecard with a description of what a sandbox is and how you'd be expected to behave in one and what sort of things they can be useful for rather than 'if you screw up you're toast, now go elsewhere'. 

[Sid Nagy]

As so often, it is "a use common sense" rule IMHO.
Not everything has to be handled as if it is fine print for lawyers.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Sid Nagy

[Orwar]

9 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

As so often, it is "a use common sense" rule IMHO.
Not everything has to be handled as if it is fine print for lawyers.

   Common sense? On the Internets?! Preposterous! 

[Phil Deakins]

22 hours ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

Now that we have that cleared up, can we use decimate with it's original meaning too? Every time I hear someone say "We were decimated!" I think to myself, "That's not bad, only 10% losses. Good work."

How about the use of 'quantum' when something big is meant; e.g. quantum leap. But a quantum is a very tiny thing.

FWIW, I'd never heard of gantlet. For me it's always been gauntlet, as in running the gauntlet. It's also meant a glove. Similarly with decimate. I don't think I've ever heard it used correctly, and I often mentally criticise it when I hear/read it.