Welcome centres not so welcoming????

[Amethyst Damour]

hi everyone,

just thought i'd post my views on something that ive noticed in S/L

I spend alot of my time hanging in a certain welcome centre as i dont have a home in s/l ,thers a group of people who hang out there regurly too.

Now i dont mind helping new people , i mean we all know to well what a daunting place S/L can seem when first join, one thing ive noticed is the abuse some new residents get from this group of people,obviously welcome centres are there for new residents when when they first log in,but most are full up with residents who hang out there beacuse they have no home point like myself.

ok i now you get a few new residents who seem to think s/l is a free sex sight etc and act in a disrespectful way but mosst are kind people who just wnat help yet end up getting abused and having the fun made out of them!!!!

just makes me wonder how many people join S/L get treated badly like this and never log on again,surely these welcome centres should have some kind of monitors there to stop this abuse???

wouldnt it be a idea to have places where people dont have home sto hang out that arent welcome centres???

anyway would appreciate anybodys views on this matter

 

 

thanks Amethyst :))))

[Eileen Fellstein]

It's unforunate Amethyst. I doubt we will see active monitoring of those places however. I have never seen monitoring in any public areas since I started SL, at least not official SL monitors anyway. You could AR it, it may help some even if someone was only sent through once in a while.

It really does suck for the real new residents.

Most people will generally either rent or buy a place before long or at least find a friend willing to put them in their group so they can save to somewhere half-way private.

With you being there to offer help, I'm glad you haven't let the bad apples discourage you. I'm sure there must be a few new people that appreciate it too.

What I also find discouraging about what you just said is that if bunches of 'not new' avatars are hanging at the welcome center and being counter-productive, they are also being counter-productive to our inworld society. In other words they are not out supporting places with either their money or even their pressence. Basically just vagrants and when they opt to harrass innocent newcomers, then they could most acurately be described as hoodlums.

[Knowl Paine]

You should Report Abuse when you see it.

Stick to the facts, avoid personal attacks, stay in honor.

Quality Reports are important. Date, time, location, residents involved, activity as observed.

Know and understand the SL Terms of Service and the Community Standards, and Only report violations.

 

What do I think about it? It's terrible, it's been occurring for a long time. Some people expect it, it's weird. Part of an experience; does that make any sense? Not trying to justify it, just trying to explain it.

 

 

 

[Bree Giffen]

This has been happening for many years now. But there are a lot of welcome areas and there are a lot of people who act good there too. Do what you can to help but don't expect things to change much.

[Mayalily]

---

Amethyst Damour wrote:

hi everyone,

just thought i'd post my views on something that ive noticed in S/L

I spend alot of my time hanging in a certain welcome centre as i dont have a home in s/l ,thers a group of people who hang out there regurly too.

Now i dont mind helping new people , i mean we all know to well what a daunting place S/L can seem when first join, one thing ive noticed is the abuse some new residents get from this group of people,obviously welcome centres are there for new residents when when they first log in,but most are full up with residents who hang out there beacuse they have no home point like myself.

ok i now you get a few new residents who seem to think s/l is a free sex sight etc and act in a disrespectful way but mosst are kind people who just wnat help yet end up getting abused and having the fun made out of them!!!!

just makes me wonder how many people join S/L get treated badly like this and never log on again,surely these welcome centres should have some kind of monitors there to stop this abuse???

wouldnt it be a idea to have places where people dont have home sto hang out that arent welcome centres???

anyway would appreciate anybodys views on this matter

 

 

thanks Amethyst

)))

---

In my experience in SL, there are griefers everywhere in SL.

Too bad SL doesn't have a looney bin to put them in for awhile!!!  lolz

Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea if say a griefer gets caught, they are suddenly carried away and trapped somewhere until they grow up.  hehehehe

[Venus Petrov]

I visit welcome centers 2 - 3 times each month to help new residents.  Yes, there are regulars who hang out and help and others who are less helpful.  I do wonder how many new residents might be turned off by the latter type of 'welcome' but it is what it is.  I agree, however, if you see something that is AR-able, that you do that.

It is very kind of you to want to help new residents. 

[Mayalily]

---

Venus Petrov wrote:

I visit welcome centers 2 - 3 times each month to help new residents.  Yes, there are regulars who hang out and help and others who are less helpful.  I do wonder how many new residents might be turned off by the latter type of 'welcome' but it is what it is.  I agree, however, if you see something that is AR-able, that you do that.

It is very kind of you to want to help new residents. 

---

AR-ing is pretty useless in SL.  For some people, hurting others is their hobby.  LL should build like a trap into the AR mechanisim, and then the avatar would be trapped for at least 15 minutes.  How about spinning their avatar around like crazy once inside the trap?  If I were to build a game like this, that is what I would do.  Or you build a looney bin sim and they have to go there and take meds, or they go to jail and are stuck there for a specific period of time until their griefing is investigated and stopped. 

LL won't do anything because it's money to them and not much more. 

[Tari Landar]

You already got good advice on what to do about the annoyance factor. But I want to say there are , literally, hundreds of places for people who don't have an "official sl home" to hang out in. They aren't hanging out in welcome centers simply because that's their only option. The problem, aside from their need to annoy others, is that they don't *want* to go anywhere else. They most definitely can, though, if they ever choose to. Even with search screwed up as it is sometimes, it's not difficult to find somewhere to go in sl.

[Inuyasha DeVinna]

I've stumbled upon those groups of individuals myself and I wil lsay this much, "I can't quite understand why they would stay in those areas and insult people and give other types of abuse.. quite annoying, actually... But, then.. on the other side, I like to think that some individuals have certain issues and I guess they feel comfortable in those spots, so I tend... to just walk away."

[jwenting]

---

Inuyasha DeVinna wrote:

I've stumbled upon those groups of individuals myself and I wil lsay this much, "I can't quite understand why they would stay in those areas and insult people and give other types of abuse.. quite annoying, actually... But, then.. on the other side, I like to think that some individuals have certain issues and I guess they feel comfortable in those spots, so I tend... to just walk away."

---

 

there are people who get off on making others miserable. And where better to do that than in places where many who come there have no knowledge about how to file a complaint against them? Where many may be new and inexperienced, vulnerable?

[UncommonTruth]

How sad... I didn't make it to a welcome center when I joined. SL freaked out on me and I was stuck in the start tutorial thingy. I eventually figured out how to tp out of it lol. I haven't seen that greifing, haven't spent but a few minutes ever at a welcome center. Now I want to go adopt noobs. Start a group maybe, Noobs helping Noobs, somethin like that lol. At the very least, I will start finding welcome centers to help out.

[Jennifer Boyle]

I think your concern Is s well-founded.  I do not understand why LL does not take seriously the need to make sure the first hour or two of a new resident's life is pleasant and welcoming.  THat could be done by having welcome areas that were monitored by Lindens, or by residents who were vetted by Lindens and who had powers to deal with miscreants.

[Amethyst Damour]

thanks all the comments everyone glad its not just me noticing this problem,unfortunately as stated abuse reports are rarely taken seriously in S/L it seems but i love the idea of the prison/mental institute to put greifers and abusers ,lock em with each other for a few days would proberly make them think twice LOL

i'll carry on doing my best to help newbies residents and loved the idea about starting a group for noobies helping noobies:):)

but again it seems linden labs are more concerned about money than helping its residents ashame but thats the way it is

[Amethyst Damour]

jwenting  love your idea about the group noobs helping noobs contact me in world maybe and we can discuss it yeah )))

[Amethyst Jetaime]

At one time welcome centers were staffed by official Mentors, who were experienced residents who volunteered for the program.  Unfortunately some of the mentors let it  go to their head and started to cause problems themselves.  LL discontinued the program.

People like your posted about have low self esteem and no SL or RL.  The only way they can feel good about themselves is to drag other people down.  They hang out in welcome areas because it is a 'safe' place for them.  They can pick on people that don't have a clue what to do about it and feel superior, when the truth is that they probably wouldn't last 2 minutes acting that way in areas with experienced residents. 

Pity them and then AR them.  Show the newbs who you help how to AR them also.  You can also help by seeking out the many places in SL where you can set your home other than welcome centers and telling newbs about them too.

[Eileen Fellstein]

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Mayalily wrote:

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Venus Petrov wrote:

I visit welcome centers 2 - 3 times each month to help new residents.  Yes, there are regulars who hang out and help and others who are less helpful.  I do wonder how many new residents might be turned off by the latter type of 'welcome' but it is what it is.  I agree, however, if you see something that is AR-able, that you do that.

It is very kind of you to want to help new residents. 

---

AR-ing is pretty useless in SL.  For some people, hurting others is their hobby.  LL should build like a trap into the AR mechanisim, and then the avatar would be trapped for at least 15 minutes.  How about spinning their avatar around like crazy once inside the trap?  If I were to build a game like this, that is what I would do.  Or you build a looney bin sim and they have to go there and take meds, or they go to jail and are stuck there for a specific period of time until their griefing is investigated and stopped. 

LL won't do anything because it's money to them and not much more. 

---

lol, I like how you think. Actually most of that is doable on a private sim at least with the use of RLV traps and various modable game components that can be bought on the marketplace in conjunction with whatever other modable objectsyou choose. I have some padded cells but I haven't tried spinning them, lol.

[Dilbert Dilweg]

I popped into help Island public the other day just to take a look around. It was the most unpleasant experience I have ever had in SL. One guy was cursing and yelling (screaming on voice at the top of his lungs) at 2 others who didn't have control over their sound. It was utter chaos. 2 other girls getting nasty with eachother sexually. 3 others blowing off gestures repeatedly making annoying loud sounds. It was so confusing and it seriously got my blood pressure up lol

As I traveled more I can see why it may seem it is attractive to greifers and less attractive to the good people

Someone posted a video recording of his last experience on the info hubs. I wish I could find it. It was pretty much the same experience I had

When I first came to SL in 2006, a person invited me. They re-routed me around all the welcome centers etc. And that's probably why I stayed. Because I didn't see that crap first lol

If I would have signed up and landed in that chaos back then? I would have left and never come back lol

If they would do something to clean them up. I am sure the retention levels would increase. LL boasts that, they are getting a lot of sign ups. But signups are just "curiosity". You have to have a game plan, to "hook" that curiousity if you want user retention levels to increase. If a user runs into that crap while in the process of the "hook" then you have lost them comepletely

[Jo Yardley]

When I first visited SL in 2007 I had similar experiences, it reinforced all prejudices I had about it and left, for ever.

Well until I got a new computer and looked for something online that demanded a lot to check what the new computer could handle.

I tried SL again and the rest is history.

Recenly I wrote a blog about it and also about some ideas I have as an alternative to how the first moments of new people in SL are now.

In short I'd like to remove all noob areas and let people learn and prepare on the SL website as part of the registration process.

It may keep new people around longer and it will make griefing noobs impossible unless you happen to bump into one and.

The blog is here; http://joyardley.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/starting-your-second-life/

[madman626 Fall]

some things never change,, but did remember if a Linden show up oh its was so sweet and lovely then that only last has long there was a linden there.

[Ceka Cianci]

it makes me want to go there and give them someone thier own size to pick on..

LL relies too much on the AR system and not enough on keeping new users at the front door..

 

[Dilbert Dilweg]

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Ceka Cianci wrote:

LL relies too much on the AR system and not enough on keeping new users at the front door..

 

---

That's the part that kills me, is they do rely on that, but a lot do not report, because they feel it is not heard...... kind of like voting

[Venus Petrov]

---

Mayalily wrote:

---

Venus Petrov wrote:

I visit welcome centers 2 - 3 times each month to help new residents.  Yes, there are regulars who hang out and help and others who are less helpful.  I do wonder how many new residents might be turned off by the latter type of 'welcome' but it is what it is.  I agree, however, if you see something that is AR-able, that you do that.

It is very kind of you to want to help new residents. 

---

AR-ing is pretty useless in SL.  For some people, hurting others is their hobby.  LL should build like a trap into the AR mechanisim, and then the avatar would be trapped for at least 15 minutes.  How about spinning their avatar around like crazy once inside the trap?  If I were to build a game like this, that is what I would do.  Or you build a looney bin sim and they have to go there and take meds, or they go to jail and are stuck there for a specific period of time until their griefing is investigated and stopped. 

LL won't do anything because it's money to them and not much more. 

---

Hehe...yes, I can see how this would work out.  People would be caging/trapping each other.  Who is 'in charge' then?  

[Ceka Cianci]

help island is actually quiet..orientation island is where the Azzhats are hanging out that i seen so far this morning..

most don't really stick around there..they land and  get their bearings and kind of move on..

so far it's been nothing but movie trivial this morning at help island..but it's easter..i'm sure the trouble makers are all opening easter baskets their mommies had gotten them..

you would think after 40 years old they would realize there is no easter bunny hehehehe

[Eileen Fellstein]

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Ceka Cianci wrote:

you would think after 40 years old they would realize there is no easter bunny hehehehe

---

 

I guess I can stop leaving piles of carrots on the porch? Wonder who been eatin em *sctratches head. 

 

My 1st go at SL, about a year before I made this avi, was not without incident at orientation island...

I was doing the linden hair tutorial and a girl comes up and starts spamming friend invites to me, naturally interfering with the instruction drop downs because they were in the same place on the screen. After choosing no 3 times I finally turned and told her to stop it at which point she tried to shove me off the balcony. It was like "BE MY FREIND DAMMIT..OR I KEEL U!!' lol, anyway I sidestepped her next lunge and she plumetted over the railing.

I finished the tutorials and explored for about half an hour, deciding I didn't much care for SL. About a year later I tried again and stuck around.

I'm not sure why they don't just put a time limit on the beginner stuff.

[161488303349]

if you dont like noise and bedlam then dont set your home to Ahern/Morris, Waterhead and Korea1. some of the other linden WAs have their moments but not as often as these three

a number of linden Infohub/WAs where you can set your home are run inconjunction with some oldskool residents. some of the quiet ones are: Miramare, Ross, Ambat, Kuula, Anzere and Mauve. is others as well   

at OIP and HIP you cant set your home there anymore. HIP also now has some polka radio stream playing at the landing point area. jejeje (:

+

is heaps of places can set your home to other than linden WAs. look for Infohubs on the Map and helpy places in Search. some of the good ones are: Caledon Oxbridge, Hyde Park and Dublin. is oldskool SecondLife Mentors involved in the management of them

for spanish speakers then Virtual Spain. portugese Ajuda Brasil. is others for other language speakers as well. can find them in Search. most of them let you set home to them. usual by joining the group

+

about locking people up. linden used to do that by sending offenders to the Cornfield. not anymore. became a badge of honor to get sent there for some people that did. is still on the grid tho and sometimes is opened up to the public. usual at Halloween. Cornfield went south about the same time as the linden Police Blotter