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I'm bringing this question to the group to see what suggestions you have. In the box, Star Ravenhurst asks, "What grids will help totally new people that join their grid? You have to teach them everything. Do any of these grids exist?"
My thoughts. People choose grids based on a number of criteria, such as cost of land ownership, the reputation of the grid owner, the dependability of the servers, and opportunities for shopping and socializing. However, people can travel to other grids for shopping and events, so the last two are perhaps less important.
Also, most of the people I've met have experience in SL. They need to learn what is different here. Which is what? How to run their own grid. Which grids allow you to attach your grid to theirs. How to get free land from other people. The number of people to expect at "big" events in OS. Some technical stuff -- I don't know -- scripting languages or something like that.
Then there are people who are total noobs. There are several grids that have sandboxes with instructional billboards set-up, like OSG. Anyone from almost any grid can visit regions like that. Some people have classes on different topics. But at times, people need one-on-one help.
So, a few requests, and a question.
1. Please name the grids that have the sandboxes with instructional material.
2. Please list classes that can help people learn stuff, especially the basics for noobs.
3. Are there instructional videos that teach basic skills?
4. Please say if you enjoy and are available to teach certain basic skills, one-on-one, to people new to the SL/OS family of virtual worlds.
The question is, is this group the best place to share this information for future use? Is there already an OSW group set-up for this? I think the best resource is a curated playlist of the best instructional YouTube videos. Anyone interested in doing that?
My thoughts. People choose grids based on a number of criteria, such as cost of land ownership, the reputation of the grid owner, the dependability of the servers, and opportunities for shopping and socializing. However, people can travel to other grids for shopping and events, so the last two are perhaps less important.
Also, most of the people I've met have experience in SL. They need to learn what is different here. Which is what? How to run their own grid. Which grids allow you to attach your grid to theirs. How to get free land from other people. The number of people to expect at "big" events in OS. Some technical stuff -- I don't know -- scripting languages or something like that.
Then there are people who are total noobs. There are several grids that have sandboxes with instructional billboards set-up, like OSG. Anyone from almost any grid can visit regions like that. Some people have classes on different topics. But at times, people need one-on-one help.
So, a few requests, and a question.
1. Please name the grids that have the sandboxes with instructional material.
2. Please list classes that can help people learn stuff, especially the basics for noobs.
3. Are there instructional videos that teach basic skills?
4. Please say if you enjoy and are available to teach certain basic skills, one-on-one, to people new to the SL/OS family of virtual worlds.
The question is, is this group the best place to share this information for future use? Is there already an OSW group set-up for this? I think the best resource is a curated playlist of the best instructional YouTube videos. Anyone interested in doing that?
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I've been busy, and am busy still. So I'll make a quick mention of this. It seems a "newb academy" exists but with a broader aim and audience, and a classier name: The Learning Center.
https://opensimworld.com/hop/91864
hg.trianon-world.com:18002:Learning Cente
With what Essensual offers there, IndigoQueen King offers at her Welcome Center, and any still undiscovered resources like this, we are well on our way to come up with a solution to this "What Are You Looking For?" request.
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https://opensimworld.com/hop/91864
hg.trianon-world.com:18002:Learning Cente
With what Essensual offers there, IndigoQueen King offers at her Welcome Center, and any still undiscovered resources like this, we are well on our way to come up with a solution to this "What Are You Looking For?" request.
I have a new noobie tutorials, walk throughs and videos set up in my welcome center. I have created it to assist anyone who is new to not just my region in wolf territories but new to os grid. So if you are new new you can really get yourself sorted or if you are new from sl but have never been in os before, there is also help too. I am sure there are things that can be added, however this is just to get someone started who has never experienced any type of virtual reality sim game at all. I have a learning store, and a learning house where they get to learn how to rez, how to buy items, and how to set up the inside of their homes, etc. I have easy peasy YouTube video tutorials and like I said walk throughs. The tutorials come with textures at the end and I explain how to use them and access them.
I don't have my beacon for my region turned on yet on osw because I have been spending the last 8 months building..lol I will be turning my beacon on soon but here is the hop address in case you want to check it out. :) hop://grid.wolfterritories.org:8002/Indigo%20Blue%20Realm/...
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I don't have my beacon for my region turned on yet on osw because I have been spending the last 8 months building..lol I will be turning my beacon on soon but here is the hop address in case you want to check it out. :) hop://grid.wolfterritories.org:8002/Indigo%20Blue%20Realm/...
Thank you Nico for creating this discussion. Thank you Jupiter for your information and input. Let me explain further what I am looking for in a place for Newbies. It will be longwinded so grab a cup of tea. And a snack. Maybe a potty break. :)
Ideally, one would start in SL where it is set up to guide you when you first create your account and log in. I remember going through that tutorial all those years ago and learning how to walk like a duck and fly which was amazing. I learned about teleporting and getting around and how to find new places. I was lucky enough to somehow end up at the OLounge and meet the owner who was my first friend. He told me to dump the SL viewer and get Singularity. Then he taught me about the settings and how to use the viewer. He was a wonderful first mentor and we are still friends to this day. He let me set home there, and he also gifted me my first $100 Lindens. He told me everyone should have a bit of pocket change when I protested. The year was 2011.
The next day, I met another "mentor", just a guy in a sandbox I had landed in who helped me with my Avatar and took me to a freebie place to get everything I needed to make myself look better. It was great to stop walking like a duck and instead have this sexy walk that was almost embarrassing. I have tried to walk like that in RL. Kudos to my Avatar for being able to pull it off because I sure can't!
Anyway, I was taught the basic tutorial from what SL had set up, but the most useful was meeting these two gentlemen that were willing to take a total newb and teach her the ropes enough that my learning curve in how to exist in SL was so much easier. I am forever thankful for their help to a stranger they made a friend.
THAT is what I am looking for someone willing to mentor my friend on getting around, shopping, how to dress, etc. And just be her friend as well. Help her make friends. Besides me. She needs friends and people who will learn to care about her. Everyone should have a good friend circle.
I don't have time to teach her because of my projects in progress and other obligations, and honestly, I am not sure I have the patience atm. I have helped a few people over the years, so I know how difficult and time-consuming it can be to mentor someone, so if there are people out there willing to mentor Newbies, then we need to know about them because I am sure my friend is not the only person that will be interested in joining Open Sim, rather than SL and needs friendly folks willing to help them.
The perfect situation IMHO would be a grid accepting new accounts that are willing to give them a home so they have a home base and a place to live (some people can't afford to pay and folks that are willing to pay, it is after they have been around long enough to see the value of it).
Second, have members who are willing to mentor Newbies. A lot of times, people want to join virtual to connect with people, so they need to learn about all the social opportunities in OS. There is always a party going on somewhere to hang out and make friends. Teach them how to hypergrid and go shopping.
If we want to grow Open Sim, if we have newbie-friendly places and mentors out there, that will certainly help that as well. I know it is a lot bigger and a lot more populated than it was when I discovered it in 2015 and it had been around a long time by then and I never knew. Well, I am usually the last to learn about anything. :/
Thought?
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Ideally, one would start in SL where it is set up to guide you when you first create your account and log in. I remember going through that tutorial all those years ago and learning how to walk like a duck and fly which was amazing. I learned about teleporting and getting around and how to find new places. I was lucky enough to somehow end up at the OLounge and meet the owner who was my first friend. He told me to dump the SL viewer and get Singularity. Then he taught me about the settings and how to use the viewer. He was a wonderful first mentor and we are still friends to this day. He let me set home there, and he also gifted me my first $100 Lindens. He told me everyone should have a bit of pocket change when I protested. The year was 2011.
The next day, I met another "mentor", just a guy in a sandbox I had landed in who helped me with my Avatar and took me to a freebie place to get everything I needed to make myself look better. It was great to stop walking like a duck and instead have this sexy walk that was almost embarrassing. I have tried to walk like that in RL. Kudos to my Avatar for being able to pull it off because I sure can't!
Anyway, I was taught the basic tutorial from what SL had set up, but the most useful was meeting these two gentlemen that were willing to take a total newb and teach her the ropes enough that my learning curve in how to exist in SL was so much easier. I am forever thankful for their help to a stranger they made a friend.
THAT is what I am looking for someone willing to mentor my friend on getting around, shopping, how to dress, etc. And just be her friend as well. Help her make friends. Besides me. She needs friends and people who will learn to care about her. Everyone should have a good friend circle.
I don't have time to teach her because of my projects in progress and other obligations, and honestly, I am not sure I have the patience atm. I have helped a few people over the years, so I know how difficult and time-consuming it can be to mentor someone, so if there are people out there willing to mentor Newbies, then we need to know about them because I am sure my friend is not the only person that will be interested in joining Open Sim, rather than SL and needs friendly folks willing to help them.
The perfect situation IMHO would be a grid accepting new accounts that are willing to give them a home so they have a home base and a place to live (some people can't afford to pay and folks that are willing to pay, it is after they have been around long enough to see the value of it).
Second, have members who are willing to mentor Newbies. A lot of times, people want to join virtual to connect with people, so they need to learn about all the social opportunities in OS. There is always a party going on somewhere to hang out and make friends. Teach them how to hypergrid and go shopping.
If we want to grow Open Sim, if we have newbie-friendly places and mentors out there, that will certainly help that as well. I know it is a lot bigger and a lot more populated than it was when I discovered it in 2015 and it had been around a long time by then and I never knew. Well, I am usually the last to learn about anything. :/
Thought?
I'm a terrible friend. Some days I can hardly get along with myself! I think I'm a good mentor for the right person. There are some people who are difficult to teach. But I'd be willing to give it a try. How do we set this up?
Having one person teach a noob everything is a challenge. It would be great if we could come up with a curriculum and people who could teach one subject. Then we could pass the person onto the person teaching the next topic.
Create a Noob Academy, perhaps? If we could get every grid to refer new residents to it, that would be a help. We could have "TP on touch" board set-up to auto-HG people to it....
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Having one person teach a noob everything is a challenge. It would be great if we could come up with a curriculum and people who could teach one subject. Then we could pass the person onto the person teaching the next topic.
Create a Noob Academy, perhaps? If we could get every grid to refer new residents to it, that would be a help. We could have "TP on touch" board set-up to auto-HG people to it....
Are you reading my mind, Nico? I was thinking along these lines myself, a Newb School. Multiple people involved is a good idea too, and volunteers willing to mentor one-on-one. Some may be good at working with the Avatar's appearance and shopping, another is better at basic viewer skills., and so on. No matter what grid you join, all the grids have a LM or TP to the Newb School for their new people. Self-guided tutorials would be set up for basic skills, but for in-depth help, they could sign up for a mentor or something. I don't know. just throwing around ideas. You are not a terrible friend.
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Perhaps someone can host a Newb School region, attached to OSG. I suggest them because they are the largest grid, and where people joining on their own are likely to end up. Also, Noob or Newb can be seen as an insult, yes? Let's think of a different name.
In addition, It would be great if all grids a quality mesh AV as a default starter. If they are concerned about legal issues, it could be Ruth or Roth? Do grid owners have a communication network where this could be discussed?
Also, when and how can we get started with my mentoring your friend?
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In addition, It would be great if all grids a quality mesh AV as a default starter. If they are concerned about legal issues, it could be Ruth or Roth? Do grid owners have a communication network where this could be discussed?
Also, when and how can we get started with my mentoring your friend?
She is at the information-gathering stage. She isn't sure she even wants to join OS. If she chooses that it is something she wants to do, I want to find out what resources are available to help new people. Several people have offered to help her, so if she does join, I am sending her to all of you! :) When I was in college studying fine arts, I always wanted a new instructor each semester. I think I hurt my Watercolor 1 Professor's feelings by taking Watercolor 2 from an adjunct Professor. Some people want tutelage under the same Master, but some of us see the value of learning from different perspectives and styles of teaching. I appreciate all the input and interest in this and the offers of help for my friend either posted here or discussed in PM. You are all special people for being so kind as to want to help someone you don't even know. I like the idea of having a Newbie School, no matter what we name it. Figuring out the logistics and format will take some folks willing to get together and plan and implement it. If this happens, I don't have time atm, which started this whole convo, but in the future, I will be happy to Mentor as well. Nico, if she signs up I will let you know. Thanks for your willingness to help. You ROCK!
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I've actually thought about which grids would be the best for complete newbies as opposed to SL converts. SL converts are easy to handle. All they need in the beginning is a grid with a not-too-convoluted freebie sim chock-full of SL stuff where they can get things for their avatars before they even learn how to Hypergrid.
But on-boarding complete newbies is difficult, especially in comparison with SL. From the top of my head, I only know two grids with landing sims that have instruction panels for newbies while most other grids are geared towards either experienced SL users or people from other OpenSim grids, if they even let new avatars in, that is.
OSgrid has a nifty sim that was made for newbies to walk through and learn the ropes. It's still online, but it's no longer the place where new avatars rez for the first time, and it isn't even listed on OSW. Instead, new avatars land in the middle of Lbsa Plaza.
Lbsa Plaza does have these panels, too. But new avatars don't land right in front of them. In fact, they can't even see them clearly enough from where they're standing. And if you even need instructions on how to make your avatar walk, then having to walk to get to these instructions is dumb.
Also, yes, Lbsa Plaza always has a bunch of avatars around the landing point. But I dare say that the avatars at SL landing sims who aren't tagged as mentors are more informative and helpful than who you usually come across at Lbsa Plaza.
The other grid with a useful place for newbies is 3rd Rock Grid. It has a large building with a newbie course to the right and an avatar freebies section with quite a bit of exclusive stuff to the left, so you can theoretically gear up your avatar right after learning the ropes.
However, it does not give an impression of being the place where new avatars land. And if they have to teleport there manually, it's useless as a newbie starting ground. Besides, I don't know how active 3rd Rock Grid's staff is, just in case someone has a question.
By the way, another topic worth thinking and talking about is what to offer complete newbies for their avatars. Classic layer clothes on the system body are easier to handle, but so outdated that you can be lucky if people only pity you. Mesh from SL looks better, but it has a steep learning curve unless it comes in the shape of complete avatars, pre-alpha'd mesh body and all.
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But on-boarding complete newbies is difficult, especially in comparison with SL. From the top of my head, I only know two grids with landing sims that have instruction panels for newbies while most other grids are geared towards either experienced SL users or people from other OpenSim grids, if they even let new avatars in, that is.
OSgrid has a nifty sim that was made for newbies to walk through and learn the ropes. It's still online, but it's no longer the place where new avatars rez for the first time, and it isn't even listed on OSW. Instead, new avatars land in the middle of Lbsa Plaza.
Lbsa Plaza does have these panels, too. But new avatars don't land right in front of them. In fact, they can't even see them clearly enough from where they're standing. And if you even need instructions on how to make your avatar walk, then having to walk to get to these instructions is dumb.
Also, yes, Lbsa Plaza always has a bunch of avatars around the landing point. But I dare say that the avatars at SL landing sims who aren't tagged as mentors are more informative and helpful than who you usually come across at Lbsa Plaza.
The other grid with a useful place for newbies is 3rd Rock Grid. It has a large building with a newbie course to the right and an avatar freebies section with quite a bit of exclusive stuff to the left, so you can theoretically gear up your avatar right after learning the ropes.
However, it does not give an impression of being the place where new avatars land. And if they have to teleport there manually, it's useless as a newbie starting ground. Besides, I don't know how active 3rd Rock Grid's staff is, just in case someone has a question.
By the way, another topic worth thinking and talking about is what to offer complete newbies for their avatars. Classic layer clothes on the system body are easier to handle, but so outdated that you can be lucky if people only pity you. Mesh from SL looks better, but it has a steep learning curve unless it comes in the shape of complete avatars, pre-alpha'd mesh body and all.
I'm leaning toward the idea of a Noob Academy. First, we have them set the place as home. Then we go to the Academy Body and Clothing Shop. Keep it simple -- If female, provide them with a starter body (a shape, a BoM Athena body, a Letluka head, eyes, skin and an AO hud). The shop would have a small assortment of outfits from oh HELLO. We teach them how to get dressed and how to use the alpha HUD. Do the same for males. That would be enough for day one.
We would encourage them to use the Academy HG board that will take them to some of the best scenic places in OS, just so they can wander around. By prior arrangement with the instructor, they return to the Academy when they want their "day 2" lessons...
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We would encourage them to use the Academy HG board that will take them to some of the best scenic places in OS, just so they can wander around. By prior arrangement with the instructor, they return to the Academy when they want their "day 2" lessons...