LL To SL Mentors: Your Services Are No Longer Needed
by Alphaville Herald on 19/11/09 at 12:39 am
"All official Linden Lab sponsored communication channels related to the Second Life Mentor group will be discontinued"
by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desks
Citing scalability issues, Linden Lab announced the end of the volunteer Second Life Mentors program on Wednesday evening with a wiki post on wiki.secondlife.com. Some observers were confused by the references to scaling issues and the implication that SL has a growing population. Have we been missing evidence of growth in concurrent users? Even Hamlet Au has been silent on peak concurrent users of late, after breathlessly touting growth in the Sunday afternoon population last year.
Meanwhile, mentors surprised at the end of their special relationship with Linden Lab should recall that scalability is an abstract, mystical concept with quasi-religious overtones invoked whenever the Lab feels the need to change course. Mentors who have invested their free time in assisting noobies should also remember that sustainability is important. As the wiki states, "Volunteers have been very successful and helpful. We appreciate all they do. They have been so successful that the official program was not enough to showcase all the contributions and allow growth in a sustainable manner."
So perhaps excessive Mentor success was to blame? I contacted SL Mentor Orange Planer for comment.
Pixeleen Mistral: how does the closing of the Mentors make you feel?
Orange Planer: Like many positions where one has been productive and useful, I'm sad to see the group go, but there's been plenty of time to prepare so this isn't the end of the world. I look forward to working with the resident help networks in the near future, as well as the many other projects currently ongoing.
Pixeleen Mistral: so you knew the mentors would be ending for some time?
Orange Planer: Overall, I think this is the best thing Linden Lab could have done for Second Life Mentors; I think we need to branch out and spread our wings a bit.
Orange Planer: Personally I was confident Linden Lab would close the group. The direction toward the community gateways indicates less of a concentration on simple help assistance and more toward a scalable solution. As the page I gave you says, the group concept does not scale, but solutions such as Second Life Answers do scale, where one answer can be used many times over.
Pixeleen Mistral: ok – so what sort of support does scale?
Orange Planer: That's a good question. No one has answered it yet, but I'm working on one possible solution.
Pixeleen Mistral: can you share that possible solution?
Orange Planer: Unfortunately, I can't.
Pixeleen Mistral: support is the hard part of these sorts of worlds
Pixeleen Mistral: maybe someone will figure it out
Orange Planer: I certainly hope so. There's a powerful need for excellent support at the community gateways in general. Very few of them have any sort of training in place, and that leaves many people to depend on their own abilities.
Orange Planer: The difficulty with that solution is that most individuals do not have the knowledge, ability, and self-confidence required to be consistently good at it. The result is that they fall prey to their insecurities, which leads to bullying, an excessive use of force, and general unhelpfulness.
Kae
Nov 19th, 2009
Oh my goodness, a bunch of idiots with an authority complex who wouldn’t know how to turn particles off if they had a post-it note stuck to their safety helmets are being disbanded? Say it ain’t so.
Now the bumbling morons will have to spread out to other organizations that make them feel knowledgeable while doing nothing but making it painfully obvious to people who can rub a couple braincells together that they’re trying in vain to establish some sort of power control over other people– meaning they will go to SL police groups where they can threaten to mob-AR people who say “fuck” in welcome areas.
If I was LL I wouldn’t want my name associated with the shitheads either. The best part is, their private group chat is constantly filled with “mentors” who can’t figure out the simplest of SL features crying for help.
Senban Babii
Nov 19th, 2009
While I’m generally sorry to see anything that was helpful phased out, I do know from listening to what other people around me have been saying that the Second Life Mentors, while appreciated in concept, were increasingly being seen as an unofficial police force, going round and slapping abuse reports on everyone using a form of borrowed authority. I’m sure that it wasn’t all the SL mentors by a long shot of course and many of them did their jobs admirably. But there were enough of them who let their borrowed authority inflate their egos to the point of it being a problem.
As I say, it’s a shame that the group has been phased out but hopefully whatever replaces it will be an improvement.
Syrauxe
Nov 19th, 2009
Might I suggest that these out of work Mentors try joining the SLPD? You get a big shiny badge and get to go around harassing people and fighting griefers*.
*Well, annoying random Lindens about griefers
Prof. Archie Lukas
Nov 19th, 2009
I’m surprised!
I thought these guys were disbanded in a similar move a couple of years ago.
It all comes down to Money, LL just can’t be arsed to spend a few dollars helping a freebie help organisation help their members.
Wait that sounds like a good idea….
(LL Memo: Well cease it then, forthwith)
Scree Raymaker
Nov 19th, 2009
They didn’t properly vet people that were made mentors. Of those I’ve seen wearing the tag, most were arrogant and rude and were giving out false information, either deliberately or through their own ignorance.
If Linden Lab ensured the mentors were of a high standard I’d be sorry to see this group go, but as it stands I’m glad to see the back of them.
Pappy Enoch
Nov 19th, 2009
I were a Linden Lab mentor.
They kicked me out cause I never was no good at goin’ to meetings, nohow, or I would show up drunk and cam up the gal’s short skirts until I got in trouble.
Never got laid by them gals, nor hired by LL as CEO nowhow..to hell with it. I can sit at Morris and Ahern WA and hand out bad advice to Noobs for free anytime, anyhow.
Jos Ling
Nov 19th, 2009
The mentors that I have met (and I have met a lot) were mostly kind, caring people that just wanted to help others. It is a shame that the few exceptions have caused people like Kae and Senban to categorize the entire group in the manner they have here. The action by LL to disband the Mentors will leave newbies coming into SL through the Help Islands to be assisted by whatever Big Spaceship comes up with. For those that enjoy automated help menus on call-in help lines, this may be an improvement. For some of those that need to be able to explain a problem to a human or need an insightful person to anticipate questions they didn’t even know to ask, the lack of a mentor will cause them to just quit SL. Some very dedicated mentors worked on the help islands and I like to think we were a positive force, enabling newbies to make that initial difficult transition and go on to productive second lives. I will miss the time I spent helping newbies there.
Troy McLuhan
Nov 19th, 2009
I think the problem with scaling was that the mentor group (numbering in the thousands) was too big to manage effectively. By chopping it up into smaller groups, each group with its own local governance, it becomes more manageable.
Gwyn explained this in better detail in her blog.
At0m0 Beerbaum
Nov 19th, 2009
HAHAHAHAHA.
Probably the smartest thing the company has done in a long time.
No more of these self-important assholes who think they are the lindens, and believe themselves to be more important than anyone else. I detect massive shitstorms of butthurt on the way.
Senban Babii
Nov 19th, 2009
@Jos Ling
Hey, umm, did you like actually read what I wrote? Here it is again as a reminder!
“While I’m generally sorry to see anything that was helpful phased out, I do know from listening to what other people around me have been saying that the Second Life Mentors, while appreciated in concept, were increasingly being seen as an unofficial police force, going round and slapping abuse reports on everyone using a form of borrowed authority. I’m sure that it wasn’t all the SL mentors by a long shot of course and many of them did their jobs admirably. But there were enough of them who let their borrowed authority inflate their egos to the point of it being a problem.
As I say, it’s a shame that the group has been phased out but hopefully whatever replaces it will be an improvement.”
See how I actually praise many of these volunteers for doing a good job? See how I point out that it was just a minority – albeit a growing one – that meant that people generally stopped seeing them as useful additions to SL society and more like a case of butt grapes?
Also Jos, please note that I stated quite clearly that I was not necessarily voicing my own opinion but simply passing on the overwhelming feeling that I got from the general public. And oh look, lots of people agreed with me!
“I will miss the time I spent helping newbies there.”
So keep doing it! Who says you need a tag over your head to help people?
Jos Ling
Nov 19th, 2009
@ Senban
I did indeed read your comment. It says “I do know…. that the Second Life Mentors…..were increasingly being seen as an unofficial police force, going round and slapping abuse reports on everyone using a form of borrowed authority”. That to me is categorizing the group in a negative light. I didn’t even say your statement was wrong. It is just regrettable that the actions of a very small minority of Mentors cause anyone to look at the group in this light. Unfortunately, bad acts tend to generate more discussion than good acts.
And did YOU actually read that last sentence? I think you missed the word “there”. I had just talked about helping newbies on Help Island. Then I stated “I will miss the time I spent helping newbies there”. Once the SL Mentor group is disbanded, we cannot go to the Help Islands, where so many newbies from all over the world start their second life. And I will indeed miss the time I spent helping there. Of course I will continue to help people, but it will never again be on the Help Islands. It was a comment of nostalgia.
Bubblesort Triskaidekaphobia
Nov 19th, 2009
“Orange Planer: The difficulty with that solution is that most individuals do not have the knowledge, ability, and self-confidence required to be consistently good at it. The result is that they fall prey to their insecurities, which leads to bullying, an excessive use of force, and general unhelpfulness.”
Yeah, that just about sums up my experience with them.
I thought the group closed long ago. I’ve showed up to Lexie Linden’s office hours a couple of times over the past year just to say hi and see what the mentors are up to and she never showed up.
Every now and then I do go to help island and try to help out noobs. It’s just a thing that good people do, I think, like helping out at a local soup kitchen or EMT service every now and then. I grew up with a lot of EMT and firefighter friends, so I was always taught that community service should be something that everybody does from time to time, IRL as well as in SL. It’s not some extraordinary thing that only saints and heroes do. In SL they overly formalized it and made a big production of it so they wound up with a lot of people with inferiority complexes who go mad with the “power” of a group tag. At least, that is what I’ve seen 90% of the time. There are good mentors out there, but most are not so great.
The scalability explanation doesn’t make any sense. The problem was human, all too human.
Overall, I have to say between this and Pink’s survey I’m happy with the direction LL is taking lately. I think they are actually listening to us more than they used to. I hope this continues.
LittleLostLinden
Nov 19th, 2009
Well, if the mentors were ego trippin, I say, good riddence.
If they weren’t ego trippin, then I say. Oh well.
There are more important issues, such as the fact that there are still a million bots and campers everywhere and gaming the numbers still happens almost as much as it did before.
At0m0 Beerbaum
Nov 20th, 2009
Also, who wants to start a betting pool that these fucks will start their own “mentor” groups and basically go around and harass people over trivial rules and get them banned much like most security groups do already?
Any takers?
Joveen
Nov 20th, 2009
You all that say rude things about Mentors are all losers. If you do not know what you are talking about you just need to SHUT THE HELL UP. The mentors that I knew were all ways kind and helpful. If they were not on the HI to help out and at least show some Kindness I would of never returned to SL. I would of thought all the people in SL were asshole. But if I met a few of you ( the ones with the high and mighty attitudes) I and many other ppl would never come back to SL
lol joveen
Nov 20th, 2009
damn – i wish i had met you then, so you would have never returned to sl…at least we all get to watch you baw all in caps over something as retarded as this lol.
Miss Jay
Nov 20th, 2009
As a Mentor myself it is sad to see the group disband but I understand that 1500+ mentors inworld is a bit unmanageable. As being a mentor for more than a year, I have never seen a mentor abuse the system but, as always I am sure there were a few that did try to abuse the system in place.
A few bad members should not spoil your mind about the members of the group as a whole. But, as I see all of the hateful comments it seems to be that most of you follow the flock in flaming.
Mentors rule and I am glad to have been apart of it for as long as I have been. I will miss having my group chat tab open to hear about who needs a volunteer to help out on a certain Help Island.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Nov 20th, 2009
Most intelligent thing I’ve ever seen LL do. Ever.
an old mentor
Nov 21st, 2009
As a Second Life Mentor, i am rather sad about the end of SLM. i helped beta test new content that then helped replace us. i myself feel awful about this. i also stopped mentoring 2 months ago after residents started to get more abusive. maybe now that we are gone they might have to find there own way of learning. i shall stick up for the rest of us. 99.9% of us are NOT power hungry and NOT there for the badge. some mentors have differnt ablitys may it be scripting, shopping, building or even just the basics. we are all human and we was never paid to mentor so i dont see why people should complain about the lack of service. the SLM project had mentors on WAs/HAs and many other places. we helped in major events and now…well..its just so sad…
ill miss all you fellow mentors.
HelpPeople
Nov 21st, 2009
I hear Help People Island are encouraging ex-mentors to go there and join…..some amazing talented people should not be discarded.
HPI does what mentors did so go along and ask……what harm can it do!
@HelpPeople
Nov 23rd, 2009
the spam you provide is most interesting. i worked solid with your company for 2 years then you boot me off the management team. so for this i shall recommend Virtual Ability.
Jumpman Lane
Nov 23rd, 2009
they wouldnt let me be a mentor! i’ve been campaigning for theirdemise ever since!
the ex mentor
Nov 25th, 2009
” shall stick up for the rest of us. 99.9% of us are NOT power hungry and NOT there for the badge. some mentors have differnt ablitys may it be scripting, shopping, building or even just the basics. we are all human and we was never paid to mentor so i dont see why people should complain about the lack of service.” couldn’t of put it better myself!. people thought most mentors where the scum of the earth when in fact all we want to do is help people have an enjoyable SL. i for one got tons of abuse from mentors and residents when trying to help. it was really disappointing for me after of hard work i quit helping in 2008. too many people where giving me abuse. some mentors where power hungry and will keep being power hungry as there tag-along mentors join there new groups. i warned Lexie Linden it would happen but i don’t think LL really cares about anyone accept the cash flow. ill miss all you mentors who did help. who was nice to me and who loved to help new residents. never give up on the dream that i did.
alot
df
Nov 26th, 2009
You dont really need a group tag to help newbies, i never was a mentor but if i could help people getting started in sl ive always been happy to and still am. I dont really know anyone who was in the mentor group but i can imagine there were really friendly and helpful ppl in the group as well as powerhungry asshats. But, ya know, isnt that the case with any group? Seems a bit of a waste of time and energy to point out there were bad apples.