Kami Harbinger

It's hard for newbies to get into SL. They're given the standard substandard run through Orientation Island, then dumped in the toxic wastelands of Ahern. Much like Kansas farmgirls getting off the bus in New York, they tend to fall into lives of debauchery and stripping. If only there was some way to tell them you're more experienced, and willing to help out!

(click to zoom)

So I've made a little freebie gadget: the Volunteer Mentor Armband. This has no relation to Linden Lab's own "mentor" program, which is about perpetuating the Orientation Island situation[0]. Instead, it's a way for established Residents to bring newbies up to speed and into the culture of SL, on their own.

Come by my shop and pick one up--it's completely free and open source--and wear it when you're feeling helpful. When you put it on, it'll give you instructions, and it contains an instruction notecard.

Use '/411 mentor' to show the hover text, or '/411 nomentor' to hide it. By setting one or more topics with '/411 topic +SOMETHING', you can focus on what you're good at instead of trying to be everything to everyone, like the "official" Live Help and Orientation Island people do.

Orientation Island[0]: Orientation Island's not a bad idea, but it's a very passive education, so only self-motivated learners will ever learn anything there; the people who need it most will never do so. And it's so understaffed and overloaded that there's no chance of getting the help you need. I recently created an alt, and never once saw a mentor.