Give New SL Users Their Own Private Second Life Instance or Noob Continent (Comment of the Week)

Interesting comment thread on Second Life's nooby-booting problem. (I.E.,  that many of the best Second Life hangouts and locations have orbiters banning new users with accounts under 30 days old.) My suggestion is to add a VRChat-style trust system, which is just one (imperfect) way to help address this challenge; I also like this one from longtime reader Martin K:

What about putting new users in their own private instance of a world instead of banning them? In this way, new users could at least visit and explore a world on their own. Visiting private instances of a world has the added benefit of protecting new users from the toxicity of other users in many worlds.

Their own private Second Life! I imagine you'd want select veteran SLers to also be able to access the private instance, as greeters, tutors, and event staff. But something like this has promise. 

I've been thinking about a variation of this:

An instanced mini-continent optimized for noobs, one with high quality mini-games that introduce new users to the core interactions of Second Life: Building with prims (remember those?), communicating with other SLers, exploring, and (of course) shopping and spending Linden Dollars, and so on. This continent would also include copies of classic SL sims, woven together into a cohesive experience.  

Under this model, new users who sign up for an SL account would get an option, at start--up, of selecting to start on this Noob Continent, rather than immediately going into SL proper --- with the added incentive that they'll get rewards for completing quests over a select period of time. (While meeting SL community member volunteers and Linden team members there.) After succeeding at these quests, they'd then have the option of teleporting to the full SL experience -- or if they prefer, staying on the Noob Continent.

I'd especially love to see all this optimized for the mobile app, with the idea that this might even evolve into a complete re-invention of SL, while still allowing both noobs and veterans to travel back and forth between SL classic.

Pictured: Chouchou

Comments

[Luther Weymann]

AI bots are assigned to each new user. Read the IP address; if the new user is using it for the first time, they cannot disconnect the AI bot until it finishes. If the IP is a repeat user, allow disconnect. The AI bot takes the new user through most processes, including how to rez, change clothes in a sandbox, tour important SL sites, and click a dance ball and dance. How to Add or Wear, how voice and text work, just a great list of things to know. It takes 30 minutes, maybe longer if its fun, entertaining, and you're getting a great intro to SL. Reading signs on a walkway has never worked. I've tried for 16 years to help Day 1 people. Almost none of them know how to rez, that free clothes are on the SL Market, what a rez zone or sandbox is, how to change clothes, or what a dance ball is where you can join a group dancing. You guys at SL have to overcome this. Lead them by the hand and see if concurrency increases.

[sirhc desantis]

'Their own private Second Life!' so 'The' World rather than 'An' World.. Hmm sounds a bit impossible but do go on. Ah wait..
'Theres no one here' which even old farts complain about. So the solution is
'I imagine you'd want select veteran SLers to also be able to access the private instance' OK where have I seen this before. Ah yes.
'.. as greeters, tutors, and event staff.' You forgot 'mentors' which thankfully I was warned about on my first day. And the rest :) Calling all FIC....

Seriously, your 'trust scale thing' last week had the merit of not being the worst idea ever. Imagine what happens when poor happy 'yay this is fluffy' new user steps out in to our 'real' SL and meets - the predators. Better off dropping them right in. I mean - we survived. More or less.

OK as always your variation has some good bits. Apart from 'While meeting SL community member volunteers'. Still have yet to find this 'Community' everyone goes on about.

[HalfTheOfficeMustGo]

Second Life is so antisocial at this point, and their market so niche catering to a specific and aging group of virtual world users, who can't even handle people saying "Hello" to them inworld, and the amount of privacy demanded by residents who have houses in publicly accessible land - with ban lines and ban orbs interrupting the promise of exploration, that they SHOULD have private worlds.
I don't see how all the complaints of (allegedly) being harassed, griefed, trolled and "bothered" in any number of imaginary ways and calling for more moderation, ban tools and staff action against others is conducive to a public SL any longer.
Either keep all public areas with non ban lines no ban orbs, and no expectation to privacy (open to visitors and social experiences), or point those users to private and instanced worlds, so they can practice their deviant behaviours without worry.
No need to cordon off new users, when it's the old users that are the problem