Family Affair

Yesterday, after a little urging, I got my RL sister signed up to SL. I've spent the last two days seeing SL through the noobie perspective I thought I'd cast off long ago. I didn't realize how much I've learned, how much seems natural to me, until I started trying to explain things to her.

This brings me to something I've noticed for some time in SL...the overt and arrogant noobism that experienced residents display towards new residents. There are groups that are anti-noob, and many a profile has some quip criticizing the noobie ways. I've seen veteran residents belittle noobs in Local Chat simply because they didn't understand some 'basic' concept of SL.

Unless you relish the small-town, gossip-rich environment, you should welcome new blood and be as helpful as possible to new residents. Without new residents (who actually keep coming back and become contributing members of SL) the platform cannot thrive, and it will sink further into the high-school drama dynamic already much too present (except, of course, the sex in high school is real).

There are two kinds of noob: authentic, ruthed out, walking into walls, and generally bewildered, lonely, and often abused by veteran citizens. The second kind is only a few days old, already has payment info on file, is perfectly dressed, sporting costly skin and polished hair. Yes, the Alt...not a noob at all. Be as nice as you can to the former...very wary of the latter...and that's a discussion for another day. ;))

peace