Recalcitrant to Change.

re·cal·ci·trant/riˈkalsətrənt/
Adjective: Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority.

I just read the following on NWN, about Rod and Hamlet hanging out together in Real Life (as real mates?), where..."we talked about many things, such as the future of virtual worlds (which he wants to discuss in another interview) and the recalcitrance of SL's existing userbase to change."

Now, if this isn't the Phrase to Launch a Thousand Blogs, then I don't know what is....

I had not thought of myself as recalcitrant, in fact I wouldn't think that anyone who is competent enough to establish a life in virtual worlds, to create, shop, deal with the Boys, have price changes, changing ToS and other obstacles thrown at them on a near weekly basis, could really be called recalcitrant to change.

It would be interesting to get a list of changes that he, either Hamlet (who obviously agrees) or Rodvik, think we have resisted in an irrational or obstinate manner....

a).... does he mean Viewer 2, the worst designed viewer to hit SL in the last 6 years?

b) the increase in tier for Non Profits?

c) taking away voting rights on JIRAs?

d) the confusion arising from people now having two names online instead of one..?

e) the astounding RedZone?

or does he mean that we objected to the Boys breaking Search and Marketplace?

I suggested in Hamlets comments that this is a psychological flaw, namely the pot calling the kettle black, or, to be accurate, projection. Projection is the habit of blaming your short comings on the Other. Let's look, for example, at the Lab....

Megas.... the attitude of the Lab towards megas hasn't changed... ever. Every other grid that now opens has megas. Resisting change even if it costs them.... and the same applies to all the tools I have previously discussed on these pages.

Avatars per sim, sim crossings, the alpha bug, well, as we know the list goes on and on of things they refuse to change in spite of the vocal citizens wanting this sort of improvement.

They have seen what other grids are offering but have not thought to change to stay competitive...

Who is recalcitrant?

Well all those that get their butts in gear and buzz off to other grids certainly aren't resisting change .... and, Rod, you might find that we are more capable of change than you ever feared if that really is your opinion and not one of Hamlets out-of-touch comments.

Wake up!

:))

The Kindness of Strangers

I had a rather uncomfortable experience yesterday, I let someone down.

The issue is the new user experience and the title taken from a comment by Yordie Sands on Botgirl's post, a second posting on the issue mentioned above.

It started a couple of days ago with Nightflower (aka Nightfire...:))) posting a blog on NWN about making new users belong by joining them to a group or clan like other games do.

Botgirl made a video showing her 'new user' experience....here..

My experience happened last night at my IBM build where I was sitting playing Hostess With The Mostest as the visitors popped in, spurred mainly by Wizzy cracking the Destination Guide forms and getting me listed.
So, someone said, "where is the quest?"
Me: ermmm...quest?
Other: yes
Me: which quest is that then?
Other: The Quest.
By now the mythical nature of this convo got me to check out their profile, leaving my other IM's flashing. It was a fresh, very fresh noob.
Me: Ah, you have just arrived?
Noob: Yes, how do I get back to where I started?
Me: What was it called?
Noob: It was a big building with lots of windows.
Pause ... as I am actually stumped for what to say, brain in overdrive (it is probably over a year since I 'mentored' a totally fresh noob.
Noob: Never mind I have to go, thanks for talking to me.. [noob poofs]

Now, it is due to the Kindness of Strangers that I and many others are here.... and here I let someone down, quite simply because I was totally unprepared and didn't think on my feet fast enough.

Yesterday is a good example of how good people are generally, both Gianna Borgnine and Indigo Mertel taking the time to teach the slow girl at the back of the room (and benefitting the other 150 people in class) for no other reason than the desire to help people understand. So it has always been, and always will be, I think.

Anyway, now that the Mentors have gone, and you and I can be called upon at any time to fill that role, I was wondering what is the first thing I would say to a Noob. Bearing in mind they may not have mastered Chat even, should I give a Notecard?

I decided that the first thing I should have done was to offer friendship and then teach them to take a landmark (Could I do that, not having used Viewer 2.0?), so that even if they got lost they could speak to someone and find their way back to somewhere they had been.

But I figured that, maybe we could get a few ideas together....

What do you/would you do?

..and how can we get the Mentors back?

Can anyone get a Linden's ear?

Are all lines of communication with the Lindens now cut in their new One-Way transparency drive?

eeeek!

:))