Congratulations to Rails and Till

I was privileged enough to attend the wedding of my good friend Rails and his Bride Till this morning. I was both the Best Man (thank you sir) and I gave away the Bride (flattered).
The two happy, shiny, loyal people are Mentors and friends.

In my years on Second Life, I have been to many weddings. It is good to attend the partnership of two people you really care about. I was glad to share their day with them and be a part of their celebration.

The Bride was nervous and the Groom resolved to wed her, chain saw and all. Afterward I realized that I not only was pleased to see my friend get married but I now have a friend in his Second Life partner.

It was a great day for Mentors and friends alike.
To the Adorable Couple, Cheers!

The Tao of Volunteers is Your Responsibility

Recently I have listened as fellow Mentors tell me about incidents of Non-Tao behavior from other Mentors. I have heard these stories, I have seen the text in Mentor Channel, Q&A and finally I have been IMed by another Mentor who acted uncharacteristically bad.

I always err on the side of what is prudent when conversing with other Mentors. Lead by example and do not try to discipline another Mentor. I often will comment however and tell someone who is in my IM that "Mentors do not talk to each other negatively or confrontational". It is unacceptable to me that a Mentor would act this way when from the time of Orientation they are told about The Tao of Volunteers http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Tao_of_Volunteers and repeatedly told of the consequences of not following them.

It is my belief that we can rise above those who cannot work together as a team and just chose to not deal with them rather than to allow their negativity to influence us. Conversely I believe that everyone deserves a chance to prove that they can be reasoned with. Once I have exhausted that possibility then I just chose to move on and not interact with them again.

So I feel it my responsibility as a Mentor and Mentor Educator to once again post the Consequences so they can be read. If you have questions or comments, please use the comment section here on this blog for an objective discussion in a non SL setting.

Consequences of Not Following Tao
The Mentor group has grown quite large and all members should be aware there are consequences to not following the Tao of Volunteers. Just as the Community Standards and TOS are the policies and rules of Second Life, the Tao is also the policy and rules of Second Life Volunteers.

Second Life Mentors who do not follow the Tao of Volunteers will be given one warning prior to removal from the Mentors group. Please be aware the decisions of the VTeam are final.

Examples of not following the Tao of Volunteers include but are not limited to:
Using the volunteer email list to air personal arguments/issues or negative opinions on individual Mentors or Lindens.

Aggressive unkind behavior towards new Mentors in channel. If you cannot express help in a productive, nice tone you should not express it in channel nor should you send a private IM to another Mentor to behave in an unacceptable manner.

Using the Mentor channel to seek a Linden to personally help you on issues that should be addressed via the website support area.

Using the Mentor title for intimidation/power purposes. Threats of "I know many Lindens so you better do this or that.." are not acceptable.

Please try and remember that you are in a large diverse group of people and not everyone is always going to see it "your" way. "Agree to Disagree" and walk away before anything gets "heated". My best advise to you is to err on the side of good judgement.

Happy Mentoring! (I mean it!!!)

The Buddy Panels and Shadowing Remote HUD

Last night I got an IM from one of my favorite mentors, Skye Galileo. She said, "Shadowing HUD, do you know anything?" I did not. So I have to assume some of you do not know about it either.
This Wiki entry helps explain Buddy Panels, Shadowing Remote HUD and the associated functions. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Zai_Lynch/Buddy_Panel#Shadowing_Remote_HUD
Thanks To Moira Seelow for showing it to Skye and myself and Zai Lynch who works so hard on the Buddy Hut and Buddy Panels. **Also read about the Shadowing Remote HUD

George posted a Wiki link http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Apprentice_Buddy_Shadowing_Models_For_ABs_By_ABs
for us to go and leave some feedback. Please have a look over it and post anything you think would be beneficial for other Buddies in the Shadowing process.

Goodbye My Friend

In Second Life we often lose friends in the real manner, they die. I recently learned of the death of a friend of mine from Ahern Welcome Area.

wo7 Zarf was someone who was a thinker, he was a artist and he was a good person.

In Second Life he loved to create and he liked to hang out at Ahern and talk with his friends.

His daughter in law made note to his profile so those looking for him could find out the news.
From his Second life profile:

WO was a wonderful, beautiful, talented man that I was so fortunate to have as my Father-in-law. He passed away Friday May 16th, 2008 at his home. He enjoyed SL very much for the past couple years. THANK YOU to everyone who he called friend!!!!

I knew w07 was chronically ill for a while. I can usually spot someone who is housebound. I asked him one day if he was homebound and he answered yes. He told me about his degenerating condition. Where his body was failing, his mind still was alive and thriving. Second Life was his adventure. He enjoyed every day in Second Life learning and creating.

I will miss you w07. You are one of my favorite Ahern people. That will never die.

Godspeed my friend. Rest in peace.

Second Life on TV Reminder

Molotov Alva and His Second Life Odyssey see schedule http://www.cinemax.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL=DETAIL&FOCUS_ID=653186

Second Life on TV again

FYI:
http://science.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=48.15383.30525.30716.5

The Science Channel, a Discovery Channel affiliate network, will be highlighting Second Life
Monday, May 12th 7PM SLT
Rise of the Videogame Level Five TV-PG (V)
Can a computer game make you cry? Games gain an emotional dimension, interpersonal connection, and Hollywood worthy story lines as they evolve and move onto the Web. What do these virtual world games tell us about the way we live in the 21st century?

Your Mentor Friends

One of the best reasons to be a part of the Mentor program is the people.

Often while I am out mentoring, I see the hustle and flow of Help Island.

It is at these times that I think of a bit of prose.

This is a keeper and is especially dedicated to fellow Mentor Golan Eilde and to all my mentor friends who work tirelessly to make our world a beautiful place. Thank you

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,

even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity

and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann c.1920

Your inner person conveys when you are speaking to others, even in text.

When you are in a good frame of mind to mentor, your mentoring will be right on target.

When you do not feel that your frame of mind is where you would like it to be take the tag off and sit on the sidelines. You can always get back in the game later!

Happy Mentoring...

Orientation Classes Start Again Today!

The Mentor Orientation Classes resumed today. Jezzie McCellan has the first group today at SLVEC. A nice group of enthusiastic Apprentices gathered in the classroom area to get their training.

If you teach classes this is a good time to get the new handouts and changes that George Linden has sent via notice in the Apprentice Group about the notecards used for Orientation but with a few additions/changes. Make sure to read the notecard entitled "Changes" which describes the changes made in detail. These are small changes. Any questions about the notecards can be directed to George.

Anyone interested in teaching Orientation please check the following links;

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mentors_Teaching_Mentors

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Classes_Offered_By_Mentors

This quarter the pace will not be as rapid as it was last quarter.

Shadowing is also going to be a large objective with the large amount of new Mentors we have.

If you are a Buddy Mentor and want to become an Apprentice Mentor please check out this link; http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/SL_Volunteer_Mentor_Buddies

https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Buddy_Shadowing

We can always use more Buddy Mentor speakers at class. If you think you might be interested in being a speaker please IM a scheduled Mentor Coach and ask if you can help them out.

https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mentor_Buddy_Guest_Speaker_Basics

Let's have a great quarter.

Molotov Alva and His Second Life Odyssey

Moltov Alva's (known in RL as Douglas Gayeton) made for HBO documentary entitled, "Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey" premieres May 15th on Cinemax schedule here http://www.cinemax.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL=DETAIL&FOCUS_ID=653186

http://www.cinemax.com/videos/

http://www.molotovalva.com/
The much awaited premiere is a ground breaking cross platform from machinima to television. It is an exciting project and hopefully more talented people will be able to bring their work to the big screen in the future.