Newcomer’s first question in SL: Why do I want to be here? That’s the same question as with any other software.  Do I really want to climb this learning hill?  (We geeks call it a learning curve to make it sound easy.)  The answer comes by exploring what you can do.  If you like what you find, you will probably want to climb that learning hill. 

The Hobo Helpers group is developing the HH Travel Service to make it easy for newcomers explore the parts of Second Life that appeal to them.     We want to help the newcomers will find what they seek.  

Who would be interested in HH Travel Service?

1.  Community Gateways, the Lindens and others who want to help newcomers find their Second Life destinies

2.  Destinations -- places that want to attract people, especially newcomers.  That would include

• Music venues
• Malls
• Role-playing estates
• Educational estates
• Business estates
• Museums
• Art galleries
• Others (TBD)

3.  People interested in rail and other transportation models in SL.

As I promised in the previous episode, this episode gives detailed instructions on how to bring an advance team into Second Life through the Rockcliffe University Gateway.  Only a few of the details are specific to the Rockcliffe Gateway.  You can modify them to fit another entry point.  The posters and notecards are free to copy at Cookie Visitor Welcome Center.

Instructions for leading the advance team into Second Life

Advance Team:  A leader and a few Skype-capable people.

1. Log on to SL yourself and go to Rockcliffe University Gateway

2. Establish a conference call on Skype to include yourself and the others on the advance team.

3. Send the people to this web page:  Rockcliffe University Consortium, Gateway page 

With Rezzables cutting back in SL, I will suspend (temporarily) my theme about the future of SL other grids so I can talk about current events. 

Thinkerer quote:  A problem is just an opportunity being mismanaged. 

Here is how the Hobos will manage this opportunity:

I will buy Hobo Island back from Rezzables and arrange for future support myself.   The Hobo brand will not completely separate from Rezzables.  For example, I will continue these articles. 

The Community Gateway, formerly on Hobo Island, has been removed.  We will look for ways to have a new gateway (presumably with a partner that expects to derive benefits from the increased traffic flow).  The island is being rebuilt now, but will soon have a new Hobo Welcome Center.

When people first register for Second Life, they are no longer sent to Orientation Island.  Instead, they are offered a choice among community gateways, such as the one just added by  Rezzable & Hobo Island.  Here is what the newcomer sees:   

Rezzable & the Hobos welcome you to join their Explorable community to share FREE STUFF &HELP get you Started in SL. Prepare for Aliens, Hobos, Carnivals, and Light Shows.

The picture at right shows newcomers looking at help posters and talking to hobos at Hobo Welcome Plaza.

What is a Community Gateway?    

It is a way for people who are entering Second Life to select a theme that suits their interests   A gateway is managed entirely by a community of people who are interested in that theme.    
Here is what Katrin Linden says in her blog:

"Live help anywhere you are. And mostly anywhen. At least at times matching activities for people in Europe and the Americas." Here is a picture showing the beginning of the Hobo Island Newcomer Welcome Center. There I am looking at the bulletin board with the Hobo Helpers quickjoin poster on it.  (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

The Hobo Helpers join poster gives people who click on it a quick chance to join this group without having to search inventory. Once in the group, a newcomer can ask for help in group IM. There are experienced hobos in the group. If they are online, they will see the message and offer help if they can. That’s the same way we work in the main SecondLife Hobos group.

If this is virtual reality, what is a virtual community? The keyword here is community.  For the Second Life Hobos and, in my view, for Second Life itself.  The slogan I wrote for the hobos is: "Working together to build the kind of virtual village we all want to live in."

People ask me what do the Hobos do.  I explain that we are much like a community service club in a village or neighborhood.  The Lions Club or the Rotary Club.  A group of people with a wide collection of abilities. Helping each other and helping other people.  Building community.

We started this hobo group at the Hobo Railroad Infohub in Calleta.  An infohub is a place where the Lindens send newcomers as soon as they leave Orientation Island.  So we have been helping newcomers for years. In fact, a lot of newcomers joined the hobo group and stayed around Hobo Village.  So you might say that we  are all former newcomers.  Some of us are  just a little more former than others.