White Tiger Mentors

Welcome to the White Tiger Mentors Wiki Page (Including the New Resident Services Group)

White Tiger Help Island WHITE TIGER HELP ISLAND Member of the approved Resident Help Network, White Tiger Help Island (WTHI) will welcome you to a great and safe virtual environment. For an alternative experience in interactive helping, feel free to visit White Tiger Help Island! Basic colourful tutorials, free shops, building area, firework display, music cave and mini art gallery. White Tiger Mentors (WTM) are active Volunteers who are willing to help with high standards of assistance by sharing knowledge and useful tips in Second Life®. White Tiger Help Island was designed for simple and fun learning. A landmark to ROF Orientation Area is on the island for those who want more intense and detailed learning. Have fun with your new Residents. Of course, even though White Tiger Help Island is affiliated to the White Tigers Mentors group, we will still be available to help at all locations where help is needed! All the White Tiger Volunteers are always welcome to help at the Inworld Locations for Volunteers. Feel free to visit us, we will support you as best we can, that's our priority in Second Life®. Here is the SLurl to White Tiger Help Island. Enjoy! How to Join & Guidelines Applications for membership can be sent in-world with a Notecard to a listed Owner or Helper (See Group Info from in-world). Any inappropriate membership is subject to revision, based upon WTM Management discretion. Six months of practice in Second Life® is required to become a White Tiger Volunteer, but all are welcome to join. You can also request membership on www.AvatarsUnited.com website (Log In required). Do not forget to let us know why you would like to join this group. You will receive an invitation from in-world first, with the appropriate title (except for those who are already Members in-world). Only the Owners are allowed to set apprentice role, therefore those who are interested in participating for mentoring have to contact them. However, a Supervisor is allowed to set specific roles and to dismiss Members from their role if necessary. White Tiger Mentors group is a Member of the approved Resident Help Network, therefore a WTM training v2.0 is required to become a Volunteer/Linguist in this group and will be provided in-world, effective March 10, 2010. The Linguist role is optional, and reserved for qualified Mentors. They must be able to speak at last 2 languages to get it, more than 2 will be appreciated. General talk is OK, but disputes, unauthorized advertising or vulgar spam in both group channels will not be appreciated and can lead to loss of membership. Due to the size of the group, the ability to send Group Notices have been permanently disabled for WTM Mentors, effective January 30, 2010. If you have a group notice to send, please do send a notecard to a group Advisor or Owner for review and posting. Notices will be subject to screening. All Members of both groups have to abide by the Second Life Terms of Service and Community Standards. The White Tiger Mentors must also follow the WTM Tao of Volunteers below. Any in-world activity which is against ToS, CS or WTM Tao when wearing WTM or NRS tag will lead to a definitive removal from both groups. You must detach your WTM tag when you are not actively mentoring (Mentors only). The Members of WTM group who have been offline more than six months may be removed from this group at any time and without prior notice.

Group Charters White Tiger Mentors: Member of the approved Resident Help Network (RHN), official Linden Lab's program. Active Volunteers who are willing to help people by sharing knowledge and useful tips. Real international Network of assistance for online, 3D virtual environment Users (SL). Six months of practice in Second Life® is required to become a White Tiger Volunteer. This is a Q & A group. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/White_Tiger_Mentors New Resident Services: Help for new Users. Tutorials, free shopping, lessons, live help. Affiliated with White Tiger Mentors team: 500+ experienced and trained Teachers, Mentors and Linguists. Originally set up to offer quality Help and Support for Visitors at the Remembering Our Friends organization, now expanded to offer group support to new Residents anywhere in SL. Group joiner @ White Tiger Help Island. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karma/175/80/25 Who We Are Founders White Tiger Mentors: Benji Nakamori New Resident Services: Treacle Darlandes Co-Owners Amsutekan Overland (WTM) Benji Nakamori (WTM - NRS) Brigitte Beaumont (WTM) Mike Burleigh (WTM) Till Pierce (WTM) Treacle Darlandes (WTM - NRS) Total Group Members White Tiger Mentors: 600+ New Resident Services: 200+ White Tiger Mentor or NRS Helper Mentor? Newcomers in Second Life® can ask to join the White Tiger Mentors group at any time if they wish to get any live help by using the group channel. However, we encourage them to join the New Resident Services group first for an easier experience regarding the group channel usage and any other basic learning. When they consider they are experienced enough and want also to become a Helper themselves in the New Residents Services Team, they will have to follow a basic training to get the role of NRS Helper Mentor. If a NRS Helper Mentor wants to provide more technical knowledge to people, he/she can apply to become a White Tiger Mentor as an Apprentice. White Tiger Apprentices must complete a training session, including a simulation of mentoring with some Advisors. The Advisor(s) will advise the group Owner(s) that the Apprentice is ready to be a qualified Helper and the Owner(s) will make the final decision to accept the Apprentice as a Mentor/Linguist, according to the skills of the Apprentice (WTM training v1.0). A version 2.0 of the WTM training is now available (effective March 10, 2010), according to the RHN status of the WTM group. The Volunteers can stay in the New Resident Services group as a NRS Helper Mentor even if they have been upgraded to a White Tiger Mentor/Linguist.

WTM Tao of Volunteers

First Impressions

Each White Tiger Volunteer has the ability to influence new Residents’ first experiences of Second Life®. How we do so may vary by personality, but we must also adhere to standards. We have adapted the Second Life® Tao of Volunteers to our group.

Mentors are Teachers or trusted Counsellors. If you are simply answering questions to passersby on Help Island Public, you are not mentoring – you’re providing support services. If you take aside a new Resident and take time to show him how to use the tools given to him (such as Search, or Make Outfit) or spend hours or days helping him with a technical problem, you are mentoring. Mentorships often end up in friendships with their charge.

Attitude And Behavior

• We will help anyone to the best of our ability.
• We will be humble, polite, and patient with those we help.
• We will treat those we help with dignity, despite knowing it may not always be returned.
• We will mentor and help and ask for no reward.
• We will work as a team, help each other solve problems and show respect to each other.
• We will be reliable, committed, and trustworthy.
• We will be funny and playful.
• We will be respectful of the guidelines under which we serve.

Group Notices

Mentors of WTM can request to send useful notices.

• Notices must have relevance to the mentoring program or be used to promote non profit events and charities.
• Notices are broadcast to the entire group, and are kept in the Second Life® archives for all to see by design. Please keep this in mind as you create your group notice posting.
• If you have questions to the group, broadcast it in group chat - not in Group Notices!
• Notices may be used to share full perm gifts providing the person sending them out has created them or obtained written permission from the creator to distribute them.
• Notices may NOT be used to promote your own for profit business. If you would like to share information about cool sims, great shops and live performances -- please do so in Group Chat and NOT via Group Notice. The exception to this would be events like the ROF Performances and Notices, major upcoming meeting SL events (like Burning Life). Again -- common sense stuff.

Stay Informed

Each Volunteer is responsible for reading notices and guidelines beginning with the WTM Wiki Page. It will have useful information and links to relevant materials as we build out the site.

An accomplished Mentor may be able to operate alone in situations where no other help can come. That Mentor is aware of the many resources available (translators, grid statuses, Second Life Knowledge Base Articles, etc.) and can tap into them, on-the-fly.

If You Don’t Know The Answer

It is perfectly OK to say to the Resident, “I do not know the answer to that.” It is BETTER if you tell the Resident, “I do not know the answer, but I know someone who might,” or “I can research that and get back to you later.” In doing so, you are taking ownership of an issue, and providing good mentorship.

Consequences of Not Following the Tao

White Tiger Mentors should be aware there are consequences of not following the WTM Tao of Volunteers. Just as the Community Standards and ToS are the policies and rules of Second Life®, the WTM Tao is the policy and rules of White Tiger Mentors.

Important: Volunteers who do not follow the Group Rules and Tao of Volunteers will be removed from White Tiger Mentors. Owners and Representatives of a RHN group must be respectful in their communications with Linden Lab®. Your behavior and communications reflect on yourself as White Tiger Mentors and on our status as a RHN group. Please do remember that when you are speaking, IMing, emailing or filing support tickets, or in any communication with an official Linden Lab® Representative or Employee. Thank you for keeping that in mind as long as you are in this group.

Please be aware the decisions of the WTM Management are final. Both White Tiger Mentors and New Resident Services are private help groups and as such, are not endorsed by Linden Lab®.

History and Intent

Main Focus: New Resident Basics - General Help - Technical Issues - Multi-language Support - Peer Support.

The White Tiger Mentors group is an international Network of assistance for online, 3D virtual environment Users and has been created to provide an additional & effective help to the Residents in need at the Help Islands Public 1 & 2, Welcome Areas of Second Life®, and anywhere in-world that help is necessary. This Organization includes both Newcomers who can use the group channel for the questions they may have, and qualified Helpers who will respond if they are online & available, in all cases a large range of friendly people who wish to get in different ways a good experience in their virtual world. The goal of the WTM Team is innovating, and the potential of each new Resident is the engine of our motivation. WTM is an independent group of Helpers, and not reserved for only Ex Second Life Mentors, it means that all motivated Residents who want to join us have also a chance to become a real Volunteer. Obviously, those who are Ex Second Life Mentors are welcome to be a part of this Team if they wish it (without WTM training until March 10, 2010). As a member of the approved Resident Help Network (RHN), the White Tiger Mentors group requires a certain standard of help and the motivated Resident who wants to provide some help with the Mentor title will have to follow a specific training. This training will focus particularly on the assistance to the persons who may have some disabilities in real life. The White Tiger Mentors group is partnered with the ROF (Remembering Our Friends) Coalition, founded by Mike Burleigh. At ROF we are here to provide peer support. However, we are NOT professional Counsellors. When appropriate, you will need to reach out to real life support. The group is also partenerd with the Ajuda SL Brasil Team (PG). The satisfaction of each Resident we help in Second Life® is our priority.

Information about mentor role in WTM group: As a RHN group we are serious about our Members having a good knowledge of helping and what the WTM group hopes to achieve. If it is your intention to suggest to anyone to join WTM please let them know they will be required to do some training, and if they are joined as Apprentices they will need to complete all 5 parts of the WTM training schedule. Training will be tough, reading and learning will be required. Emphasis will be placed on Customer Services, the TOS, CS and Tao of the group. People can join WTM as Live Help Users if they do not wish to carry out training.

The New Resident Services group was set up by Treacle Darlandes to work within the ROF Organization, to play a role helping new people and those who wish to learn more technical elements of Second Life®. The ROF Organization offers many peer services on its SIM (ROF Coalition Island) and one area of land is allocated to Orientation. Training for Helpers, and classes for learning are held at the ROF Coalition Orientation Area, along with live music events. Treacle has a lot of experience in Second Life®, formerly Manager at Help People Institute, now a Mental Mentor (RHN), Phoenix Wave Mentor (RHN), SecondAbility Mentor (RHN) and White Tiger Mentor (RHN). The association of New Resident Services with White Tiger Mentors is that as two separate groups they work side by side to assist new Residents or even any seasoned Residents in need. The Orientation Area at ROF Coalition Island is openly available and welcomes unreservedly all WTM Members, NRS Members and any new/seasoned Residents if they wish to bring along for help or a safe place to stay. Together we will co-ordinate training for Helpers, pool our knowledge and resources and continue to plan learning classes and live music events. NRS and WTM Members will support each other as Partners, Associates and Friends in helping, greeting, mentoring and any other associated activities that Members from each group would wish to be involved in, whilst retaining individuality both in terms of status and goals.

Testimonials

Have you met our group? Have they made a difference in the way you see New Resident Help? Maybe you had an experience with the White Tiger Mentors you'd like to share with us. If you do, please contact Benji Nakamori or Treacle Darlandes in-world.

Here are what others are saying about us...

Mike Burleigh "In my partnership with The White Tiger Mentors they have proven to be very Dependable , Knowledgeable, and the most professional Mentor Group I have ever been associated with. In the five plus years I have been in Second Life they are hands down the best in my opinion." Mike Burleigh Founder of Remembering Our Friends Memorial Founder of The ROF Group Muniki Kimagawa "To those who wish to become a volunteer helper: this is not a job, and there are no classes where they teach people on how to help others: this is a skill that needs to grow with you, within your heart. People who help do that for joy: they feel satisfied just by helping, without waiting for anything in exchange. That's the spirit of any volunteer service. I joined White Tiger Mentors because I have this skill and I was looking for a way to increase it inside Second Life. Their classes and the group channel usage are very useful to find tools to make me help new Residents better." Muniki Kimagawa, WTM Live Help User Winter Wetherby "When I came into SL in the Spring of 2009, my main motivation was to perform my music. This meant that besides learning the "nuts and bolts" of SL, I also needed to learn how to bring my sound into SL, make contacts with those involved with SL music, etc. I was extremely fortunate to come under the wing of Treacle Darlandes who was (and still is) extremely patient and thorough in guiding me through this process, whether it was upgrading my appearance, adding animation to my avatar, introducing me to some contacts in the SL music world, and much else. I would not be anywhere near as far along in acclimating to SL and reaching my music goals without Treacle's wonderful help. Treacle also has high ethical standards and actively promotes honesty and civility in SL which is a benefit to all those she assists and to SL in general. I would just like to add that I have been to visit White Tiger Help Island that Treacle has recently built and I was hugely impressed with the creative combination of help, fun, and information that it provides for newcomers and in fact anyone who wants to explore and learn more in SL. The White Tiger Mentors group is also invariably helpful and supportive, seeming to always have someone ready and knowledgeable to resolve SL or technical issues. I see Treacle and her colleagues as a huge asset to SL." Winter Wetherby, SL Performer

Tiamat Bingyi "The White Tiger Mentors group is an inspiration and a reference as a Volunteers Team for the Ajuda SL Brasil group. Since most of the WTM are experienced Residents and have also worked as Volunteers and SL Mentors in many regions, they have a great knowledge base and experience in dealing with and helping the Residents from various countries, cultures and different languages. Ajuda SL Brasil is a relatively new group, focused in helping the Portuguese speaking Residents and although many of our Members have not had the same experience as the WTM group has, we would still like to offer the same helpful hand and respect for Residents and Newcomers." Tiamat Bingyi, Ajuda SL Brasil co-Founder iSkye Silverweb "Since having joined the WTM group, I've observed that the training is very high quality and very thorough. The support I've received from other WTM group Members is fantastic. Knowledge and tools are freely shared. As hard as the WTM Members work, they play just as hard, too, and everyone is made to feel welcome as a part of the group. At first I thought I would be expected to leave the other Mentors group I belong to in order to continue with the White Tiger Mentors, but it has not been so. If anything, my knowledge and experience of working with new Residents with disabilities, along with the patience required to determine the new Residents' needs and address them, has enriched my ability to serve with the WTM. And when I need help, I can ask for it and know assistance will be given in a friendly and supportive way. Everyone's point of view is respected, everyone is professional. This is a great group of mentors!" iSkye Silverweb, White Tiger Mentor Kalli Birman "We at Solace Beach Estates want to really thank the White Tiger Mentors for help at our gateway sim. They have really helped to make for a great experience for new residents trying to aclimate to Second Life. Thank you very much for everything." Kalli Birman, Operations Manager, Solace Beach Estates

Links, Locations, Resources Resident Help Network Portal (RHN) Welcome to White Tiger Help Island Welcome to ROF Coalition Island Ajuda SL Brasil >> (PG) << Solace Beach Welcome Area The Yard at Honie Isle Remembering Our Friends Memorial Mike Burleigh's Life and R.O.F. Treacle's Virtual Sculpture Gallery White Tiger Mentors Blog White Tiger Mentors on AvatarsUnited.com

Photo Gallery Welcome To White Tiger Help Island, Karma. New ROF Orientation Area, ROF Coalition Island. Ajuda SL Brasil (PG), Inside Me. Solace Beach Welcome Area & Infohub. Orientation & Help. The Yard at Honie Isle. White Tiger Mentors booth @ RHN Fair 2010.