User:McPhenius Swain

McPhenius Swain

One of the biggest questions I have been asked is "where did you come up with that name?" Quite a few years ago, there was a Pepsi commercial on during a Superbowl. It involved a baby who was in the nursery at a hospital and the nurses were cooing over him. Oh, did I mention the nurses were all supermodels? But one of them was holding a can of Pepsi and that is all the baby was watching. I can't recall what I heard when I saw it, but it sounded like they said "Baby Phenius." From there I started using McPhenius and it kind of stuck over the years.

I entered Second Life on December 1, 2006 after hearing a couple people at work talk about it. Like many, I became immediately addicted and truly enjoyed the experience of what Second Life offered. Within a couple of months, I started working for builder/architect Bill Stirling managing his properties as well as his latest build, the SS Galaxy. A cruise ship that spans 3 entire sims and has all the amenities of a RL cruise ship. Although I no longer manage Bill's properties, it was a great experience!

I also was accepted into the Mentor program and began to Mentor and soon found a new love in Second Life. Helping others! From there I went on to become a Mentor Buddy and Mentor Coach. I created a short lesson plan on Team Building for mentors. Please feel free to use it if you find it helpful!

Team Building

• (greeting)

Welcome everyone to a brief tutorial on Team Building, thank you for coming.

Please feel free to add comments during the presentation as I am here to learn just as much as you are.

• (icebreaker)

We were not chosen as Mentors because we know everything. Only my mother in law knows everything and unfortunately, she is not in Second Life… Well I guess fortunately, fortunately for all of us.... I am constantly learning new things from old residents as well as new and you will too!

• (opening with short statement to what team building is and what is hoped to be accomplished in the next 30 minutes)

Team building can be referred generally to the selection and motivation of teams or organizational development. In Mentoring, this can go a long way and yield very positive results to both new residents, old residents and yourself!

I will utilize a business type model, CHAR (yes, I know she’s a Linden and everyone says she’s really cool, but for team building, we are going to break these letters down.)

C – The eight C’s H – Help A – Accept R – Report

The eight C’s can be labeled as:

• Clear Expectations • Collect • Communicate • Coordination • Control • Collaboration • Creative Innovation • Commitment

==== Clear Expectations ==== – What are your goals while mentoring? What will you pass on to a new resident? Are you one to be out on the front lines answering all the questions or are you somebody that adds to the Wiki, researches, helps in the forums? This may change back and forth over time and that is ok. But have a path in front of you.

Collect – very simply put… collect information, educate yourself. Utilize the resources we have such as the knowledge base, user forums, wiki, fellow mentors, etc. Use that information and formulate your style of mentoring and how you can better assist a resident with a question.

Communicate - Share what you have learned with others. Exchange ideas and knowledge. This can best be done in private IM or even a conference IM with fellow mentors, but should not be done within the Group IM channel unless it’s answering a specific question. With over 1,900 mentors, there are only six V-Team Linden Liaisons. It is impossible for them to be everywhere at once, so if you are unsure about something, IM a fellow mentor and ask.

Coordination – Coordinate your efforts. “Need a German speaking mentor on HI 7.” Are there five mentors on one HI, but none on another? Perhaps there is a group of mentors that are very skilled at scripting or building that could teach other mentors that are unfamiliar with those skills.

Control – Or better yet, self-control. Patience is a virtue and new residents are overwhelmed as they are entering SL. They are literally adults with thought processes, born into a new world. They won’t understand just how easy it is to put on clothes always. Don’t become frustrated and make their experience traumatic. They won't want to come back!

Collaboration – I’ve already mentioned there are over 1,900 mentors. Team Dynamics will come into play. Team dynamics are the unseen forces that operate in a team between different people or groups. Team Dynamics can strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves or performs, and the effects of team dynamics are often very complex. But it does not take a Myers-Briggs type indicator or a Johari Window tool to tell us there are different personalities here. You can’t make everyone happy. The important thing to remember is to be professional and helpful. If you don't agree on something with a fellow mentor, then smile and agree to disagree.

Creative Innovation – or Creative Thinking! Do you have a unique style of teaching or helping? Creative ways that make you stand out! If so, you will feel good about how you interact with others and they will walk away with a positive experience!

Commitment – Even with a number of mentors that may be inactive or no longer in SL, there are still a large number of active mentors. We are not told where, how or when to volunteer. But we all represent Linden Lab when we put on the "Second Life Mentor" tag. Just because you may spend most of your time on a Help Island or Welcome Area, you may think others aren't helping. But they may be in their own area or helping in ways behind the scenes. Be committed in what you do!

Remember this.. "Brick walls are there for a reason: They are not there to keep us out. They let us prove how badly we want things."

The other initials that follow are very simple, easy to follow.

Help – Remember, a mentor has the potential to be a new resident’s first impression of Second Life. The sights & sounds might be amazing, but that first human interaction you give them might make them decide whether they want to sign on again or not. Retention, how can we make a new resident want to come back to Second Life? Be helpful, courteous and patient!

Accept – Accept the fact you may not have the answer. But at least have an idea where to go to find it. Whether it is the knowledge base, Wiki, another Mentor, etc. But there may be a question that you just won’t have the answer to. Don't make one up! It's ok to not know everything.

If I am online and my mother in law is around, drop me an IM and I will ask her. I am sure she’ll have an answer :). All kidding aside, I learn every day. It's great!

Report – Reporting, a huge topic lately. If you see griefing taking place, a teen on the main grid, or other violations of the Community Standards or Terms of Service file an abuse report. Remember as a resident it is at your discretion. Broadcasting a violation on the group channel is something that has been occurring every day. Mentors are not a police force or vigilante squad, we are residents too. File the report, one for each violation if need be and let Governance deal with the issue.

• (closing statement, questions, thanks for attending).