Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 5:22 pm Posts: 1814 Location: California
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The GoG’s logos and other art may be copyrighted by Cyan or someone in the GoG, I don’t know. The GM may have signed a NDA or FCAL and still be bound. Most Cyan agreements have non-disclosure clauses that make it impossible to discuss things or even the existence of an agreement. GoG is Ubosoft era and they may be involved. Does anyone actually KNOW what the situation is?
While the name Guild of Greeters can be copyrighted, it cannot be trademarked. Other games have guilds. I doubt an effort to have exclusive use of the name would stand up in court. Celestial Bridge had a http://www.celestialbridge.net/fogel/randomiaq.txt]Greeters Guild… However, Google returns 27,000 hits on GoG, all of but 50 or so are about Cyan’s GoG. So, the lawyers would have a hay day. But, Tweek is right that it is irrelevant to what people want to do.
Trinity Church Boston wrote: One manifestation of this commitment, partially inspired by […]Class for newcomers exploring membership […]asking all of us at Trinity to go much farther, to make welcome and hospitality the work of every one of us, not just the clergy, ushers, or a guild of greeters. We imagine a Trinity where every single member could tell a visitor […] wondering how to get more deeply involved in our life: “Here’s how, and here’s whom to contact.” We imagine […] each of us would believe: “Welcome here begins with me.” ( http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cac ... 3NgWyutWOg]reference)
The Trinity Church document on page 4 well sets forth the ideas of everyone participating in creating a warm greeting. I think that is the whole point here.
As to democratic selection of a new leader… that seems like a repetition of a mistake. Democracies that elect single leaders usually see them turn into dictatorships. A coalition of free people or anything that can avoid vesting power in a single individual or small group has got to be a better solution.
Tanshin, asked the question of whether we need the greeters. I’ll point out that Second Life very much has a player retention problem (95+% of the 10k per day do not return) and has tried several greeter schemes to handle new player orientation. Several academics have studied SL to figure out what people do and how they interact socially. Linden Lab has experimented with many of those ideas. They have detailed stats to study from the last 7 or 8 years. They have stats we don’t have. So, while we can’t know that Uru is the same, I suggest people are people.
The non-intuitive answer coming out of all the study and stats is; greeters do not work.SL tried paid employees, company trained and overseen volunteers, volunteer organizations, private organizations, and on and on. The stats consistently show the highest retention rate is with players that have no contact with greeters… those dumped into the fun part of the environment with other players… untrained, no company supervision… just turn them loose in an auspicious place. Those are the ones most likely to stay.
Without stats we cannot know what works in Uru. Greeters may help, hurt, or have no effect on retention. We don’t know. Of the 400 to 600 people signing up, how many are spammers, 10% or 90%? How many meet a greeter? How many of those are returning? How many are not? Without numbers how do we know which is better?
Geert, explains some the scenario of the early days. Geert omits the point that MMOG’s were still very new in 2003 and most new players were playing their first MMOG. Some type of trainer was needed and the GoG filled the role. Things have very much changed.
As to available information… everything one needs to know is in this forum… just try and find it if you are new. We have some great FAQ’s sites, a manual, and lots of helpful stuff. It would be great if the web site part of MOUL had a link to the PDF manual, and other key pieces of information under a help button.
Martin eloquently points out the importance of and interest in the GoG. I also understand another of his points about ‘the guilds exist to serve the community’. I see that from another point of view where I think that phrasing, which while accurate, hides the nature of guilds.
People often get far too lost in altruistic ideals and fail to understand actual human nature and fit their plans to it. And in failing to do that their efforts to serve the community fail. Guilds DO NOT exist to serve the community. They exist because people want to help other people. A guild, organization, allows them to do that more efficiently. That may too subtle for some. I know of no guild that exists to meet its own ends and serve itself.
It is part of the nature of people to help others. They appear in every gaming community, RL communities and every nook and cranny of human endeavor. I enjoy helping others with Uru, SL, making 3D models … I’m not interested in running a guild or setting up a bureaucratic structure or having to conform to someone’s idea of how I should do that. I appreciate information from others with experience in the things I am interested in. We all participate because we get something that meets some need we have; a need for escape, entertainment, a hobby, social interaction, creative outlet…
Johnsojc’s idea that he would have to, as in be forced to, change to suite someone else misses the point. Martin’s guilds are serving because they want to be of service. If one wants to help... the point is to provide the help needed/wanted by others in a useful way to them. If they tell you it isn’t working you can only meet YOUR goal by changing. Failure to change is then self defeating.
Tweek, brings up the point of being a representative of the game and/or community. I agree that if someone wants to represent something or someone they have duties and obligations. I think that is the issue that Ubi/Cyan and Linden Lab had when they created volunteer ‘helpers’ and tried to control them. All that can be avoided by NOT having representatives. Let people represent their self.
Dadguy, makes the point… if people want to greet and help others… let them. I say they don’t really need anyone’s permission. As Larry said, “Getter done!”
_________________ Nalates - GoC - 418 - MOULa I: Nal KI#00 083 543, MOULa II: KI#00 583 875Nalates 111451 - Second Life: Nalates Urriah Guild of Cartographers 
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