Mentor Ideas
Mentor Ideas
Since multiple people mentioned it, I thought I would make a page to talk about it.
I'm heavily in favor of mentors. I love having a mentor. Simply having a mentor can make a big difference in someone's ability to participate in an organization.
I believe a mentor doesn't need to be a senior person. One of the best mentors I had was the youngest and newest person in the shop. (He was getting no respect. By making him my mentor, I was able to pop him in a position of responsibility and that gave him a chance to shine.)
I'm not in favor of assigning mentors. I think it's best when someone finds their own because then they're two people with a connection. I think if someone can't truly find their own mentor then that's a warning sign to me that they're not connecting with anyone in the guild.
Being a mentor is a position of responsibility, but the best part is, you're not on your own in that position because you have a mentor yourself. It's the backbone in a web of connections between everyone in the guild.
--
I like this, especially the part about a person finding their own mentor. However, people shouldn't feel obligated to be a mentor themselves, perhaps a flag in their website profile could track this preference? -- Karin
A preference could also be useful as s sort of invitation to talk about stuff, possibly. That is, some people who could really use mentors might be a bit on the shy side, and perhaps could use help finding one... Or maybe it could just be informal, and they could be told that if they want a mentor, they could talk to someone in management who could help them find one, kind of like a mentor-matchmaker or something? Dunno, just throwing around ideas.. -Mareyn 05:20, 25 October 2008 (UTC)
Oh, the "finding your own mentor" bit is interesting and reminds me of a site I discovered last week called Team Play. It's an interesting approach to mentoring that, among other things, involves mentees choosing their mentors. Maybe it could offer some inspiration. -Mareyn 05:25, 25 October 2008 (UTC)
(From Mori's forum post...)
I loved being a mentor. I loved having mentees. However, there are several things I don't love about mentoring being the guidepost for guild rank. First of all, when I first joined Sleeper Cartel, I would have had no need for a mentor. I just wanted to read guild chat and go keep doing my thing (which was mostly looking at the pretty animals in Nagrand and leveling my leatherworking). If you had told me I had to find a mentor, I would have been way too shy and not known where to go or where to start. Now, there were several points at which I did indeed need a mentor, such as when I started raiding, and when I switched my main to my shaman, and when I started pvping. To me, the mentoring system in Sleeper Cartel said the following to those who got assigned mentors (if you disagree, please let me know, because this is based on my own reading of the situation): "Hello, welcome to the guild. We are so large that we can no longer get to know everyone, and we have no system in place for collecting information about the various services we offer. Instead we have some kind and knowledgeable individuals who will show you around so that at least someone gets to know you, and so that we can judge if you are actually a good fit, and they can guide you through the twisted maze that is our services (like lockpicking, bags, alchemy etc)."
Maybe a better way to approach mentoring would look like this (what Mareyn described as the welcome wagon approach): "Hello and welcome to the guild. Here's a Tabard, it's really spiffy! We're really glad you're here and we all want to get to know you. To start that process off, I'm going to introduce you to the guild, (don't worry, they're friendly and they don't bite). Here is where all of our information (like having a "Getting Started" guide) can be found. If you have any questions, I can certainly answer them, but so can anyone else." That said, I do like the idea of having some people who have volunteered to field questions about areas of which I know nothing (such as being a Paladin, seriously you people confuse me). So, if you looked at our roster you would see something that indicates "I can answer questions about raiding, I can answer questions about being a priest" etc.
---
One of the things that keeps resounding with me is that this guild wants to empower the new user. There have been several posts that suggests possibilities for the website and how to complete those goals. I think Mentoring can be used to pull all those pieces together.
When I was invited into the conglomerate that is SC, I was assigned a mentor. It was a very impersonal assignment for both of us. He and I were rarely online at the same time, rarely had anything in common, and I only heard from him every three or four days when he asked me "Need anything - any questions?" I think making a personal connection would have helped immensely - because it would've created a friendship that would have persisted through the "mentoring" but also allowed me to feel accepted into the folds.
I think the personality pages you are talking about would do wonders in allowing this to occur. If I was able to find someone that fit some sort of criteria - local player, likes to brew beer, enjoys German food, etc - it would allow me to begin an easier conversation with someone and immediately create a more comfortable environment. I know I am bridging a gap between two topics but I think that is necessary.
I think the order that Mori is using seems fluid - welcome them, direct them to the website, have them search the guild profiles and select their own mentor(s), and begin their time in Consensus. They are immediately taking responsibility for meeting people and the guild is taking responsibility for accepting them into the fold. -- Aingeal
--- I like the approach that is going here with the mentors and welcome wagon. I was a mentor in SC for a short time and while it was rewarding it was also very frustrating from the standpoint that I felt I was being naggy at times with my trainee, asking them questions, sending them tells, sending them in-game mails seeing if things were okay. And yes, as Aingeal pointed out, there were times I just could not seem to connect and get to know my trainee.
Having more of a "welcome wagon" team I think would be better - just the simple task of making sure they are registered on the website, that they have bags and a tabard, that we introduce them to any services the guild can offer and then pointing them toward where they can find people to connect with.
I really like the approach of people being mentors in the areas they are most familiar with and being willing to teach and coach others.(I want beer making lessons from someone!!!). marwyn
