Mentor Guide

This is a guide both for prospective or existing Mentors to follow, and to be used as a reference to community members wondering if a Mentor will be able to, or can, help them with their problems. You can use it along with the Mentor List to find folks to help you, too!

What are Mentors?

The "Mentor System" is our answer to the problem of a closed community. Earlier this year, we moved to an invite-only system, in order to try and preserve the welcoming, close, friendly spirit of the community, which it was worried might otherwise be diluted by unlimited growth - in a chatroom where nobody knows one another, the espirit de l'amour is lost. It was hoped that the Invite System would help slow our rate of growth to a controllable level, so we could acculturate and welcome new users properly, and that it would provide pre-existing links inside of our community, to help new members get situated faster. But, any closed system will inevitably stagnate, unless there is a way to bring in completely unaligned members.

Who Runs It?

At the moment, Wasd is the Community Chief of the Mentor System, and Kaoru is the administrative contact.

Mentor Abilities

The one tool that Mentors are given that differentiates them from any other user, is the ability to circumvent the Invite system.

However: They are only allowed to use this on members who have NO connections inside of the chat, already. If a Mentor is found to have used this ability on someone they have a notable (read: Longer than a month or so) pre-existing relationship with, punitive action may be taken against that Mentor, from the removal of some of their own invite codes in recompense, all the way up to being removed from the Mentor Program, for repeat offenders. When inducted into the Program, Mentors will be told how to invite users without using their own codes. They are asked - and expected - to hold this information in trust.

Mentor Responsibilities

Mentors should...
1. Serve as contacts for inquisitives from outside of the community. The login page and the intro page for the site will (eventually, and hopefully soon) be redesigned so that there is an easily-accessible, instant link to a page directing anyone who doesn't already know someone in the community, to talk to a Mentor. People inside the community who are having trouble fitting in are also welcome to make use of the Mentors' expertise at any time - not all of us come here and immediately find our place. The page linked will have at least (2) services (instant messenger or other clients) that the Mentors can be contacted on, and, preferably, an E-mail address they will try to keep up with.

2. Scout for people who seem like they'd be a good fit for the community, but who aren't finding their place elsewhere, where possible, and help bring new, good, fresh blood into the place to join our family. This bit isn't as important, but should definitely be on the minds of anyone - and if you or anyone else know someone like that and don't have an invite, you should feel free to put them in touch with a Mentor!

3. Show people the ropes of the chat, help them feel welcome, and get them situated. At-present, it is envisioned that Mentors will only be bringing in a limited number of people at once. This is because the prime responsibility of the Mentors is the people they are Mentoring. It is simply not possible to give equal, deep and meaningful attention to 5, or 6, or 10 people at once. Mentors are asked to limit themselves to between 2-3 folks under their wing, at a time. Use your own best judgment as to when you think you're free enough to take on more, and bear in mind that you do not HAVE to be working with new users at all times.

4. Report back, formally or informally, at least once every couple of weeks or so, on the progress of any folks they are Mentoring. Talk to Wasd or Kaoru about the challenges this person is facing, and what you are doing to help them overcome it. Brainstorm on ways to help improve someone's interactivity and help them to fit in. Keep us in the loop for our new users.

5. Resolve conflicts between your Mentees and other users, wherever possible. Mentors should be seen as good at resolving interpersonal situations, and able to make sure that initial rough spots are smoothed over and hurt feelings don't poison future relationships. The chat can be tough to break into, at first. For all of us!
Finally...

6. Mentors are expected to set an example for friendliness, welcome, having fun, sharing fun, being fun, and demonstrating exactly what Vulpine Hollow is all about.

Summary

In summation, Mentors will be volunteers and members of the community who want to go above and beyond with helping us all grow closer, getting new users situated and acclimated to the community and spirit of the chat, and are willing to be the 'first resource' of those who are likely to have the most troubles when they are first feeling out their place and purpose here. They will be granted a conditional ability to avoid the limitations of the Invite-Code System, to accomplish this, but should feel free to also help existing members to fit in better and find their own fun.