Suggestion about mentoring program - Mentoring Section

[teffy]

We know, that the mentoring program has problems, like this:

Since updating the op from my phone would would be like trying,to beat a discord deck with a monograv,ill say the updates here (this thread (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,16656.312.html))

Or this:
The last edit of the opening post was:

Last Edit: 10 March 2011, 23:30:15 by 9270984

That´s 20 days ago.
I also believe that 927... gets too many messages.
And I wait for a long time to be removed from the list.

That could be a reason, why Rain of Rainbows started  a mentoring program on his own. (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,23588.0.html)
I think he´s not the only one who wants to help, so followers could come and start their thread - wherever, probably in General Discussion, where this thing imho doesn´t belong to.



So I come to my suggestion, because I anticipate "chaos":
We make it similar to the Introduction Section: A mentoring section:


FULL MEMBERS or above open their thread there, and apprentices choose, whom they want to take as mentor.
200 posts /Full Member + 3 month activity are the current requirements for mentoring.
All members would be able to post there, but only FULL MEMBERS could start a thread. If a mentor wants to stop mentoring, or thinks, that he has enough apprentices, he can lock his thread.
I hope forum software supports this.
This section could also get a mod.

What about time zones ?
Apprentices hopefully choose the correct timezone (if they think that it´s important), language can be important , too. It´s good, that we have flags.

What about content ?[
Scaredgirl, The Council, whoever, could give some guidelines, but at least: PMs are secret, nobody except the Apprentice will ever know, if the mentor follow the steps.

What about " too many threads" and server space ?
We have around 200 Full Members atm, these use about 10 pages maximum - not more than Introduction Section now.

Edit: thx for moving to the right section

[killybob]

this sounds brilliant. for a while i've been trying to get to be a mentor of some kind and this suggestion makes the whole process an immense amount easier. everyone will benefit and it sounds better than the system we have now. a new mind on the matter changes a lot.

[kitty45]

I like it. Sorry TNG but I don't need a mentor anymore  .

[TheIdioticIdiot]

I pm'd 927 about taking over the program and modify it to be better some time ago
he has yet to respond...
I had some improvement ideas as well, but more about what to teach than who should teach
my ideas:
lesson #1: introduction to community, have your apprentice post in the "Introduce Yourself" thread, and make a chat account (if he doesn't already have one), and teach him about the forums and some of the members of the forum

lesson #2: early game grinding, ask your apprentice what cards he has, and see if a good AI3 farmer is available, if not, unless your student already has a lot of rares/upgraded cards, or if he just doesn't want to, have him start over (reset account), and give him step-by-step guide to build a good AI3 farmer, teach him about quests as well

lesson #3: FGs... straight-forward, teach your apprentice about them, link useful forum threads, and provide newbie FG decks

lesson #4: other game mechanics, touch on other AIs, bazaar, upgrading cards, oracle, reward codes, and in-battle mechanics such as which creature attack first and stuff

lesson #5: late game grinding, by now, hopefully, your apprentice can get a fully upgraded FG deck... suggest several you think are good to him, and have him choose and modify one to buy, after that, provide AI3 EM farmers if your apprentice wants beast score, if not, the lesson is done

lesson #6: PvP, popular decks, PvP events, all that good stuff, teach them all (I suggest this done in a PvP event, most commonly, weekly tournaments)

lesson #7: preparation for graduation, teach him about deck types and styles, off-topic discussions, how to have fun, deck building/modifying, how to make good unique decks, just about everything a "full-grown" elements player should know

final test: best of 9 with you apprentice, BL deck rules (no upgrades, all cards allowed), if he wins 3 of them, hooray, he graduates, if not.... well... he still graduates... just in a less glorious fashion
(final test is not required, just some fun you can choose to have with your apprentice)

you are suggested to give quizzes if wanted to, the lessons are best done in chat, you have a week for each lesson, and if you can't complete it in a week, PM your apprentice with what you planned to teach, be sure to ask him to ask you questions if your apprentice has any.

my lessons are more focused on the game rather than the forums, which I think the apprentice can and should learn most of it for himself. The game is harder to learn than the forums and the community imo.
my lessons are in chronological order of how your apprentice is progressing
my lesson plan is also longer, but I think the lessons can still be completed within 2~3 weeks if both the mentor and the apprentice are fairly active (15~18 hours a week)

[Scaredgirl]

I wouldn't say that this is a bad idea, but I think the Mentoring program should be a bit more structured. This idea sounds like a series of individual mentoring programs,

All we need really is a plan and someone who sees that the plan is executed properly. I'll go see where we are at right now.

my lessons are more focused on the game rather than the forums, which I think the apprentice can and should learn most of it for himself. The game is harder to learn than the forums and the community imo.
my lessons are in chronological order of how your apprentice is progressing
my lesson plan is also longer, but I think the lessons can still be completed within 2~3 weeks if both the mentor and the apprentice are fairly active (15~18 hours a week)

You are talking about a totally different thing. The Mentoring program is designed to help people become active members of the community, not teach them how to play the game. They are two totally different goals. Our main goal with Mentor program is not really to teach people anything. Our main goal is to welcome new players to the Elements family.

I don't think people "should learn most of it for himself". Using that logic, we wouldn't need schools. Everyone would just stay home and read books.

[kitty45]

Even though I have a mentor (which I really don't need anymore) I figured most things out on the community and now I want to teach the newbies.

[TheIdioticIdiot]

learning how to be a part of the elements community should be done mostly by the student because:
1) personal experience beats a pm saying this and that...
2) it's like a real life community, but ppl are slightly more sensitive...
3) if you are active, you will be a part of the community in less than a week, if you are not active, nothing can make you a part of the community...

Obviously, a guide through is helpful, but still, you shouldn't behave any different in this virtual community than a RL community
don't be rude (most of the time, some ppl might deserve it)
be polite
have fun
and other daily things we do...

do we need a mentor on that?

the game on the other hand... most of the how-to-get-rich tutorials are outdated... learning the basic gameplay is easy, but getting good at it is another, most ppl don't know how to make a good AI3 deck right away, and it will slow down their progress in the game A LOT..
I taught my apprentice mostly the gameplay, and he learned most of the community himself, I just gave him a few pointers, and he is a fine player as well as forumer now

[justaburd]

What I would like to suggest for the mentor system would be something like this, with a mentor section and an apprentice section

Join as a mentor

Are you a veteran member interested in becoming a Mentor and helping out new members?

1. Join as a Mentor by posting on this topic the time slot when you are most likely online.
Requirements: You have over 200 posts AND have been a member on the forums for more than 3 months.

Please include the time slot when you are most likely online. We need this information so that we can improve the mentoring process by assigning you a Mentor who is active during that time.

Time Slot 1	Time Slot 2	Time Slot 3	Time Slot 4	Time Slot 5	Time Slot 6
GMT 00 - GMT 04	GMT 04-  GMT 08	GMT 08 - GMT 12	GMT 12 -  GMT 16	GMT 16 - GMT 20	GMT 20 - GMT 00

Each time slot is 4 hours. Click the links to see the starting and ending time of that particular time slot. You are not required to be online for the whole duration of a time slot, just pick the one that suits you the best. If you are a more active member of this community, you are allowed to pick multiple time slots.

2. Wait for the Mentor Manager to contact you and assign you an Apprentice^*
This might take a few days so please be patient.

3. Contact your Apprentice and start mentoring.
You will follow a program designed by the Council.^*

Join as an apprentice

This program was set up as a way to help out new Elements the Game players and new Elements Community members.  Older players and community members sign up to help guide newer members through the basics of the game and the community, as well as answering any questions and helping out in any way they can.

As an Apprentice, you have the chance to get your very own Mentor to guide you through a program of steps that will help you understand the community as a whole. You are, of course, always encouraged to ask questions to your Mentor, and should make an effort to show if you're more interested in some topics.

1. Join as an Apprentice by posting on this topic.
Requirements: You have under 30 posts OR You have joined the forum within the last 30 days.

Please include the time slot when you are most likely online. We need this information so that we can improve the mentoring process by assigning you a Mentor who is active during that time.

Time Slot 1	Time Slot 2	Time Slot 3	Time Slot 4	Time Slot 5	Time Slot 6
GMT 00 - GMT 04	GMT 04-  GMT 08	GMT 08 - GMT 12	GMT 12 -  GMT 16	GMT 16 - GMT 20	GMT 20 - GMT 00

Each time slot is 4 hours. Click the links to see the starting and ending time of that particular time slot. You are not required to be online for the whole duration of a time slot, just pick the one that suits you the best.

2. Wait for your own personal Mentor to contact you.
This might take a few days so please be patient.

3. Let your Mentor guide you though all the different steps.*
Each of the steps concentrates on one part of the forums or the community.*

*There would be a designated Mentor Manager.
*The council would need to design a program for mentors to follow.

**Credit goes to the current/previous mentor program

[TribalTrouble]

1. Join as a Mentor
We need this information so that we can improve the mentoring process by assigning you a Mentor....

wat

[justaburd]

1. Join as a Mentor
We need this information so that we can improve the mentoring process by assigning you a Mentor....

wat

I think you quoted before I finished editing, since I can't find that anywhere after I finished editing.

[CuCN]

It's just above the Time Slot table in the Mentor section.