Y’all probably know that I volunteer at NCI, New Citizens Inc. It’s a great place with a great community, lessons, events, freebies, and advice for anyone in SL. I been going there since I found the scatter of green dots on the map. Over time I became an instructor, a land officer, and took on the task of maintaining the infonodes. (^_^)
Recently NCI’s creator and founder, Brace Coral, has returned to Second Life and has involved with staff. In the most recent staff meeting, she posed a question: “Why are you here?” (^_^)
To that, I have an almost overly simple answer: The community. (^_^)
To get complicated, I’ll say more. =^-^=
My “Immy” account is actually my second spin through Second Life. The first time around, I was Indoorsman Dagger and I discovered very quickly that AGP graphics cards were horribly unsuitable for rendering the primmy world. (>_<)
So, I joined SL again for the first time… Because I had initially forgotten Indy’s password. (O.o)
Much of my early time in SL was spent in the Hanja welcome area. Back then, it was hazardous to cross simlines with attachments and many teleports would often fail. So, I stayed there quite a while. Though, in spite of its name, Hanja was hardly welcoming. Add to that, my short draw distance and a seemingly endless barren field of grass beyond build and I pretty much had no hint of the scale of SL as a whole. (>_<)
In time, I found the map. After a while, I sorted out what green dots were. Eventually, I really started exploring. Not even using search yet. Just nap random places on the map and TP there. For sure, people made most places worth visiting. (^_^)
Then, one day during a session of me zooming around the map, I had noticed a nearly full PG sim. At that time, so many people in a PG joint was unheard of for me. So, obviously this deserved some investigation. =^-^=
One thing to note; I haven’t mentioned chatting yet. Honestly, for a good month or so, I didn’t chat with anyone in SL. I was too shy, too afraid to connect with people, and concerned that my family would have problems with me making friends online. (>_<)
With that in mind… I actually had my first chat in SL at NCI. It was very brief. Light Sol had approached me, asking if I needed help. My response was little more than something like “Not now. Talking to family.” (._.)
But, there you have it… My first ever chat in SL was at NCI. The crowd at NCI was nothing like Hanja. Every other word wasn’t an obscenity. Eventually I began to open up, socialize, and take up building. It was all very new to me… Someone who had spent years with a nose jammed into Manga and a laptop Bittorrenting Anime shows 24/7. (^_^)
As time went by, I made friends (and even met someone that I still have a crush on to this day). I have this near addiction to being inquisitive and helpful. So, as I gathered more information about SL, I started sharing it with others. NCI was very much a learn and teach and learn and teach environment. The people there were always ready to answer reasonable questions and toss a freebie around once in a while that would benefit others. (^_^)
I wasn’t even aware of any kind of leadership structure at the time. I just found myself spending time with helpful, supportive, and generous people every day. (^_^)
As time went by, I started getting more involved. I was a frequent participant in Show&Tell, Blitz Build, and Beach Party events. I was a killer in the Beach’s Toob race. My lack of lag was to my advantage, for sure. =^-^=
I gradually got to know near everyone who hung out at the Kuula campus. With that someone eventually offered me a teaching position. It was alternating weeks. One week I would teach Flexi&Light. The next, One Prim Wonders. It was definitely something to do. In fact, I still do it. See me in our Hamnida campus tonight at 6pm SLT. I’ll be teaching Flexi&Light on the ground classroom. (^_^)
The whole time, the community was there. (^_^)
At some point, I was able to join Linden Lab’s SL Mentors program which provided a few more resources, but, nowhere near comparable to what the NCI community was offering. I found that flying solo just wasn’t going to work out. Being a part of something doesn’t really off much gain. Having a tag is little more than a label. But, having a community to lean on and support was right up my alley. (^_^)
… Then August 2009 happened. (T_T)
None the less, the community still provided tons of support. Right at the point where I thought I was going to hit rock bottom, members of the community were letting me know they were behind me every step of the way. People well aware of the organization’s mission stepped forward for the sake of the community and all the work they’ve done. The community was able to survive the turmoil of the time and continue to support and maintain NCI for years to come. (^_^)
For that, I’m highly thankful and indebted to the people of NCI. I like to think I’m part of this community, welcome and willing. All I can do now is try my best to provide the same of what was given to me. The people of New Citizens Inc. have been among the best I’ve met online. I’m glad to be part of it. I plan to remain with the community for as long as I can. (^_^)y
