* COFFEE was the first thing on the agenda. Attendees bragged about having coffee, others mourned about not having coffee. In general it was agreed that coffee should be included in one of the major nutritional groups. This seemed to possibly have subconscious influence on what was later to become a matter of real discussion. (Honestly... the coffee discussion lasted literally 15 minutes into the meeting. Obviously our members take our coffee seriously.)
* HATS. Mook arrived with a record-height hat. We could not see if birds were nesting in the top or not.
* MARKET KIOSKS. At the 16-minute point Ilan made the major announcement. About a month ago it was suggested that the Market Kiosks at Kitely Welcome be automated to regularly present new items from Kitely Market. The same items have been showing since Tyrannosaurs roamed the Earth. This was tabled for a while. Ilan surpised us all today by informing us the scripting has been done, some of the kiosks had already been updated and the remainder would be updated directly following the meeting. So members, if you find yourself at Kitely Welcome waiting for your world taxi... stroll over to the Market Kiosks and see all new merchandise displayed on a regular basis. Woot Kitely team!
* NEW STARTER AVATARS. It was brought up that the Welcome Center (and thus the website registration area) could use new and significantly better avatars. Since starter avatars are one of the first things new visitors are aware of, this is a first impression item that can either impress visitors, or disappoint them. No one likes a bleh avatar, right? Suggestion was made not only to make the avatars of higher quality, but to offer a greater variety to make a better first impression. It was discussed that this would not compete with merchants... but rather would encourage new ones to purchase their own individual, unique avatar combinations, clothing and accessories from Kitely Market. This suggestion received considerable support from the attendees and some (including myself) offered to create quality freebie avatars for Kitely to offer at the Welcome Center and web registration. It was discussed that such avatars had to be either totally original or properly licensed, and the need for them to put Kitely's "best foot forward". The "new starter avatars" recommendation was received positively and the foundation groundwork laid for eventual accomplishment of this goal. So to all avatar creators out there: if you are willing to create and donate a quality avatar (quality shape / skin / clothing / accessories), please keep your eye on the forums for additional information. Kitely will surely appreciate volunteers! (Really, it would be difficult to offer too many starter avatars, wouldn't it? The more the better!)
* GREETER SYSTEM. Kitely already has a Greeter system in place, but few know about it and such has largely fell into disuse. The meeting discussion determined this was for two reasons: 1) There aren't enough Greeters to greet people at Kitely Welcome and 2) The design of Kitely Welcome Center (namely the large fountain in the center) is not conducive to people interaction, since they can't see one another. Reviving the Greeting system, asking for more volunteers to be Greeters, updating the Greeter package and tutoring people on how to be effective Greeters was discussed, and enthusiasm for the idea ran high. As one attendee mentioned, "a person is better than the automated system any day". People mentioned they had worked as Greeters in the past and actually enjoyed doing so (some of us are just people-people, right?). Some attendees volunteered and joined the Greeters group on the spot. The suggestion was made to change the Greeter title from MEMBER OF KITELY GREETERS to simply KITELY GREETER-- and Ilan made the change right on the spot! Before we knew it we had brand new Greeters sitting among the Attendees. If anyone wishes to become a Kitely Greeter, Mike Lorrey is the person to speak to. He'll need a profile photo and you'll be filling out an application form. We'll likely be coming up with a Greeter's Guide soon to help acclimate Greeters to the do's and don'ts of Greeting. Of interest is that one doesn't have to spend hours at Kitely Welcome to be a Greeter. You can do so when you want to... and take a break when you want to. The system is very flexible, with few demands other than an enthusiasm for Kitely and a friendly, helpful, people-oriented nature. Mike Lorry states: " I've been working on an updated greeter board that shuffles greeter pics." That way the board could perhaps show Greeters currently online and available. Mike also mentioned: "everyone here who is a greeter please toss me your preferred pics, otherwise I'll find an unflattering one lol."
* KAWFEEE!!! and Dancing We discussed how to interest and retain new visitors to Kitely. The point was made that the Welcome Center could be more than just a place to log in. Two suggestions were made: 1) Set some Dance Balls to the side of the Welcome Center and use the central open area (devoid of fountain) as a general party platform. This may sound odd but it has proved highly successful on other platforms. In addition the suggestion was made to put an open-air COFEEE HOUSE off to the immediate side of the Welcome Center (not blocking the view of anything) where people could sit, have a "cup", and chat. People like to be around people. When someone is bored and lonely, it's nice to know there is a place they can go "where everybody knows your naaame..." It was mentioned that one of the most successful Welcome Area attractions in history was Morning Coffee on a now-defunct grid (partly defunct because they forced the shutdown of Morning Coffee. Seriously.) A name was suggested such as The Daily Grind... but possibly other coffee house names would be considered. (Should we steal "Jitters" from The Flash?) MWAHAAHhahahahaa <--- ebil laugh. Anyhow, this set gears to turning. A dance area, a coffee house-- turning the Welcome Center into a Welcome Center... not only for new visitors but for existing members who would love a central place to hang out and be with friends. It was also mentioned that a dance area and coffee house would make the Greeter's job more interesting and easier... and let new visitors know right away that there are things to do on Kitely! No decisions were made, no promises made, but the ideas were thrown out there.
PLACES TO VISIT. Brief mention was made of updating the "Places to visit" area to be more helpful and offer a wider variety of quality Kitely attractions for new ones to visit. No idea when this will happen, but as we saw at this meeting, things can happen when we least expect them! Little doubt was left this meeting that Kitely listens to its residents. This tendency to take feedback seriously and earnestly is a large part of what makes Kitely a progressive grid. Kitely encourages all residents to join the Weekly meeting. Every Sunday at 1 pm Kitely time.
WELCOME CENTER VISIBILITY. It was further mentioned that much of Welcome Center lacks visibility. Pillars on kiosks, non-fullbright signs, signs hidden by the central fountain, and what should be readily visible at the login point were all discussed. Ideas were thrown back and forth not only during the meeting, but on these forums this week. Just recently it was announced the kiosks will be updated, the fountain and benches removed to open up the Welcome Center, some essential signs moved closer to be more accessible to new visitors... and who knows what else is to come! Evidently last week's meeting had immediate and positive impression, with positive movements in an effort to make new visitors feel more welcome and informed. As one attendee commented: " VR is supposed to be social, but this lack of information inhibits communication, we need to maximize the ability of users to communicate."
The meeting ended on a positive note with lots of enthused people, announcements made of places to visit, meetings and classes planned, things to do. Many considered this an extremely productive meeting with lots of open discussion (which we're used to on Kitely and appreciate very much). It was probably my favorite meeting to date and it got even better as forum announcements were made this week announcing intended action on many of the points brought up during the meeting. So according to information at this time, we can look forward to some changes at Welcome Center, more visible information kiosks, and a new upcoming, revived Greeter system to help new visitors in their first moments online. All in all very productive!
