Greeting The Greeters

By Tuber

The world of greeting new members can be a weird and wonderful experience.  I’ve enjoyed it for quite some time now through the NMSS, one of the many greeter clubs, and by just hanging around Paiz Island, the newbie spawn area. 

While AFK newbies are common place, I enjoy the initial banter of helping people grasp this wonderful world of There.  Often, I’m fortunate enough to run into our There greeters Josie and Ice when on Paiz Island (their official names are Greeter_Josie and Greeter_Ice).  “How are they so friendly and pleasant to the newbies?” I wondered.  It seems like frustration is not in their vocabulary.  So, I decided to chat with them about their greeting efforts and how things are going for them. 

Josie: “Being a Greeter is a very rewarding experience.  You get to meet new people and point them toward fun times in There.”  Hmm, sounds pretty up beat!  But even Josie admits that, “…it’s not all fun and games. There are some difficulties with language and personalities, but all in all, there are more plusses than minuses”. 

Ice confided to me that sometimes she feels “in the way” of “member greeters” (the name she gives to volunteer greeters).  However, I normally meet her in the evening, which is a busy time.  It is during these times that she is thankful for the help of member greeters.  Some days do in fact seem quite busy, and I asked Ice to comment on the speculations of some members that perhaps this was due to recent advertising on the part of There.  Has there been a recent surge in Paiz popularity?  Ice: “it really started when There first announced the position [of Greeter] and they'd be hiring. We also seemed to see a lot of members who returned to There during that time as well as some creating groups”. 

The focus of greeters can definitely be on Paiz Island sometimes, but Ice reminded me that it is important to keep in mind that greeting is also made up of all the events, loaning of vehicles, hanging out, and exploring that people do aside from chatting in spawn areas.   

What’s the best part of the job?  Josie says it “is the opportunity to make our world more vibrant by encouraging participation of more and more members”.  Well-said Josie! ‘tu 

Rock on all Ice and Josie!  You and our member greeters continue to make There a warm and welcome place for our newbies.