Resident Support Guide
Searchable reference for SL Mentors — covering frequent questions, key in-world locations, and ready-to-use scripts for helping new residents.
No results found. Try a different search term.
Premium Plus has a checkbox during signup — if ticked, you pay more ($20.75/mo annual or $29.99/mo monthly) but receive the L$650/week stipend and L$3,000 signup bonus. If unticked, you pay less but get no stipend or bonus. Annual billing saves significantly across all paid tiers.
This is a bake fail — your avatar textures haven't loaded properly.
Ctrl+Alt+R)If stuck as "Ruth" (the old default avatar), the quickest fix is the Avatar Welcome Pack — go to Avatar → Avatar Welcome Pack and have them choose a complete modern avatar.
Usually caused by inventory not fully loading or high sim lag.
If a HUD seems lost, try Avatar → Avatar Health → Reset Skeleton & Animations and relog.
You can put together a solid, modern-looking avatar without spending a single L$. Here's how:
The Firestorm Social Island New Resident Help Area has skins, shapes, and outfits all at no cost. Walk newer residents through it in person if you can. Make sure any clothing is compatible with the chosen mesh body. Remember the free avatars are only available to accounts under 90 days old.
250–270 L$ per US$1.The Premium Plus stipend and signup bonus are only available at the higher price point ($20.75/mo annual or $29.99/mo monthly) — not all Premium Plus plans qualify. Failed purchase? Direct residents to Help → Support Portal → Billing. Never ask for or accept L$ as a mentor.
Limits: Free accounts can join up to 42 groups; Premium up to 70.
Joining: Search via People → Groups → Search or click a group sign in-world.
Silencing notices: Right-click the group → Edit → uncheck Receive Notices.
Active tag: Only one group tag shows at a time — click the group → press Activate.
To avoid accidentally leaving groups, tell residents to activate None at the top of their groups list — this means no group is active, so they can't inadvertently trigger a group-related action. It's a simple habit that prevents a lot of confusion.
Items are rarely truly lost. Work through these steps:
Marketplace purchases can be re-delivered at no charge from the resident's order history at marketplace.secondlife.com.
Land ownership in SL is tied to your membership tier. Here's what each tier includes — or point residents straight to secondlife.com/land for the full overview.
🏠 Get a Linden Home — the best way to get started. House and land ready to furnish, 30+ styles to choose from, keep it private or open to visitors, enjoy a neighbourhood of other homeowners. Claim via secondlife.com → My Account → Get a Linden Home. Requires paid membership. Premium Plus members get access to exclusive Premium Plus Linden Homes and can request a specific home via a support ticket.
🤝 Rent a parcel — just what you want, when you want it. No commitment, cancel anytime, great for parties and short-term events. Rent from other residents using Linden Dollars. Search Land Rental on Marketplace or in-world classifieds. Premium membership not required.
🏗️ Buy a parcel — build on your own land. A wide range of sizes and geography, more control than renting, resellable when you're ready to upgrade, multiple ways to buy. Uses the L$ land auction system. Premium membership not required.
Newcomers often confuse "renting" (paying L$ to a private landlord) with "owning" (paying tier to Linden Lab). Always clarify the difference. For most newcomers, renting from a private estate is the easiest and most flexible starting point.
Teleport failures are common under high server load.
Remind newcomers about flying: Page Up to ascend, Page Down to descend, F to toggle fly mode (viewer-dependent).
Ctrl+Shift+S.As a mentor, do not intervene directly with griefers — report only.
Blocking is local to the viewer only — it doesn't globally ban the user. Only Linden Lab can do that via the AR process.
The sound icon in the top toolbar (next to the clock) opens a dropdown with sliders for Master, Buttons, Ambient, Sounds, Music, Media, and Voice — this is the same in both the official SL viewer and Firestorm. If voice isn't working, check that the Voice slider is up and Enable Voice Chat is toggled on. Firestorm users: toggling Preferences → Sound & Media → Enable Voice off and on also resolves most intermittent drop-outs.
There are two different situations here — a resident whose avatar is invisible to others, and the shortcut that intentionally hides all avatars.
Avatar invisible to others (unintentional):
Ctrl+Alt+R on PC, Ctrl+Option+R on Mac).All avatars hidden (intentional toggle):
There is a shortcut that hides all avatars in the scene — including your own. This is useful at crowded events to let vendors and objects rez more quickly, but it can confuse residents who trigger it accidentally.
Shift + Option + Command + 4PC:
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 4Press the same combination again to bring all avatars back.
If a resident says everyone has disappeared including themselves, this shortcut is almost certainly the cause. It's a toggle — one press hides everyone, the same shortcut brings them all back. Remind them it hides all avatars, not just theirs, and is commonly used at busy events to improve performance.
This is one of the most commonly asked questions from new residents. Handle it professionally and without judgement — adult content is a legal and fully supported part of Second Life.
Before pointing or taking a resident to the Adult Hub, you must ask them directly if they are 18 or over and wait for an explicit confirmation. Do not proceed until they have confirmed this in chat.
Never assume age. The confirmation must come from the resident in chat — this protects both them and you. If they decline to answer or seem evasive, politely end the conversation on this topic.
Keep your opener friendly, brief, and non-intrusive. Many newcomers feel overwhelmed — don't flood them with information right away. Give them space to respond.
If they don't respond, give it 2–3 minutes before a gentle follow-up. Some residents are still figuring out how to type in chat.
Slow down. Ask one question at a time. Mirror their pace — if they're typing slowly, don't flood them with walls of text. Identify one goal and focus on it entirely.
If they can't articulate a goal, offer concrete options: explore somewhere new, customise their avatar, find people to meet.
It's always better to say you don't know than to give incorrect information. Misinformation causes real frustration — residents trust mentors.
Mentors are volunteers. You are never obligated to tolerate abuse. Stay calm, remain professional, and disengage if needed — your wellbeing comes first.
If they continue, simply stop responding. Mute them and report to a senior mentor or via AR if they are harassing others. Do not engage in arguments.
End every interaction positively — even brief ones. Leave the door open for follow-up questions. A summary of what you covered helps them remember the steps.
Log any recurring confusion patterns you notice — valuable feedback for the wider mentor team.
Mesh bodies are one of the most confusing topics for newcomers. Use a simple analogy before going into technical detail.
This is one of the most common requests. You must get explicit age confirmation before directing or taking a resident to any adult area. Do not skip this step.
Never assume age based on how someone presents their avatar or how they write. The confirmation must be explicit and in chat.
CLARA is a five-step framework for nonviolent communication and de-escalation. It shifts a conversation from a win-lose argument to a collaborative dialogue — ideal for mentors handling frustrated or confrontational residents.